Sienna cathedral
Bones of a "Saint"
Sienna
Sienna
Falcon-Sienna
Sienna-colours for Il Palio
Track prepared for Il Palio
Spectators reviewing the odds on favourite for Il Palio!
Sienna
Sienna Cathedral
Sunflowers -Tuscany
Sienna landscape
Radicondoli
Sienna
Sienna13 August
We had decided that this would be a “day off” from touring and sightseeing. We stayed at the villa most of the day and relaxed, reading, watching bits of the Olympics on TV (almost always events which include Italians, with commentary in Italian of course), and enjoying the pool and surroundings. Dallas, Leigh and I walked into the village, but were silly enough to end up going at the start of the hottest part of the day – even though it’s only a kilometre or so, walking uphill in the extreme heat (around 36 degrees) was decidedly uncomfortable. After getting a few groceries, we had a drink in the local bar, and Maurie came up and joined us. The swim when we arrived back at the villa was very welcome. That evening we had dinner
14 August
Today we drove to Siena, setting off reasonably early (around 8.00am) so we could spend at least part of the day’s sightseeing in the relative cool of the morning. However we gave it a good go, and found the place completely enchanting. The Piazza del Campo was being prepared for the famous hoprse race which takes place twice a year – Il Palio, where the different members of council have for hundreds of years been represented by horses and their riders, racing for the glory of winning the silk banner Il Palio.
Siena, of course, is endowed with so much bauetiful art and history that one can’t possibly do any justic to it in one day, however we
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