21 May

Had a lovely lay-in this morning and then caught the bus to Siena, about 20mins.  Noted that for the whole journey there was not one pedestrian mad enough to walk on the road.  What an amazing place this is. Listed by UNESCO for its cultural and architectural significance every corner you turn is another photo opportunity.  It has always been in a battle with Florence for supremacy and in the 13th century when the aggreessors couldn’t penetrate the walls of this city they used the unusual tactic of catapulting dung and dead goat flesh over the walls in the hope that the plague would wipe out the population.  Wandered the streets and had pizza and chianti/beer for lunch followed by gelati in the afternoon.  You can just sit here and watch the people walk by marvelling at the ancient structures that surround you.  The weather has been just beautiful all day and we spent the late afternoon in the courtyard back home before dinner at our restaurant.  The dining room seats 10 comfortably and all tables were full with guests. A carafe of vino rossi was set on each of the tables.  Antipasto including bruschetta was followed by spinach and ricotta ravioli, then roast potato and beef followed by apple sponge dusted with chocolate.  Euro20 ea.  The entertainment was provided for free when 2 more large groups of guests arrived (at least 20) and they rearranged seating in a second dining room and also outside on the lawns.  We strolled home along the driveway lit only by the stars and masses of fireflies in the gully.