St. Peter's Basilica

With the forecast calling for showers, it seemed like the perfect day to tour St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum. The line only took 45 minutes to go through security for St. Peter's and it went quickly as we stood outside and did a lot of people-watching. St. Peter's is truly overwhelming and we were awestruck with the magnitude and beauty of the church. But the fun part was climbing the 310 steps to the cupola from where we were treated to magnificent views of Rome. After lunch at a recommended restaurant from a CDA friend (thanks, Paula), we decided we were too tired to do the museum and just came back to the house and watched the worst of the "Raiders" trilogy! But we agreed to tell everyone we had toured the museum!

Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica is an amazing place about 1/2 hour by train toward the Mediterranean Sea. This was the port of ancient Rome in the 4th C BC before the Tiber changed course away from the city. The town was eventually covered over and has been excavated. Many say this is better than Pompeii because it is so large. We were fascinated by the very large public bath house that had a work out room as well as a place to get an olive oil massage! The walls and floors were all heated with hot water within. Steve is pictured in one of the hot pools. (And no, it wasn't mixed bathing; the women had a smaller area that was separate.) We had lunch at the top of the remains of the theater where performances are still held.

First Day in Rome

We decided to start with one of the most popular tourist sites, the Coliseum and the Roman Forum on our first day of site-seeing. We were both impressed at how much has been preserved of both these ruins. AND their size!  Thank goodness Steve had downloaded Rick Steves' audio guides because we were able to complete both in just a few hours giving us plenty of time for lunch and general wandering around. We've decided that we really like the Cliff Notes approach that Rick does because we generally finish the tour before being exhausted!

Hanging Out

We have spent the last few days hanging out in Asciano instead of visiting Siena. Usually about two weeks in when traveling in a country where we don't know the language, instead of finding things interesting and challenging, we find them annoying! That's where we are right now - also isolated. But we took the train to Rome today and found our new "home" for our last week. Got some groceries and cooking chicken cacchiatori for dinner which  somehow helps!

Steam Train to the Chestnut Festival

Sunday was a perfect day and we took an early train to Siena for a day-long excursion to Piancastagnaio for their chestnut festival. A coal-powered steam engine and cars from the 1800's were novelties for us. And we actually liked the roasted chestnuts!

Montalcino's Sagra del Tordo

It was the 54th Festival of the Thrushes marking the start of the hunting season. The day began with a parade in period costume down the main street. Each of the four neighborhoods competes in an archery competition later in the day, but meanwhile local foods are enjoyed in a picnic setting. Steve and I feasted on all sorts of mushrooms with brunello wine.

Back from Florence

We returned to Asciano Thursday after visiting the Duomo Museum in the morning.  This is where Michelangelo's Pieta is housed. Both of us appreciate the sculptures more than the religious paintings! On Friday we visited the little village of Pienza, a town completely planned by Pope Pius II (1458). The nave in the church is one of the most beautiful we've seen.

Museums, Churches, and Walks

Between yesterday and today, we've done 5 museums, 3 churches, and 2 of Rick Steve's "walks" around Florence. So we've checked off most of our must-sees. Thankfully the sun came out about noon today and we were finally able to get some pictures. We also enjoyed a great lunch and walking along the Ponte Vecchio, the quintessential Florence photo op! (Pictured is Steve along the Arno River and his first course at lunch of pasta with porcini mushrooms. Oh, and David!)

Room With a View!

While still dark the train left Asciano for Siena where we hopped a local bus to the city center. From there we caught an express bus to Florence. A lot of changes to go 60 miles! We dropped our backpacks at our hotel which is right next to the big cathedral that Rick Steves calls "the most beautiful church facade this side of heaven". (See picture from our room.) We have started our museum marathon!

Festival of the New Oils

The olives are being pressed now and Sunday we attended a celebration in the small town of Tequanda. In addition to tasting green, fresh oil, we also sampled pecorino cheese (sheep, fresh or aged), fig salami, sausages, local wines, and warm polenta. This was our kind of festival! We then drove the small roads enjoying the Tuscan landscape, stopping to see yet one more walled city, Mintepulciano.

Venturing Further Out - An Abbey and Medieval Towns

We left about 10 am Saturday and drove a short while to the Abbey of Monte Oliveta Maggiore founded by the Benedictine monks in 1319. Lunch was at a nice restautant on the grounds where both of us had veal scaloppine and Steve tried the Truscan Bean Soup. From there we visited the walled towns of Buonconvento and Montalcino, famous for its Brunello wine made from the Sangiovese grape. Of course we did a little tasting!

Off to Italy!

We fly from Spokane to Rome tomorrow, arriving on October 20th. We'll be renting a car at the airport and driving to Asciano, a small town outside of Siena, where we'll stay in this home. Our goal is to sleep on the plane so we don't sleep driving to Asciano!