Monday, October 27, 2008

October 26, 2008 – Day 7 – Radda in C...

October 26, 2008 – Day 7 – Radda in Chianti, Siena, Cortona

  • European Daylight savings began today at 0200, so we were able to get an extra hour on our trip

  • Since it was a Sunday, we wanted to try to sleep a little later

  • Jeff woke at 0730, Nancy work up past 0830

  • We finally had the opportunity to look out the windows and were absolutely blown away by the views of Cortona above us, and the beautiful valley all around.

  • The road leading from the restaurant to the suites is lined by olive trees and the entire estate in line with grape vines. The setting that we were not able to appreciate the night before was stunning.

  • We had breakfast, in the summer breakfast room, located near the suites, where we were staying

  • We walk in and wouldn’t you know it, the exact same waiter is also serving us breakfast (or at least setting up the buffet and bringing us coffee). Since we left the restaurant the night before past 2200, and there were people still there, we were a bit surprised to see him again. We jokingly asking him if he had spent the night there working. At least he seemed to have a sense of humor in the morning.

  • It was the standard Italian breakfast, though il Falconere had a larger selection of breads, and cheeses. I was a bit surprised that they did not have any hot food, though they had the chafing dishes out as if they were to serve eggs and meats. Either way, it was yummy. I could eat a continental breakfast all the time

  • We were back in the car by 1030 and off to Siena. We had debated if we were going to take the same highway we took the day before to head back to Siena or take some of the side roads. The concierge said it would take almost 2.5 hours if we took the back roads to get to Siena, we decide to take the highway

  • Siena, we were warned, is a very difficult city to find, a very difficult place to find parking and not very well marked. Our experience proved this advice correct. We got off the highway in Siena and started to follow the signs into the city, however we went through 2-3 intersections and all signs indicated which way simply disappeared (now, we figured out later that if no sign exists we should just keep going straight, but with the number of rotary’s there, it was impossible to understand this until you have been driving there for quite some time, not necessarily on your second day in a car).

  • As we were driving around figuring which was to go, we saw a sign for Radda and decided we would just go there first.

  • Everyone said, we must go to Radda in Chianti. It was beautiful we were told, it is quaint, it would be one of the highlights of our trip, we were told, so off to Radda, in another 35 kilometers figuring to get there around 1200.

  • Sure enough we pull into town right on schedule, drive around the town looking for a parking spot. We drive around a bit and are directed to a little parking spot, with a dirt and stone base, that seems to be far off the beaten path, so we decided not to park there. We turn around and head back into town looking a side lot or on street parking. We find a spot on the street and head off to explore the town, but first we decide to visit the local water closet since nature is calling. We follow the signs that lead back to the parking lot we were just in, which is right next to town and has perhaps the cleanest water closet in all of Italy if not all of the European continent. Every freshening up and lightening our load, we decide to go into Radda. On our way into town we pass a young couple and point them towards the WC.

  • Now it is around 1230 now on a Sunday afternoon and we go through the wall into town and we find nothing and no one in town. The town is significantly smaller than the other towns we visited previously. I don’t know if everyone just takes it easy on Sunday in Radda, or if quaint also means boring with nothing to do. We look for the tourist office and get a little map of the city and our concerns are confirmed, there ain’t much here. There are a few churces, not many shops or restaurants, but like a good tourist we explore all there is to see here

  • Either way the landscapes around the city are beautiful and not to be missed. We pass the couple from the WC about 2-3 more times (just to show how small the town really is). We finally strike up a conversation with them, they are from Israel, and we ask them to take a picture of us and vice versa.

  • We exchange the normal pleasantries and information about where each of us have been, they had been in Siena and told us to park near the soccer field, we tell them they should head to San Giagmano and Volterra if they have the time.

  • With that we decide to leave Radda, a bit underwhelmed and not sure why everyone raved about this little hill town, we hop in the car about 1315 and head off to the football field in Siena.

  • We kept talking about stopping at a winery, to do a little wine tasting, but I found that they were all poorly marked, you never knew ahead of time where one was going to be, and then once you passed a vineyard, it was almost impossible to turn around and go back. Eventually, just outside of Sienna we find a vineyard to stop and do a tasting. It winds up the woman who owns the store speaks no English, does not even understand any of my gestures to sample the wine. SO we leave quite disappointed, hoping that not every vineyard winds up being like this one.

  • We decide around 1400 that we will call home to see how things are going back in Stamford. We speak with my parents and the kids and find everything is going well, and everyone is surviving with out us. We have now had our kid fix and are off.

  • We now attempt to follow the signs to the center of Siena via the soccer stadium. We follow the big wall around the city and wind up parking right next to the wall. We think we must be in a great spot, since we seem to be right here. What we soon realize is that the fortress, where we are parked, is not really located next to the old city, so we still have a big walk ahead of us to get to where we want to go.

  • After a few questions of the local, and a long experience of staring at the soccer stadium, caused by my unwillingness to ask for directions, when I already knew which direction we were supposed to go, we headed off the old city. It was another beautiful city with a lot of shops, restaurants and of course churches.

  • We started walking in the direction of the duomo, but the came across il Campo a stunning town square that is anchored by the the Palazzo Pubblico, with its Torre del Mangia and various palazzi signorili. Our hotel manager, recommended a place to eat in Siena, but it seemed to be way more fancy schmancy place than we were looking for, or willing to spend for lunch. Our travel agent recommended we try to find a specific place for lunch, so we wonder in and out of the Piazza looking for this particular place. After a fruitless search, it appears that the recommendation is not open for lunch, only dinner. So as it quickly approaching 1500, when the majority of lunch places close, we decide to eat at one of the multiple places right on the one of the greatest public spaces we have ever seen.

  • In all this walking around looking for a restaurant, we did see a sign for the Siena synagogue and decided that might be a good place to hit later in the day

  • Nancy gets a very simple caprisi Panini and I got a very boring white pizza, simply crust and mozzarella cheese. I thought it might have some flavor, but I was very wrong it was perhaps the single worst meal I had in Italy, and I had no one to blame but myself. I was going to get a tuna salad instead, but then talked myself into a pizza. The table next to us got that salad and it looked delicious and very filling. Well, cie le vie. Not everything can be perfect 100% of the time over 10 days.

  • We were a bit disappointed since it was now well past 1500 and we felt we had not really seen that much today. So we then went off in search of the Duomo, the master piece of architecture in the entire town. We decided not to enter the church, as were both kind of tired, and were happy sitting outside admiring the lines and beauty.

  • We sat near a tour group and listened to the guide tell them some facts about this church.

  • As we were sitting there admiring the sites and basking in the nice fall weather, a pigeon pooped on Nancy’s shoulder. After the initial shock and disgust, we had to laugh as this was just the icing on the cake of this day.

  • After some more discussions, we decided to head over to the synagogue (getting a little Jew on) and then we would head out. It was a decision we would not regret

  • We find the synagogue right behind the Piazza del Campo, kind of nestled in a residential neighborhood. We walk in and pay the 10 euros for the two of us to enter. We are given a small tour and some facts about the Siena Jewish community

    • The synagogue was built in 1789, with the majority of the chapel still having original furnishings.

    • The style is classical Italian Renaissance

    • As an orthodox congregation, the woman originally sat in the upper deck, which is no longer open to the public, they now sit on opposite sides of the shul.

    • Only 14 Siena Jews were deported and died during WWII. Our guide attributed this to the excellent relationship between the Siena Jews and the non-Jews of Siena. No one was willing to turn the Jews in here. If this has not been studied further, it would be a very interesting study to understand the dynamics that went on here, and helped spare a community being wrecked by genocide.

  • Upon exiting the synagogue we felt significantly refreshed.

  • And now before our long drive back to Cortona, we decided we must have gelato and sit in the Palazzo de Campo one more time. We enjoyed our treat as we sat down and watched the people go by. We decided to take a few more pictures and hit the road.

  • It was about almost 1700 when we hit the road knowing we had 45-60 minutes of driving ahead of us. At least we had driven into and out of this city multiple times the night before and knew where we heading.

  • By the time we parked and got out of the car, it was 1800 and dark out (as daylight savings had ended that morning), so we finally began to explore the city.

    • Upon arrival there was an old fashioned flea market that was just ending right at the base of the Duomo. Although it was closing, Nancy and I enjoyed wondering through and looking at some of the items, junk and trinkets that were on sale here. This reminded us of the flea market my parents took us to in Conklin.

    • As we began to explore the city, we were amazed at the number of people on the streets at this hour. It would seem (we don’t know for sure that this does not happen every night in every other city, but this is the first night we were out on the street at this time) that everyone who lives on Cortona comes out on Sunday nights and meets, talks and walks with their neighbors. It was an absolutely amazing, friendly atmosphere. It a refreshing difference from how the American culture is, where we would rarely all decide to go outside, walk around and simply stroll to meet and greet our old neighbors, friends and catch up. We are always in a hurry and never take the time to stop and smell the roses, and this is exactly what the citizens of this midevil town were doing and apparently do every Sunday.

    • We found Cortona to not be that large. We did not make it to the very top of the city as we got diverted down a side street and found ourselves with a seat overlooking the valley below us. It was a crystal clear night, and we could see for miles. We sat there for a few minutes as we contemplated our next move.

    • The hotel had recommended two restaurants in Cortona and as expected both of them were a bit more upscale than we had wanted.

    • It was still just past 1900, and most restaurants really don’t get busy until well past 2000. We had decided that we were going to break with Italian tradition and just eat early, since we were hungry and tired.

    • We found a little bistro café right off the piazza where the flea market was held. We split a green salad, then both had a very simple pasta dishes and passed on the main course. After stuffing ourselves for almost a week, we decided simpler was better tonight. This wound up being the most inexpensive dinner of the trip, and obviously the least memorable.

  • We would our way back down the road from Cortona to our hotel without encountering any cars coming barreling around corners in the other direction.

  • Back at the hotel Nancy took a bath to relax and unwind, while I drank the champagne from the night before. A relaxing end to a strange day to say the least.

  • We felt that although our day in Radda and Siena was not one of our best, this was actually probably the worst one of the trip, not because we had a bad time, but rather we were just out of sync, which is completely understandable over the course of a 10 day vacation. We felt that we had spent a lot of time in the car, and not had seen as much as we had anticipated. Either way in the greater scheme of things the day was well, but not compared to the rest of the vacation. We were glad to have this one behind us and looking forward to less driving tomorrow

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