Taking on Tuscany

Two weekends ago, I went on a 3-in-1 Tuscan tour put on by the school. We could register to go on this day trip to Monteriggioni, Siena, and San Ginignano, for only about 25 Euros. So pretty sweet deal. Each town is about an hour each away from Florence, but only about 20 minutes away from each other. We left at about 8:30 am and headed first for Monteriggioni (Mon-teh-ridge-ee-on-ee). A town of probably about 30 people surrounded by a giant medieval wall with guard towers. The town itself was teeny tiny and quite deserted, it being the off season and everything was pretty much closed. The town was still very beautiful and it sat on a hill overlooking the hills of Tuscany. After Monteriggioni, we hopped back on the bus and headed to Siena (See-eh-na). Siena was a lot bigger, but still smaller than Florence. Siena had some pretty great pizza and gelato. We learned a lot about the contradas within the city. The city itself is split up into things called contradas that are almost like subdistricts within Siena. Each contrada has its own symbol and strict ruling that everyone within that particular contrada must follow. For example, you are not allowed to marry anyone who is outside your contrada. Some contradas have allies or enemies. I don't know how I feel about some of their rules, but it was definitely interesting to learn. We got to tour the main cathedral there and we had lunch in the Piazza del Campo. After Siena, we made a quick stop at San Gimignano (San-Jimmy-nah-no). Another small town, but the most historic out of the three. The Italians call this city the "Medieval Manhattan". Very rustic with its brick towers, original cobblestone streets and the residents themselves. Overall it was great to see some other parts of Italy particularly Tuscany. While there was slush, rain, and mud, it was a great day adventure to go on.

Tuscan hills in San Gimignano