A lovely study break...

Ricciarelli - see below for more!

In between these days of working on my paper for the exam coming up Tuesday, yesterday I took a daytrip with Lucia. We went to San Gimignano, a little town called Asciano, and then Siena. In between I got to see some of the beautiful countryside, which was very much like the idyllic images of Tuscany I had from before I came here, except with different colors since it is autumn and it has been raining a lot.

San Gimignano was our first stop. It is famous for its medieval towers, 14 to be exact, those remaining out of an original 72. Much like other Tuscan towns, San Gimignano is very quaint and has city walls all around its exterior. I really loved the atmosphere and the feeling there, and I would love to go back. The main thing Lucia and I did there was see the inside of the Duomo, which was beautifully decorated with frescoes on almost every wall - it seemed the entire interior was covered with frescoes! We spent quite a while identifying what the frescoes were (the life of Jesus, the Old Testament, depictions of heaven and hell) and just admiring it all... photos weren't allowed in there, so you will have to take my word that it was really cool.

After the Duomo we walked around a bit more, and stopped at a bar for late morning cappuccinos and pastry-type snacks. On our way back to the car we both did a little shopping - I bought a postcard and this little alabaster jewelry container, which is really pretty and wasn't too expensive. I don't usually buy that many souvenirs for myself aside from postcards, but I just couldn't resist this! Alabaster is very typical of San Gimignano and a few other nearby towns.

After San Gimignano we went to a town called Asciano, which is very small and not one of the tourist destinations in Tuscany (as far as I can tell). Lucia had the idea that we could grab lunch there but as it turned out we didn't find many restaurants at all! The one we did find closed at 2:30, and it was about 2, but they seemed pretty flexible and let us eat there anyway. We got two appetizers, "crostini neri" and a sampler plate, basically. Crostini neri were a variation on the variety of Tuscan crostini made with bread and a spread involving liver... I know it sounds gross to some but I actually don't mind it so much. They make it very tasty. The sampler plate had all sorts of things - prosciutto, salami, a stuffed mushroom, a piece of souffle, some cheese, and other things. For our meals, we both got pasta - I got "pyramids" filled with pecorino and ricotta and dressed with yellow squash and leeks, and Lucia got a pasta with ragu and duck meat. I definitely enjoyed my pasta but it was another one of those dishes where I am not sure I would get it again. It was certainly fun to try, and it was local!

After Asciano we drove to Siena. It was around Asciano (to and from) that there were some very dramatic views of the countryside - it was great to have the chance to see it! By the time we got to Siena, it was getting dark, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. We made our way to the Duomo there (I really am becoming an expert!) and looked around. One incredibly thing in Siena's Duomo is the Piccolomini Library, which was commissioned by the nephew of the cardinal Piccolomini who eventually became Pope Pius II. The nephew himself also eventually became Pope Pius III. And yes, I just had to look some of that up. Anyway, the library was a room connected to the rest of the church and it too was filled with frescoes depicting the life of the older Piccolomini. It also houses various illuminated choirbooks and manuscripts. It was really impressive and beautiful - and there ARE pictures on Picasa. The rest of the Duomo was very interesting as well - definitely darker on the whole with all sorts of blue/black/green marble decoration, which contrasts with Florence in that Florence's Duomo doesn't have a ton of decoration, and I was thinking also with Cagliari, in that Cagliari's Duomo is very bright, airy, and decorated with lots of white stone.

After the Duomo, Lucia got some information on a museum she wanted to visit (but decided to come back another time since it was so late). Then we walked to Piazza del Campo which is a HUGE piazza in Siena - Lucia thinks it is the most beautiful piazza in all of Italy, which is really saying something! It was certainly breathtaking, and I hope to go back during the day sometime to appreciate in the daylight as well as at night. We then did a little shopping, competing with hoards of Senesi (Sienese people) who were out walking and shopping before dinner time. Lucia bought a few Christmas presents and some wine, and we both bought some Christmas desserts - I got ricciarelli for the family (Cristina, Federico, and Lisa), which are traditional Sienese almond cookies. I had some later that night at dinner and they were really good! (See above for a representative photo!)

After Siena it was time to head back home. Lucia stopped to get gas at one point and I went inside to get us some Cokes, and apparently there was some sort of promotion going on because the woman gave me a Santa hat, emblazoned with a Coca-Cola logo on the front! It made me laugh. I think now I have more or less gifted the hat to Lisa, and that seems appropriate to me. Just another instance of realizing you are never far from American commercialism... for better and for worse.

I really enjoyed the day - riding around in a car was so convenient and it was nice to spend that time with Lucia. We talked a lot, so of course I was blabbing on all day about all sorts of things - in Italian! I would say at this point my Italian is pretty good, but I am always learning new words and phrases so the more I speak the better. I think that is pretty much it - I am going to do another post about today now!