L'Isola dell'Ospitalità (The Island of Hospitality)

To start off, I'd like to apologize for having taken so long to get up my next blog post. There was some weird issue with the website that wasn't allowing me to post them, so sorry!

Anyways, this blog post is about a little island set in thousands of years of rich tradition and beauty. Ischia is a slightly less well-known island that is also in the Gulf of Naples (same area that the better-known Capri is located). The island is truly beautiful, with hundreds of thermal baths as well, but while the physical beauty of it is exceptional, the inner beauty of the people on the island is unparalleled. Never have I experienced such an overwhelmingly kind population of people. But I'll get to that later.

Instead, our story begins in Naples, where my friends Lenny, Mikey, and I, had to get on a ferry from the port to go to Ischia. Having arrived at the port 3 hours before the next ferry out, we decided to run across the street and get a slice of the famed Neapolitan Pizza. We showed up about 40 minutes before the pizzeria opened up, but they gave us a table and brought us some coffee. I had the BEST cappucino I have ever had in my life at this pizzeria! When we asked the waiter if Naples was known for coffee he told us "The coffee in Rome is like water!" and upon drinking his coffee, we realized the truth in his statement. Also, they ended up letting us order pizza before they opened anyways!

Margherita e Ripieno

The city of Naples is credited with the invention of the pizza, and their speciality is the very simple Margherita pizza. My friend Lenny and I split 2 pizzas, one margherita, and the other was a ripieno, which is a stuffed pizza with ricotta cheese, sausage, etc.. Lenny was thoroughly enjoying his pizza.

After a very long and relaxing lunch, we hopped on the ferry with excitement in our hearts waiting to see what awaits us on out across the sea. It turned out the ferry ride was quite long, but I got some gorgeous photographs along the way.

Looking back at Naples (on the right)

Seaman Leonard

Nice shot of the water and an island

Mikey

My travelling companions

What a gorgeous day!

After thoroughly enjoying the open sea and sunny skies on our 90 minute ferry ride, we finally arrived at Ischia Porto (the Port of Ischia). If you look up on the hills, you can see the rugged hillside that consumes the majority of the island.

Ischia Porto

Now it is time to explain our hostel situation. So, we decided to book a hostel online through hostelworld, but as it turns out, that hostel was currently in the process of relocating, which meant that we ended up staying at a Bed & Breakfast as a temporary location for the hostel. This situation, although a bit confusing, ended up really making our weekend absolutely stellar. For starters, the owner of the B&B, Mario, picked us up at the port and drove us to our hostel, which was located on this tiny little street.

Since the sun was already low in the sky, Mario suggested we make use of the daylight and go see the Castello Aragonese, a very famous landmark for the island. The setting sun made for some amazing photos.

Castello Aragonese

Ischia Ponte

Looking up at Castello Aragonese

Small bay to the right of Castello Aragonese

Looking back towards Ischia from Castello Aragonese

As it turns out, there is a pretty cool archway as an entrance to the Castle, so we took a couple photos in it.

I'm not sure why, but I think this photo looks so awesome

Mikey hangin out

After thoroughly enjoying myself taking tons of photos and running around on the rocks surrounding the bridge, it started to get dark, so we headed back.

Once we returned, we finally had a chance to relax after a whole day of travelling, but I was curious to explore the other areas of the small B&B, so I went out into the backyard. As it turns out, our gracious host was doing some yardwork in the garden. Upon seeing me, however, him and I adjourned to the outdoor patio and hung out, sharing stories, exchanging traditions and cultures. I learned a lot about Mario, who is an exceptional person! To say that all Mario has been in his life is the owner of a B&B is to say that all George Washington did in his life is hang out on Mount Vernon. Mario was the President of the International Concierge Association, meaning that he is one of the best Concierge's in the world. In his own words, "Hospitality is my passion." Hospitality has been a family passion for years; Mario's dad worked in the same business for 40 years. Here is a photo of Mario as the President in a magazine he showed me.

President of the International Concierge Association

All the while that we were hanging out, Mario shared with me some absolutely amazing liquor and we smoked a cigar. I was so completely and utterly relaxed, it was amazing.

Bro time with Mario

Another cool thing about Mario is that, as a result of his former life in the concierge business, he knows EVERYONE and can get ANYTHING that you so desire. You know that whole cliche about some Italian guy saying like "Lemme know what you need, I got a guy," well he really does! From Broadway tickets in New York to Soccer Matches in Spain to Opera in Milan, the guy can get anything! He has so many connections.

The next morning, we were greeted kindly by Mario with a nice little array of tasty pastries, fresh squeezed orange juice from the garden, and homemade coffee.

The legend at work

If you look on the right, you might be able to see the record player that Mario has. It turns out his father left him a really nice collection of classical music, which we breakfasted to. Yes, in this situation, we did not eat breakfast, but in fact we breakfasted. It was an amazingly relaxing morning, just hanging out, listening to great music, and eating yummy treats.

Oh, and here is the outdoor patio, looking back into the garden.

After a very slow morning, we finally got a move on. On a totally random sidenote, check out this crazy salon!

I want Edward Scissorhands to cut my hair!

Anyways, our goal for the day was to go to the famous thermal baths of the island. Unfortunately, all the thermal spa resorts were closed because it was the offseason, but Mario told us about a public one that opens out into the sea that we could go to for free.

Walkin down the hill

Now, Mario told us about a tiny restaurant just above the cove where we could get lunch. He warned us that the portions were big, so we only ordered 2 pastas and a bruschetta. We should have heeded his warning!

The view from lunch

 Now, this restaurant boasted the ABSOLUTE BEST bruschetta that I have ever had, and I have eaten a LOT of bruschetta since I've been here. The tomatoes were so amazingly fresh!

Bruschetta Extraordinnaire!

Let's just say that there was a lot of spaghetti.... We couldn't even come close to eating it all!

Spaghetissimi!

Finally, around 3pm we made our way down to Sorgeto Bay. It was gorgeous!

No, this is not a professional photo :P

The only issue with the thermal waters was that because it was high tide, the waves were crashing pretty hard on the area that the water came out, meaning that it was a bumpy ride trying to balance the heat from the hot springs and the cold of the sea, but we made it work. Thermal springs in Italy are famous for their health benefits, and we managed to relax despite the constant ebb and flow of the waves.

Things got even better once we found that behind a fence there was a little cove with a hole that we could pour hot water into and draw a nice hot bath for one person at a time. Naturally, we took turns doing this.

Lenny in the bath, Mikey looking creepy up behind him

We spent a couple hours just relaxing in this manner, opening a bottle of nice wine that we bought back in town and watching the sun set. What a great afternoon!

La Dolce Vita

 Now, I mentioned before that the people of the island are exceptionally kind and friendly. Mario was the first example of this, but as a result of the smaller island population and less touristy location, this permeates through every person I met on the island. For example, when even so much as looking a little bit lost, random people would come up and attempt to help us find our way. However, nothing at all compares to the hospitality that we were greeted with during our dinner that evening.

Let me back up a little bit to explain.The restaurant that we went to is an exclusively locals-only restaurant. This is not because they don't want other people to come, but instead is because of the tucked-away into the mountains location of the restaurant. Fortunately, our hostel owner was friends with one of the cooks at the restaurant and got us a reservation, which was absolutely necessary because their specialty is rabbit, which must be slow cooked for several hours before serving. This dinner was the most amazing Italian experience I have had. The restaurant is entirely family-run and the name, Il Focolare, means "like family." The hospitality that they provide is unlike any other; they really live up to the name, but I'll get to that.

Here is a photo of the Owner (middle) and the Cook/son of the owner(left) that I found online.

Son(left) Owner(middle)

Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and then led to a table. Soon thereafter, the owner of the restaurant, an older man came up to us and began chatting with us about American politics for a bit, discussing Obama and the presidential race. Then, he asked us a question that really stuck with me, saying "What I want to know is how did three young american college students end up in my restaurant tonight?" and, thinking back to the chain of events that lead us to that moment, I was completely astounded.

It all started when, upon having my plans for the weekends cave in due to poor weather conditions in Tuscany, my Italian professor asked me what I was doing for the weekend. Since I had no plans, she suggested I go to Ischia. Then, upon getting Mikey and Lenny to come along with me, we booked the hostel. After that, we got lucky with the switch to the B&B location, leading us to Mario. Finally, he got us a reservation at that restaurant. It just seemed like everything worked out in our favor for us to end up at that restaurant that evening. And it only got better from there.

The owner is a strong advocate of the Slow Food movement, meaning that all of our food was fresh and locally produced, and the idea is to not rush through a meal, but to make a whole evening out of it. That we did! First, the owner stood there with us for quite a while, helping us pick out several items on the menu that looked particularly appealing. Finally, we figured it all out and our dining experience was ready to begin!

First, they brought us out a warm welcoming place of small appetizers :) Next came our grilled vegetables platter. I was astounded by the amount of flavor they could produce from the zucchini and carrots. After that, they brought out our pasta dish, which was a green pasta in an amazing tomato sauce. Immediately after bringing out that dish, the waitress (one of the owner's daughters) came out, informing us "my brother made this for you" and gave us each a plate of delicious lemon risotto! More free food!

Finally, we were ready to feast upon the main entree, the real reason that we came to Il Focolare this night: the famed rabbit! First, a little backstory: The island of Ischia has grown rabbits in trenches for around 2000 years, a tradition passed down from generation to generation known as Coniglio Da Fossa (Rabbit from the Pit). These rabbits are slow cooked in clay pots for hours on end, saturating in a delicious oil and veggie sauce. Il Focolare grows, kills, and cooks their own rabbits. In the past 20 years, the island has begun cooking seafood so as to appease tourists, but the true dish of the island is il coniglio da fossa, so here it is!

The rabbit was absolutely delicious! I doubt I will ever bother trying rabbit again because nothing can possibly top this and would only taint my memory of the taste of rabbit. We ate every bit of the rabbit: the white meat, the dark meat, the lungs, the liver, the intestines, the brains, and even the heart! Yes, I ate bunny heart. Yes, I do feel like a Satan worshiper who deserves to be smitten by God. I don't know how I'm going to face the bunnies back home when I return. They know. They all know, and judge....

Bunny Head

To finish our dinner, we ordered a creme brulee, which was, like every single scrap of food I ate this evening, spectacular. Overall, the quality of the food here may have been the highest I've ever had. Yes, I've had better food as a single dish, but over this many different food items I have never had such consistent quality.

Now, once we had finished eating, one of the owner's sons (and also the cook who made us the risottto as well as the friend of the hostel owner as it turns out) came over to us and asked us if we were done. Upon confirming, he said "follow me" and then proceed to grab a plate of roasted chestnuts and a bottle of homemade liquor known as Centerba (100 herbs) and then take us into a backroom wine cellar (cantina).

For the next hour, the four of us hung out around a large stone table, with the brother sharing so much of the culture and traditions of Il Focolare, Ischia, and Italy in general with us. He told us the history of the cellar. Apparently, it used to be a place only for men, but has developed into a backroom where they only take certain guests of the restaurant (we felt very very special being brought back there). This experience was completely unexpected and just utterly amazing. There is a true kindness nestled deep in the heart of the family that runs Il Focolare, and I am extremely grateful for the experience they gave to us, really making our weekend incomparably exceptional.

Mikey and Lenny, Centerba, and Chestnuts

There was even a couple of small tunnels leading out the back of the cantina. They are still in the process of expanding them. Check it out!

Lenny attempting to pickaxe Mikey in the face

Me in the tunnels!

Before leaving, we got a couple more photos in the cantina.

Now, we still hadn't paid yet, so upon finishing up in the cantina, we went over to our waitress and asked to pay. Not only did they give us 2 free dishes during the dinner, bring us back in to their cellar and give us free roasted chestnuts and homemade liquor AND give us an unforgettable cultural experience of a lifetime, but they gave us 10 euro off our meal as well. And that is not all!

The brother even DROVE US HOME across the island back to our B&B. We thanked them so many times for all of the kindness and generosity they showed 3 strange american college kids and all he said was "This is our life. To give is our passion." I LOVE ISCHIA!

After having a day and particularly a night like this one, we decided that nothing could possibly top it, so why try? Therefore, here ends the story of a truly wonderful weekend. God I love Ischia. If anyone is ever in Italy, go there! Also, talk to me first so I can set hook you up with the right people and the right places!

Una passeggiata splendida attraverso la campagna Toscana (A gorgeous walk through the Tuscan countryside)

So I have to start off by apologizing for being so behind on posts, it's been really busy here lately with midterms.

To preface this story, my friend, Alex, who is studying in Florence inspired me to go on this trip. About a month or more ago, he went on a walking journey through Tuscany from Florence to Abruzzo and had an awesome experience traveling the Via Francigena, which is an ancient path that pilgrims have been taking for centuries, traveling all the way from Northern Europe to Rome, to go to the Vatican.

This trip really made me excited to do some sort of walking journey, so I did some research and came across this wonderful gem of a book known as "Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria." This book is very streamlined, with no nonsense. It offers a few key things: 1) Step-by-step directions through the countrysides of Tuscany and Umbria, between key points of beauty (landscapes, churches, wonderful towns, medieval structures, castles, anything Italian and wonderful you can think of really) 2) Good places to stay, including phone number of the local Tourist Office 3) Good places to eat (their suggestions are top-notch) 4) Any other logistical information you may need on you're journey. This book really takes the worry and difficulty out of doing a wonderful hiking journey in Tuscany.

I had been thinking about doing a trip for awhile, but wasn't sure exactly which one or if I was going to go by myself or with a friend. I had thought about going to the South Tuscany Region (Montalcino, Montepulciano, etc) or perhaps the West Siena Region (Monteriggioni), but nothing was certain.

Then Friday morning, with no particular plans for the weekend, my roommate, Eric, and I started chatting about maybe doing a day trip, and then completely out of the blue he brought up Monteriggioni, so I told him about the walks and he loved the idea. The next morning, we were on a train headed for Monteriggioni, with the book saved as a pdf document on my iPhone, for ease of use. We had no reservations, and were ready for an Italian adventure!

Upon arrival, we were about 3 kilometers from the little castle town of Monteriggioni, and this is where my walking journey began!

Come on, let's take a walk

As we walked the 3km, Monteriggioni suddenly appeared from behind the trees, treating us to our first views of the wonderful little village.

Makin' my way downtown, walkin' fast, faces pass, and I'm castle bound

This town is particularly famous, immortalized in pen by Dante Alighieri! Read for yourself.

Here is a wonderful up-front shot of the castle.

The wine grows right up to the edge of the castle

And once we got to the top of the hike up, we had to stop to take a photo.

Country Bumpkin

Monteriggioni is a particularly small place, with one single piazza, several shops, a couple restaurants, and one hotel. Check out the piazza!

The Piazza of Monteriggioni

Walking around a bit, I got this shot of the walls.

Beautiful day

We even were able to go up onto the walls! Here is the north-facing wall.

The view of the countryside; absolutely spectacular!

And a shot of the only church in town, from the south-facing wall. This church is the reason that pilgrims travel through Monteriggioni on their pilgrimmages.

The church

These next two photos really define Monteriggioni, and are utterly gorgeous. Take a look.

Here's a photo of me hanging out on the castle walls.

Pondering...

 Walking around in the shops, we found this hilarious pair of extremely potent alcohols!

Trolls n Booze

Finally, after having thoroughly walked around the tiny village several times, we began our first walk, a ring walk in the regions surrounding Monteriggioni. This land is set in a storied history of pilgrimmages, fascist violence, defense of the walls of Monteriggioni, farming, and wonderful food and wine! Remember the Via Francigena? Well it turns out that my book almost exclusively took us along the the well-trodded path of the pilgrims. It was a really enjoyable experience to think about the massive number of people over hundreds or thousands of years that have walked along the same road that I was taking.

The beginning of the walk

It was an absolutely perfect day for this! I was very excited to be starting!

The country bumpkin begins his hike...

And what beautiful beginnings they were!

Monteriggioni is known for being a rather well-forested region of Tuscany, and we certainly got to enjoy a great balance between sunny fields and shaded forests.

After going through the forest for a time, we appeared out in a wonderful little field. I said hi to the local farmers, and then we kept walking.

And after another little bit, we finally came out into a 2 kilometer stretch of farmland, taking the dirt road straight down the middle!

We even encountered some piggies!

Oink oink!

Continuing further along the road...

Even though Eric and I were on vacation, the locals weren't! They were running tractors by this cool little old tower right in the middle of the farmland!

And here is a beautiful couple of shots back towards Monteriggioni from where we had walked to so far.

Artsy, with Monteriggioni in the upper left middle

Unbeknownst to us, the book took us along a walk up to the peak of Monte Maggio, a particularly large hill in the area. It was an hour's walk steep uphill (approximately 3 kilometers), but it was worth it.

Here is a shot back down, along the hike up.

Along the way we really got to see signs of the fascist violence that the area is known for. Here are a couple of little memorials.

2 men gunned down in their sleep

The story goes that a wave of fascist violence, from whose regime I don't quite remember, swept over the countryside, with many of the local hard-working farmers and merchants retreating to Monteriggioni for safety. Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky. Some of the bloodiest and most merciless events occured on Monte Maggio. The bottom photo of the 3 is of two men who were gunned down while they slept, in their house, Casa Giubileo, at the top of Monte Maggio.

Here is Casa Giubileo.

Casa Giubileo

After coming down from Monte Maggio, it was starting to get dark, and we got a little bit lost. Fortunately, speaking to a local farmer in Italian led us to a path that would return us to Monteriggioni. This trip really developed my Italian speaking and listening skills and helped me so much more than anything else I have done while in Italy. Being forced to figure stuff out, getting directions, etc, really helps you speak and understand more fluently.

Along our walk back, we passed the local village of Abbadia a Isola. Here is a nice sunset shot of it.

Abbadia a Isola

Now, here comes the story! So as I mentioned before, we came in with no bookings of any sort for lodging. Thus, it was a little bit worrisome to try and find somewhere to stay, as the sun had completely set by the time we returned to town. Additionally, there is only one hotel in town and very little other options given the size. Just so you know, the hotel would have cost us 170 euro for the two of us for one night, so clearly we were not going to stay there.

This is another point where my Italian really came in handy. We saw a little ad for cheap rooms for rent in town on a wall, with nothing but a phone number and a price (only 50 euro for the both of us). So, given no other option, I called up the guy. Entirely in Italian, we discussed the booking, then he informed me that I was to go walk to the just outside the walls of the city to meet a woman dressed in medieval garments and receive the key from her. After getting lost for a little bit, we found the lady, and she then handed us the keys, telling us where the building was, and then letting us on our merry way.

So we walked over to the building, and it happened to be even more centrally located to the piazza than even the only hotel! It was literally next door to the church, because it was a pilgrim house! This is the primary location that traveling pilgrims (yes, even modern ones) will stop for the night. The entire place had supportive poems and information helpful for pilgrims traveling all over the walls. Additionally, it was very clean and nice, and they offered huge discounts to pilgrims. It was really wonderful to get to stay in this little pilgrim house, since we had been traveling as pilgrims along the Via Francigena all day, and would be continuing to do so the next day.

After waiting in our room for about an hour, the guy who I spoke to over the phone showed up and we paid for the night. I have to say, this was the strangest, but most interesting place I have ever ended up staying in for a night!

Moving on... Eric and I were starving at this point, so we went to one of the few restaurants in town: Enoteca il Feudo. This was an amazing restaurant, simple service, but quality wine and just absolutely delicious food. In their menu, they had a geographical portrayal of where the grapes for the famous wines of the area were grown.

Additionally, they sold the wine of the house in a bottle whose label is merely a drawing of Monteriggioni. How cool!

Take a close look at the label

Also, I had heard tell of the wonderful delights of truffles, so I was naturally drawn to ordering the Truffle-stuffed pasta in a black truffle sauce. Wow it was amazing!

Truffle dish

Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of it, but Eric ordered an even better item, pasta stuffed with sheep-milk cheese and pear, in a pistacchio sauce. WOW that was amazing, and made of many typical local Tuscan products. You can really taste the difference, eating out in the country where the food is made within 5 kilometers. The food in Rome that I have had so far does not even compare to the food I enjoyed out in Tuscany.

After dinner, Eric and I were just hanging out outside in the piazza, when this goofy little cat came up to us. He was such a cute, playful little guy, and I had a great time with him until he ditched us after awhile.

Playful kittie!

There ends the first of an awesome two-day trip into Tuscany!

The next morning, we decided to get up bright and early, so that we wouldn't be rushed for time to try to get the only bus from Santa Colomba back to Siena. Here is a gorgeous morning shot from our bedroom window of the piazza. Like I said, centrally located!

Buongiorno, Monteriggioni!

We actually were up so early that nothing was even open! Fortunately one lady was moving boxes in and out of her cafe, so she let us enter and grab a coffee and a couple pastries before we began our long hike. Take a look at the countryside as the sun burns off the morning dew.

Our journey took us through a little farmhouse, where they had geese. However, these geese were no ordinary geese. They were ANGRY!!!!!

Angry Mr. Goose

No joke, anytime we tried to go by these geese, they would charge headlong at us in an utter bloodlust. It was actually rather frightening. So, instead we outsmarted the geese. I hopped over the wall to the lower ledge, and then Eric drew them out. They would slowly walk towards him like zombies. Then once he pulled them out far enough, he hopped over, and we booked it to the end of the wall and climbed up, getting away from the crazy birds as quickly as possible!

Zombie Geese, hunting Eric

After continuing along for quite some time into the forest, we were rewarded with a beautiful panorama, giving us our final glimpse back down upon the castle town.

Here's another photo of happy Jason, enjoying his hike.

And some more beautiful landscape.

Spending quite some time in the forest and farmlands of the region, we ended up in another cute little town.

Finally, after 4 or so hours of hiking, we got our first glimpses of our destination: Santa Colomba!

Santa Colomba

So, the town has 1 road, 1 small church, and a thousand years of history! That church has stood since around 1100. So simple, yet so old. It was really cool to take a look inside a less embellished church.

I don't actually know what it is, but this is the only other real building in town. As we walked by it, we were really hoping for somewhere to eat. We had been walking all morning with the plan of eating upon arrival in Santa Colomba, but given the size of the village, we were worried that there might not be anything available. 

As we continued walking down the street, we started hearing a lot of voices coming from one building. It turns out that there was a restaurant open!!

Apparently this restaurant is only open for 3 meals a week: dinner Friday and Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. 

Wow we were lucky!

We went inside, only to discover that all the voices were in fact caused by a massive 30-40 person birthday celebration going on at the restaurant. Hoping to be in a less chaotic environment, we chose to sit outside.

Outdoor seating

Just as at the restaurant that we went to dinner the night before, the food was just utterly spectacular because of the proximity to where it was grown and the incomparable freshness and quality of it. Please gaze upon my delicious lunch!

Il Pranzo

I actually enjoyed a nice conversation with our friendly young waiter, telling him that I was from California. He told me that I was crazy for being so far from home and particularly in such a non-touristy location. He also gave me his thoughts on people from San Francisco: absolutely insane!! I shared a laugh with him and went on enjoying my meal. However, when the check came, he actually gave me my glass of wine and all our water for free. 

Also, he came out and offered me some Montenegro grappa, which was absolutely the best grappa I have tasted, a step above all others. Very drinkable!

Free Montenegro (plus ad placement)

I really appreciated the very personal and friendly dining experience presented by my waiter, particularly enjoying his generosity. As a result, I gave him a tip of a couple euro, and he wished us good travels!

Just after this whole transaction ended, the only bus for the next 5 hours to go back to Siena arrived -- perfect timing!

Since it was only around 4pm when we arrived in Siena, we decided to hang around for a bit and explore. We were greeted by a wonderful surprise! It was the Autumn Festival for Siena, meaning that there were hundreds of vendors selling their wares in the streets, thousands of Italians out and about, and lots of other cool things going on.

Autumn Festival in Siena

One of the tables in the streets had a LOT of pumpkins. Take your pick!

Pumpkins galore!

Eric and I continued exploring Siena, when all of a sudden, the tiny alleyways opened up into this amazing piazza!

Piazza del Campo

The tower just completely dominates this very open, slanted piazza. Here is another shot of the piazza, so you can get a feel for the way it looks. It was really cool seeing all the Italians just hanging out, layin on the ground, kickin soccer balls around, etc..

I got a couple really cool shots from inside the building that is attached to the tower!

Tracing the city back to the Medieval Times

Different angles providing different perspectives on life

For our last stop in Siena, we found this really awesome outdoor antiques market, where they sold all sorts of wares!

They sold such a vast variety of items, from tools to jewelry to knives to paintings to china to random trinkets.

Antiques Market

I bought a really cool little bronze owl-shaped bottle opener that has red eyes. I love it!

Now, on our way out of town, we got the opportunity to see a marching band just completely rocking out straight through the little sidestreets that make up most of Siena. It was a wonderful way to end our time at this Autumn Festival in Siena!

Marching Band at Autumn Festival in Siena

This little weekend trip into the Tuscan countryside is really the sort of thing that I have been desiring to do since I came to Italy. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn a lot more of the history and culture of Italy, as well as speak and listen to lots of Italian, taking me out of my comfort zone. This trip was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had since coming to Italy. A truly beautiful experience. Una esperienza bellissima!