San Gimignano and Siena

Our first full day in Tuscany was wonderful. We visited the charming town of San Gimignano, famous for its many medieval towers. The ladies enjoyed strolling trough the narrow streets and browsing in the shops. A few of the gals found an fabulous purse shop and came out with some wonderful purchases.
Our next stop was a family run farm that produces organic foods. They had a wonderful table set for us and here we enjoyed a delicious lunch, paired with some fabulous Vernacchia wines from the region. The view was wonderful, the weather delightful and the food was delectable.
Our next stop was Siena. Our city guide took us on a walking tour of the town, explaining the history, culture and about the famous Palio race which takes place every July and August. This is a competition bewtween the contradras of the various districts of Siena. It brings a strong sense of community to the people. The main square was filled with people sitting and enjoying the sunshine and many of the locals were out strolling the streets on this wonderful Saturday afternoon. The last stop of the tour was to view the incredible Siena Cathedral. This structure took over 700 years to complete. It is made of 3 types of marble, green, white and pink. The facade is embelished with statues and ornate design, certainly a sight to behold. Part of the structure was left incomplete as this was from the era of the great plague. Unfortunately due to the many deaths they did no have the man power to comlete the structure. This unfinished building is a sad reminder of a difficult time in history.
Our dinner this evening was in a local Siena restaurant and they served us a medieval dinner of traditional Siennese foods. Traditional meant no forks or spoons. It was fun using our hands to eat our meal.
Sunday we are off to explore Arezzo and Cortna. The latter made famous by Frances Mays book and movie "Under the Tuscan Sun"