Piazza Vittorio Emanuele in Siena, Italy

Today called the Piazza del Campo (and Palazzo Comunale is now Repubblico), this is undoubtedly one of the coolest places to hang out day or night, anywhere in Italy.

Ar there tourists? you bet, but so what? Come late or early for quiet and a taste of local flavor. And try it in January!

Siena for my 50th birthday

 [late April 1998]

I had the great good fortune to an entire week inside the walls of Siena in celebration of my 50th birthday. OK, Susie and I did take buses to Montalcino and San Gimignano for short day trips. Otherwise we roamed the side-streets and back alleys of this incredible medieval city,  hanging out on the Piazza del Campo watching the ebb and flow of humanity, people from around the world savoring the experience of being in Siena.

It was our second trip to Italy and it's quite possible we enjoyed ourselves even more than the first one. A grand time indeed!

We rented an apartment on via Campagna just a stone's throw from the Piazza del Campo and out tiny street had its own grocer and bakery. In the morning I would walk across via di Citta to a bar for coffee and then to the bakery for pastries. Aside from sleeping in way to late most days we both found the experience exhilarating. 

It was wonderful and certainly enlightening to simply spend most of our time strolling inside the walls of this spectacular little, so much to experience just by walking, taking one's time and savoring the place, its people, the rhythms of life here.

our apartment entrance was just before the grocer on the left and bakery at the far end

Susie at the window

via Campagna and via di Citta

view from our window of via di Citta

view of the Torre di Mangia from the Duomo

view from the Duomo

via di Citta

Susie on the walls of the fortezza

Goodbye to Siena and D & D

 [24-25 June 1994, photos with date-stamp courtesy of Dick VandenBerg]

Our time in Tuscany came to an end way too soon. 

For our last night the four of us drove into Siena to savor one final meal on the Piazza del Campo. Walking onto the piazza we got to see the preliminary setup for the July Palio. Fortunately, they hadn't started putting down the sand yet. . . Even though it was late even by local standards by the time we finished eating, there were still plenty of folks out enjoying a stroll on the Campo. 

why was I confused?

a damn fine time was had by all

The following day we drove Dick and Dorothy to the Siena train station for their return trip south to Rome. Susie and headed the other direction, north to Lake Como and Bellagio.