Spoleto, Siena, & More.

Okay this is going to be a big post, so you've been warned in advance. First, I'll give you some pictures of Erin's and my adventures in the park...

Last week there was also an antique market in Piazza Signorelli, so Erin and I wandered through briefly. I found some gorgeous copper jewelry, but did not have my purse with me. I still haven't decided whether that was a good thing or an unfortunate thing. Erin and I tore ourselves away from the prospect of shopping, and wandered through the park. The park is one of the few locations in town that is FLAT. It makes for a rather pleasant walk. This day was right after Cortona got SNOW, so it was still rather chilly... the fountain even had icicles! Another discovery was the probably that the amphitheatre style steps bordering one side of the park are used for an outdoor movie theatre in the summertime. Perhaps the screen frame and projector room gave that away... Regardless, the steps are a fun photo-op! Especially when you figure out how to use the self-timer on your camera effectively. Haha. Along our walk we also found the outdoor Cortona swimming pool. Appeared to be closed. Maybe that has something to do with the season? I am convinced it is the lifeguard in me that draws me to water... On the way back the sun was slowly setting, and we attempted to wait outside to catch some good pictures. We almost made it, but our outermost appendages threatened to freeze and fall off...

Antique market

This past week I also made an effort to take pictures of every single dish at every single meal... to show you how spoiled we are at suppertime. To see the full album, go to my profile on Facebook. Below are just a few examples...

Spoleto - Friday

Erin and I went on a day trip to a typical Roman town that the history class had taken a field trip to the previous weekend. After seeing a few pictures I concluded that perhaps I needed to explore this town for myself. So off we went, bright and early on a Friday morning. We even packed sandwiches. Once we stepped outside, we were immediately concerned by the high speed winds and chill in the air. We continued to be concerned as these winds followed us on our journey. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find Spoleto warm and sunny. Yesss! Erin had been on the field trip the previous weekend, so we depended on her memory and navigational skills to get us to the photo-worthy sites. I believe the first saving grace was the instinct to go uphill... you know, towards the big castle on top. Seemed logical. Luckily we stumbled across a familiar piazza and found a green park for lunch.

Hunger satisfied we continued uphill towards the castle, stumbled across a rather odd staircase with elevator music playing, and found ourselves inside the outer wall of the castle. The view of Spoleto was incredible. On the other side of this hill there is an old aqueduct from the Roman times, that has been converted into a foot bridge across the valley. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the trails in the hills on the other side. I am so fascinated by Roman ruins and having learned a bit more about the history behind them, they continue to leave me in awe. Green foliage and incredible views don't hurt either.

Having missed a train back home by 5 minutes, we wandered back into town for some food. We were baffled by so many shops being closed, since it was not siesta hour! (Siesta is between 1pm and ~4pm, during which time everyone goes home for a nap. I told you I loved this country for a reason.) Siesta can be inconvenient at times, but the logic behind it is impressive. Soon we realized that restaurants were not open for a few reasons: (1) It's not suppertime yet (2) It's not a huge tourist town, so they have no reason to operate on hours other than those typical of Italian culture. Our other dilemma was trying to locate a gelateria. We found a few shops called gelateria's... none of which actually sold gelato. It took us a few minutes to figure out why. It's WINTER. It might be outstandingly warm for us Canadians, but it is still winter, and not logical to sell gelato in a non-touristy town. Darn.

When we finally boarded a train home, I had a rather graceful moment that clearly distinguished me from all Italians. Not that my curly red hair hadn't done that already. I tripped going up the steps and FLEW across the train, momentum stopped only by the closed door on the other side. Positive note - we met a charming American girl as a result. She deduced that my apparent lack of gracefulness was enough evidence that I was not Italian, and introduced herself. I love Americans. The conversation for the remainder of the train ride was, at the very least, amusing.

Siena - Saturday

Getting up early one morning was clearly not enough. This time joining a different group of girls, we woke up even earlier and WALKED down to the train station, in order to catch an 8am train. Unfortunately, Saturday was much colder than Friday was and I should have worn mittens. At least the trek downhill warmed me up. Siena was beautiful, and I think I'll have to head back there with Mom when she comes. The duomo bared a slight resemblance to the one in Florence, though the actual style was quite different. I think it was the usage of white AND coloured marble. Fun fact: Italy only has white marble. So anytime you see coloured marble, it has been imported. The choice to use coloured marble was a display of wealth and a symbol of the vastness of the Roman empire. After wandering some more and shopping a bit we headed home. Upon arriving in Camucia, we discovered that the next bus up to Cortona was not for another hour. Being with a group of rather ambitious people, we decided to just hike up instead.

What. A. Workout.

I woke up this morning feeling rather stiff and sore from the activities of the last few days, but it is a good feeling. Sunday will be spent relaxing and studying... and NOT getting up any more than necessary.