Bellissimo Toscano

Quick post for today.  Our friends from the UK arrived late the night of July 30 and we have been enjoying a wonderful visit with them in the warmth of Tuscany.  The sun has been out every day, the scenery is amazing, and the food simple and fresh.  The four girls have been enjoying the lovely pool here at our agriturismo while the parents sip wine and relax. We start and end off each day with a simple meal on the patio of fresh breads, local ham, cheeses, salads, balsamic vinager and extra virgin olive oil.... 

Sunday we walked around old Siena. Got caught up in a crowd of boys and men marching through the streets with drums and banners, wearing medieval costumes.  The crowd following them adorned with red and gold scarves.  Edward asked the concierge at a hotel what the celebration was and he had no idea!  Apparently this sort of thing happens often here!

Wandered around a corner and found this magnificent cathedral, simply outstanding. The cathedral was completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius.

Monday, August 1 we were off to Volterra, an ancient hill top town not far from where we are staying....  Volterra is know for it's Alabaster.  In the Etruscan period, alabaster was obtained from the surface quarries close to the city and used for producing funeral urns. These urns were then embellished with alabaster decorations, from the 7th/8th centuries B.C. and many remain on display in the local museum.  These days numerous shops in the town sell alabaster products of all shapes and sizes, the girls each picking up a polished egg.

Then a quick drive by San Gimigiano with it's medieval towers.

Heading back to our apartment, a wrong turn produced a drive by of Monteriggioni just a few minutes down the road from our lodgings... 

So the next day we returned to have a better look at this medieval walled town built between 1213 and 1216 by the Sienese in as a front line in their wars against Florence.

This evening (Aug 3) we have arrived in Venice, but we are now in a bit of a flurry as we have flights late tomorrow to Britain.....  will update more as time allows....