So weekend number three in Italy did not disappoint! I went on a school trip to Assisi and Gubbio on Friday and took a short train ride from Florence to Siena on Saturday. Sunday I was FINALLY able to sleep in and hang with my parents during the last day of their two week trip to Italy.
Assisi was a beautiful town! I think it would have been more beautiful if it hadn't been raining and fogy, but I learned a lot about the life of Saint Francis and say some great artwork that made up for the bad weather. I was sitting in a cafe trying to avoid getting too wet while I overheard an interesting tidbit about the life of St Francis. I guess when his french mother gave birth to him, his wealthy father was away on business. She had him baptised as Giovanni. When his father came home he exclaimed "my little Francesco!" because of his french heritage and the nickname stuck. So, Saint Francis should really be Saint John....
So after our time in Assisi, we went to Gubbio where we viewed some interesting artifacts of this very ancient town. It was a roman settlement hundreds of years ago and during the middle ages was the largest city in Europe. Nowadays its a sleepy town that few tourists visit. IT was cool to see something off the beaten path.
After a good meal and a long nights rest I was up early again to head out to Siana! It's known for having the most beautiful piazza, il Campo, in all of Europe, and I definitely agree with the guidebooks. My friend and I climbed to near 400 steps up the Torre de Magnia for a beautiful view of the surrounding city and beautiful Tuscan hills then we walked over to the Duomo.
A really cool aspect of Siena is the 17 neighborhoods that the city is divided into. And what is more interesting is il Palio, the annul horse race in il Campo that takes pale every summer. Each neighborhood races a horse and jockey around the campo three times and whichever neighborhood that wins gets bragging rights for the rest of the year. If you ever make it to Siena you will that locals will wear heir neighborhood's flag as a scarf in pulic as a sign of pride.
Sunday was family day! My parents and I attended mass at the Duomo in Florence, shoppe dint he outdoor market of San Lorenzo, walked to the Ponte Vecchio, toured the Bobili garens of the Pitti Palace ( Medici Palace), and finished the day sipping wine and eating pasta in Piazza Signoria.
This coming weekend I have another school trip to San Gimignano/Siena and Ravenna then a group of us may go to Lucca and Pisa on Sunday. Another crazy weekend! I think I'm going to be tired for three months straight. There just isn't enough time for sleep!
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