Snapshots of Rainy Siena, Italy: A Few Days in the Heart of Tuscany

It’s been three years since I wandered a hilltown in Italy by myself.

My trip to Orvieto and Assisi was well before I watched with the rest of the world as Italy was ravaged by a pandemic, a memory that is clearly fresh on the streets of Italy as they require N95 masks in all public places.

But I boarded a flight this week for Pisa and then hopped a train to Siena because I’m returning to Tuscany for a retreat that has been cancelled and rescheduled twice.

I always like to visit somewhere new in Italy before I head over to my friend Jane’s retreats, so I chose Siena, a town that is on the way to Fattoria via Italy’s impressive train network.

I stepped off the train on a rainy afternoon and proceeded to drag a suitcase all over Siena’s stone streets for the better part of an hour before reaching my little hotel room.

I passed through Siena’s main square, Il Campo, where everyone goes to watch the horses race in the summer and where both locals and tourists gather for drinks and people-watching.

I returned to the square after checking into my hotel room to start a city walking tour. Often when I am by myself, I download a walking tour from Rick Steve’s Audio Europe app. The one for Siena was just over an hour, so I popped in my headphones and started walking.

The center of Siena is all pedestrian, so it’s perfect for a walking tour. (I do love a car-free city.)

As I walked up the hill from the main square to the Duomo, I passed shops, restaurants and palazzos.

After peeking into a courtyard with an ancient well, I soon found myself rounding a corner and staring up at the wedding-cake like structure that is arguably the main attraction in Siena, Il Duomo.

The last time I passed through Siena, I didn’t have time to tour the Duomo, so I planned to take my time seeing it this time around. I bought a 2-day ticket to the church, the crypt, the baptistry and the museum next door.

I started by walking all around the outside on the wet marble.

The tall tower looks even taller than it actually is. Optical illusions are used to make both the tower and the inside of the dome appear taller than they are. On the outside the stripes of the tower are painted closer together as they get higher to give you the impression that the top is further away.

The next day I climbed an adjacent building and took a photo of the tower where you can see the way the stripes are stacked to create this impression.

I spent a long time inside the church looking up at the dome and then at all the floor mosaics and the library of VERY OLD choir books. They were giant so that the whole choir could look at them all at once, so I guess you could say they are the 16th century version of the overhead projector. Except the pages were made of sheepskin and then painted in great detail by monks.

Back outside the church, I continued my tour down the steep steps to the baptistry which is around the back of the church.

I was sure I was going to fall down these wet, steep stairs, but you’ll be glad to know that I made it down them in tact.

I guess hand rails weren’t really a thing in the fourteenth century.
Side note: Be sure to wear sensible shoes if you visit Siena.
I feel like this goes without saying when visiting any European city but I always see folks traipsing around in the most crazy shoes. And don’t get me wrong, I have mad respect for gals walking through the rainy, steep streets of Siena in heels, but that’s never going to be me.

My audio tour took me next to a viewpoint below the Duomo where you can look out and see another of Siena’s famous churches, San Domenico, which I would visit the next day.

By this point, I was soaking wet, so I grabbed a few snacks and made my way back to my hotel.

Oh but first I stopped for gelato (hazelnut and pistachio, in case you’re wondering) because rain or shine, I’m going to have gelato on my first day back in Italy after three years.

 The hotel where I stayed has a courtyard covered in wisteria, so I walked around back there to take in the views before calling it a day.

It’s at the edge of the center of Siena so the courtyard looks out over the Tuscan hillside.

Day 2 started with breakfast at the hotel. Cappuccino, of course. Plus pastries, fruit and yogurt.

Fueled and rested, I headed back out into the rain.

The rain was falling even harder than the day before, so I was properly soaked before I reached the Duomo museum.

Once inside the museum, I carried my dripping raincoat at arm’s length while viewing the original statues and stained glass from the church. In the last 50 years or so, replicas have been put in place in the church and the originals have been moved to this museum in order to preserve them.

A couple of favorites:

John the Baptist. I was hoping to see Donatello’s John the Baptist in the Duomo, but it is currently on loan to an exhibit in Florence. So this one by Jacopo Della Quercia stood in as a decent substitute. I really love it when an artist renders John the Baptist as crazy as I imagine he was. I think of him as being similar to John Brown. I imagine they are now friends in a corner of heaven alongside Jeremiah and Isaiah, all of them railing against corrupt kings, American slave-owners and injustice with equal passion.

Madonna and Child. Since I missed most of Donatello’s Siena work, I was grateful to find this sculpture by him in the Duomo museum. Mary’s face and hair resembles other sculptures I’ve admired of Donatello’s, always exquisite. And the blue glass inlays are a fun touch. Good stuff.

At the top of the museum you can take some stairs up to an archway that was meant to be part of the original church, but is just a facade or facciatone. Because of the rain, we were only permitted to walk out on the first level, but it was well worth doing for the views.

In addition to the photo of the church from the higher point of view, I took MANY photos of Siena from the other side of the walkway.

From these photos, you can understand why we have a crayon in our original box of Crayolas called Burnt Siena.

Siena is known all over Italy for this reddish brown color.

It’s hard to tell, but from this viewpoint, you can see Il Campo which has the tall tower just at its edge.

After climbing up high for the view and touring the museum, I was ready for a little something to eat.

Pizza and Vino. Yes, please.

After lunch, I made my way further through the streets, past shops and restaurants.

And through more rain naturally.

I passed many umbrellas before reaching the Basilica of San Domenico.

San Domenico has a chapel that is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena. It actually houses both her head and one of her fingers, which is a bit creepy but well worth seeing. Catherine, who influenced popes and politics in her time, is beloved in Siena. Her body is entombed in Rome but the people of Siena were determined to have some of her remains, so the story is that they stole her head and finger to bring her back to her hometown.

I was properly wet again by the time I got to San Domenico, so I sat for a while in the church, which is far less busy than the Duomo.

I lit some candles, said some prayers, wrote in my journal and enjoyed being out of the rain.

From the outside of San Domenico, you can look back at the center of Siena and see both the Duomo and its tower on the hill to the right.

And then to the left is the tower that dominates Siena’s main square.

The rain had slowed to a light drizzle by the time I left San Domenico, so I walked slowly back through the city once more, stopping for tea and a pastry along the way.

The next day it was time to wave goodbye to lovely Siena and make my way to a beloved villa and familiar vineyard.

What a delight to be back in Bella Italia!!

The post Snapshots of Siena, Italy appeared first on Alison Chino.

Last May I returned to Italy for two weeks.

While I was there I visited Montefiascone, Civita de Bagnoregio, Orvieto, and Assisi,

and afterwards I returned to a place in Tuscany that I’d been to once before.

As I came up over the last hill, and glimpsed the familiar vineyards,

my eyes filled with tears.

Because even though I had only been to Fattoria del Colle once before,

it felt a bit like coming home.

As soon as I arrived,

one of the waiters found me a seat at a celebration meal that was already in motion.

It didn’t matter that I hadn’t been invited,

or that I wasn’t expected,

just that I was there.

Here you go. Here’s a plate. And cutlery.

Family style plates were passed down to me.

Everything smelled delicious.

I had arrived in the middle of the second or third course and around me people were laughing and talking, enjoying the slow pace of a well-prepared lunch.

At some point,

it was mentioned that I was a vegetarian,

and a special dish of vegetables was immediately prepared and delivered to my seat.

I turned to Jane, at whose invitation I was there, and laughed that I was not even hungry.

She had arrived before me and experienced a similar welcome.

We were early for her retreat that was going to start in a couple of days,

and we had come in upon a lunch that was being served in honor of the bishop’s presence.

I had missed his presiding over mass earlier in the small family chapel that is part of the estate of Fattoria del Colle, the vineyard and agriturismo that is run by the regal Donatella. (I believe that she is the only female wine master in Italy.)

It was Donatella’s estate that I was returning to, and in her rooms that I would be sleeping for the following week. And her presence fills the whole place. Everyone there exudes her same hospitality. They make you feel at home.

Jane runs several retreats in Italy every year, and we were celebrating the release of her book at this one. She was offering yoga and massage, and had invited an astrology teacher. We were expecting a large group from all over the world.

But first we had a couple of days to adjust and settle in.

This time I stayed in a room on the edge of this courtyard garden.

From my windows, I could see the lemon trees.

It was as dreamy as I had remembered,

and newly magical.

This regal bedroom is where my precious friend Cherrie stayed, who came to offer massage on Jane’s retreat.

The retreat staff got to eat together and hang out for a day or so before guests arrived.

We wandered the nearby town, Trequanda.

And of course dreamed of what it would be like to live all year long on the sweet pace at which life rolls in Tuscany.

Cherrie and I went on a drive through the countryside to a nearby vineyard.

Spring was in full bloom everywhere. Such a perfect time to be in Italy!

I had time to watch the sunset (and rise!) from a hidden courtyard.

And of course plenty of time for coffee and homemade Italian biscuits.

When the guests arrived, our days were filled with yoga and teaching and long visits around the table.

We also made a group day trip to nearby Siena.

It was my first time to Siena, and though it was a bit cold and rainy, we made the most of it.

I took lots of photos of classic Italian town corners, doors and alleys.

I love all the colors.

And arches!

And leather of course! Cherrie and I finished up all our souvenir shopping in Siena.

It was impossible to find a time when everyone was together, but this is a good portion of our group of retreaters before we completely scattered over Siena.

When I got up early on my last morning in Italy to drive to the airport, I said a sad goodbye to these Tuscan hills as I drove.

But I always promise to return as I fly away. From my very first trip to Italy many years ago, I knew I would come back again and again.

Knowing I will return frees me to enjoy the days in slow motion, not having to see everything at once.

On each trip I take in just a little bit more of the beauty of Italy, a new town or two. A new walk in an old town. And then I also return to familiar and well-loved places.

Looking at these photos makes me super grateful that I’ve already got Italy on the calendar again for 2020.

Want to go to Fattoria del Colle with me on a Radiant Jane Tuscany Italy Retreat?

I’ll be heading back in April! Details here. I would LOVE to have you come along to experience dreamy days in Tuscany with me!

The post Snapshots of Tuscany: Return to Fattoria del Colle appeared first on Alison Chino.

On our first day in Tuscany, my sister drove and I navigated.

Between giving her the next directions (3 more kilometers on this road and then turn left) and catching up on stories about our kids, we were gasping at the scenery.

Anna, look! 

Vineyards and towers on hills and cypress trees and red poppies and oh so beautiful.

THIS. This is Italy!

About two hours and a million words later, we pulled into Fattoria del Colle, the villa and vineyard where we would spend a week on retreat with a fabulous group of folks…

…in an incredibly special place.

We found our room.

Hello gorgeous views from the windows of our room.

We flung open all the windows and stuck our heads outside to take it all in.

I could not have been more thrilled with my sister’s first taste of Italy!

After settling in, we went down to the restaurant where we had lunch outside.

We ate the first of many meals on Tuscan pottery and had the first of many conversations with our fellow travelers.

After lunch we explored the property a bit, walking a trail to nearby Trequanda.

You follow a dirt lane through olive groves.

Tiny olives were growing on these silver leafed trees.

Since Anna had just flown in from Chicago, she was trying to stay awake, so we kept moving until it was time for evening yoga outside on the grass, when she finally fell asleep.

After a nap and a shower, we gathered again with everyone for dinner, which we had around a large table. All week long we had dinner together and were served homemade pasta dishes by the most attentive waiters, who graciously answered all our questions about the food and wine.

We fell asleep our first night in Tuscany with full bellies and hearts.

The next morning we gathered after breakfast in the wine cellar for yoga with Jane.

Jane was the leader of the retreat in Italy, and I had only met her online previously, so it was so fun to meet in person and to benefit from her many years of teaching yoga and meditation. Our classes were gentle and lovely, just like the rolling hills around us.

We gathered a couple of times a day for yoga and meditation at different spots on the property over the week. I loved the rhythm of breaking up days of sightseeing with these morning and afternoon sessions, making space to absorb the experience of travel.

Each day brought its own simple but new adventure in Tuscany.

We spent one afternoon in Pienza.

Anna and I loved walking these Tuscan hill towns.

She went in all the shops while I walked around taking photos.

Pienza is the home of Pecorino cheese.

If you walk around the shops, you can taste the varieties of fresh and aged Pecorino.

My sister bought a gorgeous painting from a small local gallery in Pienza.  The artist was delighted and even took the canvas off the frame to roll and bubble wrap it for the trip home.

I love that Anna always finds local art when we travel. She bought paintings from an artist in Paris last year, and at the end of our week in Tuscany she found some pottery bowls from the region.

After shopping and walking, always, always, we had gelato.

Favorites of the week in Tuscany were white wine and lemon.

Other food highlights included pizza in Trequanda, the small town near our villa.

Wine tasting at the vineyard.

And making homemade pasta with our chef, which we ate for dinner that night.

We had breakfast and dinner at Fattoria del Colle every day, so sometimes we went out for lunch.

And sometimes we put lunch together in our room.

One afternoon we borrowed the bikes available for use at the villa and went riding through the vineyard lined roads.

I was constantly stopping to take pictures of rows of cypress trees.

Another day we walked to the local church to light candles.

My favorite moments were probably the ones we spent sitting around the gardens at Fattoria del Colle.

I loved connecting with so many lovely people. The people on the retreat and the people working at the villa. The owner, Donatella, lives right in the middle of the property. We got to see her home and sit in her chapel, and hear the story of how she broke with the tradition of having only male wine masters.

Our favorite wine was her Prime Donna Brunello, which is chosen by a group of ladies every year. It was divine. Many bottles were ordered and sent home by gals on our retreat.

Anna and I also spent a day seeing San Gimignano, a hill town that holds a special place in my heart because it was the first one I ever visited.

Taido and I walked through this town together in 2004. It was on my list of places to see after I saw it featured in the film Tea with Mussolini.

Then, I got to take Mary Polly here in 2012, while we were cruising around Europe.

So it was super fun to go back with Anna and go to the same gelato shop and walk the same city walls and gardens. On the beautiful drive over, we dreamed about all the ways we might come back to Italy in the years to come!

I’m so grateful that Anna came to meet me in Italy and that Jane invited me to come on her retreat! It was a dreamy week under the Tuscan sun.

I have big silly grins in every photo.

We said a sweet Ciao, Ciao to our new friends and to La Dolce Vita in Tuscany and headed off to Rome to do a bit of sightseeing before Anna had to fly away. 

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