On Saturday, I was looking for something to do which did not entail driving west. West is the sea and all roads leading west are gridlocked with traffic.  So, I figured I would take a drive to Siena and have a look around. 

I put “Siena” into the GPS, nor because I didn’t know the way, but because I love to see the ETA on the Car Play. The drive to Siena from Castel del Bosco is always round about an hour and a half, whether you take the highway, the back roads, or a combination of the two. A solid 90 minutes.  So, you can imagine my surprise to see the ETA showing 1 hour and 11 minutes. There is a new road between the Fi-Pi-Li and Certaldo that shaves 20 minutes off the trip. And, it is a gorgeous road, at that, full of tunnels and wide, pristine blacktop. I found myself back on the usual road quickly and then onto the Fi-Si, the Fi-Pi-Li’s slightly prettier cousin. 

At the 1:11 mark precisely, I was exiting onto the Siena Nord ramp and into the familiar roads that would take me to my old apartment at Madonnina Rossa. And, sure enough, as I approached the traffic circle, my beloved polincino (little bus), the exact kind from which I had tumbled and subsequently landed me in the hospital for a week, was sitting at the bus stop, seemingly waiting for me.  But, today was not the day for me to ride the short bus into the city, I would drive myself to the San Francesco parking lot at Porta Ovile and take the escalator inside the walls.

I took some pictures of my old building. My neighbor still had the same car parked in the spot next to my old one (which sat empty). I always thought that car seemed old even then, in 2006. But, I guess if you don’t drive a lot, your car lasts longer.

I parked my car in the pay lot (2euros/hr) and noticed that the car park, which in a normal year would have been completely full, was not even one fifth full. My car sat alone in its spot. I bid farewell to my Lexus Hybrid and made my way across the street to the escalator. I exited the “station” and walked across the piazza where San Francesco sits. A couple of nuns, masked, sat on a bench praying the rosary. 

I walked quickly to the main road, the Banchi di Sopra, where many familiar sights met me: the Monte dei Paschi di Siena branch where I opened my bank account, the piazza next to it where David Rossi, head of communications for the bank leapt to his death in 2013, the news stand where I often bought a magazine or newspaper. I went into the shop at the top of the road which sells products particular to the area. I picked up some souvenirs for friends back home and then headed toward the piazza del campo, the main square of the city.

Before I got to the square, however, I came upon the pizzeria where we always got a slice after class. It is usually closed for the holidays when I come to Siena. Today, however, it was open.  I entered, just to look. And, sitting alone, in the glass case, was one slice of my very favorite pizza, the sausage pizza. This sausage is shredded, almost into a powder, over top the pizza. I try to replicate this when I make pizza at home. But, it is never quite the same. I took it as a sign that i needed to get it.  I paid my 2.40 euros and took my pizza (not reheated) to the closest perch.  I sat just before the Piazza dei Pappi on the stone bench and devoured my pizza. It was every bit as good as I remembered it. 

After walked up to the top of the piazza to take a picture of where I fell of the bus, I headed into the piazza del campo. I walked toward the bar we always frequented back in the day: Birreria. It has changed its name to something else and the waitresses are all different. I didn’t think it was worth a seat. I went from there up towards the questura, where I had to report quarterly for my periodic police check in. It has not changed…

I went behind the duomo, taking a few pictures of the church and the museum complex along the way, to a ceramics shop. I replaced two of my small contrada bowls which I had broken. In the process, I saw two gorgeous platters with fish painted on them. I spoke to the woman behind the register about how to ship them.  She said she didn’t know much about the process and I said I would think about it.  They are hand painted and represent fish found in Lago Trasimeno. I may go back and get them and ship them myself. I have time to think about it.

At that point, I had had enough. I made my way back to the car, making a quick stop at Feltrinelli for a grammar book. I made it back to my car in just under 2 hours, so my parking fee was minimal. The drive home was as uneventful as the drive there, I made it back in the same 1:11. 

It was a great day, full of memories and emotions. I may make one more trip to Siena, if only to retrieve a fish platter!