Silver in Sambuca and then to Sienna

We visited the workshop of Paola the silversmith this morning and for us, it was a fond reunion.  We met Paola in 2019 and in the time between our visits Paolo has been very ill. We understand that his health is better and he is back at work in the workshop he has spent his life creating silver masterpieces. We’re glad to report that he remembered us and seemed to be glad we were there.  We picked up (after paying) a few pieces of his work before leaving.  By the way, the trophy in our picture, is being made for a Formula 1, race (somewhere, I wasn’t able to decipher the interpreter’s interpretation) and will be as grand a prize as the race itself. 

Leaving  Sambuca we motored thirty minutes to Sienna, which is my favorite Tuscan city. 

 I won’t try to put a bunch of adjectives together to express my admiration for the city but, please know it’s one of a kind. 

We lunched at OSTERIA Le LOGGE just off the square and upstairs in the small restaurant.

The meal was hearty and comforting, perfect for a sunny but breezy cool afternoon. Shopping and coffee on the square gave us a good vantage point to watch the beautiful Sienna people before touring the City Palace.  The walls of the palace are covered with 14th century art and numerous white marble statues depicting the decades of war endured by the city. Many of those wars were with their neighboring Firenze. 

The Palio is the Super Bowl of the neighborhoods of Sienna. No ball is involved but there is a goal line or finish line.  Palio is a horse race around the square (actually an ellipse) by ten of the seventeen neighborhoods. Many rules govern the affair and determine which neighborhoods complete but it’s the biggest deal of the year, now the wars are pretty much over, and the Sienna folks take it totally seriously. I suggest the time spent on Google to discover more facts about Palio is well worth your time.  I’m not sure how anyone finds the country-like restaurant we dined in last eve. The road leading to the place was gravel (don’t think it’s called gravel here but similar) and steep with the, made for Italy, switchbacks and hairpins. I don’t know how Robert comes up with these places but the food is always special. This Florentine steak night was another of those striking settings and presentations that we truly appreciate. 

We will return to Florence tomorrow for a free shopping morning, lunch and visit to the state conservatory of art preservation. Should be another good last day. Jim

 Jim