Siena - Day 4

Upon arriving in Siena in the late afternoon, we had a difficult time locating the hotel, despite using GPS and stopping at a tabacco shop for directions. Our hotelier, Elisa, said GPS cannot handle directions in Siena! We called her from the cell phone and she was able to direct us to a spot where the road ended and she stood outside waiting for us, hopped into the back seat of our rental car, and directed us around the one-way streets to the hotel.

We parked the car and walked back to the hotel to get settled, then went out to the center of Siena: Il Campo. We climbed the 505 steps to the top of the Torre del Mangia, the tall tower in the center of Il Campo, for some wonderful views of Siena as the sun began to set.






























































































We climbed down and sat down in a cafe along Il Campo for some wine and people-watching. We had a great view of the tower we'd just climbed.
















































































Our hotel in Siena was charming and elegant, an old building right in the city with only five guest rooms. Our hotelier, Elisa, who is expecting a baby in late May, was extremely kind and helpful. She has a desktop computer in a common area accessible to guests, with free internet. We took advantage of that and sent email to family and friends from there. That night, we also called the children for the first time. It was so great to hear their voices!