S unday, we forgot about the time change and woke up an hour after we had thought. Siena is once again nine hours ahead of California. We were thankful to sleep in, but quickly got ready and headed out for Pisa. After a two hour drive, we arrived to rain as we hit the streets. We were starving, and since it was Sunday, most places were closed. A little wandering led us to a small Osteria filled with Italians, so we decided to dine.

we should have eaten here instead

The Gnocci al roquefort was good. For our segundis, I ordered the Chingiale (wild boar) and Todd ordered Tonna (tuna). The second courses came. My Chingiale was sparse, and overwhelmed by olives. There must have been at least thirty olives to each bite of meat! I couldn’t eat it, and turned to Todd’s tuna. He let me have a bite, and I convinced him to trade me the very over cooked tuna for my plate of olives. I gobbled town the tuna telling myself, it will all be over soon, and Todd did his best to force down the chingiale dish. The kicker: an Italian man next to us ordered the same Chingiale dish I did, execept he was served big pieces of wild boar and only a few olives. We had been shorted!

on to the tower.

After “lunch” we strolled toward the piazza that has the famed tower. It was actually very cool to see something that large and solid be so oddly shaped. It kind of has a banana curve. We examined the tower and visited the Duomo (cathedral) and the circular bapistry and the old cemetery. We strolled with the tourists for a while and then hit the road for home.

We made it just in time to go over to our friend Alessandra’s house for a wonderul home cooked Italian spread. It definitely made up for the cruddy lunch.

O ur weekend started out with a journey to volterra on saturday. there, we enjoyed seeing the ruins of the roman amphitheater, and walking along the windy brick laden roads.

during our walk, we saw a nice fort-like structure, which seemed to be part of the cities wall. we headed in that direction, and through a nice park where we could see ourselves having a picnic had it been a nice day. when we reached the end of the park, we stood at the base of the fort, but there was no way in. our trip to the castle had me wondering if we should do some climbing, but instead we followed the base of the fort around to the other side. there has to be an entrance somewhere, right?

it turns out that this “fort” was the state prison. no doubt there is a way in – getting out might be the real challenge.

After a relaxing Saturday, we were ready for an adventure, so on Sunday we headed out to an old walled city called Perugia. Perugia is located in Umbria, a small province East of Tuscany. The outskirts of Perugia are industrial, developed, and not very appealing, but once you reach the city center, it almost looks like the place time forgot. I say almost, because amidst the wonderful ancient arches, worn cobbled streets, and beautiful buildings are shops. Lots and lots of shops.

We had read that there was a park with old Roman ruins, but we walked around and around and could not find it. Finally, we found a cave like entrance on the side of a hill, and decided to just go inside and check it out.

As luck would have it, this was the “park”! We had stumbled up an old underground street system! It was amazing, arches and iron fixtures jetting out of the wall to hold torches. The streets wound around and around. In ancient times, they provided protection from war, as the people of Perugia could carry on with life, underground! We imagined the streets bustling with shops and people as we rounded the corner…

It turns out that Perugia was hosting the Umbrian Wine Festival in the very underground streets that we stumbled upon. We each paid 10, and tasted wines from all over Umbria. We had a perfect chance to practice our Italian and the wine makers got to practice their English :)

It was a very lucky and happy find.

the gardens are very surreal, so after a few hours, and just before we began to question if we were having a bad acid trip, we picked up some paninis, and headed for the beach.

romans carve aqueducts (left), and nature carves hearts (right)

on our way, we found an ancient aqueduct, carved from a mountainside. to see first hand what the romans accomplished is amazing. without dynamite; only pick axes, and time, they carved with delicate precision. the aqueduct would divert water away from ships that would moor at the nearby harbor. now, all that remains of the harbor are piles of rubble, reavealing where the slips once were.

we made our way to the beach, where we finally ate our sandwiches and tossed a frisbee. we were playing with a guy who didn’t understand english at all, yet we had no trouble communicating, or having fun. it reminded me of how toddlers can just walk up to each another, not knowing the language, and still being able to connect.

after a little frisbee, lunch, and a getting our feet wet in the sea, we stopped by the small vacation town of orbotello. there, we checked out the antique flea market, window shopped and stopped for a gelato, where everyone generously offered a lick to share. no germophobes here!

the sun was about to set, and we were ready for the drive home. the people from becky’s work have been so kind, and have really helped us get aquainted with the area. we’ve been invited for another trek next week, and look forward to covering more uncommon ground with our warm hearted friends.

the scarecrow from the wizard of oz would have been as confused as becky and i when we first began driving the roads of italy. “should we go left to siena, or should we go right?” we’re learning that the saying, “all roads lead to rome,” holds quite a literal truth for most cities here.

it hadn’t occurred to me, at all, that we were in prada land. i’m not big into labels, but i do appreciate fine, locally crafted goods. when i heard that one of becky’s co-worker’s was making his second trip to the factory this week, i figured it oughta be good.

i joined the road trip.

from siena, we drove for forty-five minutes through a few small towns, along the autostrata, and windy roads. during the ride, i imagined a structure as beautiful as the prada aoyama boutique in tokyo, and nestled in contrast to the green tuscan hills.

we approached a blinking light; the only landmark.

there, we turned right, and towards a seemingly out of place, and out of view industrial complex. we had arrived.

i guess in terms of factories, there are worse views, but i expected more than a tan metal structure. some glass, maybe a little concrete, and definitely some color. there’s lots of green from the hills to work with, but i digress. we got out of the car, walked through the gate, and got to shopping.

before i left siena, i told becky that i was gonna buy something completely rediculous; practical, yet gratuitous. prada hiking boots or running shoes came to mind, and so i explored. i was joking with becky, of course, but when i found the prada skis i couldn’t help but laugh. it wasn’t the fact that prada has their name on ski equipment. it was the fact that here i could buy skis, poles and boots, for less than the price of the jacket that i was eyeing. sigh, it was a nice jacket.

i kept looking.

through racks of denim, neckties, and shirts; shelves of handbags, wallets, and yesterday’s high fashion – there it was. a small, locally produced, fashionable and useful souvenir from our trip. the prada phone strap, complete with charm. in black with a brown heart (not pink), and a safe distance from the original price of 140.

done.

now get me outta there before i think twice about letting that jacket go.