Rome!

Jessica left off with a bit on our time in Siena. As she mentioned, e Duomo there is simply unparelleled. Every inch was covered in beautiful sculpture, frescos, mosaics, or other artwork. It was awesome in the true sense of the word, meaning that it inspired awe in those inside. We loved it. We bought a pass that included the Duomo as well as its museum, panorama tower, crypts and some other areas and visited each over three days. Well worth the purchase.

We found a smooth rhythm that included snacking in the main Campo Piazza followed dinner somewhere in the city. Our last dinner came from a recommendation from some folks we met on our tour of San Gimignano with an included wine tasting, which was a very enjoyable experience. But the food is more important. It was what we were looking for as it was simple flavors, but very good. It felt like an Italian grandmother was in the back cooking dinner, which very well could be the case.

Speaking of that tour, San Gimignano is considered one of the most beautiful small towns in all Tuscany, and I can see why. It has about 12 towers that reach into the skyline, a vestige of days where a tall tower meant a wealthy family. Altho there were once 70 or more towers, only that handful remain. Walking through the whole town takes just 15 minutes, it's amazing to think about what used to be packed in there. One highlight was stopping by a world champion gelato place where we tried chocolate with grand marnier, a strawberry flavor, and raspberry with rosemary. The raspberry-rosemary combination was delicious, and I wish I could have more back in the states. Hard to believe, but this gelato was more creamy and flavorful than the once we found in Florence. Don't miss it if you visit.

As for the wine on the tour, it was very good, but the host was the best part. He was eccentric, and somewhat annoying, but very amusing. He had his spiel down, and he wasn't about to let anyone get the group off course the rushed learning process. In the end, though, everyone was laughing, and everyone was buying wine. We weren't an exception, and we'll have some bottles on the way to our house. The best part of the tasting was trying their truffle oil. After tasting it, Jess got obsessed and we made sure to find a little bottle to bring back. Perhaps some wine, cheese, truffle oil, aged balsamic, and flatbread is in order with some friends stateside....

But we're now in Rome staying at a lovely hotel and spending the bulk of our time walkingq the city. The hotel charges for wifi, hence the limited posting since arrival and the brief post right now since I'm trying to stay within our 1 hour acces purchase. Since we've been paying to get into churches, museums, and tours for the past two weeks, we decided to enjoy the free parts of Rome. To that end, we've been able to see the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Colosseum, Saint Peter's Square, Saint Peter's Basilica, and many piazzas filled with statues and other art. In other words, free Rome ain't bad at all. In order to reach it all, though, we've been walking mile after mile and burning some serious calories. Love it!

Tomorrow we start heading home, so expect some updates via Blogger or Facebook with photos from the trip sometime in the next few days!