From Pompeii, we drove up to Siena. Again, the drive was amazing for so many reasons! First, of course, were the beautiful surroundings. Second, the amazing roads! It's incredible how nicely paved highways, drivers who respect road rules, and multiple lanes can improve a road trip :) On our way there we stopped by McDonald's for an easy, car/kid friendly meal. While I rarely ate McDonald's in the States, it's something we always go to when we are traveling. Maybe because it's so American, and we want Asher to feel American and have as much of the American experience we can give him or maybe it's because it's cheap, there are high chairs, and it's quick and easy.
But then we made it to our place in Siena. We had a nice view of the rolling Tuscany countryside from our place.
Asher had fun looking around the place - as well as looking at himself :)
Once we were settled, we were off to Siena. And it is a scenic city!
Once we got to the main Piazza del Campo and saw all the pigeons, we knew Asher was good for the next little while :)
Asher got to play with and feed the pigeons.
First Dad fed the pigeons out of his hand to show Asher how to do it...
Then Asher did it!
And then those little stinkers attacked them!
Asher continued to try and climb on anything that looked climbable.
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| "Too high, Mommy!" |
And then Asher took things in a different direction - he started stripping his clothes off in the middle of the plaza... these pictures are from the third or fourth time that he stripped down, we did everything to prevent it, but sometimes you just have to embrace your toddler's urge to engage in public nudity... right?
There was another picture that we decided not to post, but throughout the trip Asher would occasionally pull up his shirt, point and say, "Nipple hurt" :) We didn't know what would cause that symptom, but he continued to tell us of his irritation. He finally stopped around the time we got home. Silly boy :)
Asher enjoyed drinking from the public fountains. There was a random Italian who showed him the different ways to drink from the fountain...
Eating dinner on the Piazza del Campo - where they have the famous horse races in Siena.
And of course, since we were in Italy we couldn't end the day without some gelato! Asher's favorite part of the day - except for maybe the pigeons :)
The next day we went back to the city to walk around some more and went to see the Siena Cathedral. Asher was amazed by the size of it :)
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| "It's soo big!!" or maybe "Oh no! Not another cathedral!!" |
While Sean went to get tickets - Asher made friends with a little boy who was also waiting around. I didn't think he spoke English until he came up to me, points to his jacket and says with the cutest little British accent, "Look! I've got pockets!!"
They had a great time running around, and playing monkey see, monkey do...hence why they are both rolling around on the ground :)
Then into the Cathedral! It is beautiful inside.
The intricate mosaics on the floor were put together piece by little piece until the scene it portrayed was finished... Incredible!
Ceiling in the library of the Cathedral
Back through the Piazza...
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| "I see you Pigeon!" |
There was a man who saw how much fun Asher was having with the pigeons, that he decided to catch one and show it to Asher!! What do you do with that?? :) Asher was a little reluctant to touch the pigeon, not that I minded that, so he ended up just using one finger :)
Trojan horse?
Beautiful vistas of Siena
Thank you for your beautiful city, Siena! This is also the place where we had one of the best meals in all of Italy. There was a little restaurant where we got lasagna. And it was the BEST lasagna EVER! I can't even describe it, but it was fantastic. The pasta was the perfect texture and there was a nice ratio of cheese to high quality meat... We were thrilled to have had that experience. Plus the waiters and the owner were great to Asher :)
Then we were off to Lucca, but stopped by San Gimignano on the way.
San Gimignano is the "City of the Fourteen Towers" that were built during medieval times.
Many of them are still standing.
Couldn't go without some more gelato :) Asher's treat for being such a good traveller! Besides, as the sign says, it's "The Best Ice Cream in the World" - how could we pass that up?
More beautiful views of Italy.
It's impossible to get Asher to smile for a family photo :)
This region is known for it's wild boar. Sean kissed the boar, and then Asher did too. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with the camera to capture that one :)
Then Sean ate some of the Wild Boar. It was salty and flavorful - he really liked it!
Quaint streets of San Gimignano
Our cute little Asher boy!
More beautiful scenes of San Gimignano
Asher making friends with/barking at random animals.
Asher sitting in time out for some reason or another. He's such a cutie - even when he is making trouble :)
Asher started playing hide and go seek as we walked along the streets. His best "hiding" spot was him tying to blend in with the orange construction webbing :)
When we were done walking around San Gimignano, we drove on to our next destination - Lucca! We decided to steer clear of the highway and use the backroads. A great decision.
The drive was beautiful!
At this point, Italy was becoming one of our favorite places. Apparently, all the hype was actually legitimate!
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