 August 30 Today, we would visit some of the Medieval towns in Toscana (Tuscany) that Kelly and Andy had seen on their trip from Florence to Assisi. Of course, by car our journey was somewhat more rapid than theirs.
 Our first stop was at a small mountain top town named Monteriggioni, which they had spied from afar in their journey. We arrived just before noon and were treated to the noon bells from the local chapel. The whole town has fewer than 100 houses, all enclosed by a wall.
Our stay in Monteriggioni was brief because we wanted to press on to our next destination, San Gimignano. This is a fortified city that was on the pilgrimage route to Rome and sought by many for its strategic location. San Gimignano once had 72 towers, 14 of them remain. It is a United Nations Heritage city and well worth a visit. The town square is ringed by several sidewalk cafes where one can find lunch and refreshment on a hot day.
 Our whirlwind tour of Tuscany contined as we drove to Siena. This is a university town (WWU has some affiliation with one of the schools there) that hosts a famous horse race each summer called Il Palio. Each of the districts (contrada) of the city sponsors a horse in the race, which is run in the town square (Il Campo). We arrived two weeks after the race, but many of the districts were still decorated for the event, which has a civic importance much like Bellingham's Ski-to-Sea festival (although, the Prime Minister of Britain has been know to attend Il Palio). Quite by chance, we entered the city via the Contrada of Chiocciola (the Snail) which had won the most recent race, August 16, 1999. Red and yellow banners hung everywhere, and many of the kids of the area (and not a few of their parents) were wearing scarves with the district colors. Quite a sight. If you're interested in the other winners, the web site lists the victors of the past 100 years!
The Duomo of Siena is one of the most ornate (after Florence) that we would encounter on our trip. Although one part of the exterior was covered for restoration, the parts that were visible were very interesting. Meredith and I decided to look inside and found ourselves intermingled with a tour group. I think the tour guide paid our admission, 'cause we didn't. Inside, they were restoring an intricate marble floor. Above, the chapel is ringed by busts of Popes starting with St. Peter.
Our explorations of Siena also took us to Piazza del Campo – the center of town and site of Il Palio. Here, we once again found refreshment as we rested in anticipation of our journey back to Assisi. A long drive back found us arriving after dark – but we'd had a great day partaking in the historic splendor of our host nation.
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