Siena & Orvieto

We flew into Rome a couple days before our Tauck Tour was scheduled to begin so that we could see a few sights on our own. The first day we had a driver drive us through the Tuscany country side to the charming hill towns of Orvieto and Siena. It was so nice to go at our own pace and take the time to get the pictures that we wanted (all except the sunflower fields that lined the highways, the driver kept promising to stop off on the side of the road but we never got the promised photo op....tear.)  But everything else was amazing.

Orvieto:

Orvieto Cathedral, I loved the striped arabesque styling mixed in with the intricate Gothic Facade. It never ceases to amaze me how much history Europe has and what architectural feats that were reached so long before modern technology. 

The interior of the cathedral glowed with a warm yellow light created by the old alabaster windows, very different than the darker light generated through the traditional stained glass.

Siena Cathedral:

I absolutely love painted groin vaults made to look like blue skies with gold stars.

This was an amazing dome...it was painted to appear coffered. 

Reece was able to sneak off to a side room that was a library. While I was busy taking pictures of the main atrium Reece was able to see these beautifully painted walls and ceiling. Im glad that he got some shots because I never got to see it in person, next time Ill make sure to see the room for myself.

Piazza Del Campo

We ate a yummy italian lunch at a cafe with a view overlooking the piazza.

Lemon Soda, sweet nectar of life, we instantly became addicted to this Italian refreshing delight. Its a lot like San Pellegrino Limonata but a little different. Why cant we have soft drinks this yummy in the Utah?

Margarita Pizza never got old. It was named after the Queen who was the first to taste a slice of the pizza that which was designed to look like the italian flag...Green: basil, White: Mozzarella cheese, Red: tomatoes.