You have to have the bad to be able to recognize the good

Yesterday was our last day of hiking in Italy and it was bittersweet. We are so grateful for the beautiful weather we have had every day, although, yesterday the sun was pretty intense but then every shaded area provided a gentle breeze to cool us off. It has been suggested that maybe we are losing weight as we cross all the miles of France and Italy. That would be wonderful if it were the case but unfortunately, a staple of breakfast is croissants and a reward for reaching our destinations is gelato so the best we can hope for is that we are ridding our bodies of toxins through all the sweating. 

We started our day with Nicolo and his mother, Roberta, transferring us to a specific spot to start our hike. We passed horse farms, we were attacked by a gaggle of geese that were almost more ferocious than the dogs and a turkey that looked like he had been drinking radiated water as his head sort of glowed blue. We passed by beautiful country homes on the outskirts of Siena. Siena is famous for several things, one is the Palio which is a horse race held several times a year in the Piazza del Campo. This piazza is shaped like a bowl, during the race the people stand down in the center and the horses race around the upper edge. Siena has Roman origins which accounts for the town symbol of a she-wolf suckling the young twins Romulus and Remus of Roman legends. We saw this statue in several places through the city. The families of Siena belong to different contradas with each of 21 contrada having their own flag. 

We were at the right place at the right time and saw a parade of old antique race cars go by. In the evening as we were walking about we came on a dance troup that was performing modern dance in the square in front of the duomo, by then it had turned dark and we walked another couple miles just trying to find our historic hotel, the Chiusarelli.

Roberta and Nicolo

My size horse

Magnolia bud

Dancers