Back tracking a little. I took a day trip with the school to Siena and San Gimignano which are two cities south of Firenze. They are both small but carry a lot of history for Italy. Although these are popular spots to visit, the day was gloomy and rainy which did not help the mood or trip. We made do and headed straight to St. Catherine's church where her head and finger are still preserved inside. Kind of creepy but cool to know such preservation exists for the saint of the church. It was massive and as most Italian architecture, had high ceilings. Afterwards we hit Siena's piazza il Campo. Its a must see site including a huge piazza with a nice tower. In this piazza is where the scene of the thrilling Palio bareback horse-race. It only happens twice a year so I'll miss it but it gets very intense (saw a video of the crowd storming the winner and countless injuries). About 5 minutes from there was Siena's Duomo and Palazzo Pubblico which are two of the purest examples of Italian Gothic architecture. The pictures tell it all. With no time to waste, we bused to San Gimignano. The rain started coming down harder but we could not miss the spectacular view from the top of the highest point in town on a tower. Took about 15 minutes to get up but it was well worth it. After this hike I could not take anymore of the rain and headed back to the bus for Firenze. If the link to the photos is not working , please let me know.
Ciao
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