I made it back to the hotel just as Nina returned from riding. After a quick change of clothes we headed out for lunch at the suggestion of Rick Steves to La Taverna Di Cecco. It was quiet, away from the crowds, and absolutely delicious. We ordered a bottle of white wine which was fresh, light, and dry (I snapped a picture of the label to order late
Risotto with Truffles
r). We started with cantaloupe and proscuitto, salad with mozzarella and tomatoes, and a breaded specialty of the chef drizzled with olive oil. For the main course we split risotto with truffles. This was my favorite meal on the trip so far.
These are a few of my favorite things!
We wondered our way back through Siena and ran into Tom and Jen on the way. Tom decided to go back to the hotel for a nap and Nina, Jen, and I headed on to see Santa Maria della Scala, now a museum it was, up until 30 years ago, a hospital. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this stop which turned out to be a good thing. The best part was the Pellegrinaio Hall which served to welcome pilgrims on their quest to walk the Via Francigena. The frescos depict the history of the hospital. Seen how abandoned the building is makes it difficult to imagine what it was like as a hospital. We wondered downstairs and stumbled into a small chapel where St. Catherine is said to have prayed on a regular basis. It was creepy. The was a small inlay over the holy water holder in which there was a skull. Behind the chapel was another chapel. It was equally creepy. The combination of being in the basement of a hospital, completely empty, and having things like the random skull made my neck hairs stand up. We left the hospital, decided it was a bust and we needed some gelato.
During the nights we spent in Siena, there was some poor young soul desperately trying to learn to drum so that he could one day become his contradas drummer at the palio. It went on for hours and hours. I followed the drumming to the young boy and his instructor who had ridden there on a red Vespa. The scene melted my heart.
We rejoined the rest of the crew at the hotel for a cooking lesson. Two Italian women demonstrated how to make gnocchi and pasta. It was a labor of love. Also, I had no idea how many eggs went into pasta. We sipped on proseco and ate focaccia. The cook made tomato sauce, pesto for the gnocchi, and tiramisu. After cooking we all convened for dinner. A woman was playing an accordian and a man played the clarinet, saxophone, and oboe and they both sang. After dinner, and perhaps a few too many glasses of vino, we danced until much after my bedtime.
