Traveling through Tuscany

After spending the night in Lucca we walked around town for a couple of hours -- Lucca is one of my favorite towns, and if it didn't happen to be so close to Pisa and Florence, it would probably have a lot more tourists. The city, surrounded by ramparts, has a wonderful collection of old buildings, towers, churches and other great sights. Even in the rain, it was quite enjoyable.

After grabbing a couple of sandwiches for the road, we drove on through the hills of Tuscany toward Volterra. Along the way, we spotted some great sights, including a spectacular ancient tower atop a large rock. Anyhow, I thought Volterra was mostly unknown to American tourists, but Elena informed me that it gained significant notoriety through the movie/book "Twilight." The town is nestled atop a fairly high hill, with commanding and breathtaking views over the Tuscan landscape. We walked around Volterra for a couple of hours, but the shops were closed (lunch break) and the town is not so large, so we headed over to Siena.

Siena is also a beautiful city, most famous for the "Palio," a horse race pitting the best representatives from each section of town, which takes place in Piazza del Campo, a large square that is unique because of its shape, and because it slopes down to one side, a bit like an amphitheater. The shopping in Siena is also pretty amazing, though we showed significant restraint.

After a few hours in Siena we took off for Rome, and arrive there around 8:30pm. My beloved Rome! Chaos, traffic, noise, ... and yet, whenever I arrive, I feel so at home it is uncanny. Elena, having lived here for almost a full year back in 2008-2009, also feels the same way. My flu had gotten worse, and after a quick dinner I took my temperature -- a whopping 102.4. My lungs also felt like absolute shit each time I coughed. I am hoping it's not a relapse of the pneumonia I had a couple years ago. This morning I feel much better, but I will probably go see a doctor this afternoon nonetheless. For now, Elena and I are taking advantage of semi-decent weather to go for a stroll downtown.