We left Rome after breakfast and checking out of the hotel. Giuseppe serenaded us with his rendition of “Arriverci Roma” as we pulled out onto the ring road and to the Autostrada heading for Siena. Arrived in Siena a little over two hours later, and our first stop was the house of St. Catherine of Siena.
Catherine was a remarkable woman, especially for the time she lived in. She was born in 1347 to a family of cloth dyers, just as the Black Death hit Siena. Her mother had birthed 22 children before her (and ultimately had 25) although more than half died in infancy. Catherine had her first in a series of visions of Christ when she was six, saying that Jesus smiled at her, blessed her, and left her in ecstasy. At age seven she vowed chastity.
At sixteen, her older sister Bonaventura died in childbirth and her father soon decided that Catherine should marry the widower. Catherine was opposed to this (and who wouldn't be... but women were chattel, after all) and Catherine went on a fast and also cut her hair off. A quote from her diaries gave insight into how she remained strong and steadfast: "Build a cell inside your mind, from which you can never flee." The greater the suffering, the larger your triumph. Her father eventually gave up and let Catherine decide how she wished to live her life. Catherine chose to enter the Dominican Order.
Catherine dedicated much of her life to helping the ill and the poor, where she took care of them in hospitals or homes. She attracted a group of followers and began traveling throughout northern and central Italy advocating reform of the clergy. She made her views known also through her letters and writings, where she begged for peace between the republics and principalities of Italy and for the return of the Papacy from Avignon, France to Rome. She carried on a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, also asking him to reform the clergy and the administration of the Papal States.
She actually traveled as an ambassador to Avignon to make peace with the Papal States, but was unsuccessful. She also tried to convince Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome and impressed the Pope so much that he returned his administration to Rome in January 1377. After Gregory's death she was summoned to Rome, and stayed at Pope Urban VI's court, living there until her death in 1380.
St Catherine's letters are considered one of the great works of early Tuscan literature, along with Dante and Machiavelli. More than 300 have survived.
She was buried in Rome in the cemetery of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, near the Pantheon. After miracles were reported to take place at her grave, she was moved inside the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, however her head was removed from her body and inserted in a golden & bronze bust. The bust was later taken to Siena, stolen by the citizens after a failed campaign to have her brought there to rest eternally. They only got the head. What is it about stealing saints' body parts? Creeps me out.
Catherine is one of two patron saints of Italy, along with St. Francis of Assisi. Definitely a remarkable woman.
We visited the Duomo cathedral and the Piazza del Campo, where the Palio races are held every year. Lunch at a local trattoria and we were on our way to Florence, about 45 minutes away.
Giuseppe dropped us at the Excelsior Florence and we said our goodbyes. He tells me he will haunt me by text and email until I see him again in a few weeks. Fantastic.
One major advantage to being with a tour operator is that you get better access to ticketing for museums, as one might expect. I now have a special number to call and make last minute reservations for places like the Uffizi and Accademia. For a lot of people coming on their own, you can get frustrated navigating the websites or trying to call for tickets for the museums and state-run operations or you are gouged by ticketing agencies for handling fees. Not for me, anymore. Yay! While we were in Pompeii I was able to call and get our tickets reserved for the Accademia for this afternoon at 5:00pm, and of course for group tour operator discounted rates to boot. Excellent turnaround time.
We checked in, and I gave them an hour to freshen up before we took a walk around the city center of Florence and make our way to our appointment with the David. After marveling at the wonders and glories of “the perfect man” Michelangelo created (from a flawed piece of marble, no less) the stalwart member of my group who had originally put the kibosh on museums thanked me for talking them all into going to see it. “You were absolutely right, he looks like he's breathing. In stone!” Yay, me!
The group had reservations to dine that night at Cibreo, which in my opinion is scary and over-rated. I am not a huge fan of organ meats and tendons, etc. which is the specialty of the place. They had requested it in their dossier because it is world-famous, and on the way into Florence from Siena I had to ask them what they knew about the place, since the ladies strike me as delicate in their eating habits and the men look like steak & potatoes kinds of guys. Daisy said she had read so much about it, that everyone has such a great experience, etc etc. I told them all what the normal menu items are usually like and some blanched expressions came back at me. You gotta know what you're in for or it could be an unpleasant experience. I told them I would check out what the menu was like and report back to them, and they could decide if they wanted to go somewhere else.
After giving them a run-down on what they were going to choose from, they unanimously decided they wanted something else, and thanked me for questioning their restaurant selection. Honestly, I'm not here to thwart them at every turn, but having an idea of what a celebrated place is about is good. Advanced intel is usually a good thing in the chi-chi food world. If you are going somewhere for their specialties and they aren't your cup of tea, you could do just as well at any other trattoria for soup and steak, regular style, you know?
We opted for Ristorante La Giostra instead and had a fantastic time with a meal full of Florentine favorites and hearty dishes.
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