Siena continued

Sunday, we got up early while Nina slept in, and we headed for the museum of the Duomo. Just as we left our apartment, though, our attention was drawn by the beating of drums only a block away (the border of the district adjacent to ours that seems to have won the Palio and is still celebrating more than a month later). An amazing procession of men and boys, all dressed in medieval costume of their district's colors, marched in procession with drums banging and flags waving, apparently on their way to church. We heard them again later, after standing in the open wi-fi zone we found near a hotel and collecting our email and posting my previous blog. In the Piazza del Duomo, we ran across a Fiat 500 rally, with dozens of the little cars, many tricked out with stickers, stuffed animals, etc. We gave Nina a quick call, but no answer (she was in the shower). So David made a video with his iThing of their departure, a very noisy and stinky affair. Then we headed inside and looked at a whole lot more religious art, including a really brilliant stained-glass window, 6 m in diameter, by some famous Sienese artist. Apparently, the fact that he hand-painted facial details was a novelty in his time. One thing we noticed was that the faces in the lower part were mostly blurred beyond recognition, while those higher up were still crisp. I suppose people touched the lower ones before it was put out of harm's way. It was removed for the last time during WWII to protect it from Allied bombing. No explanation of the implied previous times it was removed.
At one point, we went down some stairs and found ourselves in the gift shop. David pointed out that we had not gone up some stairs that he had seen (right at the beginning), so we reversed back up and continued with our tour. Soon after, Nina called, and we encouraged her to meet us so we could go up a tower that is said to provide the best vista of Siena. By the time she reached the Piazza del Duomo, we had realized that the only way up the tower was through the museum, and we had already had our 3-fer ticket punched when we came in. So we steered her around to the gift shop, which she slipped into when someone came out, we met her, and then led her back up to the top floor to stand in line for about half an hour. They only allow 30 people in at a time, which turns out to be a good thing, as it involves climbing an extremely narrow spiral staircase - one of those affairs where you can only put your foot flat at the extreme outer edge. You wouldn't want to meet someone coming the other way. You're also pretty darn dizzy by the time you make it to the very top. But the view is indeed spectacular. You get a very different idea of the Duomo when you on a level with its roof. The tower we were in is part of an unfinished nave. The Duomo is so enormous already, it's hard to imagine it with the extra space had the nave been finished. Amazing what an unlimited amount of money will buy.
After lunch, we drove to San Gimignano, reputed to be the most medieval town in Italy. It still has many of its towers intact, and it is quite fascinating. And touristy. My god, the hordes, and the prices! Although I did manage to buy a purse for 15 Euros that sells for 20 in Siena, and was marked 19. I handed the lady a 50 Euro note, and she asked if I had anything smaller. Fifteen, I replied, while digging around to see how many Euro coins I had. Fifteen is fine, said she. How's that for inadvertant bargaining?
After driving back and stowing our car in the little villa garden belonging to our landlord, we walked back into the walled part of the city and came across a little restaurant that looked promising. It had bunches of tiny rooms (4 or 5 tables) and two sets of stairs that disappeared deep into the bowels of the earth. One was blocked off, but Nina and David explored the others and found additional rooms, although so damp that the furniture was all mildewy. The room we were in, between the two stairs, was fine though. We ordered two pizzas and a salad, which seemed to flummox our waitress, even when I told her "mangiamo tutti insieme" (we eat all together). But she decided to go with the flow, and we rewarded her (heh) by ordering tiramisu for dessert. Nina pointed out that this was our 4th dessert for the day. Uh oh.
Yesterday, David and I decided to do a ride we read about on the same website as the one two days before. This one required a drive to the nearby town of Casole d'Elsa, so we left Nina sleeping and rode out to where the car was parked, loaded the bikes and GPS'd our way there. When we got there, we began to worry a bit about the weather, which was quite overcast. But the temp was about 78 degrees, it was very humid, and we set off. After a nice descent from the hill town where we were parked, we started climbing steadily to the border of the province of Pisa. We investigated the small town of Monteguido on the way -- it has a church that is supposed to be interesting, but was locked, and rode up to the fortress of Montecastello Pisano, hoping to find something open for lunch (it was now 12:30). Nothing. Only one recognizable restaurant, but it was closed (as restaurants often are on Mondays in Italy). No bars, nothing. So we headed back down to the main road, stopped to put the paper map away (it was now sprinkling), and then decided we'd best take cover in the bus shelter we'd stopped next to. Good thing, as it soon began to pour. We had room for two bikes, and there were 3 chairs, two of which were usable (after David reassembled his, which had started to come apart). Two bike tourists appeared nearby under a tree, and then made a run for the cemetary where they found better shelter. We talked to one later (they're from Belgium) when he came out to see if it was okay to continue. Finally, after about 45 minutes, we decided the weather wasn't getting any better and returning home the way we came was the better part of valor. Since the rain had at least temporarily stopped (despite dark clouds all around), we took off back down the hill we had climbed. Since it was mostly downhill, this went quickly, and the rain held off, except for minor sprinkles, until after we got back. We passed the car and headed up into town, found one open bar, which had a vegetarian option (small pizzette with tomatoes and cheese) and warmed ourselves with cappuccini. Then we explored the church opposite the bar until we heard thunder. Back we skedaddled to the car, threw both bikes inside, and headed home. Again, the rain held off until we were back at our parking spot, but then our luck ran out and we rode back to the apartment in the rain. Not so bad, considering how wet we woud have gotten had we not stopped in the bus shelter. Dinner at a little restaurant just a block away (a delicious, if salty, fish stew for me; wide handmade noodles with pinenuts and saffron for Nina, thick noodles with vegetables and tomatoes for David, and some not bad white beans, but not as good as the other night).
Today is our last day in Italy (other than our long drive tomorrow) Nina is still having trouble getting out of bed. David has lubed the bike chains and is washing the dishes, and I guess I'd better stop blogging.