Ciao, Siena!

This last week in Siena has flown. I can't believe that 2 months could go by that fast. Tomorrow morning, nonna kicks us out of her house and Heather and I head off to see the sites of Milan, Barcelona, and Florence.

Two months has not been long enough to explore the treasures that Siena holds. On Sunday, I joined my friends Matt and Kristen on their walk through the Oca contrada. In this one little section of the city, I saw 2 beautiful churches--San Domenico and Santa Caterina--and a gorgeous fountain that is actually mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The goose lamps lining the streets are so much fun, and it was nice to see a part of the city that is typically unexplored by visitors.

On Monday, Heather and I were still on holiday, so we explored the city some more. Just outside of the city, there is a beautiful cemetery. Its relatively new but it was really interesting to walk through. There were so many other hidden beauties that made me sad to be leaving so soon.

Our nonna and her friend Carla took us to her country house for dinner on tuesday as a kind of goodbye present. It was the most stunning piece of property I have ever laid eyes on. That home has been nonna's life work for the past 35 years. When she bought the property, it was all wild. Now it is filled with beautiful gardens and passage ways, wonderful porches that come off the most adorable casale you have ever seen. Everything is covered in ivy and flowers, and there is planted lavender that makes everything smell wonderful. We had a delightful dinner with nonna, Carla, and nonna's grandson Valentino. Afterwards, nonna pulled me aside and took me on a walk in the moonlight. She showed me the trees she planted and how much they have grown. She explained to me that they were like her children. I could see how much this place meant to her, and it warmed my heart that she would share it with us. It was the best night I have had here in Italy.

We did work Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. It was so sad saying goodbye to our coworkers. They are such wonderful people who had so much patience with us over the last two months. I will miss Luca telling us "Buongiorno belle" o "Ciao stupendi" o "Its beautiful." I will miss Debora's duck run and her Senese accent. I will miss Nora's cute little wardrobe and smiling face. I feel so lucky to have worked with these people. I have to come back soon.