A Siena Promise

In May, 2004, DW and I were enjoying a warm, sunny spring afternoon in the Tuscan city of Siena, Italy. We had just climbed the tower of the town hall and were sitting on the cobbled stones of the clamshell-shaped square, soaking in the sun and watching people.

Nearby, a family caught our eye: they had young children—maybe five years older than our own kids were, at the time—and these kids were running around Piazza del Campo, chasing pigeons. We suddenly felt homesick, wanting to be with our own wee ones.

"In five years," I promised DW, "we'll be back here, sitting where we are, watching our own kids chase pigeons."

On Wednesday, September 30, 2009, we pulled the CR-V into an underground parking garage that was built into the hillside on the northern edge of the city and worked our way into my second-favourite city in Tuscany. Our first stop: the Duomo di Siena.

Before going inside this beautiful church, we decided to first check out a tourist attraction that I discovered while we were researching our vacation, where I thought would be a great place to capture images of Siena: Facciatone, an incomplete section of the Duomo, where only a wall stood. You could climb a set of stairs that led to the top of the wall, high above the neighbouring buildings.

Going up so early in the day, we were also hoping to beat the masses who would surely try to get up later in the day.

With two young kids—especially a rambunctious six year old—DW's and my hearts were pounding as each of us tried to keep the kids close while I took photos. I snapped shots as quickly as possible and we headed back down.

Around the corner from the town hall is a narrow street. A couple of doors to the left was an unassuming door. We entered and found a small restaurant with a low, arched brick ceiling. Freshly made pasta of various colours and shapes lay on a table next to a small, open kitchen where cooks were busy at work. The restaurant was crowded but the owner managed to find a table that fit all four of us.

It was clear that the owner didn't speak English and there was no menu. With basic Italian, we conveyed that DW and I wanted pasta with a meat sauce and that our youngest wanted as basic a dish as possible--maybe just butter and Parmesan cheese. Our eldest just wanted a plain tomato sauce.

The meal was perfect. Everyone was satisfied.

From here, we moved to Il Campo, where we stopped to pick up some pastries for dessert and, of course, to watch the kids chase pigeons around the square. We hadn't prompted the girls. We merely said that DW and I were going to sit in the square for a moment to rest and eat our treats, and that the girls could explore Il Campo on their own as long as they didn't stray out of view.

They were drawn to the pigeons on their own.

"Promise made, promise kept," I said to DW.

We explored some of the streets around the heart of the city but then decided that we wanted to visit the interiour of the Duomo. Even though none of us is religious, there's something about the history and fabulous architecture of these Medieval churches that draws even our kids to enjoy these visits.

From the Duomo, we decided to head back to our villa. Once again, we wanted a swim and a nap before we would make dinner and eat it on the patio as we watched the sun set over San Gimignano.

The next day would take us through the wine towns of Chianti.

Stay tuned...