October 12 - Sienna & Rome

Well as strange as it seems, the Trafalgar portion of our trip is coming to a close.  Tonight we arrived back in Rome and had our farewell party with the group and said our goodbyes.  It seems exotic to hear people talking about flying to Singapore, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, Auckland and taking cross Atlantic cruises.  It was wonderful that a group of 35 adults could get along so well for 16 days.

We travelled about 4,000Km on our trip.  Although the trip was very hectic and we are very tired, we must admit that we would take another bus tour with Trafalgar, should we find an itinerary that was interesting.  Our guide, Barbara, and our driver, Carlos, were top notch.  We would still prefer a holiday where we aren’t packing and unpacking ever day, but how else could you see as much as we did in the past two weeks?

Florence from Piazza Michelangelo

This morning we left Florence and headed to the medieval city of Siena.  Siena was a rival of Florence for commerce during the medieval times.  Unfortunately the power lay with Florence because of the wealth of the di Medici family.  Siena is currently known for the Il Palio,  a horse race that takes place in the town square.  Each of the neighbourhoods in Siena have a horse that is trained specifically for this race.  The town is decked out in colourful flags that represent each of these neighbourhoods and the rivalries are quite evident. The Palio has taken place each year for 500+ years.

Siena - Piazza del Campo

Siena and Il Palio are featured in the 2008 James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace.

Marg had a hot chocolate with lunch today.  It was a cup of melted dark chocolate that she had to eat with a spoon. She loved it!

We then took the main highway south to Rome, through the lovely Tuscan countryside.  It is amazing to see the villas and old villages perched on top the these gentle hills.

We finally saw our first Italian golf course.  We are staying in the Sheraton Golf Resort in Rome.  I have to admit that the course looks in very bad shape.  The fairways don’t seem to be in very good shape.  It costs €72 or $95 for round of golf.