Italy Bellissimo Travelogue, continued

Day 10 of Tour- Siena and Rome

Our Italy Bellissimo Tour was wrapping up. We bade farewell to the Tuscan region in our last stop at the medieval town of Siena.

Top photos: The town of Siena

Bottom photos ( with permission from Filgie Jarina): The Basilica of St. Catherine of Siena. No photography allowed inside.

The Basilica of St. Catherine of Siena, also known as the Basilica of St. Dominic was our first stop. St. Catherine, along with St. Francis of Assisi is the patroness of Italy. We learned on this trip that for a church to be considered a Basilica, it must have a relic. This Basilica housed the finger and severed head of St. Catherine. The remainder of her body lies in Rome. St. Catherine was important to me because my high school was named after her. I would have loved to stop by the bookstore to peruse and purchase souvenirs but due to limited time, I didn't deviate from the group. After a brief prayer at the Blessed Sacrament, my son and I rejoined the group outside to continue on with the rest of the tour.

The town center of Siena is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's known for its red brick medieval buildings. I enjoyed walking the cobbled- stone streets of the city with its charming alleys and buildings.

Beautiful Siena

Top photos: buildings in Siena

Middle Photos: Palazzo Pubblico, Pizzeria in Siena, The Duomo

Bottom Photos: The Duomo, Chianti Classico wine that Tuscany is known for

I was able to buy a small bottle of Chianti Classico and Panforte sweets, but I wish I was able to buy Ricciarellis to take back home. More than ever, I wish I was able to linger in Siena but it was time for us to head back to Rome. I was even hoping I could get one last gelato in Tuscany but I was told taxis wouldn't allow it. Because my mom couldn't handle the downhill hike back to the bus, we had to take a cab back to where our bus was waiting for us.

Rome- The Colosseum

I felt the energy of Rome as soon as we entered the city. After dropping off our bags at our hotel and freshening up, we met our local guide outside the Colosseum. We had to be mindful of the vehicles and people we encountered on the streets while walking in getting there. It was Holy Week and the city was preparing for the Good Friday's Stations of the Cross which would be officiated by the Pope. The city was hosting a lot of tourists and pilgrims. There were bus- loads of students from France that day we were there. We had to go through metal detection and security check. I was glad we didn't come in the summer because it would be atrocious to deal with the heat and crowd then. It was a relief when we finally got inside the Colosseum walls.

A great culmination for my son's Study Abroad opportunity in Europe was visiting this historic site.

After our tour, we had a group photo and we headed back to our bus who took us to an Asian/ Italian fusion restaurant in the city for our farewell dinner.

Photos from L to R: Arch of Constantine outside the Colosseum, The Circus Maximus, Back at the hotel with our Tour Director.

The ride back to our hotel was a bit somber. The tour was a great experience for all of us. We were ready to go home but at the same time, we wish we had seen more of the places we've been to.

Tags: #Siena #MedievalCity #ItalyBellissimo #Travelogue #Wanderlust #Travel #Europe #Italy #Rome #Colosseum #StCatherineofSiena

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