After arriving on time in Livorno we were soon on the bike and out of there. Livorno is a large industrial city and held no attraction for us. Our destination was the far more inviting Siena about a 90 minute ride away. The hardest part of today's ride was passing the signs to Florence, knowing that we would have to wait until July to again visit this city - one of our all time favourite places. See you there Stacey, Brett, William, Thomas and Hayley!

The GPS didn't take us the direct route which was a good thing as we avoided the Autostrada. However, the roads were picturesque but not well maintained. Our hotel is great, modern with very helpful staff, great parking but once again, at the bottom of the hill where the town of Siena is located.

After a shower it was time for a nap - we had been up early this morning after all to catch the ferry. Kerrie then discovered the MotoGP on TV so that put paid to an early excursion up to town. After watching all 3 races we decided to get a taxi to take us up the hill for dinner.

We had been to Siena before in 2007 but our memories were hazy to say the least. We did however remember the beauty of Piazza del Campo - the true heart of Siena. This is where the Palio is held twice a year and horses race around the boundary of the piazza within metres of the thousands of spectators that gather to watch the race. It is not unusual for horses to finish the race without their rider who was probably thrown off rounding one of the corners. We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking this historical site just opposite the Palazzo Communale (Town Hall) which boasts an impressive clock tower. As it was now dark and we had no idea which direction to walk to get back to our hotel, another taxi saved the day.

Bright sunshine in the morning helped make the decision about what to do for our 2nd day in Tuscany. Ride it would be! We set out to visit 2 interesting local villages only about 20km from our hotel. The first was Monteriggioni. This crown-shaped fortress has 14 towers and was built in the 13th century. Inside the fortress walls were a collection of retailers selling local Tuscan goods as well as an amazing shoe shop with THE most beautiful Italian leather offerings - I hope they have a shop in Florence!

The next stop was San Gimignano. We have heard of this town on previous trips to this area but have never visited. This medieval town is described as the town "with a hundred towers". There actually never have been 100 towers but until the 13th century there were 72 and 14 of them are still standing today. The town today consists of art shops, restaurants, potters and museums. The town was buzzing with tourists who arrived in a steady stream of tour buses. We wandered for an hour or so, had lunch and then headed back to Siena to explore more than just Piazza del Campo.

As there was no way Greg was taking our bike up the narrow, cobbled streets of Siena - and it was really warm, another taxi was called. We were dropped off close to the Duomo and decided to make that our first stop. After paying 12 Euro each to visit this spectacular church, we spent the next 90 minutes being stunned by the beauty of the art and decorations inside this huge cathedral. Not as impressive as the Duomo in Florence, it still has to rate as amazing. Art works by Bernini, Donatello, Michelangelo (no, not the ninja turtles) adorn this majestic structure. We visited the crypt where the walls are covered with frescoes and baptistery with a font by Donatello. Not only the walls and ceiling of this cathedral boast amazing art works but the floor also boasts marble frescoes retelling bible stories. This visit is a must next time you are in Siena and have a spare couple of hours.

After the Duomo we headed back to Piazza del Campo for afternoon tea - you guessed it, a nice cold beer. We watched the world go by before setting out to explore a bit more of the city. Every street, as usual, had another impressive building to admire. We stood looking at the Town Hall and tried to figure out how it could have been built so long ago and how on earth they got the bell up to the top of the tower?????

With the views of the Piazza as our dinner outlook, we settled in for a Chianti and delicious Italian pasta totally content with our visit to Siena and and our first visit to Tuscany for this trip, after all we would be back in Florence in 8 weeks time.

Tomorrow we head across country as we get closer to the Superbikes at Imola next weekend.