Day 17:

We had breakfast at about 630am. Some of our tour mates were catching the same coach with us at 7am to the airport (We picked up our rented car at the airport). Time flew and a week had gone by and they were all going back to their respective countries. We had another week of holidaying but we'd slow down the pace of travelling substantially; partly to have ample time to enjoy the sightseeing, the food and whatnot but mostly, because of the fatigue that had surreptitiously crept in from the weeks of moving about.

It was a scenic drive but unfortunately, it was a rainy day. Most of the best views would have been concealed by the heavy fog and we could only concentrate on the roads and navigation amid the beautiful scenes of Tuscany. But not too bad; throughout the hours of drive, we saw some parts of the views of a typical Tuscany landscape. We also stopped by at Grosseto for a cup of drinks before continuing the drive.

At last, we reached Siena and the Hotel Santa Caterina at 1pm plus. The hotel was pleasantly nice; from its privileged location, it offered the splendid view of Siena. Its room was not too big; however, warm and cosy for a night stay.

Siena is a small town. We went on our "self-guided" tour. Firstly, a 20 min walk and we reached the heart of the town - Il Campo. We had lunch at around 2pm at Papei restaurant which was only less than 5 min walk from Il Campo. The food was fantabulous (probably we were already famished by that time). Emma had her favourite Cabonara, I had beef steak, accompanied by a bowl of creamy onion soup and a bottle of red wine. When we were done, we felt the obligation to "walk off" our heavy, albeit hearty, meal.

So, off we went. We walked to San Domenico - a beautiful church of medieval style. Then, we walked to the Duomo, another church that was majestic in its architecture. Then, we went to the City Hall where the bell tower boasted of its tall and mighty presence. In between, we shopped at some of the small shops but either it was a Sunday or due to siesta, most of the shops were closed.

We went back to the hotel and napped for about an hour. After that, we came out to enjoy the night views of Siena. The streets were more crowded and more of the shops were open by now. We walked till about 8pm and settled for dinner at a nice and cosy restaurant.

We had an early night; slept at about 930pm. Siena is indeed a beautiful place with its unparalleled charm and idyll. A small town and very easy to walk around. I suspect you could cover the entire town within just half a day. Yet, it is also its simplicity and its rustic characteristic that you wish time could stand still for you to relish every minute of the beauty it accorded.