Day 6: Florence to Siena

The next morning, we took a bus outside of Florence near the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. Jared's grandmother had a brother who was a pilot in WWII and was buried in Florence. Jared promised her that if he ever got to Florence, he would try to find the grave and take pictures for her. We walked a couple miles from the bus stop to the cemetery. We spoke with an American stationed there who looked up the name, found the exact location of the gravesite, and led us there. I've never been to Arlington National Cemetery, but it definitely reminded me of the pictures I'd seen. Everyone was getting ready for Memorial Day, kind of like a spring cleaning. The grass was being mowed, trees were trimmed, the P.A. system was being tested, soliders were practicing maneuvers. It was surprisingly a moving experience. When we were at the bus station buying the tickets, the gentleman at the counter told us he had a friend who is buried there. It was difficult to understand him, but before we left, he looked at us sincerely and said he truly appreciated the Americans for what they had done for Italy during the war.

Later that day we took the train to Siena. Do yourself a favor and mark this little town on your list of places to see before you die. It is a beautiful medieval town and we enjoyed simply walking the old cobblestone streets, seeing the sights, napping for a couple hours on the ancient ramparts in fantastic weather, and eating wonderful Tuscan cuisine (including some pretty fantastic gelato).

The entrance to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial.

Another view of the cemetery and the memorial building at the far end.

The graves of fallen Americans.

When we arrived in Siena, we were a bit lost. Even our GPS seemed confused. But we eventually found our digs: a nun-run convent/hotel. Nice place, but plenty of steps to climb and descend every day.

There it is, our hotel, up the stairs and to the right.

The next day can be found here.