Siena

Driving to Siena we took a wrong turn off the superstrada (Italy's version of the autobahn) and found ourselves on a winding country road that took us along the outskirts of Chianti. We were struck by how much Chianti looks like the countryside of Sonoma County where we live.

This small but elaborate church was near one of the entrances to the old walled city of Siena. It sat on one of Siena's wider streets. Most of the roadways were narrow and lacked sidewalks. There were only a few inches clearance between the cars passing in opposite directions and the walls of the buildings. Pedestrians had to scramble for doorways to avoid being squished.

Though much of our visit to Italy was plagued with heavy gray skies and intermittent rain, the sun did shine now and again, as is evident from this charming backstreet scene of Siena. I was taken by the contrast between the ochre bricks, the green shutters and laundry, and the bright red "Do Not Enter" sign.

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