Lucca & Siena

We began our Tuscan weekend in Lucca. We had been told that this was a cute town when we had visited Florence, but hadn't been able to fit it in. So this was a perfect spot to stop for a little lunch and some yummy pastries. There was a cute church in the main piazza that Todd said looked like it was pre-instagrammed! The heavy rain clouds overhead helped that illusion. This was a great town for beat up pastel-ish bikes too - I added some to my past BIKES! post - they were all over the place. After our quick stop, it was off to Siena.
Which was also a quickie stop. We wound our way to the piazza where they hold the famous Palio (saddle-less horse race, in full renaissance style). And we were wowed by it. It is completely different from any other piazza we've seen. Firstly, it's shaped kinda like a scallop shell. Next, it's gently sloped toward the town hall, almost like an auditorium. Also, there are no grand entrances into it - more like small tunnels that lead in then open up onto the grand square. It has an intimacy to it - like the town's own living room. There were lots of people lounging around, standing, sitting, eating or drinking, chatting, even dancing! And of course, in Griffin's case, chasing pigeons ;) It's fun to watch him flap about, skipping, thinking THIS time I'm gonna catch one! Some college students decided to join in his fun and did great imitations of 5 yr old running and 'flying'.
Then came the adventure of finding our hotel. Whooo boy. Wasn't sure we were gonna have a place to sleep that nite! After muuuuch driving, up and down very windy roads (yes, I DO get carsick - especially in the mountains) and through several villages, he found it! Whew!