Saturday, 7th of September, 2019.
Michelangelo drops me in a gas station a bit out of Buonconvento. I hold a sign written Siena and a nice draw of The Tower of Manglia. The first car which pass through me stops. He is a security guard coming back to Siena after his night shift in a Prada company nearby. Fancy. He is a nice person but as many other Italians, he assumes that just because I am visiting Italy I must speak Italian. Those people not just over think about the importance of their country to me or any other traveler as much as have a very small mind. Many people travel to a lot of countries, is quite impossible to learn all the languages from all of those. Anyway…
He drops me very close to one of the “doors” of Siena. The Olive one. And I am quite happy for being in there, Siena, and to start my exploration.
Siena it is quite small but it is beautiful! As any other medieval city in Italy, it is surrounded by a wall. But I dare to say that is something more about Siena: Something special. Maybe because is note overrated as other Italian cities, even that is also famous. I do not know, I just had a good feeling about it, you know? A simple feeling of walking in peace around the town. There were plenty of tourist, do not understand me wrong, big groups and loads of couples. But they also start to come out mainly after ten o’clock. So here goes the first tip: if you just want to walk around the town first, taking some nice pictures, with no one to make an undesirable appearance in your photo, go early morning, around seven, eight o’clock. At least to the two main attractions: Piazza del Campo and the Cathedral. Although, because of the location, I would recommend to take the pictures of the Piazza during the “golden hour” or sunset. The light will be much better.
So here I am, walking from here to there, sitting and admiring all the sights. The Cathedral is absurdly beautiful, by the way. Really, really something. I could not go inside because you need to pay.
I wait in the middle of the square for about five minutes until I feel comfortable to ask someone to take a picture of me. It is a couple, a man and a woman, and they are both very well dressed. Mainly she with beautiful clothes and jewelry. She is beautiful too. My surprise it is in how friendly they are since the beginning. Very understanding and helpful. He takes my picture, with a lot of patience to wait for the people passing in front and take their own pictures. Then he asks me to take one of them. With pleasure! – I say. My second surprise is when she makes a comment about the picture in Portuguese! Ah, of course they are Brazilian! That is why the big heart and simplicity even when in fancy clothes. Joking. But they are really, really lovely. She is also very surprised when I tell her I am Brazilian. They are both from Goiania. Beautiful accent! We talk briefly, I manage to take a picture closer, which she likes more, for my happiness. She even gives me a hug when we say goodbye!
So after enjoy the town as much as I could (special note for the Lindt Chocolate shop, in which I go inside just to admire and get a trifle for free!), I head to the two flea markets to try to find a backpack. Luck it was not in my side about that: the first one it changed to a new address just in the beginning of the month (a hand sign in the door tells me that) and the second one is more like an antique shop, so quite not a big chance of having simple second hand backpacks. So I decide not to wait until when they will open (at three o’clock) and leave earlier to the spot where I will hitchhike back to Montalcino.
Little pause of twenty minutes, waiting for the rain to pass. Lucky me that it stopped, otherwise Loki knows how I would come back. The way it is very easy to get it, probably one of my first visits that I do not get lost at all.
It does not take too much time until Fabrizio stop to me. He is a very nice Sicilian guy, cute as well, and we talks in Spanish all the way to Buonconvento, where he drops me. He tells me about the time he was travelling, hitchhiking and doing volunteer work too.
In Buonconvento, also just a few minutes until somebody pick me up. Actually it surprises me the couple who did. I do not know why but after so many old couples picking me up in other countries, here in Italy, it surprises me. They are quite fancy people, in a nice Audi, and very well dressed. Again, the lady more than the sir, with all the jewelry… But they are also very sweet, they are from Venice and are going to their 15 days of vacation in Montalcino. They drop me before the door, just in the way I have to take to come back to the farm. Perfecto! I arrive around 4.30 p.m. With plenty of time to do some of my stuff and prepare a nice dinner!
