Siena Bound. Wednesday 23rd September, 2009.

I went to get the supply of fresh, salted focaccia this morning from the store below my shutters, I am now known as Bella Signora by the lovely owner who now knows me as a regular visitor early each morning. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining from the blue heavens above and there was just a hint of breeze.

As soon as we left Castiglione della Pescaia, the land flatted into vast agricultural plains. Today there were many fields roughly ploughed awaiting new crops, some were filled with dry sunflowers, their colour gone and their heads bowed low awaiting harvest. Distant views showed rows of dark green Cypress Pines and tall European Pines with naked trunks and full pom-pom like foliage on top, these trees are so typical of Tuscany, when I close my mind and imagine it, this is what I see.

We drove through the maze of streets in Grosseto, pointing us in the direction of Siena, our destination today. It seemed to take forever to negotiate the way and we laughed thinking there was surely a more direct course to take. We followed the main highway from Grosseto to Siena. It was dominated by road works for much of the way and we sat on a speed limit of 50 for the most part, trying to ignore hot blooded Italian drivers behind us, sitting on our tail trying to push us along. A particularly impatient bus driver overtook us entering a tunnel passing over double lines and blasting his horn, details like double lines and speed limits don’t seem to be noticed here in Italy. There was no way we were going to speed, we had already passed four speed cameras and radars, but still they pushed.

We passed so many hill-top towns, bathed in golden light against the green landscape. They were different to our last visit. Most towns had expanded and around the crumbling and character filled stone houses there were new and less attractive buildings, I like to pretend they are not there and remember things how they used to be, the Tuscany of old.

We talked about the funny cultural differences and I began to wonder how difficult it was for Italian immigrants to settle into Australia with our clearly defined rules and regulations that are mostly obeyed by all. The chaos definitely has a charm of its own here, parts of it which we love and embrace.

It was a special moment to arrive in Siena’s enchanting Il Campo and have AJ by our sides; the last time we were here we were only two. I knew he would love it, its rich rusted colours, its old facades and the intricate embellishments adorning the buildings that are so Sienese. Il Campo was filled with happy faces. As our picnic was so successful yesterday sitting on the cattedrale steps overlooking the piazza in Massa-Marittima, we decided that we would enjoy another prime location picnic on the Il Campo. We have named this style of picnic ‘Piazza Picnic’ and they are a highlight of our days in Italy. We sat, surrounded by hungry pigeons, at the lower end of the shell shaped Campo and made up this morning’s purchase of foccacias with rocket, tomato, salami, buffalo mozzarella and a scant sprinkling of Guerande sea salt which we have carried around with us since visiting Brittany in June. We were so happy enjoying the simple pleasures of sun, family, and simple food, in one of the world’s most beautiful cities – this is living.
We sat for what seemed like eternity feeding the pigeons and laughing as they ran over our feet in frenzies as they honed in on every crumb we offered, we were in no rush and had all day and night to explore so we weren’t hassled by the pressures of hurrying through the list of tourist sites. Our carefully planned picnic saw us only having to carry around a small bag of salt and two knives for the day. We have been practicing random acts of kindness on each other today which has been fun and has seen us offering each other the last slice of buffalo mozzarella and salami, offering to carry bags, me making up the focaccias for lunch etc.

We headed to Cattedrale di Siena, to show AJ one of my favourite cathedrals in all of Europe. He also loved its blue cupola decorated with golden stars. He marvelled at the frescoes in the library and stood studying them deep in thought. He had to check from below the ceilinged frescoes, that the pillars of marble were in fact only paintings; I think it made him appreciate the skill involved in painting these beautiful pieces. He and I sat and he shared his thoughts on the creation of life, he has such an enquiring mind and he constantly searches for answers and does it in a mature way for his twelve years. I am very proud of him, I always have been, but even more so as I watch him change and develop into his own person as each day passes. It is only one week until he will be thirteen. Time passes and memories are made.

The three of us struggle with the time consumed by JR and his passion for his photography. AJ and I feel he misses out on so much of our family journey as he is often on his quest to capture everything in an image. It s a difficult problem and is a constant source of questioning by us all. I absolutely support his passion and everywhere we go, AJ and I wave him goodbye for an hour or two here and there for him to be able to immerse himself in what he loves. I actually enjoy seeing him walk away with pep in his step, knowing he can be in his own headspace and see the world through his lens without distraction. On the other hand, when we are all together, we miss his interactions with us as he disappears into his own little world and snaps away. Everywhere you look there are always beautiful images to capture so even when he says he will put the camera away, he is always torn between being with us and doing what he loves. We still search for a solution, maybe there is not one to be found.

AJ and I said goodbye to JR at 5pm and arranged to meet back in the Campo at 7pm giving him hours of photography fun in his beloved magic hour of the day. JR climbed to the top of the Torre del Mangia overlooking the Campo. It reaches 83 metres into the sky after a climb of 400 steps. I could not believe it as AJ and I sat below people watching, I saw JR at the very top of the tower waving his arms above his head as he tried to attract our attention, it was pure chance I looked up to see him there. AJ passed the time, blissfully happy, people watching and laughing together, we had a ball together.

By 7 we were all together again, we secured a front row table to watch the happenings on the Campo as we ate dinner. Most of the tourists were gone; a lone busker sat and played the bongo drums whose sounds echoed across the Campo and back. We all at a simple salsiccia pizza as the sky turned navy blue with the odd twinkling star. The buildings became bathed in golden light which was soft and warm. As we left the Campo, I turned for one last look at this place I love; I left with my heart filled with forever memories.