Suzy and I boarded the train in Assisi, (link) an Umbrian hillside town rich in history for Siena, our first stop in Tuscany. The train is headed towards Empoli, then we change trains towards Siena. After boarding in Empoli, the train hurries across wide open fields of grass and wine groves. Our first glimpse of Tuscany is more than we could imagine. As we look out of the window of the train we can see maybe 1500 acres of wine groves and then, atop a lonely hill, one plantation house glimmering in the sunlight. Suzy a farm girl from Tennessee exclaims; “Only the Italians can make art from farmland”. As the train continues on towards Siena we see a sheepherder, with probably 150 sheep walking the green countryside. Just beautiful. Picture perfect.
Once in Siena, we grab a cab to our Hotel and the cab driver lets us out in a small alleyway and explains that the Hotel is beyond the large wood door. We press the door button and the receptionist says in Italian and broken English to come through the doorway and come upstairs. At this point I am going to fast-forward the story to the point of the Opera, so as we check in, we find a large art easel with the poster of “Opera in Tuscany” so I quickly ask how I might attend. The receptionist calls on the phone and gets someone from the opera on the line and explains some Americans are here at the Hotel and wish to see the Opera. After a lot of Italian conversation we get a “just a minute” from the receptionist, then we receive a hand written voucher good for two tickets redeemable at the ticket office of the Opera House. Well, it’s not done this way in the US, usually you get the tickets with assigned seating, but when in Rome……. The Opera starts at 21:15, that’s 9:15 for us Americans using a 12 hour clock, so I say to Suzy, we can get to the Opera house at about 8, the ticket office opens at 7:30 so that should be ample time to grab our tickets and find a good seat. We arrive at 8:00 and there’s no one around but a single girl sitting at a small table with a cash box. I explain we have a reservation made by the Hotel, she acknowledges and asks for payment, we do so and then she locks the cash box, gets up and walks us to our assigned seats with our name on it. We are in row 2, and no more than 20 feet from the center stage. Suzy and I look at each other and can’t believe it, 2nd row seats, 20 feet away from the performers! Did we ever luck out ! So now we are here in the concert hall, all alone. There is not one other person around and it’s more than an hour before the show. Like all of Italy, as we came into the Concert Hall, across the street was a bar…. Yes !, Suzy and I go across the street and indulge in another Italian specialty we ran across. It’s called an Aperol Spritzer, the Italians call it something else, but It’s orange flavor Aperol, ice cold Proseco, and a slice of blood orange. Fantastic !. We indulge and once consumed, we head back to the concert hall and take our seats. Tonight’s performers are; Veronica Lazzeri, Soprano, Marco Miglietta, Tenor and Llaria Posarelli, Grand Piano. The show begins with Verdi’s Riggoletto, then we move to Puccini’s Tosca, then Puccini’s La Boehme, back to Verdi’s La Traviata, and it keeps on going. What an amazing performance. It could not have been better. We arrive in Siena and get to see an up close and personal Tuscan Opera performance of a lifetime.
OK….. Back to check in at the Hotel. I want to remind everyone that I really have to work hard at finding hotels. First, find a hotel within the confines of the city you want to visit, and then check the address of the hotel so you can find it on a map and see where exactly it is located. Why you might ask, well because Suzy and I are on foot and in order to see the major cities attractions, you’ll have to be able to walk there to see them. Then while walking, you’ll be able to choose a great restaurant where you’ll eat when you get hungry. So……. Back to the hotel….I press the door button on the Hotel wall where the cabbie left us off and the receptionist says in Italian and broken English, come in, leave your bags in the hallway and come upstairs. The door lock buzzes; we push in the door and find a narrow corridor to the stairwell. We leave our bags in the hallway, put the computer bag over my shoulder and in the other hand, carry the case holding my GoPro. Suzy is carrying our “goodie bag” you know, the bag with a bottle of wine, sunglasses, visors, knives, forks, plastic plates and all the other sundry of things that you require to enjoy a lazy afternoon inside the hotel. As we make it to the stairwell I can hear the receptionist, We are up here ! In front of us is a landing with a turn to the right and about 10 steps to the next landing, we make our way up……… turn left…… 10 more stairs…….. turn left….. 10 more stairs…. As we proceed we are looking at the stairs, they are of well polished stone from a century of travelers that have come before us. Again I hear the receptionist, come up !….. 10 more stairs, turn left….. 10 more stairs….. By now Suzy and I are breathing hard, looking at each other in amazement that the stairway never ends….. Then it hits me, this old building several centuries old has standard ceiling heights of at least 12 feet….. Up we go…. 50 steps….. then 60….. then seventy…. 82 steps and we’ve made it. Suzy and I enter the hotel, drop our bags and look at each other trying to catch our breath in between glances. What an effort ! An elevator ? not in an ancient building such as this one.. So then we check in….. we’re told out room is ready, please follow me…. Down the corridor…. Turn right….. we come to a small door with another two steps up….. unlock the door…. Enter…. In front of us is a nice old/antique decorated suite, real wooden arches on the ceiling and narrow 12” wide windows, the receptionist draws back the draperies, opens the windows, then proceeds to the other corner where you’ll find double doors, 12” wide each and 12’ tall, there’s another 3 ‘ to the ceiling, she opens the doors, then proceeds to open the green shutters in front of the doors….. Magically, we have forgotten about the 82 steps we took to get here. You see, we have a corner suite with our own 6’ x 12’ balcony with flowers abound, one small café table and two chairs. We have found our very own honeymoon penthouse suite. I look at Suzy, Suzy is looking at me, the receptionist hands us the keys…….. I grab the goodie bag, pull out a bottle of our favorite wine, it’s a Montepulciano, perhaps it had been produced 2 regions of Italy previously passed but none the less, it will certainly do… It’s now seven hours to Opera…….. Whatever will we do with all this time….. 🙂 🙂 🙂 The adventure continues……….