Medieval Tuscany at its best

Got down to the train station early in the morning, still trying to find out exactly where the autobus station is. Yesterday attempts to check the bus schedules only ended up going round and round the train station as the Italians seem to care less about my queries. Finally encountered a guide who was just about to set off for a Tuscany tour, who kindly pointed me to various distinctly blue buses marked with SITA turning round the corner behind the train station.

Got a ticket to Siena for €6.80 one way, same price as the trains but bus is advised as it goes all the way up to the top of the hill top city, compared to the train that stops at the foot and you either can walk up or take another bus to the top. The Rapido service is also 30 min faster than the Directta service, which stops at a few towns en-route to Siena.

The closest that I have come across Siena is probably the football team playing in Serie B? Looking up on the internet reveals a lot more about this UNESCO city famed for its medieval architecture and tiny walkways. Nestled in the middle of the Tuscany region, it is a city perched on the top of a hill, and every street is either uphill climb or downward straddle of every step. Most of the crowd head towards the square, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to explore the winding cobbled streets at your own pace.

After 3 hours of walking round in circles, I can say I really like the city, the streets are so alluring that you can go on for ages. Has been a top notch recommendation! Only complaint is probably the annoyingly messy bus terminal, where the station master seem to be interested in hiding in parked buses and chatting amongst themselves rather than helping passengers to find the right bus. There is no fixed bus bays so you will have check the schedules and wonder around, knocking on the doors of parked bus and looking up on the displays to catch the right one. Took the slower bus back to Firenza hoping for a feel of the towns and maybe stop by one of them for a stroll but decided against it as the closest indication to spring is the glorious sun, else every other living plants seem to be still hibernating away the winter. Did notice that there was a bus service from Siena to Roma (there isn't one from Florence), meaning you could do a half day trip to Siena before hoping on the bus to Roma after, all at a cheaper price, but not as comfortable journey on the bus.

My original plan of going to San Marino (3rd smallest country in the world after Monaco and Vatican City) via Rimini was hampered by the lack of cheap accommodations and the train prices were not particularly low as well. I have heard and read so much of the amazing views from that little area locked by Italian provinces but it was simply not worthwhile to make the trip if I was only going to spend up to a day max. Another twitter recommendation to see Ubino slightly south of San Marino is also shelved as a result but do let me know how they are if you do get a chance to go visit. Makes you feel that having a car will be so much more convenient to visit all these places in the country.

After having baguettes for both breakfast and lunch, decided to treat myself to a proper dinner as I was craving for pasta. The hostel staff recommended Trattori Guelfa, off Via Guelfa, just off the Palazzo del Congressi. You can have 2 mains, a glass of wine, desert and water, for €13. Had to choose the local Ribollita (which is a type of Tuscan minestrone soup, with vegetables and bread, but do not expect any soup at all -- usually it takes 3 days to make this dish as you have to re-cook the dish from day 1 and 2, which is what the word literally means I think) as my starter instead of pasta. Turned out to be excellent although the fried swordfish after reminds me more of fish and chips than anything Tuscan! Ended up with a nice Tiramisu complemented with gorgeous Italian red wine -- Life's a bliss when it comes to food..

Stayed on unexpectedly for 3 nights instead of the original 1 night but it has been well worth it. Next stop -- Roma, capital of the country, lots of expectations from various tweets, hopefully I will not be disappointed.