Day 30 – June 18, 2025 – Foiano, Italy
This morning, we took a trip to Siena with Catherine & Scott as they had never been before, and we really enjoyed the town when we were there previously. Barbara told us there was a market and where to park but we could not find any parking near the market area. There were lots of tourists today and thought it was due to the market, but we found out that the 1000 Miglia was running through Siena and the cars were there, which explained all the crowds.
We headed first to the store where we bought our knives, and they told us it was not a problem to ship them back to the US. I also found a beautiful tablecloth and they custom make them if they don’t carry your size, which they didn’t, so I will get the measurements sent to them to see if they are able to make me one. I think of it as another reminder of Italy.
After finishing at the store, we headed towards the Il Campo area where there were loads of people. We found a great outdoor restaurant and shared a bottle of wine while watching the cars line up. There was a great mix of vintages.
“The Mille Miglia is a legendary Italian car race that originally ran from 1927 to 1957. It was a 1,000-mile open-road endurance race from Brescia to Rome and back, featuring the world’s top drivers and manufacturers like Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Alfa Romeo. Known for its challenging public-road course and spectacular scenery, it became a symbol of speed, skill, and Italian automotive excellence.
After being discontinued due to safety concerns, it was revived in 1977 as the Mille Miglia Storica, a prestigious vintage car rally limited to models that participated in the original races. Today, it blends history, elegance, and motorsport heritage, earning the nickname: “the most beautiful race in the world.”
We were there for day 2 as it passed through Siena on their way to Rome. Day 3 has them go to Orvieto (was there yesterday!), Foiano della Chiana (our villa is here!), Arezzo (been there!) and towards San Marino (been there too!) and ends on the Adriatic coast. How interesting that we were here as this was happening!
After watching the cars line up for a while, we decided to go eat lunch at our favorite place, Il Biondi, and it was as good as we remember. This is where we ate our last night in Siena. John and I split the lasagna and a Greek salad. Our wait staff remembered us, which was nice! We have made dinner plans again with them next week when Vance/Michelle are here as they have not been to Siena before.
We walked a bit after lunch and then came back and spent time in the pool while John caught up on some work.
We had a private chef, Doriana, cook for us tonight. She came about 6pm and we started with a nice sparkling wine and the menu consisted of traditional Tuscan foods:
- cured meats and bread
- panzanella dish
- crostini with truffle and one with chicken liver pate,
- schiacciaate, which is close to a focaccia bread, one with garlic and the other with tomatoes, like a bruschetta
- pappa al pomodoro, which is a tomato and bread soup with a very thick texture
- two different pici pastas with a wild boar ragout and the other was with tomato and garlic
- peposo pepery, which is the Tuscan beef stew topped with spinach and a side of potatoes
- tiramisu and finished with cantucci
We were all stuffed like mad and basically in a food coma. Catherine and Scott sat up for a while longer while John and I headed to bed. I’m sure I won’t have any problem sleeping tonight, lol!
Tomorrow Catherine and Scott head out and drive to Bologna and then catch a flight to Crete to meet up with some friends for a couple of days. It has been great having them here and doing some fun stuff – ciao!
