This past weekend we took a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano with our school. The towns were beautiful but it was really cold and rainy, which detracted from our experience. I did not enjoy Siena as much as San Gimignano. San Gimignano is one of the oldest towns left standing in Italy. Its original medieval walls are still intact around the city. It also sits up on a hill overlooking vineyards on every side. You could not find a bad view in the city. We also had gelato from the gelateria voted best in Italy. I tried cinnamon gelato and it was amazing! We didn't have too much time in either city, so we walked around a bit, but really didn't get to see many sites.
On Saturday we climbed up to the Piazza Michaelanglo and visited the San Miniato al Monte. This is the oldest church in Florence and it is one of the few monasteries still holding services. We listened to the monks chant in Latin. It was absolutely beautiful, just like what you hear in old movies sometimes. Only it was even more breathtaking to hear the chanting echo and reverberate off the many arches within the church.
On Sunday we went to see a Fiorentina soccer game. It was quite an event. We saw at least 3 armored cars packed full of swat team members armed and ready to control any situations that many have broken out. Fortunately, there were no issues at this game, but it was so crowded that we weren't able to sit in our seats. We had to stand in the back of our section and just watch the game from there. It was still very fun, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been able to sit in my seat. Hearing all of the chants and seeing the enthusiasm of these fans (of a team that is not particularly good or successful) was an experience I'm really glad I had.
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