Sandwiches and Other Art

Ah, our first dose of caffeine and carbs for the day. Well, actually Brian made himself a couple espressos before we went to breakfast. When in Rome…Siena.

We had a 10:00 tour of “The Gate of Heaven”  this morning and then explored the Duomo Complex for a couple hours. After we explored, we headed out for some lunch. Let me share some photos of the Cathedral before I tell you about the lunch story.

The cathedral was mesmerizing. Every square inch of it was painted or decorated. It was very overstimulating. So much to take in. It was pretty crowded in there and an interesting thing is that there are 4 sculptures by Michelangelo in there. After we had seen enough of the complex, we headed out to look for some lunch. Brian had read about a place that supposedly had the best paninis. Off we went on our google-led search to find it. We found it! Funny thing is that this hole in the wall is covered with bougainvillea that I had seen from afar and now I was going there. Many places in Siena are literally holes in the wall. Tiny little shops and eateries line the streets. This one isn’t even on one of the streets. It’s so hidden and yet it’s well-known. Gino Cacino di Angelo. This place was Italy. We translated the expansive menu before we went inside and still didn’t know what it was. 

Gino was alone in his shop. Every wall was covered. There were photos, wines, animal parts, and cheeses. It smelled like meat and salty cheese. It was a feast for all of our senses. We were stoked right away. This man, Gino, is an artist. You should see the food in the cases and how he works with his ingredients. There is no rushing happening in there and we were down for that. 

This is where he wrote our orders. Look at it closely…

Are you wondering what we had? We have no idea. Mine was eggplant with lavender (yes it was delish) and Brian had some kind of raw steak thing. I took photos of the menu so I could remember. They were flavors I had never had before. So good. 

If you ever find yourself in Siena, you need to visit Gino. 

Ok enough about our lunch. Even if it was a highlight of our day. We headed out to get lost for a while and find the good stuff. We have our best adventures that way. 

After our adventure, we headed to have some pastries and a coffee before heading back home for a midday rest. After our rest we walked to the train station to time the walk in preparation for our departure and travel to Rome. 

Dinner was a couple doors down from our place and then we caught the last few beams of sun on the cathedral. 

Tomorrow we will wake early and travel to Rome. Tomorrow will also be our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I guess Rome is an okay place to spend it. I must say that our adventures are so awesome because Brian puts so much time and effort into planning our itinerary. Big thanks to him from me. This afternoon while I was scrolling and resting, he was studying maps. 

Side Note: There is an exciting horse race coming up here soon. Tomorrow I will blog about it. Tonight I want to sleep.