Florence, Siena and Chianti

We took the train to Florence, arriving midday. We stayed again at a B and B, close to the station. Breakfast at this place gets a big thumbs up, as it included fresh fruit and baking, and really good yogurt. I was slightly disappointed by the coffee - good, but American style. Our host was more than happy to make us Italian coffee on request, however.
Saturday we saw the Galleria dell' Accademia, which is the house of Michelangelo's David, among other works. I was confused whether "finito-nonfinito" (finished-unfinished) was an actual style or not, as it seemed to me that Michelangelo just ran out of time or switched cities, leaving his statues behind.
I liked the Galleria degli Uffizi a lot, though I made a bit of a fool of myself, confusing a Botticelli for a DaVinci. I enjoyed seeing as art progressed, adding in perspectives and scale. We got kicked out before I could see all the rooms, though. (I missed the Caravaggios - I was not impressed)

Sunday we went out to Siena, taking the bus. We had been told that if we had just one day for a trip out of Florence, to go to Siena, not Pisa. Other than the Piazza dei Miracoli (where the leaning tower and cathedral are), there isn't really much else. Whereas in Siena, much more if the style is preserved, plus it's fun and interesting to walk around.

Il Campo

The Cathedral

Il Campo, near the end of the day.

From Fortezza di Santa Barbara, looking toward the city

Monday we did a bit of shopping at the Market downtown, buying scarves and leather items, before going on a wine tour in the Chianti region. We learned about wine and olive oil production, before sampling cheeses, wines and olive oils.

Wine

For our last day in Florence, we took the bus to the sight seeing spot above the town, before walking back down and seeing an exhibit of sketches.

Above the city

Local cuisine includes:

Crostini Toscani - unsalted bread topped with a purée of chicken liver, capers, and onion. My host mom makes these when we have guests over, but I'll admit, I am not the biggest fan.
Ribollita - literally "reboiled", bean and bread soup
Bistecca alla fiorentina - Florentine steak, comes in two sizes, large and huge (500 g and 1kg, no joke). We wanted to know if we could get 250 g, not an option. However, we still wanted to try it, so we ordered the 500 g for all three if us, plus side dishes. (Unlike in North America, it is unusual for secondi piatti, main dishes, to come with vegetables, salad, potatoes, etc. If you order steak, veal, chicken, etc, that is all you get.)
Cantucci, or cantuccini - known as "biscotti" to North Americans, these dry, twice baked cookies are usually flavoured with almonds (mandorle), and served with vin santo. After trying one dipped in the strong, sweet wine, my mom said something along the lines of "I've been eating biscotti wrong my whole life".