The central piazza of Siena, Il Campo, has the Fonte Gaia  fountain as its focal point and is surrounded by palazzi. During the famous Palio, horses race around Il Campo.

The gothic San Domenico church stands atop one of Siena's 7 hills.

A view from the Duomo rooftop shows the characteristic rose-colored brick, Gothic loggia, and aerial bridges.   

The streets of Siena are a maze of steep medieval alleys. Ironically, many of the original buildings from the 13th century remain standing because development halted when about half of its population was killed in the Black Death epidemic, and more perished in a siege by the Florentines.

In every Italian town we visited, there were book displays, museum displays and attractions devoted to The Da Vinci Code.

Jordan and Erich enjoy shopping at a delicatessen specializing in boar meat.