Last night I went with our Italian language course to a small town about thirty minutes away from Siena called Monteriggioni. The town itself is a small fortress located on top of a hill, and it has the distinction of being one of the only Italian fortresses that has never been conquered, at least not by military force. (It was just betrayed into the hands of the Medici during the 16th century by a corrupt captian!) But these days there is no military force behind the fortress walls, just a beautiful, peaceful little town. It is a popular location for honeymoons and romantic evenings, and the setting is, indeed, perfect. We arrived around 5:30pm and wandered through the streets and around the walls, before going to a small restaurant in the village below the fortress for dinner. The food was . . . well, words just won't do it any justice! We had a four course meal with traditional Tuscan and Sienese dishes, and both the pasta and the meat were to die for. (I think I gained a few pounds at least because I ate so much!) After dinner we went back up to the fortress for an hour or so, because the Professor insisted that the students see Monteriggioni at night. It was definitely worth it. The steps leading up to the town from the parking area were lined with lavender so it smelled wonderful, the stars were out, and I haven't heard such quiet since I arrived in Italy! It was so beautiful, standing there in the shadow of the 13th century walls with the scent of lavender in the air and the stars twinkling overhead, that it almost made me cry. It was magical! My photos don't really do it justice (and my camera battery died before dark so I didn't get any evening shots) but at least they can give you an idea of what it was like. We are now in the home stretch of the program, and I am not able to think of a better way to spend one of our final evenings- it was perfect!

Me and the Porta Fiorentina, the north gate of the fortress. There are actually only two gates, one facing north and the other facing south, and the fortress is so small that if it were flat you could see one from the other. They gates are named after the enemies they face: Florence for the north, and Rome for the south.

A shot of the walls outside the north gate. For a small price you can go up and walk along parts of the walls, and the view is amazing!

Outside the south gate, Porta Roma.

The tiny cemetary, located outside the fortress walls.

These next few pictures are just shots of the town inside the fortress- so pretty!