Hidden Treasures

As much as I love living in Florence, I think I would have enjoyed living in Siena much more.  The town appeared to be much smaller, and it was much less touristy than Florence.  One of the things I have enjoyed the most about visiting smaller cities is that it is easy to wander around them and find “hidden treasures.”  For instance, in Pisa, the small group I traveled with managed to wander away from the tourist area and into the residential areas.  I liked getting to catch a glimpse of what living in Pisa would look like.  Likewise, in Siena, we gave ourselves some time to wander around the city without a specific destination.  Because of this, we stumbled across an adorable little decorative candle shop.  The Italian woman was dipping the candles into the hot wax, cutting, and shaping the candles right in front of us.  It was a wonderful experience to watch the precision and speed in her work.  Even though it is important to research and plan when one travels to another city to make sure you see all the significant sites in the city, I would suggest giving yourself time to simply walk around and enjoy a less traversed part of the city. Everyone who goes to Pisa sees the Tower, but watching children ride around on scooters and finding an old abandoned church can make the experience truly unique.