October 6th, Bano Vignoni to Sienna, 59.4 K

Today started out as one of our best days. We had a very hearty breakfast prepared by our British patron. The best we have had so far. The road from S. Quirico to Asciano was the most scenic we have experienced, in which we road a pathlike paved crest of a mountain, from which flowed vineyards and vistas on either side. To top that, we have had the best gelato in Asciano, which seems to be a hub for cyclists with great eats. Talked with an Aussie couple there.
From here we roade to Sienna, with a few challenging ups and downs with signs of 20% grades. Regardless, none were as tough as we had thought. We must be in shape. Entering Sienna was tricky to say the least and finding our Servas host a little bit of an adventure (more on this later). Stopped in a tabbachi for better maps, and the patron was kind enough to show us where the host was located outside of town. Elaine had tried to talk with the host prior. As she had little Italian and he little English, she got out of him that he was in a neighborhood named Cappacini. We were able to find us and greeted us with a kiss on both cheeks. He showed us to our room, which was in the basement of his house, with a kitchenette and private entrance. In the Servas book, it said lodging only, and so we were not suprised that we were going to be on our own. However, we were a little disappointed in the cleanliness of the room, and we are still peeling off cobwebs from our clothes, several days later. When we could not communicate, he took us into his house, and we sat down at his computer, on which he had a translator. Thus, we were able to tell him how long we were staying, ask about hot water, etc. We washed our clothes in the sink, hung them to dry, admired the 5 kittens he had, made our dinner and planned our voyage into Sienna tomorrow.