Siena

Siena - it is a bigger city, but there were not as many people here as there were in Florence. We preferred to arrive in the morning before 10 am. Parking was fine and we then easily got to the cathedral. The interior of the cathedral is worth seeing. The center of Siena has retained its Renaissance face and there are many buildings to admire. It was also possible to have lunch in the center. After lunch, there were more people in the center, so we packed up and continued wandering around other Tuscan gems.

While Florence is more about the treasures of art and particular landmarks, I admire Siena as the prototype of Italian medieval town, and I could imagine to live there for a certain time. What I like is that Siena is an urban landscape and cannot be reduced to Piazza del Campo and Piazza del Duomo. Do not take me wrong: the interiors of Palazzo Pubblico are wonderful, the views from Torre del Mangia breath-taking, the atmosphere of Piazza del Campo amazing, and the appearance of Duomo with the Piccolomini library is not of this world (PHOTO). But you can walk to S Domenigo, or to S Francesco, or even to any small side-street to really enjoy Siena....

I have been to Siena 4 or 5-times, but I have never stayed overnight, which I would like to do as soon as possible!

As a stopover on my way from San Gimignano to the Val d'Orcia I had an hour or so to kill in Siena. I had been before twice, but still looked forward again at the chance to have another peek at Siena.

The previous time I had visited my original plan had been to also tick off San Gimignano the same day. But when faced with the choice on skipping on the Duomo in order to catch my train to San Gimignano or staying in Siena for the rest of the day I fortunately went all in and stayed. It was well worth it and I would encourage you to do the same.

Siena to me is the quintessential Tuscan city world heritage site. Pisa may have the most iconic construction in the Leaning Tower and the Piazza del Duomo, Florence the greater collection of individual sites in the Duomo, the Uffici and the Ponte Vecchia, San Gimignano and Pienza the more picturesque location. But none offer anywhere near the same level of consistency or size that Siena offers all the while not being short on stellar sites itself: the Duomo of Siena, the Campanile, ... there is plenty here to take in. Interestingly, Siena feels a lot less touristy than any of the other Tuscan cities. I would guess it's a combination of the relatively large size and the lesser publicity it gets.

Getting There

Siena is connected by train to Florence and Pisa. On weekdays there are also …

Siena served as a scheduled rest stop during my tour of mainland Europe in the fall of 2003, and I thoroughly enjoyed my few days of relaxation and exploration in the town. Siena is probably most well-known for its annual Palio races, held twice a year at the Piazza del Campo in the center of town. On my first night in Siena I realized why the neighborhood where I was staying was festooned with green and orange flags and banners; the contrade (or district), called Selva, had won the Palio in July, and they were celebrating with a feast in the square below. Siena is composed of 17 contrade, and over the next couple of days I spent time wandering the narrow, winding streets of each neighborhood, looking for flags or seals marking their contrade. In the center of town was the amazing Piazza del Campo with its town hall and Torre del Mangia. The views of the fan-shaped piazza and the surrounding town and countryside from the tower were spectacular. Other explorations in town led me to city walls, cisterns, and churches; I particularly appreciated the rich interior and exterior of the Siena Cathedral, with its distinctive black and white striped bell tower. Siena is a beautiful town that I would love to return to some day.

Logistics: Siena can be reached by train, bus, or automobile from other major cities in Italy. The town itself is worth exploring extensively on foot.

Siena's black and white striped cathedral imparts a joyous, partyish feeling inside and out. Inside the cathedral, the Bernini statues of the Magdalen and St. Jerome who are lost in mystic ecstasy are incredibly beautiful. The interior of the cathedral is much more spectacular than Florence's.

We loved the pan fuerte, Siena's special fruitcake, too.

I visited this WHS in May 2003. The heart of the medieval city of Siena is Piazza del Campo where the local Palio takes place.

With over 50,000 inhabitants, Siena is quite a bit larger than the other medieval towns in Tuscany. Although it also has been preserved well, I found it a lot harder to like (even tacky in some parts). I had to walk for about 20 minutes from one of the parking lots that surround the city center and are aimed at handling loads of tourists (and their buses) in the summertime. Parking at the Stadium is much closer, though not free.

My first glimpse of something grand was at the Baptistry, an enormous white-and-black marble building. It is adjacent to the splendid Duomo. This cathedral has an overly decorated gothic facade, and a striped bell tower almost like a minaret. Its dome is under construction at the moment and covered up. The colours black and white are used all over the design of the Duomo, as they are the colours of Siena's coat of arms.

The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo undoubtedly is the highlight of Siena. The square houses several monumental buildings, like the Palazzo Pubblico. It is also the place where the Palio horse race is run twice a year. I've watched that spectacle on TV once, and it is hard to imagine the crowds and the nervous horses at this so gentle public square. A sight not to be missed there is the 15th century Fonte Gaia, a fountain that is adorned on three sides with bas-reliefs.

It has been awhile since I visited charming Siena but there wasn't much posted on it so decided to give some input using my scrapbook to jog my memory. The town, is marvelous and the Duomo is fantastic with it's stunning mosaic floors. It's always so incredible to view Europe's amazing architecture. The highlight of our visit to Siena was having lunch at Antica Osteria "Da Divo". It is on Via Fanciosa close to the Piazza del Campo. The atmosphere with Etruscan vaults and nooks and crannies is terrific, and the food was the best we experienced on the entire trip to Italy, and that is saying something!! We ate our way through every city. The marketplace was fun and we enjoyed exploring the typical narrow cobblestone streets twisting here and there filled with delightful little shops and businesses. I can see why it is described as the heart of Tuscany.

Siena, the perennial rival of Florence, may not equal its neighbour to the north in sheer artistic achievement, but its charm and exuberance is all its own. The center of town is dominated by the Piazza del Campo around which every summer the Palio, a no-holds-barred horse race, is run to the delight of locals and tourists alike. Siena is also home to an unusual cathedral, which still sports the initial foundations of a massive planned expansion of the building that was cut short by the arrival of the plague. And of course, all of this is best seen while munching on one of the local ricciarelli, almond-based cookies.

I seem to be one of the few people who like Siena less than Florence, but since I like Florence a lot, that doesn't mean that Siena is not a very nice city and a great place to visit. The unique cathedral and the stunning Piazza del Campo make Siena special and I would gladly return there to see more of it.