In the fall of 2002 we travelled through Tuscany and spent several days in Siena. Siena at one time competed with Florence as a City state. The Piazza del Campo there is truly beautiful and is regarded as one of the most pituresque in all the world. It is shaped like a sea shell with 17 lines that branch out into 17 sianese neighborhoods. It is also home of a famous horse race (PALIO) that takes place in the main Piazza twice a year. Each of the 17 neighbourhoods compete in the race. We were not in Siena for one of these races but I understand it is a phenomenal event and that reservations are hard to get because of the events popularity.
Siena is a nice sized hilltown with lot's to explore and a perfect location to explore the Tuscan hillside from - Not as big as Florence yet not as small as places like San Gimagnano or Cortona. The interesting thing about Siena it seems the locals go about there business without too much focus on the tourists. We liked Siena a lot.
|
|
| Favourite spots: |
Piazza del Campo: It was started in the 13th century and is regarded by some to be the most beautiful Piazza in all of Italy - it surely did not dissapoint us. In fact we preferred it to Piazza St. Marco in Venice and any of the piazza's in Florence.
Pallazo Publico - The bell towere here is reported to be the second tallest medieval tower in all of italy.
Duomo - smaller than the much larger Duomo in Florence this one can e be appreciated in a much more relaxing setting. It is made of the same material as the Duomo in Florence as well.
|
|
| What's really great: |
I loved the architecture. It was very busy during the day but in the evening most of the tourists left and the locals reclaimed the beautiful Piazza for themselves. It is also a wonderful base to explore some great wine country as Montelino and Montepulciano (Brunello and Vino di Nobile) are in the area.
|
|
| Sights: |
The Campo
The Duomo
The Campanile
The Museums
|
|
| Accommodations: |
|
Hotel Villa Picolla Siena
|
|
| Hangouts: |
|
Any of the terraced cafes surrounding the Campo
|
|
| Restaurants: |
La Buca di Porsenna
Via delle Donzelle,1
Siena 53100
|
|
| Other recommendations: |
|
Walking the side streets on a Friday or Saturday night with the locals
|
|
Published on Sunday October 12th, 2003
|
|
Publish on Facebook
|
6 votes
