Best Reasons to Visit Siena, Italy

Interested in visiting Siena? It’s just one of many beautiful destinations featured on Culture Trip’s 10-day small-group Northern Italy tour, led by our local insider.

Siena has a long history, dating to the Etruscan era, but the main development happened during the Middle Ages. If you’d like to capture all that storied past in one go, head for the hills that surround the city. From here, you can admire the unique urban skyline, with its collection of monuments, palaces and churches. If nothing else, it’s one of the prettiest cities in Italy.

Piazza del Campo is the heart of Siena – a huge shell-shaped space considered one of the great Medieval squares in Europe. The best way to enjoy it? While sipping a coffee in one of the several bars here.

Italy is home to many spectacular churches, but the Duomo di Siena is one of the most beautiful. Though the gothic exterior is magnificent, be sure to go inside where you can admire the mosaic-decorated floor.

It may not be as famous as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the Torre del Mangia, inside the Public Palace in Piazza del Campo, is the most recognisable landmark in town. To reach the top, you have to climb 400 steps, but the views of the town and countryside are spectacular.

Venice has the Carnival, and Siena has the Palio, a horse race between the city’s contrade (districts) that occurs two times a year (2 July and 16 August). It’s run in the beautiful Piazza del Campo, which is transformed for the occasion into a sand track.

Once you taste the traditional dishes of Siena, you will fall in love with them. Try pici, pasta similar to spaghetti but fatter and served with pepper and cheese or a tomato sauce. Siena is also famous for desserts; seek out ricciarelli, a traditional biscuit made with almonds.

Wednesday is market day in Siena. The biggest market in Tuscany is held at La Lizza, an area near the old fortress, from 8.30am to 1.30pm. Vendors sell food, clothes and souvenirs. Come early in the morning; the market gets crowded as the day goes on.

It’s no secret Tuscany is home to the best wine in Italy. Siena is no exception. The city sits between the Chianti region and Montalcino, so it’s heaven for wine enthusiasts. Wherever you go in the province, there are different wines to try – just ask for a suggestion at one of the local bars or restaurants.

When you picture Tuscany, you may imagine rolling green hills with a lone cypress on the horizon. This kind of breathtaking landscape is common in Val d’Orcia, perhaps the most picturesque area in the region. Just south of Siena, it is filled with Medieval castles, hilltop towns, charming rural farmhouses, rows of vineyards and cypress trees.

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