Siena

Siena is a small, medieval, Tuscan countryside town.  It's the only small town we went to on our trip, so I can't compare it to anything.  We had a good time there, arrived in the evening, spent a full day, then left early the next morning.  You don't need a lot of time there, but I'm glad we had a full day.



All the streets in Siena look like this

Things to Do:

Il Campo:  The main draw of Siena.  It's a beautiful piazza in the middle of town.  Every year in the summer a horse race takes here called Il Palio.  Hubs climbed the bell tower and took some great photos.  I felt like I had conquered my claustrophobia and height issues at the Duomo in Florence and I didn't want to push it, so I stayed on the ground.

View of Il Campo from the belltower

Santa Maria Della Scala:  So back in the day Siena tried to compete with Florence and built their own cathedral with its own Duomo.  From the outside, the camparison is a little pathetic.  However, I think Siena's cathedral kicks Florence's ass.  Beautiful etchings cover the floor.  Palio photos and memorabilia cover one of the walls.  In fact, the horses even go inside the church to be blessed before the race.  It's that hardcore.



Ceiling in the Choir Room



Places to Eat:

Trattoria Papei:  This place was really great.  I had my favorite pasta of the trip, papparadelle cinghiale (boar sauce).  Hubs had a roasted hen dish with a lentil sauce.  The place was packed.  Highly recommended. We even tried to eat there a second time and we were only in town for a day and a half!  Unfortunatly, the restaurant was closed when we tried to go back.  I didn't write down the price, but affordable.

Where We Stayed:  Cannon D'Oro.  This hotel was fine.  We actually had a room with a nice view which I looked out at when I did my makeup in the morning.  There was a continental breakfast, but it wasn't nearly as good as the one in our Florence hotel.  Location was good for the price.