Your journey to Siena starts here. Get ready for the Palio, explore the iconic shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, and taste authentic Tuscan cuisine. Essential tips on hotels, sights, and day trips included.
Siena Travel Guide: Uncover Tuscany’s Timeless Medieval City
Siena (Italian: Siena) is a city in northern Italy in the Tuscany region. It is one of the country’s most popular tourist centers, with an immensely rich cultural and historical heritage. Many consider Siena to be one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Italy, having preserved not only its original historic core but also its atmosphere. This ancient city, founded according to legend by Remus, competed fiercely with Florence in the Middle Ages. Siena is situated on three hills with its heart at the Piazza del Campo, where the Roman Forum was once located. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Geography and Climate
Siena is located practically in the center of Tuscany, 70 km south of Florence. The city lies between the valleys of the Arbia and Merse rivers and the Chianti hills. The climate is Mediterranean. Summers are quite hot, and winters are mild with rare sub-zero temperatures.
Practical Information
- Population – 53.9 thousand people.
- Area – 118 square kilometers.
- Language — Italian.
- Currency — Euro.
- Visa — Schengen.
- Time — Central European UTC +1, summer +2.
- Siena is a university city. Students make up almost half of the population.
- Best time to visit: April-September.
History
The first settlement on the site of Siena existed in the 4th-5th century BC and belonged to the Etruscans. The first written mentions of the city date back to the beginning of our era, when the Roman city of Saena Julia was founded under Emperor Augustus. According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, the sons of Remus. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city was ruled first by the Lombards, then by the Franks.
In the 10th century, thanks to its advantageous position at the crossroads of trade routes, Siena became an important medieval city. In the 12th century, it became independent, and in the 13th century, the Sienese Republic was formed. This state occupied the southern part of Tuscany and was one of the most successful in Italy. The Sienese Republic was for a long time the main competitor and adversary of Florence. This state lasted until 1555.
In 1240, a university was founded in Siena. The 14th century saw a gradual decline of the Sienese Republic, which continued into the 15th century. In 1555, the city was besieged by Spanish troops and, after a year and a half of heroic resistance, was captured. The Sienese Republic fell and ceased to exist. A few years later, Siena was incorporated into the Duchy of Tuscany and came under the rule of Florence. From this time on, the city turned into an ordinary provincial town. But it is precisely because of this that Siena has preserved an almost original medieval historic center.
How to Get There
The nearest airports are located in Florence, Pisa, and Bologna. Sena line buses connect Siena with Bologna airport twice a day. There is also a bus connection with Pisa airport. Trains and buses run from Florence and Empoli to Siena almost every hour. The SITA line bus departs from the capital of Tuscany from the bus station located across the road west of the Santa Maria Novella railway station. There are also regular buses from Rome.
Shopping and Retail
Popular purchases in Siena include leather goods, gold, ties, tapestries and embroidery, and fabrics. A huge market is held every Wednesday in the Fortezza Mediceana area from approximately 7:00 to 14:00. The center has many shops, including well-known international and European brands.
Cuisine
Tuscany is a famous gastronomic region with a distinctive cuisine. In Siena, of course, you can find excellent restaurants and inexpensive trattorias and pizzerias with Tuscan and Italian cuisine. Traditional dishes: acquacotta (soup with onions, vegetables, eggs with the addition of olive oil and toasted bread), arista alla fiorentina (Florentine-style pork with garlic and rosemary), bistecca alla fiorentina (grilled steak), bruschetta (toasts with tomato and basil), castagnaccio (chestnut flour cake with rosemary, olive oil, pine nuts), panzanella (salad with rustic bread, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions), Fagioli all’uccelletto (beans with tomatoes and sage), ribollita (soup with white beans, black cabbage and greens), trippa alla fiorentina (tomato sauce with grated Parmesan), zuppa di farro (delicious soup with beans, chickpeas and tomatoes). Food is usually accompanied by a glass of Chianti wine.
Landmarks
Piazza del Campo — a wide and spacious square, the heart of the old city. It is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, surrounded by the facades of historic palaces, dominated by the Palazzo Pubblico. The square features the Fonte Gaia fountain, restored in the 19th century. Piazza del Campo was founded in 1300 and has been the center of city life for many centuries.
Palazzo Pubblico — a Gothic town hall, built at the end of the 13th – beginning of the 14th century from travertine and brick. In the center of the first floor is the coat of arms of the Medici family, who ruled Siena in the 16th century as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The interior of the Palazzo Pubblico is wonderfully preserved. Here you can see ancient frescoes and visit the city history museum. The architectural dominant of the town hall is the tall Torre del Mangia tower. It is 102 meters high, and to reach its observation platform you need to climb 400 steps.
Santa Maria Assunta — the cathedral, built according to the design of Giovanni Pisano. It is considered one of the most beautiful examples of the Gothic style in Italy. The cathedral has a marble facade with bands of marble of different colors. It contains more masterpieces and artistic treasures than many prestigious museums: works by Pisano, masterpieces by Donatello, Bernini, and many others. One of the most unusual things in Siena is the cathedral’s unfinished facade, which in the 14th century was intended to expand the existing church and create a new Nave, 100 meters long, leaving the original Nave as the transept of this giant building.
The Baptistery is located next to the cathedral. Built in 1325, it is one of the most important religious sites in Siena. Inside are ancient frescoes.
The National Gallery — located within the walls of an elegant 15th-century Gothic palace. It contains paintings by Sienese artists from the 12th to 16th centuries.
San Domenico — a severe brick building in the Cistercian Gothic style, built in the 13th century. In 1340, the Venetian bell tower was erected, which stands out significantly in the church’s architecture.
San Francesco — a Gothic church, whose construction was started by the Franciscan order in 1326 and lasted until the 15th century. The bell tower was built in the 18th century. Adjacent to the church is the Oratorio di San Bernardino, built in the 15th century. The Franciscan monk Bernardino of Siena often preached here. The upper floor features amazing 16th-century frescoes.
Santa Maria della Scala — a church and an ancient hospital, built in the 13th century and radically rebuilt in the 15th century. It is considered one of the first hospitals in Europe and one of the oldest in the world that is still operating. The main apse features a large 18th-century fresco by Sebastiano Conca. On the altar, pay attention to the bronze Christ by Vecchietta. It is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, compared to the works of the brilliant Donatello.
The Monastery of St. Catherine was built on the site where the house of one of the most revered saints of the Roman Catholic Church stood. Catherine was born in Siena and was the daughter of a local dyer.
Santa Maria degli Servi — a Romanesque-Gothic church located in the southeastern part of the old city of Siena. It was built in the 13th century and then rebuilt in the 15th-16th centuries. The church’s interior is decorated with several interesting works of art. Nearby are the significant Porta Romana — ancient city gates.
Salimbeni — a Gothic palace on the square of the same name, formed by the facades of three historic buildings. The square itself was a palace garden until the 18th century. The Palazzo Salimbeni buildings house the headquarters of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank — one of the oldest in Italy, founded in 1472.
