A weekend in Siena, Tuscany
Our early afternoon arrival at Pisa allowed time for a quick detour to visit the famous tower (and to attempt and fail badly at the classic leaning stance photo!). Beautiful blue skies and early spring sunshine provided a good excuse to linger with a gelato, enjoying the Pisa posing from a nearby sunny spot.
Continuing to Siena, we couldn’t have been more delighted when we saw where we were staying – a beautifully restored 16th century apartment, with views over terracotta rooftops to the distant Tuscan hills. Think gnarly high beams, exposed brickwork and quirky antique décor and you get the picture. We all loved it. Siena has many such characterful buildings so it’s easy to “live like a local” for a few days and I recommend doing just that.
Siena itself is truly lovely too. A walled city set over three hills dramatically topped with towers and churches, filled with ancient architectural gems, and vibrant streets housing quirky boutiques, cafes, delis and pasticceria (pastry shops). The gothic architecture, high pink stone walls and heavy wooden doorways lining the streets and alleys are perfectly balanced with wide piazzas, striking monuments and pretty fountains.
Beautiful Piazza del Campo marks the heart of town (getting lost in the winding alleys seemed to prove to us that all roads lead to Campo!) and our first afternoon was happily spent lingering over a long lunch here, watching the world go by with the sun on our backs and the magnificent Torre del Mangia straight ahead. The guidebooks warn that food here doesn’t match the views, but our antipasti platter was spot on if a little more expensive than the norm. Our gelato with a view may have been the most expensive I’ll ever have… but all worth it. Piazza del Campo is people watching heaven and I would have been content to sit there all afternoon.
Siena is a small city and many of the streets of the historic centre are almost entirely pedestrianised so it’s easy to explore on foot. Our wandering included a visit to impressive Siena Cathedral, an ornate Gothic beauty decorated with alternating white and black marble stripes, the symbolic colours of Siena. The first glimpse of this striking design as we rounded a corner was quite special. The Duomo can be climbed from 1 March (perfect timing) for stunning rooftop views, and a wander through the interior was rewarded with ornate columns and busts plus a stunning mosaic pavement followed by incredible frescoes within the Piccolomini Library. I would have very much liked to have laid down for a little while to absorb the ceiling's masterpieces but I fear it would have been frowned upon... More wandering led us to a few unexpected but perfect vantage points for stunning views across the city, and a little hidden gem of a restaurant where we enjoyed the perfect pizza and a delicious local red. Our time wandering was well spent but actually I don't think you could go far wrong here.
All in all we had a very lovely few days and I would thoroughly recommend Siena for a short break or a few days’ stop on a longer Tuscan holiday.
