Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy
Written by:Peter Carvell
Date posted:April 2, 2007
Posted in:Home / Locations / Italy / Siena / Ten reasons to go to Siena

Ten reasons to go to Siena

History
Dripping with history, you could be mistaken for thinking you have taken a trip back in time to a medieval city when visiting Siena! Legend has it that Senius, son of Remus, who was in turn the brother of Romulus, founded Siena. With the first settlements in 900 to 400 BC and the cathedral being built in the 1100s you cannot fail to be impressed by the history of this fascinating city.

Piazza del Campo
Shaped like a medieval Roman amphitheatre, the Piazza del Campo is regarded as one of the most beautiful public spaces in Europe. Unmissable in the centre of the city you have to make your way down one of the many steps and alleyways that lead to it. At night you can buy ice cream at one of the ‘Gelaterias’ before entering the square. Alternatively, for a little more money there are many competing restaurants with front row seats surrounding the square.

Tuscany
Soft rolling hills, cypress trees and beautiful Tuscan sunsets can all be found surrounding Siena. Established as a centre for banking for the Tuscan region the importance of this city for Tuscany is clear. When you have finished gawping at the unique city centre, the Province of Siena is also a delight to explore. The south of the city, on the way to Rome has been described as typical Tuscany, but you also won’t be disappointed on a train trip north to Florence. That leads nicely onto my next point…

Florence, Rome and Pisa!
If you want a relaxing base to explore the best that Italy has to offer then where better to stay than a city that lies south of Florence, east of Pisa and north of Rome? Trains are always on time and are a great way to travel the country cheaply and quickly.

Travel
Siena, hidden away in the Tuscan hills and not situated near major roads, is surprisingly easy to get to. The nearest international airport is Florence, but you can also fly to Pisa, Rome or Venice Marco Polo and easily take a train from any major Italian city, often changing on route in Empoli. There is no traffic permitted in the city centre and it is a delight to explore by foot.

Italian Food and Drink!
Not so much an advert for Siena but Italy as a whole. Italian food and drink, especially that in Tuscany is like no other. With plenty of sunshine all year round and close to the Chianti region, grapes, olives and fresh figs can all be found growing in abundance, excellent together with the rich Italian meats, pastas, breads and of course pizza of the region! Many people will find it hard not to find some food and drink that they love. In Siena it is possible to dine in a variety of locations from restaurants with great views over-looking the city to those going underground, lying beneath the city, offering a very different alternative.

Art
To quote my high school art teacher, when painting, “Throw some more burnt sienna into that to make it look more earthy and realistic”. The colour of course comes from clay from the region. Much of today’s sienna (note the double ‘n’ often used as an alternative spelling to Siena) production is now carried out in the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily, but the name still stands. All the old stone buildings in Siena contain the peaceful sienna and ochre earthy tones that characterise this region. Siena doesn’t quite compare to Florence when it comes to great museums housing art but to see a place with such contained, unspoilt Gothic and Romanesque architecture, standing in the middle of the Piazza as the sun sets can be compared to stepping into a great work of art itself. In fact, to quote UNESCO “the whole city of Siena, built around the Piazza del Campo, was devised as a work of art that blends into the surrounding landscape.”

UNESCO
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO the historic centre of the city is protected and conserved as a “site of outstanding cultural importance to the common heritage of humankind.”

Il Palio
If you want to see a spectacular, pandemonic event like no other then why not visit Siena on 2nd July or 16th August? A frantic horse race around the tight corners of the Piazza del Campo with you in the centre of a heaving mass of excited Italians is a great contrast to the pompous, binocular-viewed horse races to be found in England, the United States and other sedate grass covered horse tracks.

Learn Italian
It would be silly to post an article on a language learning website and not mention that you can learn Italian in Siena!

Pete

Comments

  1. Katherine

    Oh this reminds me so much. I once spend one day in Siena. We had a school trip where we stayed near Florence for five days. The day in Siena was probably the most relaxing. Just sittig in the town centre, eating ice-cream, writing postcards, talking and looking at all the people bussing about. Just the thing to do after our very important exams.

    Posted September 18, 2007 at 8:34 am
  2. Pete

    Thanks for your comment. It certainly is a nice relaxing place to be and there’s nothing like buying an ice cream and eating it in the Piazza on a warm summer’s night! Hopefully more people can appreciate it just as much.

    Posted September 18, 2007 at 8:40 am
  3. Leonard

    Spot on. Spent 4 days in Siena, just walking, taking in the sights and enjoying the cuisine. Unforgettable for its beauty and history

    Posted November 3, 2007 at 5:01 am
  4. Zoey

    You are so right! Siena is an amazing place, so many gorgeous little cobbled alleys winding their way from the cathedral to the Piazza – incredible. I can’t wait to return!

    Posted November 21, 2007 at 3:24 pm

Leave a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*

Blog Categories

IALC Partner
ALTO
WYSE Travel Confederation
WYSE Work & volunteer abroad
Our schools are rated  (4.59/ 5) based on 3984 customer reviews!
Read in: | EN | FR | DE | IT | NL | ES

Apple Language Courses

Unit 12, The Office Village
North Road

Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 1QJ
England


T: 01509 211 612
E: info@applelanguages.com

Contact Numbers.

United Kingdom United Kingdom01509 211 612
Ireland Ireland01 6950417
Italy Italy800 699 791
Netherlands Netherlands020 7036459
Spain Spain91 1140113
United States United States646 652 0770
International International+44 1509 211 612

Sign up for our newsletter

We accept

Visa Mastercard Maestro American Express iDeal

Apple Language Courses Company Number: 08311373
VAT Number: 152 4085 30
© Apple Language Courses Ltd 2024