One Day in Sienna

Sienna

It was a hot summer. Surprisingly 40C , hot and steaming.  One of our plan was to visit Sienna during our 3 days visit in Florence with Alex before we continue to Switzerland. 

We took a bus ride from Stazione Firenze S.M.N to Sienna. The trip was pleasant, despite the heat. We arrive in Sienna about an hour later. Unfortunately, the bus stop a bit outside of the city, and we were suggested to take a local bus which will bring us to the center in about 15 minutes.  Instead of taking the bus which according to the Dutch very inefficient (in term of time; because it would take the same time compared to if we would go by foot) and unreliable (since you’ve never known whether the bus would really come or not due to strike that -we heard- happened often in Italy), so we decided to walk to the center and we got there after 30 minutes walk.

Sienna has a very beautiful shell shaped piazza, the bell tower and historical buildings turned into shops and restaurants around it made the piazza even more special. It’s like no other piazza in Italy, like many says, each town in Italy has its own specialties Sienna however is well-known with its piazza. This particular place is also where they always held a yearly medieval competition between villages in Sienna that includes horse racing, horse riders in medieval costumes, swords duel and fight. The competition could go rough and bloody at some points, it’s a popular event and a long awaited attraction for most Italians and tourists in Sienna that happen once a year in September.