Siena

Siena is one of the most attractive towns in Tuscany, one of Italy's most attractive regions. The well-conserved medieval streets and piazzas are home to the annual festival of the Palio, a horserace which takes place in Siena's main square, the Campo. The town can be reached as a daytrip from Florence or Rome, but it's also a good place to stay for several days, soak up the atmosphere, and visit the surrounding Tuscan countryside.

Historical Siena is arranged around three radiating ridges of high ground, with green valleys enclosed within the old city walls. The town is divided into terzi, or thirds, and within each of these there are a number of districts known as contrade. It's easy to walk around the historic centre of Siena on foot, exploring as you go, but if you're the organized type you may find it helpful to take the terzi one at a time.

The Terzo di Camollia, for example, contains the gigantic and shadowy Basilica di San Francesco dating from the late 13th century, the rival Dominican church, the Basilica of San Domenico, the Sanctuary of St. Catherine of Siena and the former Medici Fortress, which is now a pleasant and panoramic public park.

The first stop for tourists in Siena is Piazza del Campo. This is the secular heart of Sienas, a sloping amphitheatre of a square, lined with cafe tables and thronged with tourists, school parties and locals. The Campo is the dramatic setting for the Palio horserace. The piazza's focal point is the Palazzo Pubblico, the public palace, which dates back to 1250 and is still the seat of the Municipality. The Palazzo is also home to some fine frescoes, and makes a good beginning to your sightseeing tour. Inside the Palazzo are the Museo Civico and the tall belltower, the Torre del Mangia. The tower is an excellent way to view Siena, the views over the town and countryside are breathtaking and help the visitor understand the geography of the town.

Moving on to the museum, highlights include superb frescoes by Simone Martini, whose Maestà religious scene is one of the oldest examples of Sienese painting and glows with colour and life.

Even more fascinating is a fresco cycle by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (1319-1348), the Allegories of Good and Bad Government.
Heading uphill from the Campo, you arrive outside the monumental green and-white-striped Duomo, Siena's cathedral. Before the collapse of the city's fortunes, Siena had ambitious plans to enlarge the edifice into the largest in the world.

You can still see the facade and one side of the new cathedral, which would have incorporated the older building as a mere transept. Adjacent to the Duomo, the Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana contains much of the original artwork from the cathedral, Sienese paintings, and the opportunity to view Siena from a vantage point on the unfinished new cathedral facade.