Situated on three hills, Siena is one of the most beautiful cities in Tuscany, a flamboyant medieval ensemble of palaces and towers in the warm, brown “Siena” coloured brick.

Its pride however is its soaring skyline dominated by the blazing black and white banner of the Cathedral and the needle of the TORRE DEL MANGIA.  Yet the centre is only 4 streets away from the olive groves and orchards. This, of course, adds charm to the city. Siena has its unique charm and character; it saw many battles but lived through them all. We highly recommend that you squeeze in a day here as it should not be missed.

                                                          Siena and its most famous event: the “palio”.

The Palio di Siena is the main event which takes place in Siena’s Piazza del Campo twice a year – on the 2nd of July and on the 16th of August. The week leading up to this event is therefore a buzzing one, with all the preparations for it, and if you are lucky to be on holiday during this time we really recommend you seeing at least one of the trial races.
Like most cities, Siena is divided not according to parochial areas but by CONTRADE. Each child born in Siena is born into a certain contrada, to which they are affiliated for life. Often, the contrada goes from one parent (father) to the child, but often the child is given the contrada of the hospital where he was born.