Siena

From Siena Over the centuries, everything has been said. From Dante to Berenson to Malaparte, passing through Piovene, Tozzi, Tommaso Landolfi, Ezra Pound, Vittorio Alfieri, and so on.

Siena, the snail-shaped city

The fact is that this incredible city it doesn't go either way, and whatever is said remains there imperturbable, in its perfect medieval balance, fair And closed like the snail that appears.

THE three hills on which it rests, they stand out in an idyllic countryside panorama, which in some places still seems to be the one portrayed in theAllegory of Good Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, preserved in the Palazzo Pubblico.

It's still her, yes, the medieval one, enclosed within its walls, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, and the first municipality in Europe to close its historic center to traffic, already in 1966. Even if, however, it is not just a simple, beautiful, postcard, an iconic building.

Anyone who thinks so has never been to Siena. On the contrary, Siena it's a living city, full of excitement and initiatives, a cultural center that hosts a750-year-old university, in addition to internationally prestigious institutions such as theChigiana Academy of Music, theUniversity for Foreigners, and the academies of the Physiocritics and the Intronati.

What to see in Siena

The Siena period how serious rival of Florence coincided with that of his maximum splendor where it took on its current form, so much so that over the course of a few decades the superb Town Halland with the highest Mangia Tower, it was paved Campo Square (which was no longer a camp) with travertine ribs outlining its characteristic shell shape, and the prestigious Cathedral for which there was also an expansion project that was finally abandoned due to the Black Death epidemic that devastated the city in 1348. 

The Palio of Siena

If Siena is what it is, for better or for worse, it also owes it to the jealous passing down of its own customs, the most prominent manifestation of which is the Palio of the Contrade, an equestrian joust, a fierce horse race, which takes place every July 2nd And August 16th, in which all the city's districts engage in a fierce battle for the final victory. For the Sienese it is not a joke, a fun, it is a damned serious thing which has always run in their blood and which they prepare throughout the year.

Traditional Sienese sweets

While for the more mild fans of Kitchen, well, don't miss the ricciarelli, the panforte, the pan pepato, the rice puddings, the cavallucci or the copate.