Location: Siena
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What to do and see in Siena, Tuscany: The Best Things to do Good for Couples
This Tuscan hill town will transport you back to the Middle Ages. Siena's grand cathedral, built in the 1200s, has treasured artworks and marvelous marble floors. The Piazza del Campo, the main town square, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also home to the Palio, perhaps the most infamous horserace in the world. No goofy hats and mint juleps here—this is a medieval tradition involving bareback riders racing on cobblestones (so as you might imagine, it's quite dangerous). Siena is an easy daytrip by train from Florence, just 43 miles away.
Restaurants in Siena
1. Piazza del Campo
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14,045 reviews
Siena's main square is the site of the famous Palio horse races that take place in July and August.
Reviewed By Y7972VAmichaelh
The vast bustling Piazza del Campo in Siena is famous for the Palio horse races which attract thousands of visitors each year and must be a truly awesome spectacle. This is a most interesting city to explore for the spiders-web of streets that circumnavigate the Piazza lead to quite unexpected places, shops, churches and beautiful vistas. A photographers dream where sunlight and shadow enhances the beauty of the architecture at all times throughout the day. Siena is a must, and don’t cut your visit short for there’s much to see and do.
2. Duomo di Siena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 11,597 reviews
The magnificent complex of the Cathedral of Siena, its Duomo, houses a series of some of the most important monuments of the European artistic panorama. With its more than one million visitors every year, the Cathedral without a doubt represents the fulcrum of the entire complex, while other significant elements include the Crypt, the Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera, all part of the impressive mass formed by the "Duomo Vecchio" (Old Cathedral), and the "Duomo Nuovo" (New Cathedral). Visitors will travel along a memorable itinerary to the discovery of self and the truth of faith through culture and art, the result of more than a millennium of Western history.
Reviewed By Iowares - Des Moines, United States
We walked over to the ticket office to get the tickets for the Duomo, museum, Baptistry and Crypt, and we were blown away with our tour guides! We have seen all the major churches and Cathedrals in Italy, and many of the lesser-knowns, too, and nothing comes anywhere close to this one! Each has it's own unique style, but this one was the most memorable for me! The interior tour was brilliantly executed and our tour guides made us feel like private guests getting a unique inside tour! I could go back every day and see something new! They cover different parts of the floor at different times, so one would need to go at different times to see it all.
3. Walk About Italy
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 306 reviews
My name is Gianni. I am a PhD geologist, certified nature guide and tour operator. Let me show you around the undiscovered Tuscany and set up your trip. I organize active tours. You will be able to enjoy beautiful walks in the countryside and through small villages, interact with the locals and sample great food and wines in Tuscany and Italy. I am a 46 year old resident, so passionate about my country. Only private tours or small group joinable tours. No bus crazy crowds! Let me put together a great active and cultural vacation for you and your friends. Please read my reviews.
4. Wine Tour in Tuscany
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,439 reviews
Wine Tour in Tuscany is owned and operated by Donatella, a young woman who was born and raised in the area. Sharing her authentic perspectives on the unknown corners of wonderful Tuscany, including those of a formally trained sommelier offers her clients a unique experience. The Tuscan landscape, its wine and food make the area one of the most famous in the world. Donatella is a polite, friendly, enthusiastic guide who speaks French and English with ease. She is fully licensed, insured and in compliance with all Italian regulations.
5. Scuola di Cucina di Lella
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 182 reviews
6. Biblioteca Piccolomini
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,063 reviews
Reviewed By westy54 - Sydney, Australia
This large single, rather narrow, room with a very high ceiling, used to be part of the priest's house attached to the side of the Duomo. Entry is gained via a side doorway from within the Cathedral. All of the combined tickets into the Duomo include entry into this Library. The Library was built in 1492 by authority of the then Bishop of Siena, Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini (who was to be the future Pope Pius III), to house the books and manuscripts of his uncle, Pope Pius II, and to honour his lifetime achievements. The single room has display cases that house beautifully hand painted and hand written hymn books around the lower part of the walls of the room. Above the display cases the walls are totally covered with richly coloured frescoes of 10 scenes representing various important events in the life of Pope Pius II. The vaulted ceiling is similarly covered in a series of brightly coloured smaller paintings that are geometrically spaced. The frescoes are the work of Pinturicchio, who was born in Perugia, and his workshop and were completed in the first decade of the 16th century. It is believed that a young Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino worked in this workshop for a period at this time. The only statue in the room is a copy of the statue of the The Three Graces, which is based on an original Greek statue. Don't miss seeing this room if visiting the Duomo.
7. Centro Storico di Siena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,424 reviews
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
A fantastic city that left us speechless. The historic center of the splendid Tuscan city is a treasure trove. Thanks to its urban and architectural characteristics, the historic center of Siena is a testimony of man's creative genius, and concretely expresses the artistic and aesthetic human capacity. Furthermore, the original example of figurative civilization, in architecture, painting, sculpture and urban planning, has determined an important cultural influence not only in the territory of the Republic of Siena, but also in Italy and Europe, in particular between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries . This is why Siena is one of the most excellent examples of an Italian medieval and Renaissance city. And above all, this is why she entered, with good reason, to be part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is, in fact, the era when numerous artists had the opportunity to express their art here and the city was adorned with wonderful monuments, such as the Duomo, the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. Piazza del Campo is the same where the famous Palio takes place. Full of restaurants and bars, it is famous for its characteristic trapezoidal shape, downhill towards the center, where the Gaia spring is found, a copy of the fifteenth-century work by Jacopo della Quercia. All around the square stand out the monumental buildings including Palazzo Sansedoni and Palazzo Pubblico. The height of the Torre del Mangia, which dates back to the forties of the fourteenth century of 102 meters, is equal to that of the bell tower of the Cathedral to symbolize the balance achieved between divine and earthly power. At the foot of the tower stands the Piazza Chapel, a marble tabernacle with splendid sculptures inserted in the Gothic niches. Even in addition to Piazza del Campo, however, it is a riot of art and architecture with the succession of churches, including San Domenico, San Francesco and Santa Maria dei Servi, and, of course, the spectacular Duomo, one of the greatest examples of Roman style Italian Gothic. Built around the 12th century, it has a Latin cross structure, a dome, a bell tower and its facade is all in white marble with red Siena and green alternations. Its interior houses precious works by Bernini, Donatello, Michelangelo and Pinturicchio.
8. Azienda Agricola La Lastra
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 83 reviews
Educational Wine Tour and Tasting in Siena In the hills of the gorgeous Tuscan countryside, just 2kms away from the medieval centre of Siena, our Visit with Wine Tasting “Vine, Wine and Life” is an experience to grasp the emotion, the culture, the history, the technology and the respect for environment that lie under the cork of each bottle of our organic wine. For all the wine enthusiasts, our visit “Vine, Wine and Life” is a journey in space and time that starts with the winter pruning of vines and ends up with the rite of wine tasting. During the visit to our ORGANIC vineyards we will go through all the main steps of the agronomic, phenolic and organic cycle in order to understand the complexity of the “vineyard” ecosystem and of an agriculture with low environmental impact. We will then move to our historical cellar where we will discover the chemical-physical and microbiological processes that make a quality production. We will continue our journey moving to the sensorial tasting room to grasp the organoleptic complexity of our wines and have a better understanding of them. The visit will end up with a light-lunch to experience the emotions that the right combination food/wine can offer to our palate and to our spirit!
9. Torre del Mangia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,951 reviews
The tower, more than 290 feet high, was constructed in 1325 by Minuccio and Francesco di Rinaldo, and has the Chapel of the Piazza at its base..
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
Torre del Mangia can be seen from almost all parts of the city. The civic symbol of Siena, it stands out in the Piazza del Campo next to the Palazzo Pubblico. Arriving at the main square, Piazza del Campo, we can immediately admire the beautiful tower and the palace next to it. The atmosphere in this beautiful square is beautiful. The reason for this is all the beauty of Torre del Mangia with all its buildings, palaces, fountains, restaurants and bars. At one point, I feel like the time has stopped and I am back in the Middle Ages. The construction of the tower was begun by the brothers Francesco and Muccio di Rinaldo in 1325 and completed around 1348. The tower was built to be exactly the same height as the Siena Cathedral as a sign that the church and the state had equal amounts of power. The tower is in red brick until the crown, while the upper part in travertine is the work of the Sienese sculptor Agostino di Giovanni, following the design by Lippo Memmi. In 1666, after several attempts of fusion, a large bell was put in, and the Sienese called it the “Campanone”, also called “Sunto” because it was dedicated to the Madonna dell'Assunta. The bell plays a notable role in the celebrations of the Palio. It owes its curious name of Torre del Mangia to the fact that the Municipality entrusted, from 1347 to 1360, to bellringer to be Giovanni di Balduccio to ring from the tower, nicknamed “Mangiaguadagni” (eat-the-profits), for his spendthrift tendency, idleness or gluttony. It was later replaced by an automaton, which, in memory of his first bellringer, was called Mangia. The remains of this automaton are now kept inside the Cortile del Podestà. At the base of the tower is the Cappella di Piazza (Square Chapel), built in 1352 as a thanks for the end of the terrible plague of 1348.
10. Basilica di San Clemente in Santa Maria dei Servi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 176 reviews
The Renaissance interior of this Basilica is beautiful, but some of its chilling displays of dead religious notables may give you nightmares, including a shrouded skeleton with a wax head and a mummified body.
Reviewed By tinaNtravel - San Jose, United States
I was surprised that for quite some time I was the only person in this huge Basilica. The church has huge vaulted ceilings large columns and paintings. The inside dome is pretty as is the altar. The interesting part of this Basilica are the remains of two saints: Francesco Patrizi and Gioacchino Piccolomini. Even without these relics the Basilica is worth a visit. Outside the entrance to the Basilica is a park area with benches where you can have a peaceful picnic lunch and let kids run around.
