Falling in love with Siena in half day

I can honestly say, the best thing that happened to me in 2020 was discovering Siena in half day. Medieval Italy’s gem in Tuscany, it was the perfect environment for me to fall in love with Siena in half a day. Siena has so many important places to visit that you will find even a few days not enough to explore the city fully. But in my case, a half-day trip from Florence was exactly what I needed and enough to put this city on the same level as Rome.

Arriving to Siena

To start with, the most usual and convenient way to reach Siena is by more than 1 h train drive from Florence. They are present every hour, as this is quite a popular route.

One difference from other Italian cities is that the train station of Siena is not in the city center. Though, it is still not too far, just a 15 mins walking distance to the walls of the city.

Just after passing through these walls, you will feel like you are in a different time. The narrow walking streets, high buildings, and everything in one style and color. Just like in the history movie. As we came at quite an early time ¬ 9:00 the streets were still empty. It’s like the city is our own.

It is not possible to explain in words the beauty of the city, just take a look at the pictures.

Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico

The first church we decided to visit was Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico. It is a bit off the main road, but definitely a must when you are in Siena. When we came to the area, the church bells started ringing… What a magnificent welcome.

The construction of the basilica started in the 13th century. The external design of the church looks quite simple, without the usual Italian decor. Inside it, you will find an enormous space with lots of different altars.

The basilica itself, but also the surrounding area is magnificent. A valley separates this area from the old town center, so you can see all horizons of the medieval Siena. It’s just amazing!

Santa Catarina of Siena

When in Siena, you will encounter of mention of Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine). Here I’ll give you some history. Catherine was born in Siena during the times of the “Black Death”. All her life she cared for the poor and sick, she was named a doctor of the church. She was also an active reformer of the church, played a major part in bringing back the Pope from France back to Italy. Here is the quote from one of her letters:

“Respond to the Holy Spirit who is calling you! I tell you: Come! Come! Come! Don’t wait for time because time isn’t waiting for you.”

Cathrine died in Rome. The people of Siena wished to have her body. A story is told of a miracle whereby they were partially successful: knowing that they could not smuggle her whole body out of Rome, they decided to take only her head which they placed in a bag. When stopped by the Roman guards, they prayed to Catherine to help them, confident that she would rather have her body (or at least part thereof) in Siena. When they opened the bag to show the guards, it appeared no longer to hold her head but to be full of rose petals (more here). Catherine was canonized in the 15th century and in 1999 was declared as a patron saint of Europe.

Piazza del Campo in Siena

Do you think it will not be enough to get to know Siena in half a day? Believe me. Piazza del Campo is the main square of Siena, you can’t miss it. The place where all city’s festivities are happening – in this shell formed square.

Personally, I didn’t spend a lot of time here, but there are some nice things to see:

Palazzo Pubblico. It is the civic headquarters which serves as the City Hall for over 800 years already. It is one of the most renowned structures in Siena, that also houses the Civic Museum with its many famous masterpieces of Sienese art.

Torre del Mangia. The most well-known tower of the city, located as part of the Palazzo Pubblico. 102 meters tall from the base to the tip of the lightning rod. The construction was built in the mid 14th century. Some say there are over two hundred steps to reach the top, the others say there are more than 400 steps… I can’t confirm the truth because I chose a different tower for this trip – the Duomo tower.

Cappella di Piazza. The Piazza Chapel built in the late 14th century to honor the Virgin Mary and thank her for the escape from the effects of the “Black Plague”. Siena was one of the most cities affected by this illness.

Fonte Gaia. The famous fountain, is not so big, as I didn’t even see it when I was in the square… It is located opposite the Palazzo Pubblico and served as the joy of Siena. Interesting fact, that there is over 30 km of underground tunnels to bring the necessary water to the city center.

Would you believe that at this point the time was just noon, and we already have explored half of the city? Yes, it is possible to discover Siena in half a day.

Duomo di Siena

As Rick Steves once said: “If Il Campo is the heart of Siena, the Duomo is its soul.” The main Cathedral of the city – Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. This is not only the church, this is a full complex of history and art. In order to explore it properly, it might not be enough to visit Siena in a half day. During my visit I managed to visit most of the part of this complex, and here is my story.

The simple ticket costs 8 EUR and it includes visits to The Duomo, Piccolomini Library, Baptistry of San Giovanni, the Crypt, Museo dell Opera, and Panorama view from the roof.

The Cathedral. It was not the first point where we went during the visit, but I cannot imagine how to start with something else. The exterior of the church is amazing. I could honestly say, this was the prettiest cathedral exterior I’ve ever seen (even prettier than Florence cathedral). The white and dark-green striped facade is fully Gothic, full of mosaics and statues. You can admire and explore it for hours.

One great memory of this trip apart from bells ringing in the Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico was in the Cathedral. It is so that the church itself opens at 13:00, and we managed to stand the first in line to the door. This was luck because other people have “saved” their place, but took a rest by sitting on the stairs. And 15 mins before the opening we just stood by the door. Now, imagine the feeling when cathedral doors open, and for a few seconds, there are no other people in front of you… It’s just you and the massive church. Amazing!

The Cathedral’s interior is full of masterpieces, starting with its floor. There are covered areas where you cannot walk through, as the floor is simply a piece of art. There are sculptures and artworks made by famous Donatello, Michelangelo, Bernini, and more.

Piccolomini Library. The entrance to an additional area straight from the Cathedral is to the Piccolomini Library. There is an area painted from bottom to top by Pinturicchio. It’s just one area/room, but there is so much variety in there.

Museo dell’Opera. The museum collects art from the 14th century. You will find here paintings, sculptures, and relics by famous authors.

Crypt. In the complex, there is also a crypt, where you can experience how the Cathedral changed during centuries. The frescos painted on the walls date back to the 12th century. It is the most important archeology discovery of the cathedral.

Panorama. This is a must, even though it might be tricky to find the entrance to the stairs. But it’s worth every effort. The view from the top is absolutely stunning. Here you will see the best angle of the tower Mangia, the cathedral itself and all Siena will be in your sight.

Baptistry of San Giovanni. The important thing is not to miss this part of the complex as it is outside the Cathedral. Here you will find amazing frescoes and artwork.

After a few hours of exploring this Cathedral complex, I remember we went out of the Baptistry and didn’t know which direction to take. There were huge stairs down. And we said, if we’ll climb down and we understand that this is not the right direction, we’ll better walk around all city rather than climb back those stairs up. But the direction was right.

This is my story, how I fell in love with Siena in half a day. I need to confess, we did not eat at all… We were full of excitement and amazing views. But to continue, there is what to mention about food in Siena.

The paradise of truffles

When in Siena, you will see many shops that sell truffle products. Don’t pass them, there are quite valuable bargains. Yes, truffles grow in Tuscany, and you even may go for a “truffle hunting” adventure. But here I have in mind just truffle shopping, not hunting.

We visited “La Bottega de Tartuffo“, which was just around the corner from Il Campo. Amazing tastes and amazing gifts for the home. As you know, Italy is super famous for food, this is why for further reading/viewing I invite you to explore my other post – “The journey of tastes through Italy“. Bon appetit!

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