Surrounded by rolling hills covered with olive groves and vineyards, immersed in a territory of great beauty and charm, Siena is one of the most beautiful centres of Tuscany, as well as one of the most visited Italian cities, and is universally known for its artistic heritage, for the beauty of its historic centre, a UNESCO heritage site, and for the famous Palio. Built on three hills, the city is covered by wide avenues and narrow alleys leading to Piazza del Campo, the symbol of the city and the seat of cultural landmarks such as the Duomo and the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. In addition to the daily life that animates the streets and squares of the city every day, Siena offers to its citizens and tourists many cultural events, concerts, cinemas, theatres and a wide range of sporting activities. And last but not least, it is also home to one of the oldest universities in Europe.

Piazza del Campo

Legend has it that Siena was founded by Senio and at the end of a long, mythological “Palio in the long run”. The colors of their horses, one white and the other black, formed the white and black flounce, coat of arms of Siena and symbol of the extreme character of the city. The story speaks instead of a centre of Etruscan origins, which then became a Roman outpost at the time of the emperor Augustus with the name of Saena Julia. Around the centuries X and XI Siena is located at the center of important commercial streets thanks to the episcopal power before the Carolingian time, and at that time it expanded its territory and tightened the first alliances, becoming an important medieval city in both political and economic terms.

Between the XIII and XIV centuries Siena lived the great European period as a major protagonist: its merchant nobility dictated law at the Champagne fairs, its bankers opened branches in London and Paris and had contracted from the Empire the collection of taxes, from Papacy that of the tiths and the ecclesiastical balzelli (major taxes), they gave loans, they transfered  enormous sums of money, they issued exchange letters and faiths of deposit. At the end of “The Golden Age” and after losing its independence to the Medici and the master of the world at the time, Charles V (1559), Siena lost its state and was forced to play the role of a subordinate small town of Tuscany, under the aegis of its rival of all times, Florence, capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Around the middle of the nineteenth century the city began to grow.

The new millennium began with yet another effort of the city to adapt to new times, without forgetting its extraordinary past. And today it is one of the cities with the highest quality of life in Italy. Art is what characterizes it, making it one of the most visited tourist cities: Piazza del Campo, the Duomo, the town hall and the Torre del Mangia attract visitors from all over the world, and these are just some of its wonders.

USEFUL INFO

Official internet sites

For general information visit:

www.comune.siena.it

www.provincia.siena.it

Tourist Information office

APT Siena

Piazza del Campo, 56 – Siena

Tel. +39 0577 280551

infoaptsiena@terresiena.it

Duomo

Useful numebers

Carabinieri                                  112

Police                                         113

Fire Department                         115

Healthcare Emergency              118

Travel Informed (CCISS)    1518

City pass

Terre di Siena Card is a card equipped with a microchip that allows you to benefit from of a number of services at the affiliated activities located in the natural shopping centres of the province of Siena participating in the project, and to enjoy a range of exclusive services and discounts at the spa facilities in the province of Siena and the museums belonging to the Sienese Museum system. The card is completely free, and the tourists can pick it up at the accommodation facilities that are a part of “Valued Guests” circuit if they have booked their holiday directly, and for a period of 4 nights or more. By shopping in the shopping malls, the owner will be able to accumulate a score convertible, subsequently, in discounts in the same shops, obtaining an immediate discount with regard to the entrances to the Sienese museum system and spa establishments in the province of Siena.

Climate

Siena enjoys a continental climate, warm in summer and cold in winter. The ideal months to visit the city and the surroundings are April, May, June, September and October and, depending on the years, also March and November.