Travel Blog » Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Siena Travel Blogs

Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Italy

Map of Italy

Italy's Flag

Hostels in Italy
Latest Siena Blog Entries
Siena Photos

By Courtt
November 30th 2009

The past month!! Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Hi everyone, It has been so busy over here that I have not had a moment to write about my adventures. Last I left you I was headed on my mid-semester break to Ireland. It was a great time! My friend Mary and I traveled throughout Ireland together. It was her first time there and my third…but I love it every time I go. We stayed with Uncle Phil and Aunt Rita while in Dublin. They were great we felt right at home. After we headed to Galway to see Mary’s friend; it was very rainy but a great time none [View Full Entry]

By JamesnEmily
November 2nd 2009

Le Sorgenti Week 1 Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Wimpers

We took the Rama bus from Florence to Paganico, a small village half way between Siena and Grosseto in the region of Tuscany. We were picked up at the bus stop by Antonio, the owner of the farm and a carload of his friends. As we traveled towards the farm, we stopped at a pizzeria for an aperitivo, a pre-dinner drink, and picked up some pizzas to go. Arriving at the farm some minutes later, we were graciously welcomed and slightly overwhelmed by 20 or so of Antonio’s family and friends that had been in town that weekend to celebrate [View Full Entry]

By Courtt
October 12th 2009

Where in Italy is Courtney White? Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Hi Everyone, I am so sorry it has been so long since I have last updated you, but things have been quite busy over here. It has been one month since I arrived in Italy and it has flown, yet I feel like I have done so much at the same time; not to mention that it feels like ages since I have seen everyone. I hope that my pictures made up for my not writing a lot here. It is easier to put pictures up sometimes than to sit and write about everything. I am still having the most amazing [View Full Entry]

By Whiskers
October 9th 2009

Sightseeing in Siena Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Flags are out in Siena

Friday 9th October Sightseeing in Siena The big advantage by staying out in the countryside is that there are no traffic or people noises to awake you and so the body tends to carry on sleeping until it has enough.This morning that didn’t happen until nearly 8am meaning we had had about 10 hours sleep!!Ah,the Tuscan countryside!! The sky has an overcast look about it this morning although there are also gaps of blue with the sun coming through.The temperature is a little cooler than yesterday and it looks like there will be a change in the weather sometime today.Not having [View Full Entry]

Narrow streets are the order of the day in Siena

By Snap Shot Stacey
September 24th 2009

My first wine tour! Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Thea and I

Though it could barely be called a tour as we only went to ONE winery! (And sadly all we tasted was reds until I requested a white). Thea (a 19yr old from Melbourne who happened to be checking into my hostel at the same time as me) and I decided to do the Brunello Grand Tour for only 35 euro's. We spent the first part of the trip at the Montalchino winery where the owner Mario took a different woman on his arm for each part of the tour. (I was the last and the youngest! Lol) Personally I really didn't [View Full Entry]

By Carly and Jez
September 16th 2009

Medieval Siena Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Picnic Lunch at the plaza

Day 514 Steps 24323 (7/9/09) We meandered into the Medieval old city, a maze of piazza's, cobblestone streets and alleyways, gourmet shops selling cheese, cured meats and Chianti wine. First stop was the Piazza del campo, home to the horse race that stops... well Tuscany. Ten horses (each representing their region), bareback, complete three laps of the piazza taking little over a minute, the only rule you mustn't pull on another horses reins but its fine if the horse finishes without its rider. Shattered to have missed the race by only a couple weeks we soaked up the piazza's atmosphere in [View Full Entry]

By Courtt
September 16th 2009

alorah Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Hey everyone! I can't believe that I have been here for two weeks. I feel like it has been forever, yet at the same time I feel like I was just in America. Things here are still great. Food's great; people are great; sights are great. Tutti bene! It's all good! This past week has been non stop Italian boot camp. Everyday we have about five hours of Italian. My teacher is very very sweet. Her name is Fiora and is extremely patient and willing to explain things over and over again. It can be frustrating learning a new language, and [View Full Entry]

By Courtt
September 8th 2009

The First Few Days Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

CIAO!! So I am finally here. It took forever to arrive but i am here. The plane had a few bumps here and there. That combined with my fear of flying and my nerves made it an unpleasant 8 hours. However, we arrived an hour early so that made up for the rest. I would rather be on the ground than in the air. Once I got to the airport and made it through customs I found some of the other girls from Siena and we waited for the whole crew to arrive. Because we were there at 7 am it [View Full Entry]

By Kathy and Andrew
August 30th 2009

Medieval Siena Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

she-wolf

August 24,2009 We left Renaissance Florence today for the medieval town of Siena. We had a late start because of a crash on the small strata leading down from the campground. We were happy to be in the Tuscan hills and driving down the Chianti Road scattered with small towns and wineries. The grapes are so big, you can see them tugging from their vines from the van. There seems to be a winery and tasting room on every corner. I have also noticed a lot of the gas stations have a bar. I guess Tuscany is not concerned about drunk [View Full Entry]

By Betta
August 26th 2009

BIG AMERICAN Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

From requests from my mom and Sarah, I am going to try to do my best to keep updating my blog more frequently (with no promises of quality or length of the entries...). I arrived safely in Italy on Monday morning with no problems, although it was probably one of my more absurd airport experiences. My roommates and some other friends in Siena had requested that I bring back some different kinds of candy from America, so my mom and I had gone to Target and Costco to load up on a variety of sweets. I guess my eyes were a [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena