Siena

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Luckily I was able to make 2 trips out to Siena over the past couple weeks. Its about an hour and a half away from Florence, still in the Tuscany region. The bus ride there is beautiful in itself of the Toscana countryside, hills of vineyards, olive trees, and old cottages and farms. I was amazed at how much bigger Siena was than I thought. Although it is mostly residential, it still holds many great tourist attractions because it is considered one of the best preserved medieval Italian city. It was amazing to see such a unique city partially still walled in from the Middle Ages. The narrow streets had some of the cutest boutiques and delicious restaurants. The center of the city is the Piazza Del Campo, a large semi-circle lined with restaurants. This square is most known for the Palio-a very old horseracing tradition held twice a year. It was amazing to see this large area and imagine masses of people inside the piazza watching the horse race around the perimeter. Supposedly people come from all over the world to experience the ancient tradition.
Along with famous Siena Baptistry, I visted the Santa Maria Della Scala-the oldest hospital in Europe. The old Tuscan buildings were so beautiful, along with the gorgeous Tuscan landscape surrounding the small city, I think Siena is easily one of the most beautiful cities in Tuscany.

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