Posted by Karbo
On the 24th we took a day trip to Siena. We had originally planned to take the bus from Florence but arrived at the bus station to be told that the buses weren't running that morning. This was so frustrating since we had been to the bus station the day before to confirm the bus times! We tried to get more information out of the ticket vendor but he just sat smugly behind his glass window and repeated that there were no buses. I love a lot of things about Italy but their reputation for being disorganized and chaotic is spot on!
Since we were more used to dealing with the Italian way of administration by this time, we took it in stride and simply hopped on the next train to Siena. It was lunchtime when we arrived in Siena and the streets were dead. We thought that the city must be a quiet place but it turns out it was simply because everyone was taking their lunchtime nap. Later in the day, after a coffee break at Caffe Nannini, we walked out into a horde of people on the streets. It was a bit of a shock.
Siena is a medieval city in Tuscay and has certainly retained its medieval feel. There are walls and gates all around the historic city centre. We were a bit lost at first and had decided to stop for lunch at Cafe Berta, which is located right by one of the city gates. Luckily, we had a very nice waiter who provided us with a map and pointed us towards the city centre.
Siena is most famous for its Palio, which is a twice-yearly bareback horse race around Siena's main square, the Piazza del Campo. Each Contrade (neighbourhood) around Siena enters a single entrant. We hear it is a huge deal to win the trophy for your Contrade. Piazza del Campo is very compact and we saw pictures of the square completely packed with people during the Palio. We can only imagine how exciting it would be to visit during that time!
Saint Catherine is the patron saint of Siena, so we stopped by the Basilica of San Domenico, which contains several relics of St.Catherine, most notable being her head. We'd seen relics before such as bits of bone or hair held in a reliquary but this was our first time seeing a mummified relic. We also checked out the Siena Cathedral, which has amazing frescos and mosaics.
We had a great time during our day in Siena. The city is so beautiful and has a lot of history and traditions. We really recommend taking the time to visit!