Siena is a medieval jewel. This quiet and accessible city must be loved, because it is full of art, culture, great temples and museums, all bounded by countless aisles and hidden corners. According to rumor, Senius and Aschius were the sons of Remus. That's why you will see a sculpture of a wolf in the town that nursed the mythical founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. In fact, Siena, like Florence, used to be an Etruscan settlement, and developed into the Roman colony of Saena Julia at the beginning of the first century AD.
Flowering banking houses and textile concerts have made the city one of the most important medieval European centers. The position of Sienas inevitably led to a rivalry with Florence, where it had one, the other city. The greatest victory of Sienas over her rival came in 1260 at the Battle of Montaperti, which took place a few miles east of the city. In 1348, the scales swung to the other side, and black death destroyed 70,000 out of a total of 100 000 inhabitants of Siena, (now home to 56,000 people).
The mortally impacted city defended its independence until 1554, when Montalcino, the last outpost of the Sienese republic, surrendered to the Grand Duke Cosimo I. and fell under Florence. In the following years Florence purportedly defeated Siena's decline and became one of the reasons for the remarkably well-groomed appearance of today.
Nowhere is the eye-catching look like in Piazza del Campo, a fascinating medieval area. Twice a year there are horse races here, but "Campo" can be enjoyed all year round, as the Palazzo Publico has a museum and a viewing tower of Torre del Mangia, or you can sit in one of the side cafes and just watch the life going around .
After Campo is another destination for visitors Piazza del Duomo. It houses the beautifully decorated cathedral and the Museo dell'Opera (or Cathedral Museum), which has one of the masterpieces of medieval European art in Duccio, "Maestá". Other paintings await visitors to the leading art gallery Pinacoteca Nazionale, offering the best view of the painterly style of the Sienese artists over the course of five centuries.
These beautiful sights are just the beginning. Even though Siena can be run in a single day, in reality, it takes two or three days. Then you will have the time to visit the great churches - San Domenico, San Francesco and Santa Maria dei Servi - and to visit smaller exhibitions, such as the Archaeological Museum. And you will be left with the old alleyways, full of corners and passages .....
