While in Florence we decided to take a bus to Siena which is just 35 miles south of Florence. Siena was made for strolling. We found that the main sights of the city were to be found in the network of narrow streets and alleys around the fan shaped Piazza del Campo. Scarcely any street is level, as Siena, like Rome is built on seven hills. With redbrick lanes tumbling every which way, the town is an architectural time warp, where pedestrians rule and the present feels like the past.
The Piazza del Campo, set in the middle of the city is spectacular, James Bond fans will recognise the Campo from the movie Quantum of Solace, when Bond chased one of the baddies through the crowds cheering on the Sienese Palio, a bareback horse race which takes place in the Campo on 2 July and 16 August each year.
We stood in the middle of the Piazza and just admired the beauty of the architecture surrounding it, this truly is one of Europe's special places. You can see that we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day when we were there which helped to showcase the city at its best. We loved our time in Siena, the city is small enough to wander round without getting lost it feels less overwhelmed by tourists than Florence and Rome.
The Piazza del Campo, set in the middle of the city is spectacular, James Bond fans will recognise the Campo from the movie Quantum of Solace, when Bond chased one of the baddies through the crowds cheering on the Sienese Palio, a bareback horse race which takes place in the Campo on 2 July and 16 August each year.
We stood in the middle of the Piazza and just admired the beauty of the architecture surrounding it, this truly is one of Europe's special places. You can see that we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day when we were there which helped to showcase the city at its best. We loved our time in Siena, the city is small enough to wander round without getting lost it feels less overwhelmed by tourists than Florence and Rome.