Published in the April issue of The
Sunday Times Travel Magazine
Ditch the car and throw away the map if you’ve made it as far as Siena –
swerving its bigger sibling (and arch rival) Florence along the way – you
won’t need either. Tuscany’s pocket-sized provincial city is made for
getting lost in – and the streets are made for walking.
The UNESCO-listed beauty was the first in Europe to banish cars from its main
arteries, which makes the air as crisp as a white Chianti and the streets
empty of traffic bar the odd Vespa.
The medieval walls suck Siena in like a corset, with endless narrow lanes at
every turn. Get your bearings in Il Campo, the pretty, scallop-shaped main
piazza.
Rising from the lowest point like a stone periscope, the bell tower unleashes
magnificent views: before you, the zebra-striped campanile of the Duomo
soaring up through ochre rooftops; behind, the gently rising Tuscan hills
and vineyards; below, a swirling mass of cobbled alleys.
Siena is a city firmly rooted in its past – there are countless galleries and
museums in which to learn about its glorious Gothic history – and tradition
remains strong: among its wackier customs the biannual bareback horse race
(Palio) around the Campo. Yet its present is just as wonderful: wander past
faded stone facades strung with washing, hams dangling in dappled light and
holes in the wall dispensing slivers of pecorino and olive ascolane
(deep-fried, stuffed olives), or spend a day learning how to make pappa al
pomodoro (the bread-and-tomato soup that is the city’s lifeblood) just like
Mama.
It’s no wonder the people are blissfully content: you’ll often hear the
phrase, ‘From what we have, we are not missing anything’. After a weekend
here, it would be hard to disagree.
PAST
It’s a good idea to get to Gothic masterpiece Il Duomo (00 39
0577 283048, www.operaduomo.siena.it;
£7.50) early, before the school parties descend. Inside the haunting
structure, supported by giant liquorice-striped pillars, there’s enough
history for a fascinating few hours. The cathedral’s intricate inlaid-marble
floor – displaying images such as the ubiquitous she-wolf (symbol of Siena)
– is captivating, but remember to look up, too, at the brightly painted
glass windows and row upon row of watchful papal heads.
Built in the ninth century as one of the first European hospitals, Santa
Maria della Scala (00 39 0577 224811, www.santamariadellascalla.com;
£4.50) has since been restored as a museum complex. It seems a doctor’s day
was as arduous then as it is now: among the bright secular frescoes adorning
the walls is a comical one showing a GP nodding off as a patient describes
his symptoms.
Catch some mid-morning sun in the Piazza del Campo. Around its shapely
curves cafe terraces spill onto salmon-pink flagstones, and while it has its
share of tourists (what city square doesn’t?), it is little changed from its
medieval heyday, and very much the backbone of Siena’s cafe society. Bar
Manganelli serves the best coffee in the square; if you’re in need of a
lift, try a caffè corretto (espresso with a dash of grappa).
At the square’s lowest point – it shelves gently downwards – you’ll find the Palazzo
Pubblico, a Gothic palace housing the offices of local government and
the Civic Museum (www.comune.siena.it/museocivico;
£5). Upstairs, frescoes by one of Siena’s most lauded 14th-century artists,
Ambrogio Lorenzetti, serve as a vivid reminder to local politicians of their
responsibilities, depicting the Allegory of Good and Bad Government.
Honeymooning in Tuscany last year, Florence may have dazzled me, but Siena captured my heart completely and I'd return in a second.
Recommended are Osteria Le Logge just off the Campo and the fantastic butcher/delicatessen on Via Di Citta with its spectacles-wearing Boar's head outside.
Julian, Warwick, UK
Cafe Corretto is actually coffee 'corrected' with whatever liquor you want, not necessarily grappa. The bar tender should ask what you want with it - there's plenty of choice lined up behind him/her. Ask what they prefer & give it a try. Also, aged grappa is a lot more palatable & smooth than the cheaper recent stuff as a straight drink, like the difference between blended & single malt whisky
Miles, Pisa, Italy