Day Four: Florence to Siena

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To make up for our careless attitude towards opening times and complete oblivion to Thursdays being a holy day, there was really only one thing we HAD to do before leaving Florence; climbing the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio. The views across the city speak for themselves and it really was the joining of dots, the icing on the cake and the grande finale to our time here. What better way to see the streets we had walked and the places we had visited over 2 days than to see it all from above?

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Back on terra firma, we just had time to discover this graffitied face in the side of the Palazzo Vecchio, nearest the Uffizi. Although the artist is unconfirmed, many a rumour suggests it was carved by the hand of a young Michelangelo – perhaps honing his trade before becoming the star of Italy. After a final caffeine pit stop and a short bus ride across the city, we entered the Santa Maria Novella Station and boarded our train to Siena!

Unfortunately, that is where our so far excellent experience with Italian public transport hit a bump in the road (pardon the pun)! Five minutes after exiting the station, we promptly stopped at Ridelfi station, on the outskirts of Florence to be told someone had jumped on the tracks and the train was to return to Florence SMN.

Queuing for what felt like forever, in a humid station, surrounded by other disgruntled passengers, we eventually got our tickets refunded and decided to get the bus ‘rapido’ to Siena. The Italians had suggested that this was actually easier and more reliable than the train.

The coach was uncomfortable to say the least, packed to the rafters, unable to sit together, no air-con and fabric seats. As you can imagine, we must have lost a stone in sweat – yuck! It’s only saving grace was the journey through the Tuscan landscape, ascending through the winding roads, lined with Cyprus trees. In just over an hour, we arrived into Siena, 2 hours late.

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This was the perfect view that awaited us when we arrived at our hotel, the Porta Romana. Situated just outside the city walls, the hotels boasts beautiful, scenic views and despite our room not looking out on to this, there is no shortage of terraces to feast your eyes. Their vast private garden is also a pleasure to wander around, filled with olive trees, rosemary and lavender. It has a positively Mediterranean feel.

Siena itself is smaller than Florence, but still has touches of it’s larger neighbour. The medieval city gives you a sense of what Florence and other Tuscan towns would have been like before they started to expand and commercialise. For Nic and I, it reminded us of our days in Sheffield, with many a steep, narrow road to walk down. It is said that when the students are in Siena, they make up for more than half of the population.

On a Friday night, Siena comes alive. It buzzes with excitement for the weekend and promises to entertain. There are plenty of bars offering live music and most stay open til around 02.00. We stumbled upon a recently open beer house called Sindie and sipped on a 6.5% red ale from Arezzo before finding a place to eat.

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Known for their love of meat, in particular beef or steak, the Sienese eateries are not lacking in their abundance of dishes to please the most prolific carnivore. We shared a saffron risotto with pecorino cream, before trying beef tartare and meatballs. Followed by an ice cream truffle with a tasty surprise in the centre and 2 espressos. The glass of Chianti we drank had us chomping at the bit for more meaty reds from this area of Italy.

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Finally, the Piazza del Campo, Siena’s historic square. It really is no wonder that this place is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The square is unlike any we have seen, with a distinctive race track around the edge of the square. The renowned Palio horse race takes place here twice a year and spectators are crammed into the centre behind the barriers. For a better view, people can watch the race unfold from the tiered, wooden seating that surround the track. Our plan tomorrow is to make the most of the hotel’s terraces, relax and refuel in the sun, before exploring more of this fascinating city.

Buonasera!