Siena, Italy Travel Journals & Blogs

Laurie Reynolds Heading to Tuscany
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- Sep 19, 2023, 6:57pm
- ⛅ 24 °C
- Altitude: 338 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Chiesa di Santa Maria di Provenzano 43.321245, 11.33208243°19’16” N 11°19’55” E
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Day 15
Cathedral Day
September 19, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
I decided to head out in a new direction this morning before breakfast. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that the data I had bought as part of Verizon’s “international plan” was about to expire. I had quite the time wandering lost in the early morning, and Joe was happy to keep on sleeping!

We spent most of the day in the cathedral, the baptistry, the crypt, and the museum. With two breaks in the duomo square café for aqua frizzante. It was a great visit. The exterior of the cathedral (mostly 13 C) is an unbelievable frenzy of columns, capitals, arches, and more. The cathedral’s marble floors, decorated with biblical and mythological scenes in the 14-16C, are uncovered only for a few months of the year, and we were lucky to see them. But my favorite was the crypt, the ancient church that lies under the current cathedral. It was only discovered in 1999, I read, and it has some beautiful 13C frescoes of Christ’s life. In the museum, there is a walk several hundred steps up to a great “vista panoramica.” Joe sat patiently in a very airconditioned gallery in front of a priceless Madona and child.

We had a light lunch in the main square, nothing great (except for the view), but enough to hold us till dinner. When I left Joe back in the hotel for his afternoon rest/nap, my plan had been to climb the Torre Mangia in the main square. Not sure why I hadn’t figured that the tickets were likely to be sold out, and so they were. My other choices were the Pinacoteca, which houses the best collection of Siena romanesque, and the San Domenico church, where the severed head of Santa Catarina de Siena is in a reliquary for all to see (her body is in Rome). I started with the Pinacoteca, and found some medieval pilgrims begging, but no Santiago. Then I walked over to San Domenico, where I didn’t spend much time with the gruesomeness, but did enjoy the walk and got terrific views of the cathedral from below.

Dinner tonight in Siena at a very highly rated place, though it may be wasted on my un-foodie palette . Joe is still holding up very well, and remembers that he is in Siena!Read more
Traveler Wow
9/19/23Reply
Traveler 🙂
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Traveler 🙂
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Europe 2022 - 2023
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- Jun 7, 2022, 10:00am
- 🌙 19 °C
- Altitude: 1,099 ft
- Italy Tuscany Siena Fonte Gaia 43.318705, 11.33166643°19’7” N 11°19’54” E
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Day 30
Siena, Tuscany
June 7, 2022 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
This Tuscan hill town will transport you back to the Middle Ages. Siena's grand cathedral, built in the 1200s, has treasured artworks and marvelous marble floors. It is truly breathtaking and can even rival St Peters Basilica in Rome. The Piazza del Campo, the main town square shaped like a fan, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It's also home to the Palio di Siena, perhaps the most infamous horserace in the world. Riders representing seventeen Contrades or districts of Siena ride around the square twice a year. Think of it as NYC if Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, etc each had their own flag alliances and rivalries. Very Hufflepuff versus Slitherin. Then, twice a year they had horserace

You can read more about the Contrades below.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrade_of_Siena

Read about the Palio di Siena below (with pictures)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_SienaRead more
Traveler scaffolding holes in the brick... very cool
6/8/22Reply
Traveler just wonderful... great picture
6/8/22Reply
Traveler and this is???
6/8/22Reply
Traveler Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption or Siena Cathedral
6/9/22Reply
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Bella Italia
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- May 21, 2023
- ⛅ 23 °C
- Altitude: 335 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Fonte Gaia 43.318559, 11.33165343°19’7” N 11°19’54” E
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Day 22
Intermezzo in Siena
May 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Nach einem schönen Picknick zum Frühstück, hatten wir ein kurzes Intermezzo in Siena und sind dann zurück auf die Straße durch die atemberaubende Landschaft der Toskana zu unserem nächsten Stellplatz. Hier gibt es sogar kostenlosen Strom. Warum sollten wir das nicht ausnutzen? 😉Read more
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Traveler Lui, die Schleifchen im Haar gefallen mir an dir genau so gut wie an mir ! Die geben eine gewisse Romantik 🤗
5/21/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Oh, das sieht sper schön sus fort, wie die alle in Reihe und Glied parken 👌
5/21/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Wieder dieser schöne "Boden"
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Paul am westlichen Mittelmeer
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- Nov 5, 2023, 3:00am
- 🌧 16 °C
- Altitude: 341 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Fonte Gaia 43.318886, 11.3315743°19’8” N 11°19’54” E
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Day 26
Stop in Siena
November 5, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
Jan wollte nur raus aus dem Hafen und ist einfach mal losgefahren. Er war ja nach 15 Stunden Schlaf ausgeschlafen. Wir sind dann noch ca 230 km gefahren und haben in Siena auf einen Stellplatz übernachtet. Jetzt sitzen wir am „Piazza del Campo“ und frühstücken. Die Sonne scheint, einfach herrlich. Die Fahrt gestern auf der Schnellstraße war sehr stürmisch und verregnet.Read more
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Traveler Wetter sieht ja gut aus !!! will kommen in bella Italia
11/5/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Sieht wirklich toll aus und ist beneidenswert den berühmten Piazza del Campo so leer zu sehen!
11/5/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Schön, dass die Sonne für Euch lacht und ihr es gut übers Meer geschafft habt☀️🤗
11/5/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Ja alles gut überstanden aber das Schiff war schrecklich. So versifft 🤮🫣 und nur Truckerfahrer. Nix gegen die Trucker aber ist schon ein eigenes Volk 🙈🤣
11/5/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Ist da jemand Müde. .😀😀
11/5/23ReplyTranslate
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Hoppetosse Kreuz und Quer durch Südeuropa
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- Apr 15, 2024, 5:32pm
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 335 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Fonte Gaia 43.318589, 11.33154243°19’7” N 11°19’54” E
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Day 99
Siena
April 15 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Siena, eine der schönsten Städte im Zentrum der Toskana, hat sich über Jahrhunderte hinweg sein Stadtbild bewahrt und sich so zu einem Kleinod entwickelt. Das Wahrzeichen Sienas, der Dom, ist ein großartiges Beispiel gotischer Baukunst. Aber auch die Palazzi, die mittelalterlichen Gassen und natürlich der Piazza del Campo mit Blick auf den Torre del Mangia bringen uns zum Staunen. Staunen tut auch die ein oder andere Statue bei dem Ansturm den Siena erlebt.(Nebenbei haben wir an unserem Blog geschrieben, wow wir sind nur noch 4 Wochen zurück 😄)Read more
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Traveler 😍
3dReply
Traveler Dort habe ich als Studentin nachts das bis dahin teuerste Bier meines Lebens getrunken 🍻 😄
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Hoppetosse Ui , das hört sich Interessant an 😊 Ja Siena ist nicht günstig, aber sehr sehr schön 🌞
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Traveler Seid ihr jetzt weit gefahren! Waaahnsinn! Bin sehr gespannt, wohin es noch weiter geht.....
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Traveler Italien
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- Jul 23, 2022, 12:52pm
- ⛅ 34 °C
- Altitude: 317 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Fontebranda 43.319581, 11.32728843°19’10” N 11°19’38” E
Day 8
Siena
July 23, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
Nach einen kleinen morgendlichen Spaziergang durch das mittelalterliche „San Gimignano“, stiegen wir ins Auto und fuhren 45 Minuten weiter nach „Siena“.

Dort erwartete uns eine ganz andere Architektur (überwiegend Ziegelbau). Wir schlenderten durch die Gassen und ließen es uns nicht nehmen ein leckeres Eis zu essen. Trotz der vielen Leute hat uns diese schöne Stadt wirklich sehr gefallen. Nach einer Besichtigung der Kathedrale ging es zurück zum Auto. Dann ab nach Florenz, dort zum Bahnhof und mit dem Zug zurück nach Rom. Alles ziemlich unkompliziert. Etwas geschafft in Rom angekommen, gab es noch einmal typisch italienische Küche, bevor morgen der Flieger zurück fliegt.Read more
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Traveler Interrail
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- Nov 5, 2022, 4:54pm
- ☀️ 13 °C
- Altitude: 346 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Tantucci Palace 43.321659, 11.33023543°19’18” N 11°19’49” E
Day 48
Kleinstadt Siena
November 5, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Die Kleinstadt Siena liegt unterhalb von Florenz in der Toskana und die Stadt wurde mir von meinen Eltern empfohlen die auch schon hier waren :) und ich kann nur sagen dass es sehr gut war den Tipp anzunehmen und diese schöne Kleinstadt zu erkunden. Hier finden derzeit sogar die Siena Awards statt, die verschiedene Fotoausstellungen beinhalten. Generell war die Innenstadt sehr süß und hier befindet sich eine der schönsten Plätze Europas!Read more
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Avoiding the heat EU tour
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- Oct 20, 2023, 10:08pm
- 🌧 17 °C
- Altitude: 341 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Tantucci Palace 43.321147, 11.33036743°19’16” N 11°19’49” E
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Day 47
The best of Tuscany
October 20, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
Today we embarked on a tour of the Tuscan countryside.

The day's first stop was the city of Siena, where we had a guided city tour, including exploring the beautiful Siena Cathedral, before wandering around the small alleyways ourselves.

After Siena we enjoyed the scenery as the bus enterd the Chianti wine region. When we arrived at a vineyard, we sat down for a traditional Tuscan lunch comprised of fresh bread, pasta, salad, cold cuts and local cheeses, accompanied by a wine tasting. We tasted 4 wines in total and probably polished off 3 bottles between us before we had to rally to the bus before traveling onward to San Gimignano, where we explored the squares and cobbled streets, and browsed the local shops.

The day's last stop was Pisa, where we watched lots of people doing the thriller dance at the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. We arrived at the perfect time to get some photos in the rain before watching a vibrant sunset.

Step count: 23.7kRead more
Traveler Great shot
10/20/23Reply
Traveler ? In contention for front page of Penguin journal
10/20/23Reply
Traveler Tough life, but quality control important
10/20/23Reply
Traveler Someone's gotta do it!
10/21/23Reply
Traveler Congratulations from us, what fantastic news, we're so happy for you both 💖💖💖
10/20/23Reply
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Und wieder Italien
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- May 16, 2023, 4:01pm
- 🌧 15 °C
- Altitude: 334 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Piazza del Campo 43.318333, 11.33166743°19’6” N 11°19’54” E
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Day 11
Siena
May 16, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Heute ist ein richtiger Regentag, durchgehend von morgens bis abends. Wir sind nun nach Siena gefahren und haben uns über die wunderschöne Landschaft der Toskana gefreut. Der Stadtbummel war allerdings durch das nasskalte Wetter beeinträchtigt, wenn auch der Dom immer noch beeindruckend ist. Morgen ziehen wir weiter nach Norden, da soll das Wetter eher trocken sein.Read more
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Traveler Das sieht toll aus - auch wenn es nass und kalt ist
5/16/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Schade dass ihr mit dem Wetter Pech habt
5/17/23ReplyTranslate
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Traveler Italian Adventure Sep 2023
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- Sep 26, 2023, 5:06pm
- ☀️ 25 °C
- Altitude: 340 m
- Italy Tuscany Siena Piazza del Campo 43.318153, 11.33115543°19’5” N 11°19’52” E
Day 11
Evening in Siena
September 26, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Today was David and Annabelle’s 31st wedding anniversary, which was very special. David celebrated by joining us in catching the 4.19pm bus into Sienna and leaving Annie behind at the hotel without a room key. I think, judging from Annie’s subtle body language in evidence when she later caught up with Dave in the old city of Siena, was something that might have been better thought through by Dave. However, it must be acknowledged in Dave’s defence, one can’t expect to have everything together after only 31 years of marriage. These things take time.
We explored the old city of Sienna, and visited the piazza and the Duomo. We also had dinner in a delightful little restaurant in a side alley in the old city.
Just in case you were wondering, the repeated representations of the wolf and two baby boys on many major city landmarks are a reference to the fact that Sienna was purportedly founded by the son of Remus; the same Remus who was killed by his brother Romulus, the father of Rome.
Just after dinner, the winning horse in the most recent Palio race was being paraded through the old city, accompanied by drums, banners and Sienese people dressed up in the colours of their contrata, or neighbourhood.
We caught the bus back to our hotel to ensure we had a reasonable night’s sleep before leaving Siena for Florence tomorrow morning.Read more
Traveler 😂 poor Dave
9/27/23Reply
Traveler So agree 🤣
9/27/23Reply
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