Siena

Eileen and Brianne, our friend from Boston, did just a little bit of touring in Siena walking mostly around the shopping area and the major plazas. The Piazza Publico is the very large main plaza with a fountain similar to one in Rome. Around the edge of the plaza is an area that was one used for house racing. And circling the plaza are very old, tall, medieval like buildings. It is definitely the central point of the city. We also walked (uphill) to the Piazza del Duomo, where the very beautiful Cathedral of Siena sits. There was a long line to get inside so we just took in the massive outside with its sculptures and mosaics. We did go into the chapel across the plaza which was more impressive than most of the churches we have been in while in Italy. On our way back we stopped at the Church of St Catherine in the goose district. There are seven different districts in the whole old town area and there were a lot of geese in the goose district. Siena is very hilly and no space is wasted. See the pictures for a glimpse of how they use all space.Read more