- Piazza del Campo: the beating heart of Siena
- Siena Cathedral: a masterpiece not to miss
- The medieval alleys of the historic centre
- The Palio di Siena: history and emotion
- How to Get There from Hotel La Magione
- Conclusion
Siena is one of those cities that stops you in your tracks. You arrive, you look around, and something inside you slows down. Medieval towers, red-brick streets, the scent of ancient stone and marzipan: here time seems to follow a different rhythm. Knowing what to see in Siena also means learning to get lost in its alleys, to look up at the facades of the palazzi, to listen to the silence that slips between the lanes in the early morning.
Siena is just thirty minutes from Poggibonsi, making it a perfect day trip from the heart of Tuscany. A whole day here is never quite enough, but the memories it sends you home with are extraordinary.
Piazza del Campo: the beating heart of Siena
No place in the world looks like Piazza del Campo. This shell-shaped square, sloping towards its centre, is one of the most beautiful and unique urban spaces in Europe. You sit on the cobblestones and watch the world go by, surrounded by the perfect geometry of medieval palazzi.
The Torre del Mangia, 88 metres tall, commands the square with a majestic and silent presence. Climbing to the top requires about three hundred steps but rewards you with a view over the Sienese countryside that takes your breath away. The Palazzo Pubblico at its foot houses the Civic Museum, with the wonderful frescoes of the Good Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
The piazza is where Siena lives: people meet here, meet again, and every time it feels like the first time.
Siena Cathedral: a masterpiece not to miss
Siena Cathedral is perhaps the most beautiful in Italy. The facade in white and green marble, designed by Giovanni Pisano, is a work that surprises you in every detail. Inside, the inlaid marble floor with fifty-six biblical scenes is something extraordinarily rare: it doesn't even look like a floor, it looks like a museum spread out underfoot.The Piccolomini Library, in the left nave, holds Pinturicchio's frescoes depicting the life of Pope Pius II in colours still vivid and luminous, as if painted yesterday. Nicola Pisano's pulpit completes a visual experience of rare intensity.
With the OPA SI Pass you can also visit the Baptistery, the Crypt and the panoramas from the unfinished Facciatona: a half-day experience that leaves you speechless.
The medieval alleys of the historic centre
Siena is also, above all, a labyrinth of medieval alleys that rise and fall between the city's contrade. Each contrada has its own history, its colours, its symbolic animal. Strolling along Via Banchi di Sotto, Via di Città and the area around San Domenico means immersing yourself in an authentic and everyday Siena.
The market at Piazza del Mercato, below the walls of the Palazzo Pubblico, fills the neighbourhood in the morning with local flavours. The Medici Fortress, with its open gardens, offers an unexpectedly peaceful corner with fine views over the countryside.
The Palio di Siena: history and emotion
The Palio di Siena is run twice a year: on 2 July and 16 August. It is a horse race, yes. But above all it is a centuries-old and visceral ritual that involves the entire city. The seventeen contrade compete with an intensity that has no equal in the world of sport or spectacle.
Witnessing the Palio is an experience that changes those who live it. The emotional charge in the piazza, the moment the horses enter, the frantic race over three laps: these are instants of pure historical adrenaline. If you are not in the city on Palio days, the Museo del Palio tells this tradition with great engagement.
How to Get There from Hotel La Magione
From Hotel La Magione in Poggibonsi, Siena is reachable in about 30 minutes by car along the SS2 or via the A1 motorway. By bus, the Poggibonsi-Siena route is served regularly by Tiemme and takes about 40 minutes. Parking in Siena is available outside the walls: the main car parks are Parcheggio Il Campo and Parcheggio San Francesco, with shuttles into the centre. Leave the hotel early in the morning to enjoy the city before the crowds arrive.
Conclusion
Siena is a city you never forget. Every time you return, you discover something new: an unexplored alley, a hidden fresco, a bell tower that rings suddenly. It is a city that still lives in the Middle Ages, with all the charm and depth that this implies. Let yourself be captivated by Siena: you will never regret it.
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