Siena is probably most famous for the Palio - the psychotic, twice-yearly dash around Il Campo, the heart of this ancient, walled city. I'm sure most people are familiar with the carnival atmosphere generated during this frenetic, hell-for-leather race around the cobbles, but unfortunately ... Read review
Intends to provide a philosophically - and historically-based introduction to modal logic, ... more
offering a conceptually clear path through the labyrinth of contemporary modal logic. This book emphasizes the notion of multimodality while delineating the formal side of the semantics and proof theory behind the topics in a smooth and gentle pace.
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Stunning Disadvantages: Missed the Palio - steep climb to old town
Siena is probably most famous for the Palio - the psychotic, twice-yearly dash around Il Campo, the heart of this ancient, walled city. I'm sure most people are familiar with the carnival atmosphere generated during this frenetic, hell-for-leather race around the cobbles, but unfortunately the timing of our visit didn't coincide with the medieval equivalent of Whacky Races on sulph. Never mind.
The old town of Siena is built on and ... ...and consists of a herringbone Siena brick pattern which is divided by white marble lines forming nine sections - these represents the city's medieval ruling body, the Council of Nine. Apparently, the design (especially the slope) of Il Campo is all very deliberate and is down the the city's water system.
There are a large number of restaurants and cafes lining the upper, curved part of the piazza, and some souvenir stalls dotted around, ... more
Siena is probably most famous for the Palio - the psychotic, twice-yearly dash around Il Campo, the heart of this ancient, walled city. I'm sure most people are familiar with the carnival atmosphere generated during this frenetic, hell-for-leather race around the cobbles, but unfortunately the timing of our visit didn't coincide with the medieval equivalent of Whacky Races on sulph. Never mind.
The old town of Siena is built on and around three hills, and is completely free from traffic. Visitors have to park in one of several car parks outside the walls and proceed on foot. It's not a long walk, but it IS a steep walk. There are shuttle buses that run between the car parks and the town gates but, if you're like me and think impatience is a virtue, you can very-near kill yourself slogging up the practically vertical slope in sweltering heat. Heh, still got there before the bus, but!
On entering the town, we were immediately swallowed up by the crowds thronging in the labyrinth of narrow streets - it was pretty busy, but not as bad as Florence had been. there was still enough space to keep it from feeling claustrophobic. The streets all seem to curve around the elliptic Campo, which is quite disorientating, but everything's well signposted and easy to find.
Nothing quite prepares you for Il Campo. It should feel familiar as it's been filmed and photographed to death, but the camera sometimes lies. We entered from the upper side - the scallop of the shell if you like. This means that our first site of the Camapanile was framed from the top of some steps through a narrow alley. descending into the piazza was like entering a stadium...an arena even. All that was missing was the cheers!
Il Campo slopes quite dramatically - it's said that it resembles a shell lying at an angle. It's an unusual piazza, and possibly one of the most beautiful in Italy. It was first laid out in the 1100's on the site of the Roman Forum and consists of a herringbone Siena brick pattern which is divided by white marble lines forming nine sections - these represents the city's medieval ruling body, the Council of Nine. Apparently, the design (especially the slope) of Il Campo is all very deliberate and is down the the city's water system.
There are a large number of restaurants and cafes lining the upper, curved part of the piazza, and some souvenir stalls dotted around, but these don't overwhelm the space. It would be difficult for them to do so anyway as the piazza is huge!
The streets to the north-west of the piazza are home to some interesting shops. Mostly antiques and art-n-craft, there are also designer clothes and all the other fashion items one would associate with Italy. However, my budget stretches more towards the cheap trinket end of the shopping scale, so we didn't linger too long. We were on our way to the Duomo anyway.
The Duomo lies at the highest point in the city, but luckily the climb up from the car park had only whetted my appetite for strenuous exertion. It's worth the climb though. Constructed in multi-coloured marble, it's more like a piece of elaborate confectionery than a place of worship - it's absolutely stunning and almost unreal. The Cathedral was never completely finished as the effects of the Black Death in 1348 'depressed' the construction industry somewhat. If it had been completed, it would be the largest cathedral in the world, apparently. The interior is no less so, although the marble inside is a more sedate black and white. One of the most impressive features is the ceiling where 172 popes watch over you.
Siena's Duomo is considered one of the most beautiful in the country so it's no surprise that there are lengthy queues waiting to gain admission. However, waiting in line was no great hardship when the surroundings were so stunning.
After that it was lunch-time so, against all advice, we headed back to Il Campo. Supposedly the restaurants there are tourist-traps and vastly overpriced. We didn't find that to be the case at all. Certainly, they're not exactly cheap, but prices compared favourably with eating out in the UK (not that that would be difficult). Siena is in the heart of Chianti country, but as liver and fava beans wasn't on the menu, and Belgian beer was, I had a nice ale and ate my lamb quietly...
From our table we overlooked the dizzyingly tall Campanile (the second highest medieval tower in Tuscany) towering over the magnificent Palazzo Publico (town hall). Just as that was starting to get tedious, a wedding party exited the town hall and were greeted by the band. Oh, I didn't mention the band, did I? Yes indeed, a brass band from the Netherlands had been merrily trumpeting away while we were eating. I hadn't mentioned it earlier as brass band from the Low Countries seemed so very commonplace in Siena's Campo... Anyway, as the happy couple stepped into the piazza, the band started to play that wedding song from The Godfather whereupon practically everyone in the vast amphitheatre of Il Campo spontaneously burst into song and la-la'd along. You can't buy moments like that!
We would have liked to spend a bit more time in Siena, but time was something we didn't have. On the bright side, this means that, with a bit of luck, we can return one day.
Advantages: Beautiful Glorious architecture, good food, Culture Disadvantages: Difficult to find any
The Tuscan city of Siena is one of those stunningly beautiful places that once you have visited you want to return and return again. This historic city, in the heart of Tuscany and surrounded by some delightful countryside, is a mere 1/2 hours train journey from Florence, and simply should not to be missed by any traveller to this very fascinating region of Italy.
It has been described,accurately in my view, as a " ..Perfect medieval Tuscan city ... ...the influx of tourists.
Siena plays "second-fiddle" to no city and small though it may be, it is a proud place with a great deal of interest for the visitor. Self-obsessed it is but this beautifully-preserved town has few equals anywhere in Italy for sheer urban beauty and elegant architecture.
The Piazza del Campo is the most important magnet of Siena's many attractions and every visit to the city seems irresistably to commence there. It is hardly ...
ashford 09.08.2000 (10.09.2001)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Siena (Italy)
Advantages: jFantastic Ambiance, Medieval City with Modern Feeling. Food and wine are excellent. Disadvantages: None at all.
...why the magical city of Siena is not on any of the tours offered by Travel Agents.
Not that I am personally disappointed, for the very selfish reason that I was able to enjoy this Italian delight in comparative isolation from everything that smacks of "Holidays Abroad".
Just 35 miles south of Florence, Siena is a jewel of medieval splendour. It invites the visitor to stroll through narrow Gothic streets, lined with palaces and patrician mansions, ... ...the medieval administrative organisation of Siena with its 17 parishes or Contrade, beginning with a procession in costume and followed by, what is possibly the most dangerous and spectacular, horse race, around the Piazza.
The Palio is a standard or banner which bears the effigy of the Virgin Mary and is awarded to the winner. Each rider represents one of the Contrade "families", of Siena and there is fierce competition to win the Palio for the ...
Scorpio2 17.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Siena (Italy)
Advantages: Breathtakingly beautiful with quirky charm! Disadvantages: Accomodation, can be difficult if arriving last minute.
I travelled across Italy for 4 weeks in summer 2002 and had no intention of going to Sienna until me being the nosey person that I am eavesdropped on people chatting on the train. After which we immediatedly changed trains and arrived in Sienna very late in the afternoon. After the initial difficulty of finding the right bus to the town centre from the train station, we went the wrong way and ended up in a housing estate! - beware on Sundays some ... ...meaning some bustops are not used on certain days, if you're lucky a very kind Italian lady will gesture to you that you are waiting for the bus on the wrong side of the road. Finally reaching the town, my friend and I were gobsmacked for want of a better word at its beauty. A fantastic medieaval city of many meandering streets that glow a fantastic red due to the building materials. All except the duomo that is. A cathedral that can only be desribed ...
SimonJB 19.02.2004 (26.05.2004)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Siena (Italy)
Advantages: Il Palio is unique Disadvantages: None
...am a big fan of Siena and would recommend it to anyone going to Italy. If you can afford to go there during "Il palio", this is the best period. Il Palio is a horse race which happens twice a year in one of the old squares of the town. Each borough of the town competes against the others. These borroughs are called "cONTRADA" and come from the medieval past of the City, when it was very much divided. There is a lot of excitement, people from contradas ...
FRADUC 20.08.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Siena (Italy)
Siena is a small but exquisite Italian city. It is one of the lesser Italian tourist attractions, however, it is easily navigable and locals are friendly.
A must see is the Piazza del Campo - the shell-shaped piazza which is the heart of the city. I have spent many hours sitting out there of an evening or lunchtime watching the world go by. Each July and August it is the location of the Palio - the city's horse race. This is quite an event as every ... ...against the others and it is a great event in the Sienese calendar. The Palio is quite a colourful affair as there is a parade of the contrade who enter a horse into the competition and is a whole day of ceremony and celebration before the relatively short horse race. The Campo is also where little children in all sort of costumes congregate to through confetti and coriandoli at each other during the month of February for carnevale.
Don't miss out ...
penguin_too 16.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Siena (Italy)
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Siena (Italy)"
Advantages: The leather goods and ice cream parlours Disadvantages: Thousands of tourists
~ ~ As any off you who have read my recent opinions are aware, the ‘mad cabbie’ and family spent this year’s summer holiday in the land of my birth, Scotland.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore Scotland, but for a summer break our first choice would still have to be Italy, and more specifically, the Tuscany region, which we visited in both 1999 and 2000.
And one of our favourite small towns in this region is the one I’m going to review here, San Gimignano.
~ ~ San Gimignano is a small medieval hill town surrounded by high stone walls not too far from the major Tuscan city of Siena.
In Italy, they call it ‘San Gimignano della Belle Torre’. (the beautiful towers).
~ ~ It was immortalised in the old Zefferelli film ‘Tea With Mussolini’, and in olden times there were 70 towers ...
Advantages: Clean, comfy, good breakfast Disadvantages: May not be worth paying full price for
I went to Italy to visit my boyfriend, who is on exchange there for a while. On our way to Siena (where we spent most of our time) we decided to spend a night in Florence to see some of the sights. We didn't really put all that much thought into accommodation, we just needed somewhere to stay for a night, and we ended up at the Hotel Alamanni.
OVERVIEW:
The Hotel Alamanni is a three-star hotel located very near to Florence's main train station and about a 15 minute walk from the major tourist attractions. The hotel has 17 guest rooms and 2 suites. There are no business or sporting facilities, but breakfast is provided in the lounge area.
LOCATION:
The hotel is located on the Via Alamanni, a road that runs along the side of the main train station- Santa Maria Novella. The road itself is easy enough to find, but ...
Advantages: Some interesting oddities on sale. Disadvantages: Often cold/wet, long street hard for people that get tired or cannot walk too far.
Tuscan markets earlier this year in Florence and Siena, I am left in no doubt that the cold winter weather in west London is no match for the sun-drenched piazzas in Italy. The food isn’t as good either.
I went there expecting to find good, expensive antiques and some cheap designer clothing. I was largely disappointed. Amongst the throng of the crowds there were some good deals but no absolute bargains. In addition, there was a feeling about the place that wasn’t completely fantastic: from Americans shouting (can’t they speak quietly?) to each other to the generators powering the fast food stands.
In summary, the walk wasn’t unpleasant, but I cannot see why the market is any different to those elsewhere – it doesn’t compare in quality to those in Italy nor in size to the night markets in Kowloon ...
![Global Treasures Siena Tuscany, Italy [DVD] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/83348508.jpg "Global Treasures Siena Tuscany, Italy [DVD] [NTSC]")
