SIENA
OVERVIEW OF SIENA
Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany and is about a 20-minute drive from our venue. It is a quintessential Medieval town with a lively atmosphere, beautiful views, great food & wine, and some stunning art! While maintaining its small-town feel, it’s got a lot to offer. According to Rick Steves, Siena “qualifies as Italy’s ultimate ‘hill town,’” and we agree.
SOME THINGS TO KNOW
Siena is hilly but very walkable. Its main sites and restaurants are all within about a 15-minute walk from each other.
As mentioned in other sections, Siena is primarily pedestrian. This has its pros and cons, but overall, it’s a pro. However, that means YOU ARE REQUIRED to park outside of the city center. Our preferred parking lot is the Stadio lot, which requires just a short climb up about a dozen (steep) steps to get to the city center. A good breakdown of available parking options can be found here.
Siena's main piazza is called Il Campo (the field) and is a common gathering place for locals and visitors alike.
Siena is a University town (home to the University of Siena) and students make up a big part of the culture & population.
Siena is most renowned for its horse race, the Palio, which takes place twice a year and during which 10 of Siena’s 17 neighborhoods compete fiercely for the coveted victory. Siena’s neighborhoods are another defining characteristic of the City, with each having its own flag and symbols (most are animals). You can often find the symbol of the neighborhood you’re in on small placards at the intersections of Siena’s streets.
Siena’s gothic cathedral comes close to rivaling Florence’s famed Duomo – it’s a site to be seen with lots of great art within!
Ristorante Bagoga:
La Taverna di San Giuseppe:
L’Osteria dei Rossi:
Osteria Babazuf:
Osteria La Sosta di Violante:
Osteria da Trombiche:
There are (obviously!) a lot of other places that we haven’t visited but heard great things about, including Osteria le Logge, Tre Cristi Enoteca, L’Oro di Siena, and Gallo Nero. The only place we’ve been and do not recommend is Particolare di Siena (despite its Michelin review – also it's close to basically nothing).
OTHER SPOTS TO GRAB FOOD
WHERE TO DINE
We hope you’ll have the chance to check out some of the local flavors while you’re here. Our favorite restaurants in Siena are below. Note: you almost always need a reservation in Italy. Calling 1-2 days in advance (while inconvenient) is generally your best bet.
Siena Agricultural Consortium
This is a shop we truly love. From all the meats and cheese your heart could desire, to freshly baked breads, to local wines and artisan products, this little market has it all. Highly recommend stopping by to stock your fridge with some goodies to either eat here (picnic, make a lunch, light dinner, etc.) or to bring home!
Pasticceria Nannini
Siena’s most famous bakery/pastry shop!
Grom
A (chain) Gelato shop but (in our experience) probably our favorite in Siena
PARKING
As mentioned in other sections, Siena is primarily pedestrian. This has its pros and cons, but overall, it’s a pro. However, that means YOU ARE REQUIRED to park outside of the city center. Our preferred parking lot is the Stadio lot, which requires just a short climb up about a dozen (steep) steps to get to the city center. A good breakdown of available parking options can be found here: https://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/tourist-info/parking-lots-in-siena.html
WHERE TO WINE
Now to what we’re all here for… the wine! It goes without saying that Italy has amazing wines and one of the great joys of visiting Italy is the opportunity to taste them! Tenuta Monaciano is in the heart of the Chianti Classico region and in fact, produces its own Chianti Classico wine! Siena is also situated close to the region that produces Brunello/Rosso di Montalcino. And, lest our white wine lovers fear of missing out, San Gimignano, which produces the famous Vernaccia di San Gimignano is also just a short drive away! Interested in wine tours? You’re in luck! My cousin’s company has several options you can find more about here: https://www.clamtoursitaly.com/florence-classic. Hit us up for the family & friends discount!
If you read nothing else: booking ahead is a MUST when doing vineyard visits. While some will allow you to drop by their tasting rooms without a reservation if you want a tour you absolutely need to call ahead.
CHIANTI
The Chiantigiana or SR 222 is a road that takes you around the entire Chianti area, from Florence to Siena. Starring Florence you pass through Greve in Chianti, Panzano, Castellina, Radda, Gaiole and you end in Siena for a total length of 69 kilometres.
Towns to look for: While not especially exciting, Greve in Chianti has a lot of good wineries surrounding it, but you will also find a number of vineyards up and down SR 222.
Vineyards to visit:
Tenuta Monaciano – we’re working to set up a tasting & tour. Stay tuned!
Castello di Verrazzano: https://www.verrazzano.com/en/
Viticcio: https://www.viticcio.com/
Antinori: https://www.antinori.it/en/tenuta/estates-antinori/antinori-nel-chianti-classico-estate/
BRUNELLO
Towns to look for: Montalcino is the heart of the Brunello region. The town center has great views, a nice fort that you can climb up to, and some good wine cellars/restaurants. Not a bad place to stop!
Vineyards to visit:
Castiglion del Bosco: https://wine.castigliondelbosco.com/?lang=en
VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO
Towns to look for: Montepulciano is both the home to this stellar red wine and is another classic, charming medieval hill town.
Vineyards to visit:
Avignonesi: https://www.avignonesi.it/
VERNACCIA
Towns to look for: The town of San Gimignano is the home to Vernaccia. Even if you’re not in search of white wine though, this is a nice (albeit fairly touristy) small Tuscan medieval town to drop by.
Vineyards to visit:
Montenidoli: https://www.montenidoli.com/