A Day Trip to Siena

Whenever I go to Florence, I somehow end up in Siena. For one, it's super easy to take a day trip from Florence since it's only about an hour away. Two, the buses leave frequently to and from so if you miss a bus, there's always another one not too far behind. Three, the bus stations for both Florence and Siena are within the city, so no other transportation is required unlike some other smaller cities in Tuscany where a taxi would be required once you get off the bus or train.

But really, I love visiting Siena since this medieval city in Tuscany never seems to change.

First stop after getting off the bus from Florence was to Pizzeria Poppi where you can get a square slice for a quick bite to eat. There's no seating and it's tiny inside, so it's best to eat as you walk.

The first time I had this pizza, I found it by walking towards a large group of people who were waiting for fresh pies to come out of the oven. It was delicious, but this time, it wasn't straight out of the oven so it wasn't as good as I remembered.

With pizza in hand and taking bites along the way, we got to the historical center of Siena, the Piazza del Campo, which was less than two minutes from the pizzeria.

The Piazza del Campo is famous for their horse race that's held twice a year called The Palio of Siena. At the piazza is the Palazzo Pubblico building which has the Torre del Mangia bell tower that you can climb to get 360 degree view of Siena. I went up the 500 steps the very first time I visited but I had another set of step to climb in mind, so I skipped this one.

There's always time for a little gelato.

Part of the reason I love Siena so much (same goes for Venice), is there are little to no cars. You walk everywhere and the streets are just for pedestrians. It's rare to see a car driving down the street.

At the highest point of Siena sits the Duomo. In order to see an interiors of the cathedral or the surrounding buildings like the museum and crypt, tickets need to be purchased. I got the all inclusive ticket which gets you into everything. (Well, almost everything. The Gate of Heaven isn't included.) There's so much to see that it's easy to spend hours here.

Oh, the Duomo. The interior is striking.

If you love graphic stripes, this is the place to be. Every single column is this black and white marble. Gorgeous. One year, my sister went, unknowingly, in a black and white striped top that had her blending in with the walls. It was pretty comical.

Here we go.

Parallel to the Duomo is a structure that was to be an extension of the cathedral but was never completed. This is the climb I wanted to make. Two levels gets you different vantage points but the most striking is at the very top.

The staircases are narrow and used for going both up and down. It seemed to go on forever.

But then you're awarded with these spectacular sights. Here, looking down at the piazza.

And looking out to the city and beyond.

After getting thoroughly bored of the Duomo, the rest of the day was spent wandering around the streets. We stopped in at shops before heading back to the bus stop to get back to Florence where a dinner reservation was waiting.