Siena... A city so colorful, they named a crayon after it!

Piazza del Campo ~ the very center of historic Siena, and
the site of the world famous Palio Horse Race!

 So this is Siena!  More specifically, this is the very center of the historic center of Siena, or what is famously known as The Piazza del Campo...  Most people agree it's the most beautiful town square in all of Italy... There's an energy that you feel in the air in Siena... It must come from from the incredible & magical history of the village... The site was first settled by The Etruscans in 900 BC... Yes that's right 900 BC; over 3000 years ago!

Siena, like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans  (around 900 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called The Saina. The Etruscans were a tribe of advanced people who changed the face of central Italy through their use of irrigation to reclaim previously unfarmable land, and their custom of building their settlements in well-defended hill forts.  That's some amazing history! And the vortex of all this magical energy in the air is right here in it's main town square - Piazza del Campo! It's the center of the village, and the outer perimeter, (the grey area) is where the famous Palio Bare-Back Horse Race takes place... right in the Piazza!

This is The Old World... This is Tuscany... Come with us to Siena and experience Authentic Old World Charm! We'll be spending a whole day in Siena on your upcoming trip...   It was St. Catherine of Siena who wrote: "Chi piu conosce più ama, più amando più gusta..."   The more you know, the more you love, and by loving more, the more you enjoy...  And in our opinion, nothing could be more true...   This is why we try to educate our guests about all the areas we visit before we get there...  Once you have a sense of the incredible history behind the places we'll be going, like Siena, the things you'll learn from Stella, our Tour Guide, will be so much more interesting and amazing... 

According to local legend, modern Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus and thus nephews of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Supposedly after their father's murder by Romulus, they fled Rome, taking with them the statue of the she-wolf suckling the infants (Capitoline Wolf), thus appropriating that symbol for the town.  Additionally they rode white and black horses, giving rise to the Balzana, or coat of arms of Siena with a white band atop a dark band. Some claim the name Siena derives from Senius.  The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuries. Siena is also home to the oldest bank in the world, the Monte dei Paschi bank, which has been operating continuously since 1472 (551 years ago).  This bank was not just the oldest, but one of the largest banks in the world! (for those interested, you can read about the incredible history of this bank here: click here    Siena was one of the most important cities in medieval Europe, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which contains several buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries

Today,  Siena consists of 17 Contrade (these are the 17 neighborhoods, or districts within the city). Each Contrade is represented by a symbol: The Owl, The Goose, The Giraffe, The Snail, The She-Wolf, The Caterpillar, The Dragon, The Tower, etc...  The residents of each contrade are fiercely loyal to their contrade and  many will only marry within their own Contrade!  These districts were originally set up in the Middle Ages in order to supply troops to the many military companies that were hired to defend Siena as it fought to preserve its independence from Florence and other nearby city states. With the passage of centuries, however, the contrade have lost their administrative and military functions and have become areas of localised patriotism. The communities are held together by their histories, and the emotions and deep sense of civic pride of the residents. Their roles have broadened so that in the 21st century, every important event – baptisms, deaths, marriages, church holidays, victories at the Palio, even wine or food festivals – is celebrated with all the resident's within one's own Contrada.

Crayola's most famous crayon is the color of the city!

Every contrada has its own museum, fountain and baptismal font, motto, allied contrada (only Oca and Lupa have no allies) and adversary contrada, typically a neighbor (only four, Bruco, Drago, Giraffa and Selva, have no declared adversaries).

The Contrade of Siena are still fiercely competitive, and it is these 17 Contrade that compete in the famous Palio Horse Race,,,  You'll hear a lot more about this...

But something that's hard for us as Americans to understand is that all of this is not a show put on for Tourism...  These folks live & breathe this everyday...  And they're incredibly serious about it... Once during a one of our Tours, our Tour Guide Stella, who is from The Torre contrade (The Tower), actually turned her back to us to hide from being seen in an adversary Contrade neighborhood...

You'll get a much better understanding of all of this when we get to Siena!  And for any of you who really aren't big history fans, suffice it say that Siena is a shopper's paradise!  The city is one of the very most visited in all of Italy, so as you might imagine, there are just tons of artisan shops & galleries!

Our Tours are designed to deeply immerse you into the magic of our local culture, and to have fun while it's happening!  Truly unique, authentic & immersive escorted & guided experiential Adventure expeditions to Tuscany... We've got a little surprise planned for you in Siena... An experience we're sure you'll remember for the rest of your life!  You'll meet and interact with local Tuscan people, while you live in our Grand Wine Estate Villa... This is so much more than just sight-seeing...  It's a truly magical Adventure!

still a very favorite of ours after over 50 years! While we all know A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, many people don't know that Loggins wrote this song as a 17 year old about his sadness & overwhelm about graduating from high school and leaving his friends... give it a listen with a new set of ears...