About this experience
The inscription on the city gates reads: "Siena opens its heart to you, which is larger than these gates" - that's how friendly the city welcomes its guests. During the excursion, you will explore the unique architecture and immerse yourself in the special atmosphere of Siena, which is preserved thanks to the locals who zealously guard their centuries-old traditions. You will learn interesting facts about the city - where the residents gather and what they do in their free time, where children are baptized, how the mentality of the Sienese differs from the mentality of the inhabitants of "hostile" Florence, what a Palio is, what color clothing to choose for a walk in the city, and much more!
What to expect
Places related to the life of the patroness of Italy
Basilica of St. Dominic and the house-sanctuary of St. Catherine of Siena - two main places where Catherine was born and prayed - the patroness of Italy and the European Union. The small and fragile Catherine brought Pope Gregory XI back from Avignon captivity to the throne of St. Peter in Rome. Here are also kept the relics of the Sienese saint, highly revered by Catholics around the world.
Iconic squares of Siena
You will stroll through Salimbeni Square, surrounded by three magnificent ancient palaces, which today house the administrative offices of one of the oldest banks in the world "Monte dei Paschi di Siena". In the center of Tolomei Square, you will see a column with a she-wolf - it closely resembles the Roman one, but this she-wolf is purely Sienese and she feeds not Romulus and Remus, but Askio and Senyo. Only the Sienese know the truth about this legend, but after the excursion, you will know it too. You will also visit the pulsating heart of the city - Piazza del Campo. The extraordinarily beautiful square shaped like an open shell, with a fountain of joy, elegant palazzos of the Sienese nobility and the town hall, will open up before your eyes quite unexpectedly. Every year, on July 2nd and August 16th, the famous horse races take place here.
World of Art
I will show you the Palazzo Chigi Saracini - a museum and music academy founded in 1932 in the home of Count Guido Chigi Saracini, where master classes are still held by leading world musicians, including Casals, Rubinstein, Prokofiev, Segovia, Jacques Thibaud, Milstein, Yuri Bashmet, and others. In the museum of musical instruments, you will see a Stradivarius cello from 1682, the oldest harpsichord in the world, once owned by Pope Leo X Medici, and Franz Liszt's piano. And the cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as a world masterpiece and visited as a museum, will introduce you to the works of art by the greatest Italian masters: Michelangelo, Raphael, Lorenzo Bernini, Donatello, Pinturicchio.
City Structure
During the excursion, you will learn about the districts and so-called contradas into which the city is divided. Each contrada is a little state with its own government, captain, treasurer, priest, heraldry, and symbolic animal, each of which exhibits its horse and jockey twice a year at the Palio races. They prepare for this event all year round!
Culinary traditions
Sienese sweets are a separate pleasure and an indispensable part of getting to know the city. You will taste panforte (a strong bread) and panpepato (bread with pepper) - a large cake or gingerbread with the taste of almonds, hazelnuts, candied fruits, cinnamon, and honey; white almond biscuits ricciarelli; cavallucci with cardamom and anise; and also try cantucci with dessert wine - vin santo (holy wine).
Organizational Details
- This is a walking tour of the city with stops for tasting and photo breaks
- If you wish to visit museums and galleries, entrance tickets are paid separately: Cathedral - 5 €; OPA SI PASS - 15 €; Acropolis Pass - 25 €; Palazzo Publico - 9 €; Town Hall Tower - 8 €; Chigi Music Academy - 7 €
- On Sundays, the cathedral opens at 13:30
