Italy: Siena

Siena's Piazza del Campo

Sometimes a town is a color.

The UNESCO designated hill town of Siena lent its name to the color “sienna.”  One step inside the walls, there’s little question why.  The city’s brick faced buildings share a distinctive burnt orange color.

Siena is one of the larger Tuscan hill towns.  Its 17 contrada or districts cover a much larger area than San Gimignano.  The town has a more modern feel yet still retains its historic layout.  Siena feels like something more than a tourist town.  Blending of the old and the new is something that Siena manages particularly well.

I could go on about Siena, but I won’t.  This time I’ll let the pictures do the talking.  For more, you’ll just have to visit it yourself.

Piazza del Campo

Inside Siena's Duomo

Inside the courtyard of Siena's Palazzo Pubblico or town hall

More inside Siena's Duomo (HDR)

The sketchy part of the tourist crowds