If you are used to big cites, you may find Siena even too small. But as an old saying goes, tall oaks from little acorns grow... and in the case of Siena this is particularly true.

One of UNESCO`s world heritage sites, its historical centre is in fact full of "jewels".
There is Piazza del Campo, which twice a year becomes the town`s "centre of gravity". The Palazzo Pubblico (or Town Hall, hosting frescoes by Simone Martini and by Lorenzetti) and the majestic Torre del Mangia are the Piazza`s focal points; the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta - with its black and white marble stripes and the baptismal font by Jacopo della Quercia - and the Libreria Piccolomini - built by order of Pope Pius II - overlook the Piazza as well.

Not far from the heart of the town of the Palio are the Fortezza Medicea and Palazzo Chigi Saracini.
An example of mid-16th century military architecture that was demilitarized and transformed into a garden in the 20th century, the Fortezza Medicea hosts the headquarters of the Enoteca Italiana, an institution that aims at promoting the Italian viniculture.
The 14th-century Palazzo Chigi Saracini hosts the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, an important international centre for advanced musical studies whose list of distinguished students includes such famous musicians as Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado and Riccardo Chailly.

If you are spending your holidays in a farmhouse or you have rented a villa a Siena , you can stroll in the Siena along one of the itineraries you will find in the next few pages.