Italy. Part 2. Siena and Florence. October, 2023

Siena is a charming medieval town in the Italian region of Tuscany. It was such a pleasure to wander through its narrow streets, enjoy a pizza at a café with outdoor seating, end the day with a cappuccino in the main square, and even receive an award for Photograph of the Year in a beautiful historic palace

After Siena, we continued on to Florence

Florence is the capital of Tuscany and one of Italy’s greatest treasures. They say that from April to October, Florence welcomes more tourists than it has local residents. And we were happy to do our part in contributing to that interesting statistic

You can find the beginning of our Italian adventure in Rome here

Day 4. Siena and the Award Ceremony

We take an intercity bus from Rome, and 2.5 hours later arrive at the Siena bus station. From there, we grab a taxi, and about 15 minutes later enter Siena’s historic center.

We immediately feel as if we’ve stepped into a fairy tale. Stone-paved streets, narrow alleyways, countless cafés and little shops, no real roads, and pedestrians who seem completely unfazed by the occasional car. Our taxi driver definitely had his work cut out for him

Our hotel was located right in the heart of the historic center. We had the whole day ahead of us, so we dropped off our bags and headed out to enjoy the city :)

Almost immediately, we found ourselves in Siena’s main square — Piazza del Campo. The square slopes gently toward the center and is shaped like a seashell. Eleven of the city’s main streets radiate out from it like spokes.

Piazza del Campo is best known for the Palio, the famous horse race held here every year. Seventeen teams compete in the event, representing the city's seventeen contrade, or historic districts

The most important buildings in Siena face directly onto Piazza del Campo. One of them is the Palazzo Pubblico, the Town Hall, built in the 13th century! Later that evening, we would return here for the gala awards ceremony.

Attached to the palace is the Torre del Mangia (Tower of the Eater). Built in the 14th century, it is the tallest historic tower in Tuscany, standing 102 meters high. The tower takes its name from its first bell-ringer and caretaker, who was famous for his enormous appetite and habit of spending his earnings on food

This is the Fonte Gaia (Fountain of Joy). In the Middle Ages, the fountain served as a source of fresh water supplying the entire city. Around its perimeter are marble figures of animals from which the water flows. These are replicas of the medieval originals. Over time, the marble began to deteriorate, and the original sculptures were moved to a museum.

It’s time for lunch. We settled right in the main square

Prices here are a bit higher, but the atmosphere makes it all worth it! 

By the way, people sit in the square both during the day and at night. At first, we thought they were waiting for some kind of performance. But then we realized it’s simply a tradition 

Now it’s time to wander through the small, cozy streets and pop into charming little shops. It’s just so beautiful here! 

We arrive at another major landmark of the city — the Duomo (Duomo di Siena). A striking and incredibly beautiful cathedral 

After buying tickets, you can enter the cathedral and climb up to the viewing platform, but we didn’t have time for that. We had to get ready for the gala ceremony.

And here we are, all dressed up. Very soon we’ll be stepping into the hal

We’re ready, and my husband has already been taken backstage 

So, it’s the annual awards ceremony for the Siena Awards international photography competition, and my husband has received a well-deserved award. I’ll show the winning photograph a little later, and for now we’re heading to a gala dinner, where we’ll get to try a variety of Italian dishes 

It’s already very late, but the streets of Siena are still full of life and celebration. We really didn’t want this day to end. We head back to the main square 

We sit down at a café and are very surprised when they bring us a pizza we didn’t order. By that point, we couldn’t even look at pizza anymore :) It turned out to be a complimentary treat from the restaurant for all the late-night guests who were still enjoying the evening 

Day 5. The Gallery

In the morning, we visited a gallery where, among the most beautiful winning photographs, were my husband’s images as well

And then we stopped by the famous bakery — Nannini 

On the last photo — the most popular almond cookies that every tourist should try 

Well, it’s time for us to hit the road again. This time, a high-speed train took us to Florence 

In Florence, we checked into an Airbnb apartment right in the city center. By the way, the very center is only about a 15-minute walk from the train station, but with suitcases it’s still more convenient to take a taxi. The apartment was spacious, although it was on the 5th floor with no elevator 

In the kitchen, we noticed an advertisement for free walking tours. The concept of “free tours” is quite popular in tourist cities. Competition among tour companies is high, and it’s not easy to attract clients — but anything labeled “free” naturally draws a big crowd. At the end of the tour, it is customary to leave tips, which ultimately provides guides with a decent income.

I would definitely recommend the tour company Florence Free Tour Tale. Tours run twice a day, every day, in English or Spanish. We chose the Renaissance & Medici Tales tour. By the way, I highly recommend watching the Medici series before visiting Florence — it makes the city come alive in a completely different way.

The tour was so interesting that I barely had time to take photos. But that’s okay — we planned to return to all the most fascinating places the next day. For now, it was time for a quick bite. We’re not big meat eaters, so we chose a place famous for its panini. It’s said to serve some of the best panini in the world — and honestly, they were incredible, with fillings for every taste

It was already dark. Time for us to rest, because tomorrow we had a very packed itinerary ahead 

Day 6

We head out to the main square and arrive at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The square is home to the city’s most famous landmarks.

We had заранее booked the Brunelleschi Pass, which allowed us to visit the Cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery, the Basilica and Museum, as well as climb the Dome of the Duomo. The tickets were valid for three days, but the climb to the Dome could only be done once, at a pre-booked time

So, the dome of the Duomo was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in the 15th century. For its time, it was completely innovative. Even today, it remains the tallest brick dome in the world.

Brunelleschi built it without traditional scaffolding. Along the way, he invented a number of machines to lift building materials, and the key idea was that the dome would be double-layered, with inner and outer shells — a self-supporting system.

Originally, the interior of the dome was meant to be decorated with mosaics, but the Church was going through difficult times financially, so instead it was simply painted, as this was much cheaper. The subject of the fresco is the Last Judgment

To the top of the dome lead 463 narrow steps. And once we reached the top, a breathtaking view opened up before us

Inside, the cathedral wasn’t particularly remarkable, as it was originally built for ordinary people. But on the outside, it is extraordinarily beautiful, clad in white, pink, and green marble 

Right on the square, there is delicious gelato 

We stroll through the narrow streets of Florence and arrive at a very interesting place 

It’s a workshop and shop where Florentine mosaic art is made from precious stones. On site, you can watch the artisans at work 

It’s time for lunch. We head to the central market, Mercato Centrale. On the way, there are plenty of stalls selling leather goods, as well as the famous Florentine boar. According to tradition, you’re supposed to rub its snout and drop a coin into it 

Inside, there is food for every taste. Meat is being grilled, cheeses are being sliced, and your eyes are overwhelmed by the variety and vibrant colors everywhere 

Now we’re heading to a very beautiful place — the Medici Chapels. The chapel serves as the burial place of the Florentine dynasty. All members of the House of Medici are buried here.

The chapel is extraordinarily beautiful. Inside, it feels like a precious jewelry box

We also visited the Baptistery, but it was under renovation, so there were scaffolding structures inside. The Baptistery was built in the 5th century! Special attention should be paid to its famous golden doors.

The ten gilded panels (replicas) depict scenes from the New Testament, created by Lorenzo Ghiberti

We walk to Piazza della Signoria. It’s a beautiful square filled with sculptures, including Neptune and David 

David (Michelangelo’s work) on the square is a replica, while the original can be seen in the nearby Academia Gallery. There is a drinking water fountain on the square, as well as the only sparkling water fountain in the city.

If you’re facing Neptune’s backside, the fountain is on the left

And now we head to Florence’s most famous bridge — the Ponte Vecchio 

This medieval bridge over the Arno River is also known as the “Bridge of Jewellers.” In ancient times, it was lined with butcher shops, but today those old stalls have been replaced by numerous jewelry stores. Late in the evening, the bridge looks especially beautiful 

Street artists 

And right near our apartment there was this little shop selling hand-painted ceramics 

Day 7

Today we’re heading back toward the bridge again. We pass through Piazza della Signoria and come across the horses having their breakfast. We walk past some delicious cafés — and the size of the panini is truly impressive

Time to try some cannoli 

And across the street was a Pinocchio shop. The owner turned out to be quite grumpy and was very concerned that we had walked in with cups of cappuccino 

The gardens also offer beautiful views of the city and of the Pitti Palace

We leave the gardens and head to a popular pizzeria. There was a very long line at the entrance. We ordered a pizza with burrata and truffles to go and ate it nearby. It was absolutely delicious! 

Time to burn off some calories. We had already climbed the Duomo, but not Giotto’s Bell Tower yet :) Ahead of us were 414 steps. We planned our timing so that we would reach the top of the bell tower at sunset. And it was absolutely worth it

Pizza and pasta had started to wear on us a bit. We found a seafood restaurant called Fishing Lab not far from our apartment. It was a beautiful place with excellent food (*this restaurant has since closed) 

We stroll through the evening city and stop by the oldest gelateria in Florence. The gelato there turned out to be overly sweet 

Day 8

In the morning, another train was waiting for us. We were heading back to Rome to spend one last night there before flying home to Toronto. Arrivederci, Italy! 🇮🇹