Sienna

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
3
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
10
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
5
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
8
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
72 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
132nd/454
Top 30%
continent
Europe
country
Italy
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$50 (typically $10 - $80)
Time of year visited
September
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Bustling restaurants Christian site Old town
All Tags
Art Towers UNESCO world heritage site Vineyards
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Of the stunning Tuscan cities, Florence, Lucca and Pisa are wow but are relatively formal / modern / a little commercialised (especially Florence),  whereas Sienna was my favourite as it had such a higgledy piggledy, older vibe to it.  Roads going in all directions across the 17 flag-drenched historical districts (Contrades) with just a generally more medieval feel (the reason is that plague hit Sienna which led to Florence winning their war and the collapse / evacuation of Sienna ultimately very few modernising works done, hence the city is so well preserved), and, of course, the wow Piazza del Campo (God knows what it must be like during the bi-annual horse race, it must be insane).  Don’t miss Sienna from a Tuscany itinerary, it is the 🌟

 

Table of Contents

Top 10 Sienna Highlights

Sienna - #1 The Piazza del Campo - stunning (what an incredible experience it must be to be there for the horse racing)

#1 The Piazza del Campo - stunning (what an incredible experience it must be to be there for the horse racing)

Sienna - #2 The interior grandure of Duomo di Siena

#2 The interior grandure of Duomo di Siena

Sienna - #3 Getting lost in Sienna's higgledy piggledy lanes and wandering zig zag through its 17 historical districts called Contrade, each with their own proud flags and symbols

#3 Getting lost in Sienna's higgledy piggledy lanes and wandering zig zag through its 17 historical districts called Contrade, each with their own proud flags and symbols

Sienna - #4 The mosaics within Duomo di Siena - mesmerising, even for those who can get bored of churches

#4 The mosaics within Duomo di Siena - mesmerising, even for those who can get bored of churches

Sienna - #5 The views out across the Tuscany countryside from just about any of the towers in the main towns, in this case from Sienna's Palazzo delle Papesse

#5 The views out across the Tuscany countryside from just about any of the towers in the main towns, in this case from Sienna's Palazzo delle Papesse

Sienna - #6 The little things, like noticing hoops on all the walls for the horses back in the day

#6 The little things, like noticing hoops on all the walls for the horses back in the day

Sienna - #7 Duomo di Siena's spectacular facade

#7 Duomo di Siena's spectacular facade

Sienna - #8 Grabbing the Sienna and Tuscan delicacies in one of the many gorgeous restaurants in one of the many gorgeous small squares

#8 Grabbing the Sienna and Tuscan delicacies in one of the many gorgeous restaurants in one of the many gorgeous small squares

Sienna - #9 Craning your neck by so often looking up at, well . . . ridiculousness

#9 Craning your neck by so often looking up at, well . . . ridiculousness

Sienna - #10 Learning the fascinating history of Sienna - that may well look like the classical founding of Rome statue, but it is Sienna's as they believe Remus's son's founded Sienna

#10 Learning the fascinating history of Sienna - that may well look like the classical founding of Rome statue, but it is Sienna's as they believe Remus's son's founded Sienna

Sienna - EXTRA NEARBY - exploring the surrounding Chianti Wine Country. Tasting world-famous wine with a view across glorious vineyards, in this case the Castello di Brolio

EXTRA NEARBY - exploring the surrounding Chianti Wine Country. Tasting world-famous wine with a view across glorious vineyards, in this case the Castello di Brolio

5 Sienna Travel Tips

 

1. Just sit in the Piazza del Campo – not necessarily in a restaurant, many simply grab and panini and sit in the centre of the square soaking it all in.

 

Sienna - Just sit in the Piazza del Campo - not necessarily in a restaurant, many simply grab and panini and sit in the centre of the square soaking it all in.

 

2. The Duomo (Cathedral) is a must, but pay attention to the ticket situation.  I get churched-out quite quickly, but facade, the paintings and the mosaics on the floor I found mesmerising . . . and the general interior must be one, if not the, most impressive in the world.  Do not miss it.  Tickets can be a bugger though – my main advice is to book early to avoid the crowds and also buy a complete “everything” ticket.  The reason is that, just like Sienna itself, it’s not a simple single entranceway.  You’ve got something like seven separate sections that you need to kind of pay for individually if you don’t get an overall ticket.  For example, I walked up and asked for the €17 ticket that I found only gave me access to 2 places.

 

Sienna - The Duomo (Cathedral) is a must, but pay attention to the ticket situation.  I get churched-out quite quickly, but facade, the paintings and the mosaics on the floor I found mesmerising . . . and the general interior must be one, if not the, most impressive in the world.  Do not miss it.  Tickets can be a bugger though - my main advice is to book early to avoid the crowds and also buy a complete "everything" ticket.  The reason is that, just like Sienna itself, it’s not a simple single entranceway.  You’ve got something like seven separate sections that you need to kind of pay for individually if you don’t get an overall ticket.  For example, I walked up and asked for the €17 ticket that I found only gave me access to 2 places.

 

3. The Siena Horse Race (Palio di Siena) is held on July 2nd and August 16th every year.  Wow it must be such an experience to attend. this, either on a balcony or the scrum in the centre. Even just being in the city for it and the general buzz.  But . . . if that doesn’t appeal to you, adjust your itinerary!

 

4. Interesting historical titbit – Rome’s founding myth is the twins Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf, Romulus killing Remus and founding the city of Rome.  But Sienna was founded by the sons of Remus.  After Romulus killed Remus, they fled Rome and founded a new city — Siena – hence the intense Rome vs Tuscan rivalry before the Roman Empire and, hence, statues similar to the Rome myth across Sienna and why the Wolf is the city’s emblem.  To even further deepen the rivalry, instead of the famous Roman SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus – “the Senate and People of Rome”), Sienna uses SPQS (Senatus Populusque Senensis – “the Senate and People of Siena), deliberately echoing Rome’s motto.

Sienna - Interesting historical titbit - Rome's founding myth is the twins Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf, Romulus killing Remus and founding the city of Rome.  But Sienna was founded by the sons of Remus.  After Romulus killed Remus, they fled Rome and founded a new city — Siena - hence the intense Rome vs Tuscan rivalry before the Roman Empire and, hence, statues similar to the Rome myth across Sienna and why the Wolf is the city's emblem.  To even further deepen the rivalry, instead of the famous Roman SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus – “the Senate and People of Rome”), Sienna uses SPQS (Senatus Populusque Senensis – “the Senate and People of Siena), deliberately echoing Rome’s motto.

 

5. Tuscany more broadly – Sienna is but one spot of many in the mesmerising region of Tuscany.  I’ve written a summary of what to prioritse for 5 days in Tuscany in this entry – Tuscany – Renaissance Towns and Chianti Wine Country.  Have a look for tips.

What a 3 day – 7 day tour of Tuscany could look like. Its only 5 hours of driving, so very manageable if short on time.

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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