Siena

In scenic hill country just 55 kilometres south of Florence this picturesque well-preserved medieval town lies in the right in the middle of the Tuscany wine region. 

Siena was founded by the Etruscans and became a Roman colony known as Saena Julia. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries it flourished as one of the major cities of Europe, growing rich from banking and the wool trade. 

The fourteenth century saw a great amount of building; the Duomo, Palazzo Pubblico and the Campo were all begun then, but in 1348 the Black Death struck and this, together with subsequent political upheaval, saw the beginning of a drastic downturn in Siena's fortunes.

The city became little more than a rural market centre, and, as with San Gimignano, it was the growth of tourism that saw a return to wealth and prominence. Indeed, it was exactly this marked decline that accounts for the incredible state of mediaeval preservation that Siena exhibits today.

Siena is built across a range of small hills, a unique position which gives it a pleasant atmosphere of being a collection of smaller towns. Since the thirteenth century it has been divided into three terzi, arranged around the splendid Campo. These terzi are in turn subdivided into contrade, seventeen in all, which play a hugely important role in the life of the city. Loyalty to one's contrada is total, and the rivalry between the districts reaches fever-pitch in the run up to Siena's famous horserace, the Palio, held in July and August

Because Siena is built across several hills and valleys, and much of it is pedestrianised (or what passes for it here), there is a fair bit of up and down walking involved in seeing the sights. However, the lack of traffic makes it a wonderful place to wander - even when packed with tourists it feels pretty quiet and easygoing. From the Campo it is fairly easy to get your bearings. This spectacular shell-shaped space is the focal point of the city, the meeting place and the market place as well as being the venue for the Palio. The 'shell' is divided into nine segments, alluding to the Council of Nine who ruled the city in its heyday, and is surrounded with buildings of great beauty.