My Siena

Siena’s perfectly preserved medieval centre is a tangle of sloping streets that curve around the contours of its hills. The major sights, including the intricately decorated cathedral and grand Palazzo Pubblico (city hall) with its lofty Torre del Mangia, were built during the 13th and 14th centuries, when Siena flourished as a cultural centre and key stop on the Via Francigena pilgrimage route to Rome. The city’s beating heart is its lovely shell-shaped piazza, Il Campo, where the famous Palio bareback horse race takes place twice each summer (on 2 July and 16 August). Far from a dry re-enactment, the Palio is deeply felt; the city’s contrada (‘district’) culture is a way of life and loyalty is