Mapping SIENA

If you happen to spend the longest day of the year in Siena, you're in the right town for some special events. Two recently born festivals celebrate summer solstice in the city of the Palio.  Siena's cathedral and the adjacent museum will stay open until midnight f or the third edition of 'Lux in Nocte' . Various concerts will take place in the baptistery, crypt and Piccolomini library inside the cathedral and the OPA museum.  SIENA CATHEDRAL - LUX IN NOCTE:  Saturday, June 21 2014  Events are included in the ticket price (11€).  To get a panorama view of Siena by night book the fabulous  Gate to Heaven tour  (30€) or climb up on the Facciatone (12€ on booking).  For bookings and more info click through to the Opera Duomo website .  As part of Tuscany's ' Arcobaleno d'Estate ' festival, the June solstice will also be celebrated in piazza del Campo with a special guided tour that takes visitors to the hidden rooms of the Civic...

Siena may not have a gay pride yet, but its first Bio Pride is a step into the right direction. At least if you agree that organic wine and food are the way forward. L'AIAB (Italy's association of organic producers) together with farmers and vineyards from  central Tuscany have initiated the Bio-Distretto. The idea behind these  organic districts is to move beyond the boundaries of a single organic producer and turn whole areas into production zones which follow the tenets of  sustainable and pesticide-free  agriculture.  The Bio Pride in G aiole in Chianti will showcase the majority of  wineries and farms involved in  the organic districts of San Gimignano, Gai ole and  Panzano /Greve in Chianti.  If you want to visit several vineyards in one,  explore the hills to the north of Siena (the historic Chianti Classico area) and stop in Gaiole in Chianti. Gr ab a glass and taste  your way through Tuscan wines which hail from...

The 10 contrade (neighborhoods) which are participating in Siena's Palio horse race on the second of July 2014 are:  Giraffa (giraffe) Chicciola (snail) Drago (dragon)  Tartuca (turtle) Selva (forest) Bruco (caterpillar) Aquila (eagle) Lupa (she-wolf) Pantera (pantheress) Onda (wave) Siena has a total of 17 neighborhoods out of which 10 can run in each Palio.  The seven contrade which couldn't participate in the July Palio in 2013 were already designated to run the July race in 2014. To make up the number ten three more contrade have been drawn a couple of weeks ago from the ones which had participated in the July race in 2013.  Two Palio are run each year, the Palio di Provenzano on July 2 and the Palio dell'Assunta on August 16.  For more info about Siena's neighborhoods, the history behind the Palio and the timing of its trial races on piazza del Campo read What is the Palio di Siena .

A visit to one of Siena's 17 contrada museums normally asks for a little preparation. The neighborhoods in Siena's historic town center are happy to open their doors to visitors, but you need to call beforehand to arrange an appointment (as an alternative book a Palio tour with an experienced  Siena guide , who will take care of the nitty gritty bits on your behalf). However, on the national holiday of the 2nd of June all Contrada museums are open to the public and you won't need a reservation to admire countless proudly won Palios in one single day. La Festa della Repubblica  is Italy's National Day, which celebrates the vote after the second world war in which Italy's population decided to become a republic and to cut the country's tie with the monarchy. Whilst the vote is commemorated with a lengthy military parade in Rome, Siena turns the event into la Repubblica dei Musei.  I definitely prefer the latter option. A republic is only as strong as its sin...

Planning to dine in style or just thinking of a panino on piazza del Campo? There is great food in Siena for every budget. Try the Tuscan delicacies prepared  with fresh local  ingredients by nice people in great locations and splash out on the wine list. SIENA'S BEST RESTAURANTS - Tuscan fine dine Tre Cristi Siena's oldest restaurant is also one of its best. Founded in 1830, restaurant Tre Cristi has kept its beautifully frescoed interiors but applies a light contemporary approach to ( otherwise often heavy)  Tuscan cooking. Some of the best seafood in town, Tre Cristi is also happy to cater to vegetarians .  Closed on Sundays. Vicolo Provenzano 1/7. Phone: +39 0577 280608 Email: info@trecristi.com Osteria Le Logge Even though Le Logge holds on to the osteria in its name, the restaurant off piazza del Campo in Siena's former ghetto is far from simple. Its elgeant location and refined makes of it one of  the most famous restaurants in Siena (...

How did they do it, is what I most often wonder when looking at one of the masterpieces of the Sienese school of painting. Endless patience must have been needed to spend days or weeks on the tiniest detail on the dress of a saint or the woolen blanket of a pilgrim.   Siena's museum night is a good moment to find out how Siena's medieval workshops approached the chore. The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena (home to the biggest collection of Sienese paintings in the world) will be open from 8 pm till midnight and a specialist will present an introduction to the elaborate painting technique in use in Siena from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.  MUSEUM NIGHT IN SIENA: Saturday May 17, 2014 Pincacoteca Nazionale , Via di San Pietro, 29  8 pm to midnight,  9.30 pm presentation of painting technique Entrance 1 Euro per person.  Siena's synagogue (via Salicotto near piazza del Campo) and the Santa Maria della Scala museum in piazza del Duomo will...

Ever so often I admire a beautiful facade of a church in Siena wondering what's behind it. And then it's impossible to find out since many churches open up for mass only, which take s place once or  twice a week or none at all. And obviously, you're not supposed to do your sightseeing and wandering art watching during prayer time.  Exploring Siena off-the-beaten-path: Sant'Agostino church 

Not only Giorgio Strehler in Milan had his Piccolo Teatro. A creative baroness in Siena ordered her very own small theater in one of the city's prestigious 18th century palazzi. Normally closed to the pubblic, Palazzo Sergardi opens its doors to the general public as part of the Invasioni Digitali 2014.  Entrance is for free and everybody is invited to discover one of Siena's hidden sights with camera in hand. In line with the spirit of a digital invasion ( invasione digitale)  you're invited to take as many photos of palazzo Sergardi as you like . Use the following hashtags when sharing your Siena pics on social media: #invasionisiena #invasionidigitali #2019SI #igerssiena SIENA - DIGITAL INVASION 2014 Saturday May 3, 2014 from 10 am to 1 pm  Palazzo Sergardi, via dei Montanini 118 Enjoyed the event? Find out more about this young cultural grassroot movement and check out the dates of the digital invasions in the Val d'Orcia . 

Siena sports some of the most photographed sights in the world and you won't need a map to find them. But apart of piazza del Campo and the famous cathedral you'll be able to hunt down  countless lesser known  churches, museums and sunset spots which are off  the main tourist track. BEST PANORAMA VIEWS OF SIENA A nice sight in its own right, the walls of Siena's Medici fortress are also a great location for panorama shots which include the  San Domenico church, the cathedral and a big slice of Siena. For a close-up of the same panorama walk on to the rear side of  the  San Domenico  church, which is  de dicated to  Saint Catherine . Even without a fancy wide angle you'll be able to pack the cathedral its never finished extension and Torre del Mangia into one pick. 

Considering how much Italy's image is linked to its 20th century icons (from Sophia Loren, Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni to Vespa and Fiat 500), it always surprises me how difficult it is to find a decent vintage store.  Gucci and Fendi outlets may be thriving in Tuscany, but  y ou're better off in London or Zurich, if you're after  a dress Gina Lollobrigida or Eleonora Duse could have worn.  Whether baby clothes or evening gowns, the majority of Italians prefer new to second hand, and whilst antique furniture markets are a monthly staple of many a Tuscan town, garage sales and vintage stores have never really gotten off the ground in this country.    In Siena Aloe & Wolf is an exemption to the rule. The vintage shop in via Porrione has become a well loved staple in town and has every reason to celebrate its successful 10th year in business (yes, Kate Moss stopped and shopped here too).  SWINGING ON PORRIONE: SATURDAY 5th of APRI...