Archive for 'Siena'

Tuscany is very famous for its scenic hilly landscape; its countryside is mostly made up of mini hills and winding roads that will lead you on a gentle roller-coaster through pretty Tuscan towns and villages like Buonconvento and Rapolano Terme.

Stay in a superb Siena vacation rental where you can see the best of what this province has to offer, including its UNESCO awarded historical capital.

The area of Crete Senesi in Siena province translates as ‘Senese clays’ because of the distinctive grey colour of the soil here. In the fading light of evening as the sky turns dark, the landscape takes on an eerily beautiful lunar appearance.

This grey clay like soil is a remainder of the ancient Pliocene sea which existed here between 2.5 and 4.5 million years ago.

Siena is one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Tuscany; especially its UNESCO awarded historical centre. This exciting city is filled with a wonderful collection of interesting museums, fine old buildings, art galleries, artistic monuments and much more!

Taste the exquisite local cuisine while you’re passing through; savour delicious sweet treats along with a cup of strong coffee to refresh after a morning of delightful tourist explorations! Stay in a comfortable vacation villa in Siena, either within the confines of the city or the surrounding countryside where you can easily commute in and out for the day.

Between the months of March and December, tourists can experience a wonderful vintage train ride through the heart of Tuscany! This old fashioned steam train will travel at a perfect pace to allow you the opportunity to see the gently rolling hills and breathtaking scenery of the Tuscan countryside!

For those wishing to base their stay close to this exciting adventure trail, there is a wide range of stunning holiday rentals in Siena province where this old railway system travels around.

Come and see the famous ceiling of Siena city’s Cathedral known as "Porta del Cielo", and spend a wonderful few hours exploring one of the most decorated religious buildings in the world! This magnificent ceiling is a breathtaking spectacle and demonstrates beautifully the artistic talents of those who constructed and adorned it in the 13th century. Within the city and further out in the pretty Tuscany countryside are many apartments, holiday villas and rental accommodation available to stay in that are close to this popular tourist attraction.

After many years of intense renovations, this majestic cathedral is now open for the public to tour around its grand vaults.

Visitors can enjoy climbing the tall spiral staircase within the two huge towers built on each side of the front of the building and see a spectacular view of the city of Siena from the roof. From the grand roof of Siena’s Duomo, the visitor will see great views of the Basilica of St. Domenico, the Medici Fortress, the dome of the chapel of St. John the Baptist and glimpses of the rich Tuscan hilly landscape in the distance.

One of the most famous Italian Palio events is the Palio di Siena held in the city of Siena in the central Tuscany region. To celebrate their historic Palio event, the people of Siena stage a famous horse race twice a year; one on the 2nd of July and one on the 16th August. There is a great selection of luxury holiday villas and simple vacation rentals located close to the city where you can easily commute to witness this spectacular event. The participants in this exciting race are horses and jockeys representing their ‘contrada’ or region of the city of Siena. The competition and rivalry between the contrade is fierce and attracts thousands of city supporters and tourists every year. There are seventeen contrade in total but only ten are allowed to race on each date for safety reasons. The ten that are chosen to race in one Palio are then replaced in the following one by the seven that didn’t race plus three that will be chosen by drawing lots between the other ten. The months leading up to the Palio di Siena is filled with choosing the best ten horses to race and the jockeys to ride them as well as organising the smaller events that will be held in each contrada in the days leading up to the main event. The race is preceded with a group of the national military police or ‘carabinieri’ on horseback wielding their swords as they demonstrate a mounted charge twice around the track. As they exit, a pageant enters the Piazza which includes flag wavers, and trumpeters marching around the track to signal the beginning of another thrilling year of racing rivalry!