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Localita Lecchi, Staggia Senese, Poggibonsi, Tuscany, 53036, Italy
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Happy graduation :-)
The Cathedral by night
View from Piazza del Mercato 2
The loggia is at the heart of the medieval city
I am visiting Siena this coming Saturday or Monday. I would like to know how to get into the historic centre from the train station. Also, is the Duomo open on Mondays.
It would be better if you went by bus, if possible (assuming you c#are coming from Florence?)...it stops right in the historical centre and takes no longer than the train.
Times here under Linea Firenze-Siena:
http://www.sitabus.it/wps/portal/DovePartire_Toscana
But if you must come by train it takes about 20 minutes or so to walkfrom the station. Confusingly, the Siena bus company is called 'Trainspa'. You can find timetables etc here:
http://www.trainspa.it
or possibly here if the link works (it's a pdf):
http://www.trainspa.it/2009/urbano_si.pdf?v=2009
I believe buses 3, 8, 10, 17 and 77 go from the station to Piazza del Sale. You'll need to buy your tickets beforehand, proibably at the station newsagents/tabacchi.
The Duomo is open every day, with different times winter and summer. See this page:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/siena-cathedral-duomo-di-santa-maria.htm
From Siena you have easy access to the best of Tuscany. San Gimigniano, Monteriggioni, Ama, Castellina in Chianti, and Vagliagli are all within an hour's drive from Siena and each has a different feel to it and a different story to tell.
On Elba, we went on the Napoleon trail, but when you are in Siena, why not follow the Dante trail? You may find yourself opposite a Dante inscription all of a sudden. A fragment in Italian from his book the Divine Comedy, it refers to a noble woman from Siena by the name of Sapia ("Sapia fosse chiamata ...")
As a matter of fact, we found the same inscription in two places, and photographed both. One of these is to be found near the entrance of the Accademia Musicale in the Via di Città.
We wouldn't have found these if it hadn't been for the book by Mr. Frans van Dooren, "Met Dante door Italië" that lists dozens of Dante inscriptions all over Italy (ISBN 90-263-1920-7).
To get to/from Siena, you can take the train or bus. For most destinations, the option would be train, though it is more expensive than the bus even though they both normally take the same time to get to Florence. You'll have to take the bus to San Gimignamo, so be aware of your destination. Getting around Siena is fun. From the train station, you'll have to take a 'mini-bus', it's about the size of a pickup truck, and it will wisk you to the town center for a euro. Once in the center, you'll find you can walk everywhere.
Piazza del Campo, in the center of Siena, is Siena's premier public space. The piazza is shell-shaped, symbolically uniting the different levels formed by the conjunction of the three hills on which the city was founded. The Piazza del Campo is one of Europe's greatest medieval squares, still able to accomodate at one time the city's entire adult population. Aside from the Palazzo Pubblico and the palazzi signorili it contains the Torre del Mangia.
My favourite thing in Piazza del Campo is the Torre del Mangia. Connected to the Palazzo Pubblico, this 102 metre high tower is stunning!
The tower was built in 1334, and there are 400 steps from bottom to top. I would highly recommend a climb to the top - the views over the piazza and the town are fabulous, and this was certainly one of the highlights of my first visit to Siena.
Once at the top you can climb up a little further so you are standing right under the big bell....not recommended if it is chiming time!!
Entry to the tower is from inside the Palazzo Pubblico (just to the left of the main door), however you need to purchase your ticket first from the ticket office on the 1st floor.
Only 30 people are allowed to climb the tower at a time, so if you are there at a busy time of year it may be worth seeing if you can book your tower climb time so you don't miss out if your time is limited, or you may have to queue for a while. The tower is closed when it is raining for safety reasons.
In Sep 2006 it cost 6 euro to climb the tower, or 10 euro if you bought a combined tower/Museo Civico ticket.
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Q: Bikes "Is Siena a bike friendly town or is it too crowded? Thank you."
A: "not really.."
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