Where to stay in Siena

A medieval city that stopped growing and never lost its shape — the shell-shaped Campo, the striped duomo, streets that climb. Quieter than Florence and, for a few days, better company.

Siena is three ridges meeting at the Campo, one terzo on each. Terzo di Città climbs to the Duomo and holds the sights. Terzo di Camollia runs north along Banchi di Sopra to Piazza Gramsci, where the Florence buses set down, and is flatter, quieter and nearer the car parks. The station is below the walls, at the foot of the escalators, and sleeping there means climbing every evening.

It suits walkers, and anyone Florence wore out. It suits drivers less: the walls enclose one ZTL, a hotel can register a plate for arrival only, and the car lives at the Fortezza or Santa Caterina, a stairway below the room. The Duomo floor is uncovered only for parts of summer and autumn, and the Palio on 2 July and 16 August fills every bed for a week either side.

Two nights is the minimum; three adds San Gimignano by bus via Poggibonsi. From Florence take the 131R from the bus station beside Santa Maria Novella, not the train, which loops by Empoli and ends below the escalators. Siena is also the hinge between Chianti and the Val d'Orcia.

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