According to the legend, Siena was founded by the sons of Remus: Senius and Aschius. They had fled Rome after their father died, stealing the famous statue of Capitoline Wolfas they left. Furthermore, they rode black and white horses, giving Siena’s coat of arms its striking colours. A long rivalry with Florence forced the city to accept influences from outside the region, bringing in an influx of new ideas, architectural influences, and cultures. In 1569, Siena was ruled by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the city started to rely on tourism, which has kept growing ever since. After Italian Unification Siena was controlled from the nearby city of Florence. During World War II Siena was the site of ‘Operation Strangle’, strategic Allied bombing of railway lines to help liberate Italy from Nazi occupation.

One of the main events in Siena is the Palio, a horse race that takes place twice a year, on 2 July to honour the Madonna of Provenzano and 16 August to honour the Virgin Mary’s Assumption. The race happens in the Piazza del Campo and 10 of the 17 districts of the city take part in each race. Il Palio goes on for four days. The first day is for the assignments of the horses to each district. The second day allows the district to choose their jockey. And it’s only on the third day that the big race is run and on the fourth day everybody celebrates the race and the winner. Every district performs a different ceremony for its horse and joins the big parade in historical costume!

Siena and the countryside around it has a lot to offer for those who love to enjoy a good meal. Let’s start with the Siena ‘pici’, homemade spaghetti with flour, water, and oil. This pasta goes perfectly with regional delicacies, including hare and wild boar slow cooked in a red-wine based stew. If you want something sweet, try the panforte, a traditional chewy Italian dessert made with flour, sugar, candied orange and citrus peel, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. If you love almonds, go ahead and try some cantucci or ricciarelli. Those biscuits go perfectly with a glass of Vin Santo, a traditional Italian dessert wine.