Siena

Most visitors arriving from the hustle and crowds of busy Florence cannot help but fall under the charm of Siena's gracefully winding (and pedestrianized) medieval streets. Laid out on the slopes of three steep hills (the historical terzi or "thirds" of the city), the center of town, geographically and emotionally, is the fan-shaped and gently sloping, redbrick Piazza del Campo, a wonderfully preserved monument to Siena's medieval heyday when merchants, bankers and artists flocked here and some of the city's greatest monuments were constructed. Overlooked by the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia, it is also the site of the famous bareback horserace, Il Palio, and a fitting starting point for the exploration of Siena's other major sights. Not to be missed are the Piazza del Campo - the square of medieval delights; the Duomo - a glorious monument to Sienese wealth and pretensions; the Bottini - underground aqueducts that feed Siena's fountains; Santa Maria della Scala - one of Europe's first hospitals with the glorious "this is your life" fresco; the views - climb to the top of Torre del Mangia or the facciatone for a bird's-eye view of the city and province; the museums - Pinacoteca Nazionale (Sienese art at its grandest), Museo Civico (startling pre-Renaissance frescoes), Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Duccio's unforgettable Maestè), among others. All the details are here: What to see, what to do, where to stay, where to eat, the history, the culture, and more. Filled with color photos.