Siena, Italy

Siena is a perfect central location to see the southern part of Tuscany.  Larger than many of the hilltop towns, Siena has lots of nooks and crannies to explore and a train comes right into it – helpful if you don’t have a car!

Getting There:  Bus from Milan Airport to Milan train station to Siena

Accommodations:  Located just outside the city walls is Hotel Porta Romana.  The rooms are TINY.  However, it has million dollar views.  Opening our windows the first morning to see the valley we were looking over was breathtaking.  Good breakfast and nice staff, it was an easy walk inside the walls of the Old City and I would definitely stay there again.

Favorite Restaurants:  Inside the old city walls is Pizzicheria de Miccoli a buchers shop which has hanging meat everywhere inside and is marked with a stuffed Boars head over the door.  Ask the butcher to fix you a “snack” and a cutting board will appear full of delicious cheeses, meats and spreads accompanied with two glasses of wine.  Hopefully the wine barrel “table” out front is free and you can enjoy your treat while people watching!  Fori Porta is outside the city walls and was the most authentic experience we had.  The food was out of this world and local Italian families surrounded us.  It was a perfect dinner.