Condé Nast Loves Siena For a Senior Visit

Condé Nast has selected the top cities in the world to visit and Siena, Italy (70,000 residents) ranks among the best.  A step back in Medieval Tuscany, it’s world famous historic center is a World Heritage Site. One of Italy’s most visited senior tourist attractions, Siena is about 30 miles south of Florence.

Siena is a “hill town” first settled in the time of the Etruscans dating back to 900–400 BC. One of the most beautiful cities of Tuscany, it is set on three hills linked by a maze of winding alleys and steep steps. The Piazzo del Campo, a stunning paved square, stands at the heart of the city, overlooked by the magnificent Duomo.

Siena is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, which lends a bustling, vibrant atmosphere to this historic place. Siena is the embodiment of a medieval city. Its inhabitants pursued their rivalry with Florence right into the area of urban planning.

Cathedrals, Historic Squares and Horse Races Draw Seniors

Senior visitors generally head off to visit the top attraction in Siena which is the Cathedral. This grand cathedral, built in the 1200s, has marvelous marble floors. Right behind is the Bilioteca Piccolomini one of the cathedral’s great treasures.

In the center of Siena is the enormous, scallop-shaped Piazza del Campo, one of the greatest squares in the world. It is still the city’s symbolic and physical heart. Crafted like a sloping scallop shell, the Campo was first laid out in the 1100s on the site of the Roman forum. The herringbone brick pavement is divided by white marble lines into nine sections representing the city’s medieval ruling body, the Council of Nine.

For senior horse enthusiasts, the heart of the city is Piazza del Campo, where the Palio Horse Races are held every July 2nd and August 16th. Ten horses and their colorfully clad riders represent ten of Siena’s 17 districts, but before the race – which is just three brutal laps – there is a lengthy ceremony and procession celebrating Siena’s medieval past.

And senior oenophiles, vineyards take up much of the space between Florence and Siena, where the famed Chianti wine was first born. To the south of Siena is the Brunello region, home to another of the country’s most acclaimed wines. Siena College attracts students from all over the world. It’s a great place to study the language and may include a family home stay as well.

In many ways Siena hasn’t changed much in 800 years. And that’s a good thing. Go Italy lists the ten top cities to visit in Tuscany and Siena ranks right in there just after Florence. In the countryside outside of Siena, Senior travelers will find small villages, medieval hill towns, grape vines, and olive trees. So now we have some idea why Siena rates so high among favored tourists attractions in the world. jeb