Monteriggioni is a thirteenth century fortified town
on a hilltop in Tuscany. It was founded to defend the
city of Siena against invaders from neighboring
Florence, hence the high walls interspersed with
towers and only two entry gates.
Read the rest of: "Postcard from Monteriggioni"»
If you want to understand Siena and its people, you should attend the Palio at least once in
your life. The Palio of Siena is a basically a twice
yearly horse race during which the usual nightlife
trinity of sex, drugs, and rock and roll is replaced
by wine, drugs for the horses, and medieval songs...
Read the rest of: "Palio di Siena: Medieval Tradition Brought to Life"»
Take a walk around Siena and you will be amazed at every grocery store's
insistence on displaying prosciutto (jambon), wheels of cheese, and many
other buon di dio (as the senese say), meaning "everything good there is".
Naturally, you'll get all euphoric and hungry.
The next logical stop for you will be a restaurant. Unless you're accompanied
by someone who knows the town a little, however, I'd be very careful about where to go.
Of course, since you're in Siena, surrounded by Medieval Tuscan ambiance, everything will
taste good, and nothing particularly bad will happen to you if you choose to eat
any-old-where, but wouldn't you rather avoid the possibility of ending up unsatisfied,
torpid, and irritated with a uselessly inflated check to boot? Wouldn't
you rather have a good experience, leaving the restaurant well-fed and
invigorated? (I hope this is a hypothetical question for you.)
Read the rest of: "Where Not To Eat In Siena"»
Whoever likes good wine and good food should go to
Siena, a little town in the heart of Tuscany. It has
something magical that you don't fully realize until
you've left the town. Everybody who has been there
once will return sooner or later because of the
medieval spell that follows you as you roam through
the narrow streets lined by red brick walls, giving
you a sense of safety and carefree-ness that you might
have lost.
Read the rest of: "Siena - a Little Town in the Heart of Tuscany"»
