Day Trips from Firenze – Siena
On the Italy and the Scientific Revolutions Dialogue, a typical week consists of outings and classes 4 days a week, a scheduled day trip once a week, and our weekends are free. With so much to see and do in Italy, many of the people in my group decided to plan a series of trips to some of the surrounding cities in order to see more of the country. There is a 2 hour travel limit instated for the program, and we are not allowed to stay overnight anywhere other than dialogue-sponsored housing. Thankfully, there are several areas within 2 hours of Florence and Rome that make incredible day trips. I think I will be making a series of posts about all of our day trips to tell you more about some fantastic cities and the many possibilities within Italy to explore.
Our first day trip was planned for Siena – a relatively small, medieval city with history dating back to 30AD when it was used as a trading outpost for the Roman military. The small outpost grew into an economic power in the middle ages, and eventually became a rival of Florence. Up until the 1800s, Italy consisted of many warring city states rather than a unified country, so these two cities were usually trying to conquer each other in order to expand their relative empires. The medieval history of Siena is still intact, and the city upon the acropolis still very much resembles an expanded castle and walled kingdom.
Florence was founded around the same time as Siena as a roman city as well, but throughout its history, builders utilized the materials from roman ruins to construct new buildings rather than maintaining them. Florence was built upon roman foundations, but quickly developed its own identity as the city of the Renaissance, so its modern appearance is very different from that of Siena. Thirteen of the eighteen students on this dialogue decided to see for ourselves how the cities differ.
Siena was an hour and half train ride from Florence, and it was very easy to navigate the train system. From the station in Siena, we walked into the downtown area and scoped out a good place for lunch. The central area of the city consists of Piazza del Campo, which used to be the center for government and community gatherings. A grand building still stands, complete with an 88 meter tower.
A group of six students (myself included) decided to climb the 400 steps to the top of the tower, and the view was incredible! You could see the entire city, as well as miles of surrounding farms and countryside. The city itself is a sea of brown terracotta from above, as most of the buildings appear to be made from the same stone. Looking over the city and walking through the cobble stone streets makes you feel as if you’ve stepped back into medieval times.
There was much more to do in this picturesque city, but it is still a wonderful place to only spend a day. If I’m ever back in Tuscany, I would definitely come back to explore more of its history and culture!
