We spent three nights in Florence during our trip to Italy in September of 2011. Of those three days we chose to spend two in the city and opted to use the other for
The Best of Tuscany Tour through a company called Walkabout Florence.
I am not normally a fan of guided bus tours, however, this tour was highly rated on Trip Advisor and would enable us to see many places over the course of 12 hours that we wouldn't have been able to see using public transportation. Additionally, the cost was 80 Euro per person which included transportation, a guided tour in Siena, entrance to Siena's Cathedral, and a multi-course lunch with wine at a winery/farm which I found to be a good value.
The meeting point for the tour was directly in front of the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence which was an easy walk from our bed and breakfast. Our first stop of the day was in Siena, followed by lunch and a tour at a local winery, then a visit to San Gimignano, and our final stop was in Pisa. It was a very long day but one of our favorite experiences of the trip. It was great to sit back on the bus and relax and not have to worry about where we were going or how we would get there. In addition to the the stress-free environment our tour guide provided commentary nearly the entire drive on each of the places we were visiting which was extremely informative and helpful.
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone without a rental car who wants to see Siena, Pisa, and San Gimignano over the course of one day.
Below I have described each of the places we visited during our tour.
Siena:
The entire historic center of this beautiful city is a UNESCO World Heritage sight. During medieval times, Siena was Florence's arch rival. The city was also a major banking and trade center of Europe until the Black Death arrived in 1348, killing a large percentage of its population. Siena's power began declining after this point and in the 1550's Florence conquered the city enabling Florence to become the most powerful city in the area. The rivalry between the two cities continues to this day with most people strongly favoring one city over the other.
The Best of Tuscany Tour included a guided walking tour of Siena with an official tourist guide from the city. She provided us with detailed information on the history of the city and the traditional events that take place in Siena every year, including the 600 year-old Palio horse race. One of the main benefits to guided tours is that they tend to show you things or places you might not have seen or noticed on your own and give explanations on the different historical sights and buildings.
In the very short two hours we had to explore the city, we managed to see the gorgeous Piazza del Campo and the town's famous Duomo as well as strolling through many of the backstreets.
Piazza del Campo:
Siena's vast main square is located in the heart of the city. Many have said that this piazza is the loveliest square in all of Italy, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Piazza del Campo holds the palio festival twice a year, which is a bareback horse race. Ten of Siena's 17 neighborhoods compete in the race, with days of heavy betting and competitive celebration preceding the race. Dirt is brought into the piazza to create the surface of the track with mattresses lining the buildings of the square. Whichever neighborhood ends up winning the race is given the much sought-after palio (silk banner) as its prize.
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| The tower of City Hall in Piazza del Campo. |
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| City Hall in Piazza del Campo. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Detail from City Hall in Siena. |
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| The clock on City Tower in Siena. |
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| Buildings lining Piazza del Campo. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| City Hall and City Tower in Siena. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| City Hall and City Tower in Siena. |
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| Entrance to City Hall in Siena. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Beautiful building in Piazza del Campo. |
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