Siena

How to spend a weekend in Siena, between history, small villages, Chianti wine and beautiful squares.

I am sure that the word “Tuscany” reminds you of many things, like good wine, good food, breath-taking landscapes, and an abundance of fine art… We spent a weekend away in Siena, to get away from the daily grind / routine and once there we were totally captivated (even if only for 2 days) by the wonderful Tuscan spirit. However, our itinerary, although very informative, is only for 2 days. Tuscany is vast and deserves to be seen in its entirety, but if like us, you only have a weekend and you have no choice, this is our advice;)

WHAT TO SEE DURING A WEEKEND AWAY IN SIENA:

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

DAY 1:

We arrive at the Podere Casato farmhouse at lunch, leave our suitcases in the room and are accompanied to the restaurant where we sample some typical local cuisine: a cheese board, some Tuscan salamis and caramelized figs accompanied by an excellent bottle of Lecci e Brocchi Chianti Classico. Later we are accompanied by Giovanni, the owner, to visit a nearby town: San Gusmè. San Gusmè is a very small town, a village which is part of the Castelnuovo Berardenga comune (where our farmhouse is located). The inhabited centre was built inside circular walls (still perfectly preserved), while the surrounding area is covered by delightful vineyards and olive trees!

This small town is located on a hill and you can see it all by foot in 20 minutes. After visiting San Gusmè, Giovanni took us to see his Lecci and Brocchi winery which was founded in 1970 in the heart of the classic Chianti region. After the visit we returned to the farm where we tasted different bottles produced by the winery. We remained on the farm for our evening meal… excellent cuisine and good wine accompanied us throughout the evening and the location could not have been more romantic 🙂

DAY 2

We make a trip to the market which takes place every Wednesday and Friday morning in the central square which is right in front of our hotel. Here you can buy excellent cheeses that can cost an arm and a leg, so pay attention to the prices !. We decide to go to a wine shop merchant “La Grande Boutique du vin” just outside the centre (5 minutes by car) and as soon as we enter we are captivated by the vast amount/number of bottles inside…this wine shop will be the ruin of us hahaha! We now have a nice hoard of wine and on returning home we can’t help but stop to buy some baguettes. We have a lunch of wine, cheeses and baguettes (a combo I adore !!!) at Villa Medicis. We relax in the pool for a while, get changed and go to have a look around the town centre.

INFO AND GENERAL ADVICE ON SIENA

WHERE TO PARK:

There are several pay and display car parks located around Siena town centre where you can park and for a few euros, leave the car for as long as you need. We were in Siena for 5 hours and paid about 10 €.

WHERE TO BUY WINE IN SIENA’S CITY CENTRE:

We visited several wine shops before finding one that we felt was the best with regards to quality and price, namely the Antica Drogheria Manganelli, a very nice little shop located in Via di Città. If you want to buy some bottles of wine and pay the right price, this is the one we would recommend!

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT SIENA?

I think it’s always the best time to visit Siena. If, on the other hand, you get the chance to stay at the Agriturismo Podere Casato, then I recommend the summer … so you can take advantage of their beautiful swimming pool and its view of the hills;)

Until the next adventure,

Camilla