Siena and Monteriggioni

Next stop on our Italian road trip was Siena... which has a reputation for being Tuscany's most beautiful medieval city 

It is rustic and earthy and grand all at the same time  

After the strongest coffee we could find (boy those Italians make the BEST coffee) Its one of  the best things about Italy (IMO) excellent coffee is everywhere here. You don’t need to go to a specific coffee shop just to have a proper cup of coffee. Even the smallest Italian bar has a top of the range coffee machine, knows how to use it, and makes great coffee.  You might also notice that many Italians prefer to drink their coffee Al banco (at the bar) 

We headed to the heart of Sienna, Il Campo, known worldwide for the famous Palio run (a horse race run around the piazza two times every summer) also Siena and the Palio was featured in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.

And took in the view of the red Palazzo Pubblico and its tower, Torre del Mangia which was eerily surrounded by hundreds of birds... which only added to the spectacle 

In contrast to the red tower,  the white marble of the  Duomo in lies in a piazza above the Piazza del Campo, a great Gothic building filled with treasures by Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo as well as frescoes by Pinturicchio. And it is quite the sight to admire...

Despite being constantly photo bombed by a bus loads of tourists, I mean who has the time to photoshop them out!

Once we had explored the incredible city of Siena we headed off to Monteriggioni, a medieval walled village about a 30 minute drive away. 

I instantly fell in love with Monteriggioni. For me it is one of the cutest villages in Tuscany.  

Its really tiny, but super quaint and has charm and character by the bucket load.  Add in some views of the Tuscan countryside and you have a real win.

We found the cutest place to stop for lunch in the main square, where the pasta in freshly made in an open kitchen 

With grape vines growing all around the porch, take a seat outside on the Piazza and smell the  freshly made pasta dishes being served up 

II Pozzo has been going for over 40 years, and after the mot incredible lunch I can absolutely see why. ​

We ate the most incredible pizza and gnocchi for the trip here. And in a country where all the pizza and pasta is incredible, this is high praise indeed. 

We discovered that Monteriggioni Castle was surrounded not by water but by coal that would be lit in case of attack. Now that would have been a sight to see!

If your visiting Tuscany, both Sienna and Monteriggioni are a must for your itinerary. Both completely different and breath-taking in  different ways. Or perhaps the riviera is more you kind of thing? Maybe both...

Xoxo
Belle