Italy part 1 - Siena
Charm, culture and history
My first ever trip to Italy started with a three-day visit to the wonderful medieval city of Siena. After catching a flight to Pisa, I picked up a Fiat 600 and began a short drive to my destination. It was not long into my journey when I found myself holding on to the steering wheel with my mouth open, in awe at the luscious countryside unfolding before my eyes.
I quickly grew familiar with the labyrinthine side streets that define so many of Italy’s ancient towns. Their narrow, twisting lanes seemed to whisper centuries of history as I navigated my way through. One particularly tight passage tested both my patience and my steering skills, but after a careful escape I finally reached my first stop: the Hotel Palazzo di Valli.
Perched just beyond Siena’s Roman walls, the hotel was a charming retreat. Its warm hospitality, graceful interiors, and enviable location made it the perfect introduction to the city. Being outside the restricted zone meant parking was effortless — a small but invaluable luxury when traveling in Italy’s historic centers. From here, Siena awaited, with its medieval streets, vibrant piazzas, and timeless atmosphere ready to be explored.
The Hotel Palazzo di Valli - striking, even on a dull day
Below is a map that you can use to find the hotel’s location, should you wish to consider a visit to Siena (unsponsored).
The roofline of Siena from the Santa Maria della Scala
City escape and a bit of culture
Before leaving the UK, I was given firm counsel: “You must spend time visiting the beauties of Italy — the galleries, the duomos, the piazzas.” It was a thinly veiled warning not to dash off into the countryside and lose myself in landscape photography. Dutifully, I complied, and so began the first chapter of my Italian journey — in Siena.
I had been encouraged to visit Florence, Milan, Venice, or Rome — the grand showcases of Italy. Yet I longed for something smaller, quieter. I wanted a place where I could breathe, absorb the atmosphere, and wander without the fear of being swept along by crowds of tourists. Siena seemed the perfect choice to savour my first taste of Italy — and it proved to be exactly that.
Highlights
There are countless websites and YouTube channels that offer deep insights into Siena, but my advice is simple: don’t rush this city. It deserves time. My four nights there gave me three full days, and even then I felt I had barely scratched the surface. I did manage to take in many of the highlights — the Piazza del Campo, Palazzo Pubblico, the Duomo di Siena, and Santa Maria della Scala. The latter, once a hospital, is now a museum and gallery filled with 15th‑century frescoes and Renaissance masterpieces. It was utterly breathtaking. I found myself mesmerized by portraits painted centuries ago, their backgrounds alive with the rolling hills, cypress-lined ridges, and luminous light of Tuscany. Apart from the classically attired figures, you could almost believe you were gazing through a window onto the modern countryside. The land has been lovingly preserved across the centuries, and the paintings seemed to echo its timeless beauty.
Siena gallery
Below is a gallery of images that I took from Siena, with the last handful of the interior of the Duomo di Siena - the most beautiful cathedral I have cat my eyes on.
Join me in my next instalment, when I depart Siena and head into the heart of Tuscany, the Val D’Ocia, in what I hoped would be the beginning of my landscape photography journey, and my discovery of la dolce vita.