Siena is one of Italy's best-preserved medieval towns. Set beautifully on three hills, Siena was one of the major cities of Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries when it had a flourishing wool industry, dominated the trade routes from France to Rome and ran the richest banks. The Black Death of May, 1348, ended this prosperity. Their population fell from 100,000 to 30,000 and it never fully recovered. Now with a population of 60,000, it remains a city with a majestic Gothic look behind its medieval walls. Siena, we are told, needs to be experienced for more than just a short tourist stop.

Every year, thousands of people gather to watch a horse race take place in the Piazza del Campo which is a huge oval area surrounded by the citys buildings including the Palazzo Pubblico.

The Duomo of Siena was begun in 1229 and was finished in the late fifteenth century. It is a masterpiece of Gothic-Italian architecture and richly decorated with statues and marble.