Italy
Siena & Crete Senesi — Boutique Hotels & Travel Guide
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Siena is Florence's great rival and, in many respects, its superior — a Gothic city of extraordinary unity and beauty built on three hills, its medieval street plan entirely intact, its Piazza del Campo one of the finest public spaces in Europe. The Crete Senesi, the clay hills south of the city, are one of the most distinctive landscapes in Italy: pale, bare, and otherworldly in winter, covered in wheat and sunflowers in summer, and dotted with the isolated farmhouses and cypress trees that appear in every Tuscan painting.
Why Visit Siena & Crete Senesi
The Palio di Siena — the bareback horse race around the Piazza del Campo held twice a year in July and August — is the most intense civic event in Italy, a ritual of extraordinary violence and passion that has been running since 1656. The race itself lasts ninety seconds; the preparations and celebrations last weeks. The Duomo, the Pinacoteca Nazionale, and the medieval streets of the contrade are excellent at any time of year. The Crete Senesi roads are among the finest drives in Tuscany — particularly the road between Asciano and San Giovanni d'Asso.
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When to Visit
The Palio dates are July 2nd and August 16th — book accommodation six months in advance for either date. May and June for the landscape in its most colourful state. October and November for the truffle season — the white truffle from San Giovanni d'Asso is among the finest in Italy.
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The white truffle market at San Giovanni d'Asso, held on weekends in November, is the most accessible and least formal truffle market in Tuscany — a village event where the producers sell directly at prices that are high by any measure but considerably lower than in the famous markets of Alba and Périgueux. Bring cash, arrive early, and buy more than you think you need.
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