I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since we’ve been back in the United States. It’s flown by— Christmas is in less than a week and I still haven’t finished my shopping, let alone blogging about our final trip through Italy. Argh. So in an effort to distract myself from the shopping that still needs to happen, let’s take a short visual tour through Siena…who’s with me?!

The hilly city of Siena was a lovely place to visit, but in all honesty, at this point in our Italian lives, we were SO ready to be packing up and moving back to the USA, that it somewhat blinded me towards the tail-end of the road trip. Bummer, but true.

Legend has it that Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, who were the two sons of Remus (of Romulus and Remus mythology fame). It’s kinda key to know that bit of info, otherwise the many (and I mean many) statues of a she-wolf suckling the young Romulus and Remus would just be weird.

Siena was cloudy and a little rainy during our 36-hour stay, which didn’t help my lack of enthusiasm for more adventure, but we did eat incredibly well while there and got to see most of the high points of the city. Number one on the list was Piazza del Campo, where they have the Palio twice a year (July and August), which are horse races that take place in the piazza and the 360-view of that piazza really is gorgeous.

Admittedly, Siena didn’t necessarily get a fair shake on my visit because we were thisclose to moving home, but the city was very lively and the pedestrian streets made exploring that much easier. I’d certainly love to go back and visit the city properly.

Narrow cobblestone street descending between tall shuttered buildings with parked cars and a distant brick church. — Siena: a good workout for the legs

Ornate Gothic cathedral façade with striped marble, mosaic gables, three portals, large round window and people on steps. — Duomo di Siena | Siena Cathedral

Stone she-wolf statue nursing two infants atop an ornate column in front of a brick building with arched windows. — Symbol of Siena: Romulus and Remus

Medieval red-brick palace with crenellated roof and tall clock tower rising from a paved city square under a cloudy sky. — Piazza del Campo

Large open public square bordered by curved medieval brick buildings with cafes and pedestrians under a cloudy sky. — Piazza del Campo

Carved marble fountain with seated relief figures and green water behind an iron fence, red awnings and brick facades. — Fonte Gaia

Marble wolf sculpture lying at edge of fountain, water streaming from its mouth into a green pool with an ornate stone backdrop — Fonte Gaia

Smiling couple taking a close selfie outdoors in front of an ornate building with stone reliefs and red awnings. — Fonte Gaia

Bronze she-wolf statue nursing twin infants mounted above a marble commemorative plaque on a brick wall. — Romulus and Remus really are everywhere

Glass deli counter with cheeses, cured meats and jars, hanging sausages and pendant lamps, wooden table in front. — the best lunch spots are the small, hole in the wall places

Woman in a black jacket smiling and waving on a dim cobblestone street with old stone buildings and an arch. — I’ve been told there’s gelato at the top of the hill

Hilltop cathedral with a striped bell tower and domed roof rising above a dense, terracotta-roofed medieval town. — Siena: we will be back for you.

Siena through my lens