Our Day to Day

Two weeks of life in Siena have absolutely flown by! Gabe and I have both settled into a work from home routine, usually working in the mornings and wandering around the city in the afternoons. We’re so grateful to have flexible remote jobs that allow us to have a steady income while we are traveling.

Our apartment is lovely and has a wonderful view of the nearby Basilica Cateriniana. The bells chime at random times throughout the day (and early morning), but we have honestly grown to love it now!

Somehow we have become tea addicts, usually drinking around five or more cups a day! It’s just so easy and relaxing to throw the kettle on, especially when we’re working from home.

Getting to Know the City

In addition to tea, we’ve also had the best coffee of our lives at our new favorite cafes. Cafe Fiorella is our go to for all espresso drinks, and Cafe Nannini has the most delicious pastries. Our favorite so far is ricotta chocolate chip, but we have many more to try!

We’ve also been spending lots of time in and around Il Campo, the central piazza of Siena. It’s the heart of the city where you can find any kind of shopping or food you like, along with plenty of spots to sit and people watch.

One of our favorite things to do when exploring a new city is immediately check the Rick Steves Audio Europe app, which is free to download and so helpful! It has audio guides for cities all around Europe, so it’s pretty much a library of completely free private tours. We have learned so much from just walking and listening!

Il Duomo di Siena

One of the best parts of the Siena walk was visiting the Duomo, the gorgeous main cathedral. What stood out the most is that the art and artifacts inside showcase the city’s deep sense of local pride.

Unlike most churches that only display religious artwork, much of the art and iconography in the Duomo focuses on stories of Siena rather than scenes from the Bible. Even then the the religious art that is there primarily features the Virgin Mary, the patron saint that the church and city itself is dedicated to.

Another interesting part of the Duomo are the two massive 50 foot tall wooden poles on display next to the altar. They look a bit out of place compared to the incredible paintings on the wall and ornate floor mosaics.

We learned that Siena was once the enemy of Florence and their fierce rivalry lasted over 400 years. Siena did not win many battles, but they did win a major one in 1260. These wooden poles are the flag poles of the defeated Florentines, still displayed as a reminder that Siena loves to celebrate its victories!

The Contrade of Siena

It’s impossible to talk about life in Siena without mentioning the contrade.

Siena is divided into 17 different neighborhoods, or “contradas,” each with their own traditional symbols and colors. These divisions of districts go back to medieval days and are still a huge part of Sienese life today.

Your contrada is essentially your family. There’s a saying in Siena that “you first belong to your contrada, then to Siena, and then to Italy.” Members of a contrada celebrate all of life’s biggest moments together within their community.

Babies are baptized into the contrada, members worship and get married in the contrada’s church, and when someone passes away the contrada flag is displayed during their funeral procession.

Each contrada operates independently with its own elected officials, chapel, museum, and fountain. They have deep rooted traditions, along with allies and rivalries with other contradas that have been passed down for generations!

The Palio di Siena

Twice a year for the last 500 years, the contrade compete in the oldest horse race in the world, the Palio di Siena. Life in Siena revolves around the Palio and winning is an immense source of pride and honor for the contrade. We watched this incredible Palio documentary about it that gives great insight into how meaningful it is to Siena’s history and people!

Our apartment is a part of the Oca (Goose) contrada, which is the district that currently has the most Palio wins! We were very excited to learn that and have since fully committed by buying lots of goose merch.

You might think that all of the competition would divide the people of Siena, but actually it’s quite the opposite. The crime rate in here is one of the lowest in all of Italy, likely due to the fact that the strong community rules and intense loyalty to your contrada create a massive sense of local responsibility.

Walking around the city you see pristine streets with no graffiti or trash anywhere, and it’s because each contrada takes pride in caring for its own neighborhood.

One day we will have to come back in July or August to see a Palio in real life, but until then we are enjoying the slow life of Siena in the winter!