Siena is one of our favourite cities in Italy. With a long history of battles against arch-enemy Florence, Siena rose to become one of the most powerful banking cities in medieval Europe. Vicious fighting between noble families caused them to build massive defensive buildings within the city walls.

The result is a city that, in some ways, couldn’t be more different from its Tuscan rival in the north. Towering houses built on tightly packed lanes enclose streets so much that barely a ray of light reaches the worn cobbled stones beneath your feet. Huge defensive walls create a maze-like environment that is like being transported back to the Middle Ages.