A tour of Siena should always begin in the heart of the town: Piazza del Campo, a place of passion (twice a year), of joy (for the winners) and of sorrow (for the losers).

In the origin situated at the edge of the settlement, Piazza del Campo began to take its present form, renowned all over the world, in the 14th century, when the rulers of the town decided to pave it.

The Palazzo Pubblico (or Town Hall) and the imposing Torre del Mangia are the piazza`s focal points. The tower owes its name to its first guardian, a voracious man who "invested" all of his money in food (the Italian word “mangiare” means “to eat).

Not far from the heart of the town of the Palio are the Fortezza Medicea (an example of military architecture dating back to the 16th century, which was demilitarized and transformed into a garden during the 20th century), the 14th-century Palazzo Chigi Salimbeni (the headquarters of the famous Accademia Musicale Chigiana) and the Rocca Salimbeni (the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the most ancient bank in the world, founded twenty years before Christopher Columbus discovered America).

You could continue your tour of the town of the Palio with a visit to the Botanical Gardens or to the Teatro dei Rinnovati.

But we do not want to disclose too much. It will be an exciting experience to discover day by day the beauties of this town, whose historical centre is included in the list of UNESCO`s World Heritage Sites, during your holidays in a farmhouse or in a villa in Siena .