"Not all those who wander are lost.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

Our visit to Siena was, without doubt, one of my favorite experiences in Tuscany. That was surprising since we didn't have this hilltown planned out in terms of what we wanted to see when.  We just showed up and began wandering aimlessly, and it turned out fabulous. We spent the daylight hours exploring the streets, taking in everything the capital of this province had to offer: known for its art, museums, food, and medieval landscape, there was plenty to see!

When the sun started to set, we set up camp outside the Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) in the Piazza del Campo, which is a huge open public space where people just sit and relax, read, share picnics, and enjoy being outside. Raja grabbed a bottle of wine and some plastic cups from a nearby enoteca, and we spent the hour around sunset people watching in this big town square.

Piazza Pubblico

Just before our reservation at dinner, we wandered around a bit more so we could see the town at dusk.  The streets of Siena really just have something magical about them, and they take on such a different feel at different times in the day. 

We'd planned to have dinner at a restaurant called Osteria le Logge, and it turned out to be one of our favorite meals of the whole trip. A large window by the main entrance lets you see the chefs at work.

We spent a long time at dinner, just enjoying all of the different courses and talking.  When we emerged several hours later, we got to see Siena at night... Just when I thought the town couldn't get any more magical, it did.  We did more wandering around for a bit before heading to the car for the drive back to Chiusi. It was a fabulous day and night, and I'm so glad we built Siena into our plans. :)