What a change Siena is from Urbino. It’s got a lot more stunning architecture and art but way more tourists. So it’s a trade off. Other than Rome, we’ve intentionally and successfully avoided places with long lines and busloads of tourists by going to more off the beaten track places. I would have waited until at least October to travel to Italy if I had not had a work gig here (the diary festival) in September. Friends are visiting in February. Smart!
When we arrived, we struggled to find a free parking spot, finally finding one at the second lot we tried about a 20 minute walk from our Airbnb, which meant a long schlep, pulling our suitcases on rough pavement, dodging other tourists everywhere. The first lot was a five minute walk.
Our drive east from Urbino to Cortona (the under the Tuscan Sun town) took about 3 hours through spectacular scenery. At one point we were driving in the fog high in the hills/mountains. We landed unexpectedly in Cortona, which looked beautiful but we soon realized it would not work as a quick lunch stop. Too much effort to get in and out. Starting with too many people trying to find parking and figure out the parking machines. This was the 2023 Italy-overrun-with-tourists (including us) I’d read about and dreaded.
All was not lost. We ended up in the lovely rustic village of Lucignano, where we found a quiet little restaurant for lunch Vizi e Virtu (Via Giacomo Matteotti 90) and chatted with an older French couple, the only other diners. The place reminded me of one of the sleepier Cotswolds villages in England.
In Sienna, we are staying at a shabby chic Airbnb with lots of charm and character near the Magnificent Duomo but a little too centrally located. Although the town empties of many tourists in the evening, some high-spirited folks are still out-and-about and loud at 1 a.m. and even 2 a.m. and garbage pickup or street cleaning (??) happens at about 5 a.m., which sounded like an airplane landing atop us. And there is construction next door during the day, which we learned is for some sort of part tomorrow. It’s 10 pm and people are still outside discussing the construction for the party which looks like three wood teepees.
Suffice to say, I got little sleep last night and may not tonight eithe. So I felt jet lagged today. Such is life, occasionally, when traveling. It was great to visit the Duomo and Il campo at night, all lit up and the Duomo deserted. And I loved being here to walk in the early morning when the streets are empty.
But…we joined a succession of long lines to see the duomo. One huge tour group after another, American, English, German, Italian from what I could tell. We were told to start early, at 10 am but by 2 pm the duomo was much less crowded. Apparently it didn’t help that it’s a Friday (always busy) and one of the rare times when the mosaics on the duomo floor are all uncovered. And they are incredible. So is everything else in the duomo.
Dinner was excellent around the corner at restaurant San Desidero (next time we’ll eat inside, with the lively crowd, instead of at one of th quiet but very atmospheric outdoor tables on a little alley leading up to the duomo.) Lunch also fab today at Morbidi Deli (Fagioli/warm beans, spinach and squid, sliced pork…items I chose by following the lead of other customers, an old travelers trick). After, pastries at another famous place, the bakery Nanini (the rustic Sienese fruit bread makes a delicious breakfast eaten in our Airbnb) and in the early afternoon we enjoyed people watching at Il campo, while drinking beer (dirck) and eating gelato (me) at a crowded cafe. On our last night, with lightening adding drama to an already dramatic setting, we discovered the restaurant I’d been looking for – trattoria antica Papai, which was indeed behind Il Compo. And it was excellent. I found my chicken liver crostini! We also stopped at a very old fashioned cheese and meat shop Al Palazzo Chigiana (antica pizzicheria since 1889) on Via di citta 93/95 the woman behind the counter sliced us several regional cheeses to takeaway. When we wandered into her shop, she was making an amazing platter with cheese and sliced meats for a young couple who ate it on a tray, sitting at a makeshift table in the shop, with a jug of wine. Great idea.
I forgot to mention that except for some minor rain sprinkles, the weather has been perfect this trip, with highs in the mid-80s to mid-70s. (Which is another reason this is still high tourist season, although not as high as June-August.) All said, I’d pick off-season for my next visit to Tuscan hotspots and try to find more out of the way lodging in town.
TakeBetsywithyou 
Incredib