Up until last year when we found ourselves in the area, Siena had never been near the top of my travel list. Yet there we were one morning, driving winding roads through Tuscan valleys, following signs to the old city, named (according to legend) after Senius, son of Remus, of the Remus & Romulus duo.

From this particular area of Italy, comes the name of the colour ‘Sienna’, for the earth is a rich warm brown, and as we discovered, the streets of the city and her buildings echoed the shades of the land from which they were created.  It is this that captivates you. The browns of Siena seduce with their originality.

Having maneuvered the narrow streets on the side of the city and secured a parking spot in a place where order didn’t seem to matter, we made our way to the Piazzo del Campo, a tourist trap if ever there was one, yet a place to stop and catch up on a session of people watching. As the morning disappeared, the crowds arrived, streaming through the narrow arch and down the steps, filling every vacant seat in the cafes and restaurants overlooking the sun-drenched piazza.

Many of Siena’s most important buildings are postcard style palazzos (palaces) that line the Piazzo del Campo.  Some are accessible to the public, others not so, and it is the intriguing beauty of those that are off limits where you most want to poke your nose.

We decided to skip the palazzos and instead climb the Torre del Mangia for a view over the city.  A long wait and four hundred steps later, you make it to the top of Italy’s second tallest tower.  Dating back to medieval times the torre provides a view over Siena’s rooftops scorching under the midday sun.  The sculpture, Giovanni di Balduccio, was the tower’s first guardian and had a reputation for spending all his money on food, thus the tower was named ‘Torre del Mangia’ tower of the eater. Obviously he worked off the food on his daily climbs to the top!

Twice a year the piazza that is overlooked by the Torre is turned into a race track for the Palio de Siena, a highly competitive bare back horse race dating back to medieval times. Riders representing the various city areas race for the great honour they can bring to their district. Determined to do their best, once the race starts, it is every man for himself as they dart around the narrow track surrounded by tens of thousands of people. Watch this emotionally charged clip on YouTube.

Would I go again? Most definitely if I were in the area.

Things to keep in mind: Siena is beautiful and calm in the morning when locals and the majority of visitors seem to stay indoors a little longer. Getting out and exploring the city prior to midday means shorter lines to wait, quieter café tables, empty piazzas and better photos. By lunchtime, footpaths around the piazza become difficult to navigate as the crowds start to balloon in numbers.

Dress code: Italy and all her beautiful churches, such as Siena’s Cattedrale dell’Assunta require a certain dress code and you should keep this in mind. Women were required to cover their shoulders and we knew a man who was turned away from a church in Florence as his shorts were considered too short.  Take into consideration that you are ‘appropriately’ dressed on any days you might like to visit a church.

More favourite European discoveries:

The 6800 stairs of Europe

Marissa Williams discovers Nice and the French Riviera for Haven in Paris

French choux cooking with My Castle in Spain.