Les meilleurs hôtels à Sienne

Madrid has its running of the bulls, but Siena has the Palio, a medieval style horse race said to be Italy's most spectacular festival event. Held twice a year, in early July and mid August, the Palio pits contestants from each of Siena's 17 "contrade" (ancient neighborhood wards) in a wild, one minute run around the town square. Rivalry among the contrade is fierce, and fairplay is almost unheard of in the Palio. Siena is located in Italy's Tuscany Region, straight south of its historic rival, Florence. Siena was one of Europe's great financial, commercial, and cultural centers during the Middle Ages (and makes credible claims to being the birthplace of the Renaissance), but wars with Florence combined with Black Plague in the 13th and 14th centuries decimated the city's population and regional authority. Yet, Siena has made an admirable transition into the modern world. Now home to around 65,000 people, the city is a fine mix of old and new. It features one of Italy's most beautiful town squares, the vehicle-free Piazza del Campo, plus plenty of lovely green spaces, and a hip cafe culture. Along with tourism, main local industries include the processing and marketing of agricultural products. The Palio isn't the only festival here, either. Check out Siena Jazz and open air classical music concerts of the Settimana Musicale Senese in late July.