Another travel post! This one is from my trip to other parts of the Tuscan region of Italy (besides my home away from home, Florence). Follow along below!

First stop on our tour was the beautiful city of Siena. From the churches lined with history (like a piece of Jesus’s cross – how crazy is that??) to the square where Quantum of Solace (the James Bond movie) was filmed! I had no idea this city had so much history within it. I also now get why there’s a color called “Siena Brown” since a lot of the building are the same reddish-brown color!

One of the oldest banks in the country

The Square

Fun Fact: Families in Siena used to each belong to a “clan” of sorts that each had a mascot of an animal – think of it like a predecessor to neighborhoods. Each house would have the animal on the outside of their house present (statue, flag, etc) and it was a big deal when a child was born. They would be christened into their symbol by a basin with the matching animal on it (see one of the basins for christening pictured above). The city would have a race every year around the city and each animal would have a team to cheer for – putting ribbons on their houses for decoration to cheer them on!

Amazing dessert – the creme puff was so good!

The little cookie next to it is a specialty of Siena.

Relic of the Cross

This town is known as the location for the movie Under the Tuscan Sun – my roommates and I actually watched it before we went and it helped get a feel of the city a bit more!

We toured a castle that got turned into a vineyard and the grounds were so beautiful as well as the wines and food we tried!

Tried a Chianti & a Super-Tuscan – I approved of both! The salami & prosciutto were great too along with the olive oil we tried on the bread later.