Secret Siena: guided tours around city streets
Posted on 29. Nov, 2010 by admin in Archive, Itineraries
People that want to know the hidden alleyways of the magic Tuscan city, now can do it thanks to the guided tours oranized by Centro Guide Turistiche of Siena and province.
Dedicated to those has already been in this city and want to discover new locations, or to the tourist that come for the first time in Tuscany, the tours called Classical Siena and Secret Siena Walks represent a funny alternative to too much popular destinations.
Part of the visits program is to explore the ancient Castellare near the church of San Virgilio, the Piazza del Mercato and the valley of Porta Giustizia, a medieval fountain, with a lot of anecdotes and curiosities told by the guide, and will end with a visit to the millenary hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, born as a hospice for the poor and the pilgrims and used as a hospital until a few years ago.
We try to give some suggests about streets and quarters to discover in Siena: every street tells a story and is very charming to dip yourself in the past, just with a walk.
We begin from Palazzo dei Rozzi, that takes his name from Congrega dei Rozzi, which was founded back in 1531. The emblem was a cork oak covered with rough bark, or “rozza scorsa” in Italian, with four intertwined branches standing for the four seasons and the motto: “Who here abides gains what he loses” meaning that by becoming a Rozzo a man would lose his roughness.
Then we go to Vicolo degli Orbachi, a part of the countryside in the heart of the city: actually, in the vegetable gardens of this area, you can find fruit and vegetables.
The bay trees exist at least from 1370 and they give their name to this street; in Senese dialect, in fact, “orbaco” means bay tree. An alley that is flanked by ancient houses, arches and galleries is considered one of the most typical of Siena. Is called Vicolo delle Carrozze and it once harbored murderers and was rightly deemed dangerous.
About Via della Giustizia we can notice that is named after the ones sentenced to death who had to walk along it to reach Poggio delle Forche, situated a few kilometers outside the town. Because the evildoers who where everything but happy to be taken through it, another street name, Via dei Malcontenti, it derives just from there.
Nearby we find Piazza del Mercato, the old market square was originally used for the cattle market. the elegant loggias at the back of the Palazzo Pubblico, that once was the main facade of the Senese municipality, which it stored its precious salt reserves down below.
The tours, that last half or full day, are available many times during the year, the next meeting will be from 27th to 31st of December, starting at 11.00 am from Piazza del Campo. There is also the Classical Siena tour, with famous but not predictable stages: Piazza del Campo, theatre of Palio, visits to the palaces Salimbeni, Tolomei and Chigi-Saracini, the Loggia della Mercanzia, the Baptistery and the Duomo square.
For info about rates and resevations, visit the official site: http://www.guidesiena.it
