May 7, 2003
If you are planning a trip to Siena here are a few tips:

1. If you want to see The Palio, the horse race in the main piazza on film, you must go to The Modemma theatre. Our hotel sent us to the wrong theatre and we never got to see it.

2. Our hotel says there surely must be a charge to see the movie. Although some tour books say it is free, I doubt that it still is.

3. We took our 8 year old to see some great, weird sites in Florence and Rome (see my other quick tips), so he was very frustrated and disappointed when we followed someone else's suggestion to see the head of Saint Catherine in one of Siena's churches. The church is St. Katerina's but her head is in a brass pot hanging under one of the altars. It is respectfully out of sight!

4. Of all the cathedral's I visited, I believe the Duomo in Siena was one of the most stunning. Don't miss the inside!

5. Order a sfogliadella (clam shell) pastry from any shop there. They are quite plain looking but they are one of Italy's best pastries! They have layers of flakey phyllo dough on the outside and are filled with a rich egg cream. (I am not a fan of Siena's local dolce -- too hard and dry for me...). Sfogliadelle are also available in the States at Italian pastry shops.

6. Consider staying at the Hotel Duomo. It is a two star hotel with good sized rooms and a great location.

Hope this helps a little and will save you some time and trouble. Look for my other Quick Tips on rome, florence, amalfi (mt. vesuvius) and milan.

Ciao,
GailT

Gail, just when I thought I had everything I could possibly get into my suitcase for my trip I am printing your tips and carrying them with me. What a great idea to post them.. Thanks a bunch..We leave May 15 and can hardly wait...
Happy Travels,
Gary

Gary! wow! you are quick!
I'm so pleased to help out. please post your own quick tips upon your return. we could all use them!

hope my other tips to other sites help too!

GailT

I have to ask: Isn't the head of St. Catherine actually in the church of St. Domenico?

I was there in 2000, and ... well ... I wanted to see that as much as your 8-year-old did. It's not something you soon forget.

Gail,
Did they ever rod the 1/4-inch drains and fix their plumbing problems at the Hotel Duomo? I could write a lengthy bathroom problem/hotel response on this, but don't want to be offensive. Suffice it to say our experience there was like a bad sitcom. But the views of the Duomo and countryside from our room were magnifico. I kept telling my husband to concentrate on that. LOL. Still, Siena was one of our favorite places. We spent a week there a couple of years ago.

I've got to go with Bets on the "holy head." For centuries this precious relic has be at St. Domenico and I am unaware of it being relocated.

Correct, Santa Caterina's head and her finger are at San Domenico. Also the name of the theater that plays the film of the Palio is the Moderna.

Is it possible to go for a quick day trip to Siena on the way from Rome to Venice?

Thanks

I thought the Catherine relic was in the San Domenico church. Or was that a different body part, can't recall for some reason.

GailT, Thanks so much for posting tips! I am going in June/July for my honeymoon to Positano, Siena and Rome, and your tips are going with me too! I am definitely bringing back some 20 year old vinegar.

thanks for the HEADS UP on St Catherine's noggin. i guess i shouldn't have trusted the kind uniformed men in the polizia department with their eager, albeit incorrect, information.

Now, we must return to see her head!!

Mille Grazie, tutti!
GailT

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