GENERAL INFORMATION on SIENA

Situated 322 m. above sea level in the heart of Tuscany, Siena is built on three hills. Siena maintains its medieval appearance characterized by narrow winding streets and noble buildings.This town is one of Italy' s most beautiful cities, situated between the Chianti area and Maremma, rich in history, art and popular traditions (it is the city of THE PALIO). In Siena you can find some important museums: OPA Museum, where there are works of Duccio di Boninsegna and Giovanni Pisano, the civic Museum (Lorenzetti and Simone Martini), The Pinacoteca and the Santa Maria della Scala.

map of the town

Weather

Weather in June is often fine. The expected temperature is between 25°C and30°C, but, sometimes, it can reach 35°C or more. It is entirely possible, however, that a sudden downpour can descend on the city..

How-to-arrive

By Air
The closest (and more common) airports to Siena are:

• Roma (Fiumicino)
• Firenze (Amerigo Vespucci - Peretola)
• Pisa (Galileo Galilei)

Roma: from the airport, you have the possibilities:

1) (cheaper and faster) Take the train shuttle to Roma Tiburtina (about 40 min. NOTICE: Tiburtina is not the main train station in Rome). In front of Tiburtina train station you find a bus station. Buses of SENA bus company take you to Siena in about 3 hours. Check here for the timetable.

2) Take the train shuttle to Roma Termini (about 40 min.). Then take a train towards Firenze, but be sure that it stops in Chiusi! In Chiusi you must connect with a local train to Siena (about 3,50 hrs). The timetable of trains is available here.

3) Rent a car and drive to Siena: follow the highway A12 for Civitavecchia and continue for Grosseto-Livorno on the S.S.1 (Aurelia). From Grosseto, follow the S.S.223 for Siena. Total distance: 270 Km.

Firenze: from the airport, take the bus-shuttle to the main bus terminal, which is in front of the main train station S.M.Novella. From there either:

1) Take a bus to Siena (timetable here). There are three different types of bus to Siena:

• Rapida: it is the fastest one. It stops only in Siena (70 minutes).
• Diretta: it stops in Poggibonsi and Colle Val D'Elsa before arriving in Siena (90 minutes).
• Accelerata: it stops everywhere... cheaper and very panoramic (120 minutes).

2) Take a train. The timetable of trains is available here. Sometimes you need to change train in Empoli.

Pisa: from the airport take a train towards Firenze. Then stop in Empoli and take the train towards Siena.

By Car

If you are arriving from the South of Italy, take the directions for Roma. From Roma follow the highway A1 towards Firenze. Then leave the highway at the exit "Val di Chiana". Follow then the S.S.63 for Siena. From Roma the distance is 230 Km.

If you are arriving from the North of Italy take the directions for Firenze. From Firenze, in the highway A1, continue until the exit "Firenze-Certosa". Then follow the indications on the free highway (Autopalio) for Siena. Total distance from Firenze: 60 km.

By Train
If you want to reach Siena by train you need to arrive in one the following stations: Firenze S.M. Novella, (or Empoli if you are arriving from Pisa), or Chiusi. In fact these are the only ones from which direct trains to Siena leave. You can check the timetable page here.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The last train from Roma to Siena leaves at 8.30 PM (Roma Termini).

The last bus from Roma to Siena leaves at 8 PM.

There is no way to reach Siena from Roma (with public transportation) after 8.30 PM . You have to wait till the next morning.

The last train from Firenze to Siena leaves at 11.07 PM.

The last bus from Firenze to Siena leaves at 7.10 PM.

There is no way to reach Siena from Firenze (with public transportation) after 11.07 PM. You have to wait till the next morning

How to reach the center of the town

The main bus terminal in Siena is in front of the train station. The terminal is not the closest stop to downtown. If you go downtown, you need to get off from the bus at the stop "Piazza Gramsci" (also known as "la Lizza").

If you arrive by train, take an urban bus. Buy a ticket at the Newspaper Stand in the station. The bus stop for downtown is in the other side of the square in front of the station. Cross the square and take a bus for the center of the town. Depending on the bus, you have to get off at one of the following stops: Piazza La Lizza, Piazza Gramsci, Piazza del Sale, Via Tozzi.

Drive and walk in the historical center

(i.e.: the area inside the medioeval walls).

NO PRIVATE CARS ARE ALLOWED TO CIRCULATE in most of the center of the town.

In the central area, you are allowed to reach your hotel by car, only following some well defined pattern and only the day you arrive and the day you leave. The police may ask you about your hotel reservation. If you plan to arrive by car and lodge in some hotel inside the historical center, we suggest you discuss this with the hotel when you make your reservation. They will tell you what you must do.

Beware that finding free parking (or even non-free parking, which costs about 2E per hour!) close to the center is often a challenge, expecially during working hours.

Also notice that the Math. Department is located inside the historical area. Arriving by car, you are advised to leave your car at the parking "il Duomo", near Porta San Marco.

Even if the urban bus service is able to take you close to any destination, the best way to move in the center of Siena (if you can) is on foot. Distances in the downtown area are never so big. On the other hand, you have to remember that Siena is built on three hills and your path may often be steep.

Notice that buses sometimes need a lot of time to take you from a location to another location of the center, simply because even they cannot go across the center, but are forced to surround the central area.

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