Eating, Drinking and Nightlife

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by admin

Although Siena has a swathe of places at which to eat well, the city feels distinctly rustic after Florence. The main action of an evening is the passeggiata from Piazza Matteotti along Banchi di Sopra to the Campo - and there’s not much in the way of nightlife to follow. For most visitors, though, the Campo, the city’s universal gathering place, provides diversion enough, while the presence of the university ensures a bit of life in the bars .

Restaurants

Siena used to have a poor reputation for restaurants but over the last few years a range of new, imaginative osterie has signalled a general rise in standards. Local specialities include pici (thick, hand-rolled spaghetti with toasted breadcrumbs), finocchiona (minced pork flavoured with fennel), pappa col pomodoro (bread and tomato soup), and fagioli all’uccelletto (white bean and sausage stew). Putting together a picnic in the Campo or elsewhere is easy: you can buy pizza by weight from many central hole-in-the-wall places, or phone an order ahead for quality, fresh-baked pizza (whole or by the slice) from Mister Pizza , Via delle Terme 94 (tel 0577.221.746; closed Sun). Gourmet supplies are at the extravagantly stocked food store Manganelli, Via di Città 71. Natural Planet , Via delle Terme 70, has organic foods. The covered market south of the Campo in Piazza del Mercato is also good for picnic provisions, and every quarter has its bakery.

We’ve divided the listings below by price: expensive means an average full meal (excluding wine) costs above L60,000/¬30.99 per person; inexpensive means you can take for L25,000/¬12.91 or less; mid-priced is between the two.

Sweet treats
Most Sienese buy ice cream at one or the other end of the passeggiata - either at the Nannini Gelateria at the northern end of Banchi di Sopra, or La Costarella , where Via di Città meets Via dei Pellegrini. Siena is also famous for a whole range of cakes , including the trademark panforte - a dense and delicious wedge of nuts, fruit and honey - and biscuits like cavallucci (aniseed, nut and spice) and ricciarelli (almond). All are best brought fresh by the etto (hectogram - 100g) in any of the bakeries or pasticcerie along Banchi di Sopra; the gift-packaged boxes aren’t as good.

Bars and cafés
There are pleasant bars all over town. L’Officina , Piazza del Sale 3a, has around a hundred bottled beers and others on tap. Of the terrace cafés ringing the Campo, Bar Fonte Gaia stays open later than most, but otherwise they’re much of a muchness. The garden of the Palazzo Ravizza hotel, Pian dei Mantellini 34, is a lovely tranquil spot for a cup of tea on a hot afternoon. The Enoteca Italiana inside the Fortezza (Mon noon-8pm, Tues-Sat noon-1am) is the country’s only national wine collection. Its cellar stocks and exhibits every single Italian wine (almost a thousand of them) and there’s a bar - at its best in the primeval evening - where you can order by the glass or bottle. At various times of year it stages promotions highlighting particular wine regions, and even hosts the odd concert.