Retreat with St. Catherine

Seeing St. Catherine's finger. Staying with the nuns at Alma Domus. My first relatively easy all-italian chitchat with a Sienese grandmother on a park bench overlooking the city. Amazing paintings by Lorenzetti.

Quick Tips:

Tourbooks seem to suggest making daytrips to Siena from Florence or vice versa. I would argue that Siena warrants a longer stay to really partake in the tranquility of the town. Aside from the surrounding natural beauty, there are several impressive museums showcasing the work of the Sienese painters, and there's plenty to see in terms of medieval and renaissance architecture. Make accomodation reservations in advance of your arrival, especially if you're traveling in Spring-Summer (and definitely far, far ahead if you're planning to go during The Palio in August). If you have extra time, you could also combine Siena nicely with a daytrip explorations of nearby Tuscan hill towns, like Montepulciano and San Gimagnano. See as much of Siena as you can in different times of the day -- the ambience is dramatic and unique with each varying degree -- or absence of -- sunlight.

Best Way To Get Around:

There isn't a direct train to Siena from Rome, but that probably helps to protect the city from too much tourism. From Rome, you can easily take a train to the village of Chiusi, and there, switch to a secondary train that will take you to Siena. Once at the station in Siena, take a bus into the center of town or if you've been lucky enough to make Sienese friends on your train ride, get a ride with them. Without a doubt, the best way to get around in Siena is on foot. Much of the medieval part of the city is car free which makes exploring even better.

Alma Domus is a modest hostel run by nuns of the same order of Siena's famous St. Catherine. My first visit to the hostel was by chance, when we arrived in Siena without reservations and happened upon Alma Domus after finding no vacancies elsewhere. Welcomed in by a pleasant Sister who showed us a clean room (with crucifix) over the bed, and bade us goodnight, we awoke to the sound of church bells, swallows, and a spectacular view of Siena and 'The Cathedral' from our balcony.

The hostel is strategically located next to the Basilica San Domenico, which houses a fresco of St. Catherine, as well as a few fascinating reliquaries (including her finger!) Our double room with bath had ample space and was well tended. The view makes the room seem gourmet! My single room on my second visit was immaculate, though the bed was a little lumpy. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the share bath on the second visit as well. Having the nuns at the door gives you a strange sense of security, even if you're not religious.

The only drawback to Alma Domus is the curfew, which was 11:30pm -- a late dinner with lots of wine can send you scurrying through the windy streets to make it home in time for the Sisters to let you in! I'd also highly recommend making reservations in advance of your arrival, at least a week or two -- during my last visit to Italy I desperately wanted to stay there, and was met by disappointment when I called a few days ahead to find they were booked!

The National "Picture Gallery" of Siena houses a comprehensive collection of Sienese painters presented chronologically from something like the end of the 12th century to the beginning half of the 17th. The Pinacoteca is a definite treasure, especially to those with interest in the works by Lorenzetti.

Lorenzetti's landscapes, "A Town on the Sea" and "Castle on the Banks of a Lake," are thought to be inspired by the architecture and landscape of Siena... also valued as some of the first landscape paintings in European art. To me, these paintings are worth the whole visit. I continue to admire even my postcards of the pieces that I have from the museum. What is very striking to note is the similarity in ambiance with present-day Siena. Also, it is incredible to see the correlation and progression of the Sienese painters over the time span represented in the galleries.

So that you don't miss the opportunity to spend time at the Pinacoteca, check the hours of the museum posted outside. There are a few days that the galleries are closed, and when I was there, it was only open in the mornings. I visited the museum twice to fully enjoy the collection. Bring a sketchbook!