Siena: From the City’s Founding to the Medici

The story of Siena’s founding is legendary, linking the Tuscan city with the glory of Rome, but you’ll soon find that Siena has a glory all its own. In fact, its origins go back much further than Rome, reaching all the way to the fascinating Etruscans. Find out how Siena played a joke on a Roman senator, how it was able to succeed and flourish in the Middle Ages despite geographical disadvantages, and how it developed a fierce rivalry with Florence. That rivalry led to a thrilling battle, immortalized by the great poet Dante. In the Renaissance, Siena continued to thrive as a center of art—though, as you’ll learn, perhaps not as one of fashion!