Passion for Québec and Elsewhere

I was in Siena for 3 weeks in May 2023 to study Italian. I lived with a local family but I had all my lunches at various restaurants as well as a few dinners. Here some of my recommendations of places to discover :

Osteria da Divo was very good but a little expensive. The decor is a plus as the restaurant is on different levels and makes you travel back to medieval and Etruscan times. It is not far from the top of the escalators taking you from Fonte Branda to the Duomo and the battistero. I had the pici, it is a sienese handolled pasta like a spaghetti on steroids. My friend had an egg in a cheese sauce with white truffles.

Du Versi was a very good option for pizza without gluten. Not far from there if you keep walking down the street there is a very nice church, Basilica San Francesco. When I was there, in May, they had an exhibit of Nativity Scenes.

Enzo e Sonia : was another favorite of mine, in May they had a little section outside and you could see what was the suggestion of the day by the chef. It was very good, very affordable and very well presented.

Il Pomodorino : We had a nice lunch but we did not have the pizza when we went as my friend was gluten intolerant and we usually shared the plates we ordered. A little plus is the view from the restaurant on Siena. It is right next to the grand church on top of the hill, Basilica San Domenico.

Torrefazione Fiorella : was recommended as the best place in Siena for coffee. I also enjoyed their cornetti (croissants) with chocolate and pistachio.

Antica Drogheria Manganelli 1879 was my go to place to pick up the famous Ricciarelli cookies of Siena, they had the classic ones and chocolate ones which were also very good. They also had a few varieties of panforte, another Sienese specialty. I picked up a bottle of wine as well as one evening I was preparing the dinner for the family I was staying with.

Pizzecheria de Miccoli was my other favorite spot to pick up charcuteries for the evening I prepared my feast for the family. It was simply delicious!

Chigian ArtCafé is a very nice place to stop by for the aperitivo for the atmosphere and one of the least crowded place to go to for the aperitivo. The cafe is located on the main floor of a very famous worldwide music school. They also have a very nice courtyard if you want to have your drink outside. I think they have a menu for lunch, but I did not see it.

Orto dei Pecci. The family I stayed with took us there to celebrate the birthday of their eldest son. The father of the family overlooks that estate. Many people with disabilities or needing a second chance in life work on that estate which comprises many things other than the restaurant. It is located halfway between the Piazza del Campo and the Porta Romana in a green valley. It is very nice place to take a walk and admire some greenery in the heart of Siena.

Pasticceria Peccati di Gola : this pastry shop was highly recommended by the family who hosted me. The ricciarelli were also very good. It is located 500-750 meters outside of Porta Romana.

Here is my list of all the places I flagged on Google Map for Siena being restaurants (there are some others I did not mention in this post, I did not have time to review everything as of yet either), museums, churches and shops.

I hope you will make great discoveries as well.

Enjoy your trip to Siena!