As Siena is about 45 minutes by car from where we are staying in Colordesoli, it clearly is a must visit on our list of hill towns.  It is a well-known stop on most tourists’ travels throughout Tuscany, as it generates in excess of 160,000 visits per year.  Even during the pre-season, it was clearly very busy, as can be seen in the image of the Piazza del Campo.

We found a convenient parking lot near Santa Caterina; parking lots are well-indicated, if you come into Sienna from the west side with signage that shows how many spots are still open in the parking lot.  A short uphill trek from our parking lot, got us to the escalators into the center of town.  These escalators took us up about 9 floors to within a 100 meters or so from the Siena Cathedral.

This catedral is another example of the usage…