Siena Bella

I felt like a proud mama yesterday!

ST Life ran a cover story on Tuscany, with Siena as the focus. I actually gasped when I saw the cover photo with Palazzo Repubblica. The thing is, yeah everyone knows where Tuscany is but not all would know about Siena. The typical tourist would head straight for Florence and Pisa, full stop. I especially cannot understand why people would spend a huge amount of time getting to a place only because it just seems like the right thing to do. Like visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa for instance. No offence, but seriously, Pisa is nothing much to shout about apart from the Piazza. Plus you really waste at least half a day, simply taking touristy photos like everyone else. Don't be mistaken, I have been there. But only the second time round, when I was actually living in Italy, and not there for a quickie one week holiday, trying to cramp every state in. What I am trying to say is, be adventurous, explore the beaten track, head to little enclaves, speak to the locals, try the food. The beauty of Italy lies not in the cities, but the quaint, little towns. And no prizes for guessing, Siena is one of them. The thing that sucks is, to really appreciate a country, you have to live there. And not being there as a tourist, doing oh-so-boring tourist things. I remember I went a trip to Trentino Alto Adige and me and my Japanese friend were the only Asian people there. Now how cool is that.

I was happy to see that article but oh so afraid for Siena to turn into one of those Romes or Venices. It still felt like home and somehow a selfish part of me doesn't want too many people to know about it. Maybe that has got to do with the prospect of seeing truckloads of Singaporeans setting foot there. Not exactly appealing.