Part 2 of a 3 part series on Siena.
Visiting in Siena demands…
Come hungry and ready to walk or get home weighing a whole lot more than when you left!
The food is excellent—near the city center or far from it. The only difference is that if you wander a bit from the Piazza del Campo, you are apt to pay less. Overall, though, the prices are reasonable. Order the house wine every time and unless you are a major connoisseur (not us), you will not be disappointed.
There are restaurants that do as the small towns in Italy do and close from 2:00-7:00, so if there is a particular place where you want to eat, make sure you check the times. The only reservations we made were at our hotel (the Athena) and they proved unnecessary, however, this was April, not peak season. You might want to check if reservations are required.
Siena Food Menus Are Mouthwatering
Menus are universally posted outside and are generally in both Italian and English. Although English was not as widely spoken as I expected, we never had any problem communicating. It was fun to talk with one server from Greece and another from England/New Zealand.
Take advantage of space 
Tiered dining
Aside from Boar (which I don’t eat) I didn’t see a specialty dish like the Cinque Terre has anchovies, Parma has ham and cheese, Bologna Bolognese sauce. We didn’t have anything that wasn’t wonderful. It was all fresh and tasty. I believe I ate ravioli three times. It’s my favorite pasta—or wait—is tortelloni? I love those huge delicately folded pieces of pasta.
About that Siena Food – the Pasta
One of the things that always strikes me when eating pasta in Italy versus pasta in Pittsburgh is the lightness of it. We have one favorite truly-palette-pleasing place we go here, Girasole, and I’m honestly not sure they make it quite that light. Pasta can melt in your mouth—what’s outside does not overwhelm what’s inside.
The sauces are clearly made that day with fresh ingredients. We only had one lunch where my plate was smothered in sauce and since Alex’s dish was not, I think that is simply how they serve this dish. Usually, it’s enough just to coat the pasta.
Trattorias, Ristorantes, Pizzerias, Osterias, and Enotecas
The ambiance of places ranges from quiet, to tourist (we avoid eating around the Piazza del Campo, despite the enjoyable view), to romantic (ViVace’s terrace is the best), to casual local. A favorite snack we had was at Cafe Ristorante 115 on the via Dei Rossi. We stopped in after touring San Francesco and shared a water, one glass of wine and Bruschetta. Brow-chet-ah. Not the Americanized: Broo-shet-ah. The proprietor spoke some English and was delightful and fun, explaining the arancini is a southern Italy dish and arancia means orange! Mid-afternoon, we were the only patrons of this dark, very British-seeming pub, and relaxed and people-watched the busy street outside.
Rosticceria Vitti 
Trattoria I Barberi – carpaccio tuna 
Osteria al Palchetto – Siena, Italy 
Osteria al Palchetto 
Tiramisu at ViVace
The important thing to remember is to slow down, take your time, savor each bite—savor the company around you. Italy is the place where living in the moment is in the culture’s DNA, soak some of that in and try to take it home with you. We Americans really need more of that.
When you go, make sure to take your appetite to enjoy the Siena food!
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*Read: Italian Foods
Hi Rose. We didn’t make it to Siena during our visit to Tuscany, but we did love our time in Pisa and Pistoia for the amazingly great food (and chocolate!) I completely concur with you about the lightness of the pasta. There was one place we actually at 2x in Pisa, and another where we ate 2-3 times in Pistoia for that very reason. I’ve included the link to one of my posts on that in my signature below.
Next time, Doreen! I was in Pisa for a quick afternoon many years ago. We ate at a place along the sea’s edge and it was fantastic!
Oh Rose, the day is just starting and now I am going to be craving Italian food all day, LOL. The pictures look wonderful. You must have had such a great time – memories for every right?
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
I looked up what mangia means and agree with Jacquie. Mangia
A quick google search shows that Mangia is related to eating. Sounds good to me! Did you indulge in your pasta, Lenie? Yummy!
We just got back from two weeks in April to Italy, Germany and Luxemborg. Our 2nd or 3rd time to Siena and this time, what made it extra special, is we were with our son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters.
No matter WHERE we at, my youngest grandaughter ordered the same thing she loves beyond compare – pizza! Gotta love purity like that!
Thanks for sharing your pics.
Pat–your granddaughter and my husband–he could eat pizza every single day! I’d love to hear about Luxembourg–that’s one I’ve not been to. yet. I love saying, “yet” after mentioning a new place!
When I’ve been in Italy I think I’ve probably ordered some form of pasta with just about every meal, either as a 2nd corse or main course. You’re right about the lightness of it. When I come home I avoid it for a few weeks because I know it will be disappointing.
You are very wise, Ken! And I’m glad to hear that I’m not imagining how much lighter the pasta is there than here. I think the next trip we will have to take a cooking class to figure out how to do that. Yummy!
I need to go back to Italy. It reminds me of “Eat, Pray, Love” too. Siena looks like a great place to eat and drink.
Beth, I kept thinking of EPL, too, as I ate more and more and thought: why do my pants feel tight? Walk more, walk more! Siena is lovely for those reasons and so much more! One more post about it…the people.
Food plays a big part in Italian culture. Sadly I have not had the opportunity to visit – yet!
The food really does look tantalising.
Yes, “Yet!” I am so deeply appreciative of being able to travel to Italy as often as I have–and plan to in the future. There is so much to see, every part is different while the people and food both remain great!
RM your descriptions and photos leave me yearning for a trip to Italy! It won’t come soon enough.
There’s nothing quite so lovely as Italy. We’ve both been to many other lovely, captivating places. I’m coming to realize that it is the people of Italy that draw you into the place of it!
Ahhh…these pictures are completely tantalizing!!! And they bring back fond memories of my trips to Italy. Because the food is often a big part of the journey:) And you offer some very sage advice…slow down and enjoy! Mangia!
I kept thinking of “Eat, Pray, Love” and how she gained all that weight during her Italian “eat” time. The walking was the only way to balance all the eating! I love the absolute attention to food that the Italians have. It makes eating an event, not a chore.