SIENA

RICHELLE,
I don't think you can see Siena in a day. Some highlights:
Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre di Mangia,
Duomo.
Spedale di Santa Maria delle Scale,
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo,
San Domenico church,
The market on Wednesday morning,
Enoteca Italia by the fortezza,
Il Campo.

Siena would be really hard to appreciate in an afternoon. It does have some great sights, but the main draw is the town itself. I think of it as the opposite of Florence -- which I consider to have some blockbuster "don't misses", but where I would rather spend as little time as possible. If that's really all the time you have, I'd be sure to hit Il Campo (one of the greatest squares in Europe) and walk the old center, take in views of the surrounding countryside, etc. My best memories of Siena are the evenings -- maybe you should save it for a future trip.

Richelle,

As the others have said, spending at least one evening in Siena would be worthwhile. However, it that's not possible two sites that I quite enjoyed were of course Il Campo (and of course the numerous Gelato shops and restaurants) and the Duomo, Baptistry and Tower (be SURE to observe the dress code!).

One suggestion though. If travelling from Florence to Siena, you might consider taking the Bus as the time isn't that much different and you'll be dropped in the main part of town rather than at the bottom of the hill. However, if you have luggage that might be a problem? You might want to check Rick's "Italy" book with regard to storage lockers at the Siena station.

Good luck and happy travels!

Yes, of course, everyone would advise you to spend more time in Siena, but what's your alternative? Missing it altogether. I agree that the priority sights are the Campo and the Duomo. Don't rush around too much. Have the fun is enoying a gelato or a glass of wine on the Campo.

There is luggage storage in the main Siena bus station UNDER Piazza Gramsci (where the buses from Florence arrive). Don't recall the rates or hours, but it was open when I stopped there to buy bus tickets last September.

while spending 15 days this past spring in italy we found siena and the hilltowns to be our favorite. just hang out, walk around and enjoy the city. it is very cool. good luck :):)

Siena is quite easy to negotiate and as others have said the Campo and the Duomo are the ones you shouldn't miss. At the Duomo you can get and all in one ticket for the Duomo and a couple of associated museum which I would highly recommend. Also a absolute must for me is a coffee and Siena cake at Naninis. This is a Siena institution where they are known world wide for their Siena cake. You can buy a small slice and then eat it with a coffee standing up with the locals. Great coffee and the cake is wonderful. They have a web site so just google Naninis.