I'm preparing an itinerary and wanted to get opinions on Siena and Pisa. I've been to Italy before and already have a good feel for what to see and how much time will be required in order to experience either city. I don't necessarily need any advice regarding logistics but really would just like your take on which city you would choose based on tourist value, wow factor, or whatever if you could only visit one of the two (especially valuable if you've been to both). I'll have just one full day. Home base doesn't matter...I could easily do either city from where I'll be staying. Thanks.
Posted by
Saint Helens, OR, USA
304 posts
No question, no contest...Siena.
Pisa has the Campo di Miracoli, buts thats pretty much it. Siena, in my opinion, is the best in Tuscany. Much bigger wow factor.
Posted by
Bellevue, WA
257 posts
Yes, Siena.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
I can tell you right now the responses are likely to be 9/1 Siena over Pisa. I've been to both, and I too would pick Siena hands down over Pisa. No comparison.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO USA
1976 posts
Even though I've only been to Pisa, I'm voting for Siena. Pisa isn't very interesting.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Read " Seven Seasons in Siena ", by Robert Rodi for a wonderful look inside of the Sienese culture & great info regarding the Palio.
Posted by
London, UK
452 posts
Siena.
Posted by
Seaside, CA, USA
57 posts
Definitely Siena. Pisa feels like a tourist trap with endless tacky souvenir stands and huge crowds, and rude people. I could sit on Il Campo in Siena and people-watch forever. Walk the streets and notice the lamp posts and how they change from neighborhood to neighborhood. The city is alive. Also, the Duomo is beautiful.
Posted by
Bellevue, WA
257 posts
Pisa is nothing but a tower. It is a industrial town. Too bad, they cancel the IKRA project. It may become a major shopping area for the region.
Posted by
Washington, DC, USA
571 posts
I'm willing to take Seattle Michael 's nine-to-one odds on Siena vs. Pisa because frankly I don't think that 10th person who would choose Pisa will be found on these boards. Siena, hands down. A day trip to Pisa is sufficient.
Posted by
San Antonio, TX
134 posts
I love the church and bapistry in Pisa. But even I vote for Sienna.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10224 posts
No doubt about it.......Siena!!!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15584 posts
What Denise said.
Posted by
Alta Loma, CA, USA
1446 posts
I haven't been to Pisa so my opinion is one-sided but I've been to Siena twice and loved it each time. I agree with Karen that I could sit in the Il Campo all day & people watch & not get bored. When we were last there, my husband climbed the torre (tower) & I sat in the Il Campo & people-watched while waiting for him. I met so many nice people & struck up some great conversations. Siena is lively and beautiful. Enjoy.
Posted by
Cartersville, GA, USA
101 posts
Siena, hands down and no question. Siena is a place you can spend time, tour, relax, sightsee, absorb. Pisa is a place to see on your way to somewhere else if your train connects there.......Granted the leaning tower is iconic, but the Piazza dei Miracoli with the tower, duomo and baptistery is worth about 2 hours and then what???? There's just not that much else.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
I'm revising my odds to 99/1 Siena over Pisa for people who've been to both. :-)
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
Pisa! (ducking) No, seriously...SIENA!!! Although DO get to the Baptistry/Cathedrale/Tower in Pisa sometime...then stay that night (and the next 7!) in Siena.
Posted by
Forestville
17 posts
Siena....hands down.
Posted by
OP
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
Thanks, everyone!
Posted by
Lafayette, Colorado
82 posts
I've been to both. Pisa is worth a day trip, but you should see the duomo and baptistry as well as the tower. But I'd stay in SIENA!!
Posted by
Hastings, MN, USA
3 posts
Siena hands down. I would recommend taking one of the local walking tours. Lasts about two hours, and you will uncover a wealth of info and history that it would take you a week to read about!
Posted by
Hastings, MN, USA
3 posts
Siena hands down. I would recommend taking one of the local walking tours. Lasts about two hours, and you will uncover a wealth of info and history that it would take you a week to read about!
Posted by
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
265 posts
SIENA...
If you take the Leaning tower away from Pisa ... (well, you fill in the blank)? Not much more there. Just look at RS's book on Pisa. He tries to sugar coat it, but I don't think the town has much charm either. Unless you have to see the tower.