Siena, like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans. It was a proud, wealthy, and warlike independent city-state during the Middle Ages, until its final defeat by Florence. For a few hundred years following this it was very poor, which is the main reason that its lovely Medieval buildings were never torn down and replaced with modern structures. Nowadays, it is a requirement that new buildings within the city walls be built to maintain the city’s character and beauty – many are strikingly modern, yet fit in well.
In the 19th century, tourists started coming to Siena for events such as the Palio. The Palio, is all about neighborhood pride and rivalry, and also constitutes the unbroken continuation of a Medieval tradition associated with religion and pageantry. It is taken very seriously and is in no way a put-on for tourists; in fact, you are likely to be less welcomed during the Palio than at any other time, and there isn’t the slightest doubt that Siena would run the Palio with great enthusiasm regardless of whether any visitors ever showed up. That said, this is a city which depends and flourishes on tourism.
