The first time I went to Siena was 1998. I was impressed with their city square on which stands the City Hall and the amazingly tall and thin Tower del Mangia. The shell-shaped square itself is famous for hosting the medieval Palio horse race twice every summer.

This time I had a chance to enter the cathedral, which is the top attraction of Siena. It's one of the cathedrals with the most awesome interior that I have ever seen. It was intended to be the largest cathedral in the world. But, when the money ran out they had to give up and abandon the rest of the construction. However, the completed spectacular Romanesque-Gothic architecture, including the Piccolomini Library inside the cathedral, remains since 1380 the pride and glory of this little hill town in Tuscany.

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