Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick
Buona sera from Siena. I’m here with Anna Piperato, a Rick Steves Italy guide — and it’s just so good to be here. I love this city and its gorgeous red-brick square, Il Campo.
Join us now as we consider the concept of “campanilismo” — the home-sweet-home spirit of local patriotism that makes the sound of your town’s bell tower the most beautiful sound of all.
While most Italian cities have a church on their main square, Siena’s Il Campo gathers around a symbol of an independent republic — its City Hall.
I’m here with my friend and guide, Anna Piperato, getting inspired by the Sienese commitment to good government. This message from the 1300s seems like it was addressed to us in 2019.
Join me now from a secret hideaway above Europe’s finest square — Siena’s Il Campo. I’m here with my friend and guide, Roberto Bechi, just enjoying a caffè macchiato and experiencing one of Italy’s great cities.
Twice every summer, all of Siena hurls itself with medieval abandon into the world’s wildest horse race — the Palio — and this square is overcome by pandemonium. As Roberto explains, in Siena you’re born…then there’s the Palio…and then you die.
Planning a trip to Siena? You can pick up the latest edition of the Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook here. Happy travels!
I’m so happy that Florence’s Trattoria la Burrasca is still good. I was worried that it had gotten touristy over the years, scaring away the locals — but it’s still a great trattoria. Join me in this clip with my friend Elio, in one of Italy’s small, humble kitchens that work wonders.
This is my kind of place: family-run, offering a people-to-people connection, and personality-driven. Here’s how I wrote it up in my Rick Steves Italy guidebook:
[$$] Trattoria la Burrasca is a rustic gem on a cruddy street with a time-warp atmosphere — a dozen rickety tables under a single vault. Elio and his hardworking staff offer a traditional menu featuring fine steak and good-value seasonal specials of Tuscan home cooking (Tue-Sat 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-22:30, closed Sun and Mon, reservations smart, Via Panicale 6, north corner of Mercato Centrale, tel. 055-215-827).
Join me at the place I’ve called home for the last few days in Florence — Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti — and check out my rooftop view of the Duomo, coming right in through the bathroom window. I’ve set up a little office here where I can work on the next edition of my Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook while enjoying a picnic dinner with the best sandwich in town.