Shopping in Siena

Shopping in Siena hasn't changed all that much in the 685 years since the Palazzo Pubblico was frescoed.

The best souvenirs in Siena

(Photo by Dympna) Though smack in the center of the main shopping drag, Ceramiche Artistiche Santa Caterina, at Via di Città 51, 74, and 76 (digilander.libero.it/...), is the genuine article, a ceramics studio of artisan quality. Two generations of the Neri family, art-school grads who've apprenticed in Tuscany's ceramics centers, turn out a variety of patterns including traditional local pieces in black, white, and reddish brown ("burnt sienna") inspired by the cathedral's floor panels.

Fioretta Bacci's studio-cum-workshop Tessuti a Mano, Via San Pietro 7 (tel. +39-0577-282-200), is mostly taken up with the giant looms on which she tirelessly weaves her unique wool creations: scarves, shawls, and sweaters.

If its an edible souvenir you're after, the high shelves of Antica Drogheria Magnanelli, Via di Città 71-73 (tel. +39-0577-280-002), haven't changed a whit since 1879, packed with wines and grappas, olive oils and vinegars, cured meats from famed Chianti butcher Falorni, sheep's cheeses, and typical Sienese sweets such as the panforte spiced cake and ricciarelli marzipan cookies.

Don't forget the Enoteca Italian Permanenete in the evocative brick-vaulted cellars of the Medicean Fortress. Part wine museum, part wine bar, part massive wine store, this place sells bottles of the best Italian wines for as little as $3 (and the median price range is €5 to €15, with only a few topping €30). You simply cannot fine a wider selection at a better price in Italy. Anywhere. Period. » more

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