Strongly medieval, handsomely Gothic and Renaissance, suffused with all the dignity and self-respect of an old city-state, Siena should be high on every traveller’s list of places to visit and revisit. The place is just right for size: its fabulous monuments and works of art are all within easy walking distance of each other. Town mansions, slotted into narrow streets, are marvels of domestic architecture. The Piazza del Campo, best seen from the top of the 13thC Mangia Tower above the municipal palace, is an irregular triangle and is considered the finest city centre in Italy. In front of the great black-and-white cathedral in which the city culminates you stand open-mouthed with wonder.

Duccio, the early Renaissance painter, led the Sienese school of art. Sassetta, Beccafumi, Pinturicchio and the Lorenzetti were among those who followed him. Jacopo della Quercia, Ghiberti and Donatello were responsible for the city’s most beautiful sculptures and statuary.

At San Domenico’s church the head of Catherine of Siena, saint and martyr, is venerated. (She is not the martyr the manner of whose death gave rise to the Catherine Wheel of fireworks displays.) At San Francesco’s church 223 sacred wafers are kept, as fresh and white as when they were baked in 1730 − they are considered the greatest eucharistic miracle in religious history. The heart of St Bernard of Siena is kept in the oratory named for him. These and other churches contain paintings and frescos which, for the art student, repay hours of study.

Always a vibrant town, a market and banking centre for a wide region, Siena really explodes in Palio week. Bands of costumed performers, like rival gangs of football supporters but more civilized, parade the streets with the insignia of their contrade (city wards) − Goose, Caterpillar, Giraffe, Unicorn, 17 in all − until the Palio itself on July 2 and August 16. On those days a pagan frenzy seizes the city. In the Piazza 100,000 spectators are jammed, all standing for hours in a torrid heat, to see a bare-back horse race which lasts about two minutes.

The Palio, brutal, no-holds-barred, not for the squeamish, is possibly the greatest of Italy’s ‘traditional manifestations’. It is best seen from a balcony if you can afford the extortionate prices. If you intend to stand in the Piazza, arrive early. The horses do a double circuit around you, but you see almost nothing unless you are against the barrier, The atmosphere, of course, is a grand spectacle in itself.

Siena is a city of gastronomy. Confectioners sell panforte (spiced bread − you can tour the factory) and marzipan. Smart expensive shops handle typical alta moda sweaters and leather goods and their quality souvenirs include chic little dolls clad in the colourful heraldic uniforms of the Palio contenders.