Although Siena is a fairly small city, there are quite a large number of shops specializing in a wide array of items and services. While some stores will ship and a few have websites, make sure you get phone numbers when purchasing an item which you are having shipped outside of Italy.
We have listed here only those shop we have experienced first-hand and urge you to give them a try; nearly all are found inside the historic center ("centro storico") of the city and are an easy walk from one another:
Books: The Bookshop, in the Galleria 19 Via San Pietro (mostly English books), ph 0577 226594, and on the web at: www.bookshopsiena.com. For more information on this wonderful little gem of a shop see my section on books. There is also Feltrinelli's on Via Banchi di Sopra (2 stores actually within a block of one another) and Libreria Senese on Via di Citta. Both have a wide selection of books in English as well as Italian. The also carry a wide variety of foreign newspapers and magazines as well. There is also Libreria Ticci, just off Piazza Independenza, near the intersection of Via Delle Terme and Via di Citta.
Unisex haircuts: Valentina, "Atelier 68", 24 Via Cecco Angiolieri (very little English spoken but great cuts and wonderful service); ph 0577 280763.
Handmade woven garments: "Il Telaio" 2 Chaisso del Bargello (just off the Campo in a tiny alleyway; ph. 0577 47065, www.iltelaiosiena.it.
Ceramics: "Tesori di Siena", 72 Via di Citta, ph. 0577 46723, online at: www.tesoridisiena.com. They have some beautiful, distinctive patterns and like just about everyone else along Via di Citta they will ship.
Digital photography: "Foto Moderna", 6 Via delle Terme, ph., 0577 225470, Italian only, very little English spoken. Online: www.fotootticamoderna.com, also only in Italian. In addition to Foto Moderna there is also Foto Ottica on Via di citta and one on the Piazza del Campo. You can also find blank CD-Rs and DVDs at most photo ("foto") shops as well.
Computer: Unlike Florence where computer supplies and service is readily available Siena has little to offer here I'm afraid, at least for the casual tourist. If you have computer problems you might try tuscanypcclinic.com. I have not used their services and cannot vouch for their reputation or quality of work. They apparently work primarily with English-speaking primarily and also offer web hosting services as well through a sister web site.
Internet access: In Siena there are numerous other internet shops and since the one IT on via Pantaneto which has several laptop access stations is closed on weekends we also use InterfastNet at 1 Via Casato di Sotto. We have used Internet Train, with three locations in Siena: 54 and 59 Via Pantaneto. More. . . .
Phone: If you're coming from North America, chances are you won't be able to use your exisitng mobile phone in Italy. That is slowly changing but for the time being you might want to consider renting or purchasing a phone, either before you leave home or in Italy. More. . .
Car: Do you need a car for longer than three weeks? We took out a short-term lease for 80 days through Renaultusa that worked out very well and costs significantly less than a typical rental. You not only get a brand-new car but full insurance to boot. More. . .
Food: There are a number of wonderul little stores scattered throughout the city, stores which specialize in food to go ("rosticcerie"), meat markets ("macelleria"), small groceries ("alimentari"), but most do their shopping in the larger supermarkets ("supermercato") such as the COOP, which is located near the train station (and therefore outside the city walls), and Conrad, which is located in the galleria next to the department store UPIM, just off the Piazza Matteotti. Another good place to pick up groceries, particularly locally produced pastas, condiments, cheeses, etc., is the Consorzio Agraria Siena (see photo), located just diagonally from Piazza Salimbeni, at the junction of Via Piangiani and Via Banchi di Sopra. Conad and the Consorzio take credit cards but the COOP does not.
Housewares: for low-cost items, check out UPIM, although many stores deal in electronics, clocks, and the like and are just about everywhere. For example we bought a great little travel clock at "Bichi Luciano", a tiny shop at the Four Corners ('quattro cantoni"), the intersection of Via di Citta and Via San Pietro.
Music: for CDs and videos (DVDs and VHS tapes) your best bet is Corsini Dischi (see photo), located next to UPIM department store on Piazza Matteotti. Note that the DVDs are designed to play on region 2 players (North America is region 1), although we purchased a DVD which apparently plays on both (Roberto Benigni's "Johnny Stecchino"). A note here: watching a movie in a foreign language, made for that audience, with the close-captioning turned on is a great way to help you learn the language!
Leather: i Ponti on Via di Citta has great looking leather jackets at some of the best prices you'll find in the city.
Shoes: stores for both men and women are everywhere in Siena -- and in Italy as well -- but our personal favorite is "Singolare", located on Via Rinaldini, just a few doors off the Piazza del Campo. The prices are a bit higher than some other stores and their inventory is less than many others, but man, oh man, their styles are soooo cool.
Bar: You'll need to stop and take a breather at some point and there's no better place than the Bar Quattro Cantoni ("four corners"), located, naturally enough, at the intersection of Via Di Citta and Via San Pietro, just a block down from the Duomo. Another great place is Nannini's on Via Banchi di Sopra. You can't miss this place since they have the best looking dolce right in the window and during the evening stroll ("passegiata") everybody seems to be standing out front, either coming in, going out or just talking with one another. Remember, a major pasttime for the Italians is conversation.
Please let us know if you have any experiences with these or any other shops in the city and we would be happy to pass the information along in these pages! Thanks!
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