Experience Art & Culture tours in the best of
Siena with Withlocals

"This was our second time booking a tour with Stella, and once again it was outstanding. We first toured Siena with her a couple of years ago and learned so much that we knew we wanted to book with her again when returning with friends and family. As a local, Stella provides incredible insight into Siena’s history, culture, and traditions, especially the fascinating stories behind the Contrade, their rivalries, and friendships. Even though it was our second tour, we learned new things and enjoyed every minute of it. Our friends and family loved the experience, and we would highly recommend Stella to anyone visiting Siena. We will absolutely reach out to her again whenever we bring new visitors to town."

"Fernanda was knowledgeable, passionate and very fun to be with. Her English was excellent as well. She made the tour of Siena one of the best days of our trip! I HIGHLY recommend her and I would definitely use her again if I’m ever in the area. "

"Thank you Maria Elena for a wonderful experience and sharing the history of Siena. we walked through many regions of the town, discovered the architecture, the story of the Palio and underground archeology of Etruscans. Maria Elena is very knowledgeable and tells a great story. Best way to get to see Siena! "

"So happy we booked the Palio tour with Maria Elena. We learned so much about the traditions of the town and the race. She also helped us get reservations with a great restaurant out of the craziness for race day. She gave us good suggestions for witnessing the blessing of one of the horses and made sure we knew where to go for our contrade dinner and where to view the race. She was knowledgeable and so personable. Loved it and her. "

"Nothing beats a tour guide who is knowledgeable and passionate about her city EXCEPT a tour guide who also helped us navigate parking on the day of the Palio and saved us hours of traffic heartache on her day off. Cheers to Maria. We loved the tour of Siena but loved Maria Alberta more. We will be back"

"What a treat to have this special insight into Siena and the Palio on the day of the last trial! Stella brought the excitement and the drama of this event alive with her personal insights and historical storytelling. This really was a highlight to our time in Tuscany, and we loved having this enriched understanding as it buzzed all around us!"

"Idania was a fantastic guide, who introduced us to Siena and its traditions in a passionate and knowledgeable way. We had our three children with us, and she found ways to keep them engaged throughout! We highly recommend!"

"We arrived in Siena by train from Florence, a group of six who had never visited the city before. We took the tour based around Il Palio, the famous horse race which takes place in the piazza twice a year. Although we had heard about the event none of us had any idea about its impact on Siena and its society. Stella was so engaging and knowledgeable, and spoke brilliant English, and we really came away feeling that we had gained a proper understanding of the race's history and importance. She also weaved in the story of Siena, and gave us lots of recommendations of books and films she thought we would enjoy. Altogether a great afternoon, and I would definitely recommend Stella to others! Thank you!"

"Stella was so sweet and kind. She made our tour very special! We enjoyed our time in Siena. She is an amazing host!"

"We had a wonderful tour with Stella! She was very kind and knowledgeable and included our kids in the tour with a scavenger hunt. She was also very flexible and helped us with planning our train arrival and making a dinner reservation. We would recommend her to anyone visiting Siena! "