Siena for me: medieval red bricks reflecting a blinding summer sun, static ice cream loving crowds, narrow winding streets in the shade with no one around ; a window open on an empty street and from beyond a little violin concerto; 1 mile away, an almost identical street – yet a different concert: a piano, a flute and a tenor rehearsing; outside the city walls, on the old Medici fortification wall a bare foot saxophone player does improv… It’s city that for me is filled with music, tourist rush but quiet… as that convent (Santa Maria dei Servi) on a hill opposite the city center.

From Florence you can either take the train, bus or rent a car. The best way to go is on bus or car - the road is amazing, you may feel like stopping into one of those little charming villages you will see on every hill (you may feel like stopping into more than one in fact).