The food and wine in Siena are amazing! No more having to survive on low cost meals of chips and baked beans! If you know where to shop, you can get good value, high quality food. Conad, the local supermarket, is the best place to stock up on food and, of course, cheap alcohol! Beware of shops catering for tourists, of which there are many more towards the centre of town.

These shops will charge you nearly double the price for the same food and drink you can buy in the supermarket. Likewise, with restaurants, the more they cater for tourists, the more expensive they will be, especially in Piazza del Campo.
It’s worth hunting for the restaurants that cater more for locals. Bearing in mind that the locals, like all Italians, are serious about their food, you tend to find that the food served in these less touristy restaurants is of better quality!

As with food, the Italians savour their alcohol, so tend to drink little and often; unlike us Brits! Good wine can be found anywhere, found most cheaply in Conad. Bars, like restaurants, are more expensive in Piazza del Campo, but you can save your pennies if you are willing to walk a bit further out!

On most evenings, the campo is the place to be, and on the weekends can be heaving with people until the last bars close at 3am! The best way to do it is to buy a bottle of cheap but great wine and take it with you to the campo and enjoy the atmosphere.

Even in the autumn and winter months you can sit in the campo at night, as long as you take a jacket! Come to Siena and have a new drinking experience! Salute!