What is the best place to get gelato in Siena?

Well here’s a secret.

I’m not really into licking strawberry gelato off of my hand while oversized taxis driven by espresso-fueled mad men flatten me against the edges of a street that was designed to accommodate donkeys.

However gelato is, and Nice Gelateria in Siena is one of the best on the planet. Unfortunately, it is tucked into the bottom right corner of an uneven four-way intersection that is usually packed with tourists and the aforementioned engine jockeys.

So if you want to enjoy a two euro cone that could tempt a saint while still walking away with all ten toes, I have the solution for you.

Actually I have two.

Once you find yourself on the clock to eat as much as you can before the fabled tuscan sun can melt it all, decide if you want to go left or right.

Left

Walking straight through the intersection and take the first left. You will find a street that runs down and to the right. Continue walking down the hill.

You will know when to stop.

The walls and buildings drop away at one point, and it’s like finding yourself looking out of a massive window.

A green vista of the mountainous tuscan landscape is perfectly framed by the yellow Sienese apartments with their windows slung wide open. Lean up against the low wall and take a moment of silence, or pose for a perfect photo op.

For just a moment, recognize how good life can be, and how beautiful this part of the world is.

Right

Take the road to the right.

Instead, continue walking until you find a narrow walkway– the mouth of which is an archway of bricks.

Turn in, pop out your headphones, tell your friends to be quiet, and walk down this residential alleyway.

Those last two words do not do this experience justice. It’s like describing the Grand Canyon as a rocky gash in the landscape.

Walking down this corridor lined with flowering plants and shaded by clothes drying on lines, you can hear the echoes of the lives of genuine Sienese families.

It’s like stepping into the past, hearing the echoes who have lived nearly the same lifestyle for thousands of years.

Conclusion

Losing a toe is not a healthy way to try to lose weight after the enormous amount of gelato you will inevitably find yourself eating when you visit Italy.

Instead, take either of these paths and burn off some of those calories and experience, even for just a moment, the beauty of Siena and the art of gelato.