Yesterday was a sunny day – cool, but sunny and still. A good day for tackling the 400 steps up the Torre del Mangia, the tall, thin tower that dominates the Campo and has featured in so many of my photos. There’s no option but the stairs, so John, thinking of his knee, was going to look at the frescos in the Palazzo Pubblico instead – unfortunately it was closed for an event so he hung out in the Campo.

Anyway, after the slog up the view was fantastic – across the city and out into the surrounding countryside. It’s clear from up there how much the streets of Siena curve around the hills, the solidity of the old city walls and that the countryside is really close – no vast sprawl of suburbia here!