Nothing moves quickly in Siena at 8am on a Saturday morning, nor should it. The tourists are, for the most part, still enjoying their hotel breakfasts. There are a few, like us, wondering around early. When the kids wake you up at 6am every morning regardless of what time they go to bed the night before (in this case, very late), you get to see cities before they become cities. As we soon found out, even the tourist attraction we were looking to visit wouldn’t be open for a few hours. A garbage truck noisily makes the rounds, wiping out all evidence of whatever might have happened around here the night before. The terraces on Piazza del Campo are setting up their tables and chairs, the staff of each gossiping across cafes and shouting hellos to locals walking to work, or to coffee, or back home perhaps. We stand right in the middle of the Piazza, admiring City hall where we got married several years back. The kids are more interested in running laps round the square (circle) than listen to us reminisce. Our stomaches start to rumble so we go in search of pastries.
Just outside the square, we are gifted with Caffè Fiorella. There is a steady stream of locals walking in and out, all calling each other out by name, so many in fact that we thought the cafe was much bigger than it actually was. There is space for maybe 8 people (like a large elevator) but there are probably more like 20 in there at any one time. You order, enjoy your drink and then pay when you leave, no matter whether you are a local or someone they will never see again.
The breakfast of champions here is a pastry (with cream filling mandatory) and a drink, in my case a hot chocolate, made with hot milk and cocoa powder, elevated substantially by its pairing with the pastry, and even more so by the general atmosphere of the space. On its own it was a sad excuse for a hot chocolate, quite hot but not very chocolate, not even the thick Italian pudding style. But who cares. It’s Siena, the weather is beautiful, we were lucky enough to get a spot at the tiny elevated counter space. All is good with the world.
Caffe Fiorella was founded in 1985 by Fiorella who opened her first café in Follonica, a small seaside town near Grosseto. She experimented with different coffees until she created the perfect mix. This passion eventually engaged her whole family and today it has been carried on by her son Francesco. Today they have several cafes and roasteries in the region, including this one in Siena. Their unique blend is made from beans from Asia and Africa.
Once you have had your breakfast, walk over to the Duomo di Siena. Line up on the far side of the church as you will have to buy tickets. I always thought it was free to enter church’s, and it was last time we were here, but it seems the times are changing. We weren’t interested in the church, instead go over to the much quieter Panorama dal Facciatone and walk all the way to the top, bypassing all of the historic artwork (you can admire it on the way back down). There is a steep set of stairs that basically bring you up to the roof where you get the most incredible views of not just Siena, but Tuscany. Few people seem to known this is here, and we only know because we had our wedding pictures taken up here. It is truly stunning.
Caffe Fiorella Siena, via Pieve 4, Siena, caffefiorella.it
