Best areas for students in Siena

The first thing you need to know is that, in Siena, they refer to many of the neighbourhoods as “contradas”. Many of them have names of animals or monuments, such as “l’oca””, “la civetta”, “la torre”, among others.

Another fact to keep in mind is that the city is full of hills, so it can take quite a bit of effort to get from one place to another on foot.

Historic centre (Civetta, Aquila, Torre, Selva, Oca, Onda, Leocorno)

The historic centre is undoubtedly one of the best neighbourhoods for students in Siena. It includes “contradas” such as Civetta, Aquila, Torre, Selva, Oca, Onda, and Leocorno. It’s the liveliest area of ​​the city, having the largest number of places where students gather. However, it’s also usually the favourite area for tourists, so the cost of rent is usually the highest in the city.

From this neighbourhood, you can easily reach the various complexes of the University of Siena and other institutions in the city.

The largest number of bars and restaurants that the city offers are located in this area. You can choose between a restaurant, trattoria, osteria or other eateries. Also, although there isn't a great variety, here are the few nightlife venues for students.

In the historic centre of Siena is the largest number of cultural sites to visit. Among the most notable are:

• Campo Square (Piazza del Campo): it’s the heart of the city and one of the favourite meeting points for students to hang out.
• The Cathedral (Duomo di Siena).
• Historical buildings like the Palazzo Pubblico, Palazzo Piccolomini, and Castellare degli Ugurgieri.
• Museums, including the Museo della Tortura di Siena and the Museum of Art Opera della Metropolitana.

In this area of ​​the city there are no parks or green areas to enjoy, but you can quickly reach gardens like the University Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico dell'Università di Siena), or the park that surrounds the Fortezza Medicea.

Within the historic centre you can get everywhere on foot or by bike. To get to the University or surrounding neighbourhoods, you can use the buses.

San Prospero

This neighbourhood has a more residential and quiet environment. It’s located west of the historic centre and has very good connections to it. It’s ideal for students who want to stay in a more local atmosphere, to integrate further into the culture.

The cost of rent here is usually a little cheaper than in the downtown area. However, the university campuses are a little further away (although it’s a small city, so you can reach all of them in a short time).

Being a more residential neighbourhood, the reality is that in San Prospero there aren’t a lot of restaurants or bars to enjoy, although it does have some affordable options.

From San Prospero some places of cultural interest can be easily accessed, like some churches (including the Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico) or Fontebranda, as well as gardens and parks to enjoy the outdoors. Among the latter, the gardens of the Fortezza Medicea and the big park called "Unità d'Italia".

This neighbourhood is connected through several lines of buses with the rest of Siena, and is also close enough to the city centre to be reached on foot.

Lupa and Istrice

These two “contradas” make up two of the best student neighbourhoods in Siena.

They’re near the historic centre, to the north of it. It’s an area chosen by students because from here they can easily reach the faculties of the University of Siena and the campus of the University for Foreigners of Siena (Università per Stranieri di Siena).

The offer of restaurants and bars is mainly concentrated in Istrice, being the Via Camollia the liveliest street. Lupa doesn’t have a variety of restaurants, but it has easy access to what both Istrice and the historic centre has to offer.

The sites of cultural interest in these neighbourhoods are mainly monuments that were part of the city wall, like the Porta Camollia or to Porta Ovile.

As for green spaces, there’s a garden that stands out in Istrice, called Giardini la Lizza. The garden of the Fortezza Medicea.

Distinct bus lines are the main connection of these neighbourhoods with the rest of the city, and the central train station (Siena FS) is very close.

Tartuca and Chiocciola

These two “contradas" extend south of Siena's centre. They're also just a few minutes walk from the city centre, making them ideal for being close to everything.

In Tartuca you can find two locations of the University of Siena: Mattioli Garrison and Complesso didattico di Pian de' Mantellini. For this reason, they’re ideal areas to live in if you want to be close to them.

As far as interesting cultural sites to visit, in this area there are monuments that were part of the city walls, in its southern area. Among them are the Porta San Marco and the Porta Tufi. In Tartuca, there are also some interesting museums, such as the Natural History Museum (Musei dell’Accademia dei Fisiocritici) and the Museum of Medical Instrumentation (Museo di Strumentaria Medica).

These two neighbourhoods are home to the Botanical Garden of the University of Siena (Orto Botanico dell'Università di Siena), one of the most beautiful places to walk outdoors.

Like the rest of the city, there are bus lines that connect Tartuca and Chiocciola with the other neighbourhoods in Siena. And, as we mentioned earlier, the areas most frequented by students can be reached on foot.

FAQ about neighbourhoods in Siena