The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May twenty-second, seeing the sights of Siena.

Situated in Italy's central highlands, Siena was the first Tuscan city-state to achieve a position of power, when it bested rival Florence in the year 1260. Siena's wealthy citizens embarked on a campaign of civic and ecclesiastic construction that lasted until 1348, when the Black Death killed nearly one third of the city's entire population.

In that short time, the Sienese had created a vibrant, medieval metropolis laid out along formal Gothic lines. The handsome, multi-storied, brown brick buildings they erected still line tight, steep streets, many of which lead to the crescent-shaped Piazza del Campo in the city's center. This is the site where Siena's famous Palieo horserace is held each July. Plazzo Publico, Siena's stately town hall lines the square's one straight side. Next to it is Torre del Mangia, Italy's second highest bell-tower. Climbing the 400 steps to its top provides visitors a sweeping view of the Tuscan countryside and a revealing perspective on the jigsaw puzzle of Siena's streets.

The one variation in the city's vista of brown brick and orange tile roofs is the black and white, tiered, stone confection of its Duomo. Ranked among Italy's most spectacular cathedrals, this ornate Gothic structure took 250 years to complete. Inside and out, every inch of its surface is adorned with magnificent Medieval paintings and statuary.

Disease and military defeat may have halted the city's development, but they also preserved its medieval essence. Though Siena is a modern city, the roots of its charms are centuries deep.

FMI Italian Government Travel, 630 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 212-245-5618 or www.italiantourism.com

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