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The place whose tile roofs and brick façades inspired a thousand paint chips -- laid-back, clay-baked Siena -- is Tuscany's most amicable, and arguably prettiest, city. Even the people look great: the region's popularity has made for way too many sweaty-panted tourists, but the Sienese -- the men in snazzy sport coats and felt fedoras, the women in crisp suits or tasteful dresses -- pride themselves on looking great for their ritual strolls through the pedestrian-friendly (and often pedestrian-only) downtown.

In fact, Siena's greatest attraction, aside from its palette, is walkability. Which means that, should you be arriving by car, your first challenge is to ditch it fast. As you enter the city, passing its largely intact medieval walls, follow the signs to the San Francesco parking lot (about $20 a day), across from which begins what may be the most efficient escalator system in the world, which takes you up several storeys to Siena's elegantly delicate central square, the Piazza del Campo.

What's coming up

The English Church of St. Peter's (39 3408 119192; info@concertoclassico.info) will be holding 6 p.m. concerts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday this month, with sacred music, traditional Neapolitan songs and Italian opera arias. Those in Siena on April 25 should also check out the Citta del Palio band playing its traditional Liberation Day concert in the Piazza Salimbeni at 11 a.m.

For anyone travelling with kids, the Museo D'arte per Bambini hosts the eighth Sienese edition of the International Exhibition of Illustrations for Children (30 0577 46517; bambinus@comune.siena.it) until June 18. This year's theme -- A Thousand and One Nights and other Traditional Tales from Eastern Culture -- includes works by artists from around the world. It all takes place at the Magazzini del Sale venue in the Piazza del Campo.

The focal points of the tourist calendar are the ultra-macho Palio horse races, held on July 2 and Aug. 16, and which this year mark their 350th anniversary. It's a wild, three-lap race around the Piazza del Campo by bareback riders representing the contradas, or original districts, of Siena. Each of the two races takes barely a minute, but is surrounded by several days of celebrations, as well as pre-race processions heavy with historical costumes.

Diversions

Every visitor to Siena lolls away at least a couple of hours in the Piazza del Campo, an immense semicircle anchored by the Torre del Mangia bell tower. For the most dramatic introduction, enter on the Costa Bella dei Barbieri. From there, wind your way left to the Al Mangia Di S. Pietro, a café whose black-vested waiters let you linger long after settling up. Take in a phalanx of historic palaces and the Torre del Mangia, whose shadow slowly sweeps across the plaza like that of a giant sundial. Keep one eye out for the guy in the red beret, a piazza fixture who prods passersby with a cane, mists ladies' necks and plops his beret on the ball caps of unsuspecting tourists.

When you start your own stroll, stop in at Dolce Siena, to the right of the tower, which sells the sweet local snack, panforte all canella, at around $20 a kilo (making a snack-size taste a couple of dollars).

The 13th-century Duomo, among Italy's most impressive cathedrals, holds court on the Piazza Duomo, a short walk west of the Campo, and is home to masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bernini and Donatello, as well as the busts of 171 popes glaring down from high above the central aisle. A gilded library boasts metre-wide, illuminated choir books.

The Museo dell'Opera Di Siena, next to the Duomo, is packed with superb religious art removed from the Duomo over the centuries. But best of all is its city-wide panorama, missed by many visitors, and accessed from the Room of the Tapestries on the museum's third floor, where a circular stairway takes you to a platform high in the sky.

For a different take on Siena's past, head to the Museum of Torture (Vicolo del Bargello 6), which houses more than 100 oriinstruments "produced for causing pain and death," including a nail corset and various orifice stretchers.

Where to stay

The rooms at the Grand Hotel Continental Siena (Via Banchi di Sopra 85; 39 0577 56011; http://www.ghc.royaldemeure.com), a 17th-century palace near the Campo, tend to stock-painted frescoes, elaborate carvings and sumptuous brocade drapery. Even if you don't stay there, check out the lobby bar, a candle-lit, three-storey atrium tucked behind the ultrachic lobby. Rates range from $500 to $850 a night.

A short drive outside town, the Borgo Grandaie (Strada delle Grondaie 25; 39 0577 332539; borgogrondaie.com), a converted Tuscan farm complex, comes with a view of Siena's walls and an outdoor pool. It has 12 rooms, as well as 16 two-room apartments with kitchenettes that can be stocked with goods from the supermarket down the road. Buffet breakfast is included, and pets are welcome. Prices range from about $210 to $350.

Where to eat

For lunch, an affordable, savoury stop is Nannini (22 Banchi di Sopra). At the front of this café is a glowing little bakery. At the back, lit by fluted chandeliers, a resto specializes in sizzling bruschetta made on a circular grill. The tri di formaggi toscani (pecorini cheese with honey and guinea sauce, at $10) sublimely marries sweet and salty.

For dinner, head to Trattoria Papei (Piazza del Mercato; 39 0577 280 894) where the outdoor patio is draped in curtains to allow any-weather eating. Specializing in Tuscan dishes, among its best are the salsicce di maiale (charcoal-grilled pork sausages), the pappardelle al cinghiale (noodles with wild boar,) and the ribollita di pane (bread soup with white beans and vegetables). All three dishes are $9 a piece.

After dark

Nothing beats an evening drink on the Campo, which glows after sunset with sienna-coloured spotlights. On our visit, families murmured, a gay couple relaxed arm in arm, and university students tapped away on glowing laptops. For the best view of the piazza, look for the San Paolo Pub on the Vicolo Di San Paolo, a street off the square. Snake your way through the pub to an almost-hidden balcony overhanging the Campo, where there's room for up to eight people in a tight row.

Just around the corner, at Banchi di Sopra 22, is the Caffe del Corso, where artsy locals often hang until the 3 a.m. closing. Fronted by generous windows, inside it's woody and intimate. Upstairs, something called the Music Bar at the back comes alive, depending on the night and the crowd, with marble dance floor and pulsing lights.