SienaFlorence's gothic rival
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 2 walked routes: in Siena, you pass a place with a story every 183 metres.
Ranked #2 of 2 Italy small cities & towns
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · how we measure
Depth12/100
22 places with a story
1 historical figures
Density79/100
a story every 183 m
median along a route
Character93/100
faith & churches
typical story: 1314 · medieval
Pulse52/100
Instagrammability 32/100
peak month: Aug
Siena, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Siena | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 22 | 19 | #5 of 9 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 0 | #6 of 7 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.2h | 16 | #4 of 9 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 183 m | 79 | #4 of 8 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 930 yrs | 93 | #2 of 9 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 32/100 | 32 | #3 of 3 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 19 in 100 | 54 | #1 of 4 | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 69% | 69 | #3 of 4 | Venice · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Siena's 22 on places with a story scores 19, and it scores 19 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Siena is scored on all 8 measures, and its overall score is their average. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
The medal table
What Siena wins
- Most arts & culture among Italy's small cities and towns· 27% of its stories
- Most faith & churches among Italy's small cities and towns· 45% of its stories
- Stories closest together among Italy's small cities and towns· a story every 183 m
Won against the other small cities and towns of Italy in the 2026 edition. See the full table on the country page.
Character
What its stories are about
- faith & churches45%
- arts & culture27%
- royalty & nobility23%
- crime & dark history23%
- legends & myths18%
- fortification & siege14%
- industry & modern era14%
- parks & leisure14%
Out of Siena's 22 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- Medieval69%
- 19th century12%
- Early modern6%
- Early 20th century6%
- Contemporary6%
When Siena's stories happen (73% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 5 recent years). Peak: Aug.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English46%
- Italian31%
- French13%
- German5%
- Dutch4%
Language of 500+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
22 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
The oldest documented and still existing emblem of the Contrada is the one found on the first bell of the Oratory of…
The Logge del Papa were built in 1462 on orders of Pope Pius II — born Enea Silvio Piccolomini in Corsignano, a…
Depth
Figures you meet on Siena's streets
See all Italy figures →Depth
Every Siena place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Siena's stories yourself
Every route in the city: See everything in Siena
Where next after Siena?
RomeThe city of popes and squares184 km away · a story every 287 m
FlorenceThe Renaissance cradle51 km away · a story every 222 m
PisaThe leaning republic87 km away · a story every 260 m
BolognaThe red city of tall tales131 km away · a story every 285 m
MilanThe city of art and empire292 km away · a story every 325 m
GenoaThe maritime republic226 km away · a story every 220 mHow does Siena compare?
Put Siena head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Siena like to explore on foot?
- Siena has 22 places with a story across 2 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 183 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards faith & churches and arts & culture.
- Which historical period defines Siena?
- 69% of Siena's dated stories come from the medieval period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1090.
- When do people visit Siena?
- Player activity in Siena peaks in Aug, with a typical 45% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 5 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Siena: 1,000+ plays and 500+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Siena, you pass a place with a story every 183 metres on average.
- 69% of Siena's dated stories come from the medieval period.
- Siena's typical story happens in 1314: the median year across its dated stories, which span 930 years.
- 69% of Siena's written player reviews are in a language other than Italian (from 500+ reviews).
- Roughly 19 of every 100 plays in Siena is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Siena's play season peaks in Aug; a typical 45% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 5 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Siena ranks #50 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
Embed code
<a href="https://questoapp.com/city-index/italy/siena" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://questoapp.com/api/og/city-index-badge?country=italy&slug=siena" alt="Siena ranks #50 of 80 in the Questo City Stories Index" width="320" height="100">
</a>Siena's story is just beginning
Only 22 of Siena's places have their story told so far. Locals who know the rest can put them on the map, as a Questo creator.