Rick Steves' Europe S02E04 · Siena and Assisi: Italy's Grand Hill Towns

Overview

In red-bricked Siena, we tour the town's innovative medieval hospital, lavish cathedral, and a bakery that makes panforte (like fruitcake, only delicious). Exploring the Chianti region, we sip Brunello di Montalcino — with its makers. Spending the night at a farmhouse, we meet the family and its sheep, learn of the Slow Food Movement, and enjoy a homegrown dinner. In Assisi, we follow the footsteps of St. Francis, from his humble chapel to the Giotto-frescoed basilica that holds his tomb.

Torrents

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Episodes

1. 1 1. Venice: Serene, Decadent and Still Kicking2002-09-07 · 25mSorting through the monuments of magical Venice, we trace its decline from Europe's most powerful city to its most hedonistic. We cruise its main street - the Grand Canal - then ge
2. 2 2. Venice Side-Trips: The Best of Veneto2002-09-14 · 25mPulling on hip boots, we settle into the muck of Venice, then take a speedboat tour of the lagoon. On the mainland, we head for Padova to tour a once-illegal anatomy theater and tr
3. 3 3. Florence: City of Art2002-09-21 · 25mIn the birthplace of the Renaissance, we look into the eyes of Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Venus, learn tricks for touring the Uffizi art gallery, and climb the dome that
4. 4 4. Siena and Assisi: Italy's Grand Hill Towns2002-09-28 · 25mIn red-bricked Siena, we tour the town's innovative medieval hospital, lavish cathedral, and a bakery that makes panforte (like fruitcake, only delicious). Exploring the Chianti re
5. 5 5. Cinque Terre: Italy's Hidden Riviera2002-10-05 · 25mIn these five idyllic port towns, we sample village life: fishing for anchovies at midnight, savoring the best pesto, picking grapes, and cheering cliff divers as we hike the "walk
6. 6 6. Amsterdam and Dutch Side-Trips2002-10-12 · 25mAmsterdam stimulates all the senses, with Rembrandt's and stately architecture from its Golden Age, hidden churches and Holocaust memorials from its troubled times, and Van Gogh's
7. 7 7. Prague and the Czech Republic2002-10-19 · 25mNewly energized Prague, slinky with sumptuous Art Nouveau facades, is perpetually playing Mozart and Vivaldi. Eastern Europe's top destination has Europe's best beer, biggest castl
8. 8 8. Dublin and Mystical Side Trips2002-10-26 · 25mDublin's story is of feast and famine - from its 18th-century Golden Age to its 20th-century struggles for independence to its boomtime today. We explore the town's foreboding cast
9. 9 9. South Ireland: Waterford to the Ring of Kerry2002-11-02 · 25mWe find the icons of Ireland strewn along its fascinating south coast: Waterford's much-loved crystal factory; the Kennedy family homestead; the Dunbrody famine ship; and Kinsale's
10. 10 10. The Best of West Ireland: Dingle, Galway, and the Aran Islands2002-11-09 · 25mDeepest Ireland is best experienced on its west coast in Gaeltachts - where the people speak Gaelic and the rugged villages have changed little over the generations. After explorin
11. 11 11. Berlin: Resilient, Reunited and Reborn2002-11-16 · 25mBerlin is back, resuming its place as a great European capital. We climb the Reichstag's glass dome, sway at a modern-day cabaret, and pop a few chocolates in the now thriving east
12. 12 12. Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg2002-11-23 · 25mCruising the Rhine River, we dodge riverboat traffic and the legendary Lorelei. After climbing castles and descending into dungeons, we relax with Rhine wine. We tour Burg Eltz-a l
13. 13 13. Munich and the Foothills of the Alps2002-11-30 · 25mIn Munich, where locals specialize in good living, we visit boisterous markets and go-for-Baroque palaces. while office workers surf in the Isar River. Heading into the foothills o
14. 14 14. Switzerland's Jungfrau Region: Best of the Alps2002-12-07 · 25mIf Heidi is alive, she's in this sky-high corner of the Swiss Alps, with cowbells ringing on breathtaking ridges. After settling into a traditional village where locals scythe hay