In 2006 I was able to visit Italy for the first time. Rome, Florence, Pisa, Siena and Venice. I was travelling with a friend who also was experiencing his first trip to Italy, and whilst in Florence we made a day trip to Pisa and Siena. Travelling in most European countries is fairly easy; just go to the train station and pick a place and get a ticket. That is how we came to travel to both Siena and Pisa on a day trip from Florence. Back in 2006 the train on this particular line was very old and very slow. That was fine as the countryside was absolutely spectacular.
The train station is not centrally located in Siena and we had to take a short bus ride from the station into the city. Very easy and well worth the trip.
Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa up close was another check off the list. It makes you dizzy when you get up close and just look up although it is not tall at only 57 meters, it is very much leaning!
Siena is another popular city in Tuscany, and apparently a big University town. https://www.discovertuscany.com/itineraries-in-tuscany/one-day-in-siena.html
I think I most loved the Piazza del Campo, the central plaza with its sloped drainage to central locations with the most elaborately designed grates covering the drainage holes. Back in 2006 there was extensive restoration work at the Torre del Mangia (see the facade cover in the photo) but looking at recent photos the work is complete (at least from the pics of the front of the cathedral I have seen).
