Photos taken by Isla Cope (Brandeis University), Student Correspondent for CET Siena, Summer 2025
Lunch and Views: Orientation Week in Tuscany
Snapshot of our multi-course Italian lunch (on the left) provided during orientation day. Dishes included fettuccine al pomodoro, stuffed pasta, and sausage on a bed of arugula, followed up by a delicious tiramisu. In a restaurant inside a 14th century building, we got to know our fellow students and took a break from PowerPoint presentations on academics and logistics.
The right photo is a view from the restaurant where we lunched on the second day of the program, in the city of Cortona. Visible is a large swathe of the Tuscan countryside, as well as the houses perched on the hill, surrounded by late spring greenery.
Savoring Local Life, One Market at a Time
Every Wednesday outside the Fortezza Medicea (a former Spanish Citadel turned into a park) there’s a food and clothing market. Below (on the left) is a snapshot of just one of the cured meat and cheese stalls. It took me a week and a half to muster up the courage to order a fresh sandwich in Italian, but once I did it was delicious!
There’s also a monthly Siena vintage market that is held every third Sunday in Piazza Mercato. Despite the unseasonable heath (approaching 95 degrees F), myself and two CET friends were able to enjoy a morning meander through the stalls and pick up a couple cute finds.
Taken back at our homestay, above (on the right) is a photo of my and my roommates’ morning purchases at the vintage market. Hers, a small bottle that will soon house sand collected on our beach trip yesterday. Mine, a hand carved vintage jewelry box that I hope will soon hold a small gold locket I’ve been eyeing in a store near the CET center.
Tastings, Tours, and Tuscan Treks
CET students touring an Olive Oil Mill as part of our introductory weekend activities. We learned about the many health benefits of good quality oil, and how to tell a good oil from a bad oil. The tour of the facility was followed by a tasting, with bread, cured meats, and panzanella, a typical tuscan dish made from bread and vegetables.
Traversing through Siena streets on our CET organized walking tour (image on the left). This specific moment was on the way down the hill towards one of the large wells that are part of Siena’s ancient water system.
One of many beautiful shots(right photo) taken on a day trip with CET friends to Colle Val d’Elsa, only a half hour bus away from Siena. We hiked through the valley, swam in the turquoise waters, and finished off with a delicious Italian lunch, aperol spritz, and gelato.
Art and Tradition in Siena’s Museums
The left shot is from the inside of the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, an art museum close to the Duomo. I visited the museum with two other friends from CET, on the day of the Festa della Republica, when there was free entry. The museum’s catalogue includes many medieval and renaissance pieces of religious significance, including the initial sketches for the decorative floor of the Duomo, by Domenico Beccafumi.
The right photo is from our CET visit to a Contrada Museum. Each of the 17 contradas that make up historic Siena has a museum that houses the banners they have won in the biannual Palio race. Pictured here is our tour group learning about the most famous of those won by the Tortuca contrada. In the lower level, the museum houses the historic garments of the contrada, worn in the history parades leading up to and on the day of the Palio.
Piazza & Palazzo
Piazza del Campo, the heart of Siena, in the late evening. At night, people can be seen standing or sitting in the Piazza with friends, drinking some wine or beer or just chatting. On this night, a group of CET students including myself wandered to the Piazza after watching Inter Milan lose 5-0 in the Champions League final.
My Sienese Art and Architecture class took us on a site visit to the Palazzo Publico. We walked through a series of intricately frescoed rooms, many of which make up some of the most historically significant political art still surviving in Italy.
Life in My Siena Homestay
Above is a photo of the bedroom in our homestay, shared with my lovely roommate. Formerly belonging to the daughter of our hosts, who now lives 7km away in the countryside, the room is decorated with art and photos. It contains two beds, a desk and chair, a dresser, and a wardrobe, as well as a big window looking out into the street and neighboring houses.
You can see my desk and work area in the bedroom in our homestay, featuring my laptop and daily planner. The desk sits right under the window and gets lots of natural light, but we have to shut the blinds in the middle of the day so it doesn’t turn into an oven! I also get to live with the cutest member of our homestay family, Truffe the dog. She is both adorable and a menace who will lick you all over and bite at your sleeves.
The left photo is a small park very near my homestay, where you can find sheep, a goat, chickens, ducks, and a friendly mule. You can sit and enjoy a picnic with a perfect view of the Palazzo Publico tower (but don’t feed the animals!)
Just around the corner from my homestay, through a treacherously narrow walled road, you find this beautiful view of the southern part of Siena (photo on the right), with the church of San Domenico centered atop the hill. It takes my breath away every time.