Siena

The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo (nine brick segments for the medieval Council of Nine) hosts the Palio bareback horse race; August 16 is its historic date, so follow any drums and flags you hear.

In 1348 the Black Death killed perhaps 60 percent of Siena mid-boom; the unfinished cathedral nave still stands like the ruin of an ambition. Florence recovered and got the Renaissance; Siena stayed Gothic, which is exactly why it's precious.

The striped Duomo's inlaid marble floor and the blazing Piccolomini Library are the interior must-sees. One overpriced coffee ON the Campo is worth it once.