The following is a list of the main attractions that Siena
has to offer her visitors. All of these can be a part of your own
personalized walking tour.
Winding on foot through Siena's maze of enchanting streets, visiting
her historical sites, churches, museums and palaces, is the best
way to do her justice.
| Il Campo |
 |
This is really one of the lovliest squares in Tuscany. This
piazza is the pride and joy of the Sienese and will take aback visitors
upon walking into it for the first time. This medieval fan-shaped
town square is divided into nine parts in honor of the ruling body
in power at the time it was built, the Noveschi (Council of Nine).
The Campo is also the site of the city's most popular twice-yearly
party, the Palio, a fiercly competitive horse race around the piazza.
Fonte Gaia is found in the center of the upper part of Piazza Il
Campo. Jacopo della Quercia, the artist who made Sienese sculpture
famous, was commisioned to work on this fountain. His work lasted
from 1409 to 1419 and produced some splendid marble bas-reliefs
that were replaced in 1868 with good reproductions crafted by another
Sienese sculptor, Tito Sarrocchi. The original fountain panels were
badly eroded, the remnants of these can be viewed at the nearby
Palazzo Pubblico.
Palazzo Pubblico
 |
Open from 10am - 6pm in the
summer, and 10am - 4pm in the winter. In July and August, however,
it is open from 10am - 11pm. Sunday's opening hours in any season
are 9:30am - 1:30pm. Entrance fee to the tower is £7,000, and
to the Museo Civico is £8,000. This building, constructed from
1288 - 1309, is a great masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
In the courtyard is a scuplture of the very Sienese symbol of
the she-wolf suckling the twins; inside on the ground floor
the door and all the windows are topped with Sienese arches
and crowned with the black and white emblem of Siena, the balzana.
|
There are two versions of the meaning behind the balzana:
the first has to do with the legend of the twin sons of Remus, Senius
and Ascius. As the story goes, one of the twins rode a black horse
and the other twin a white horse. The other version says that it
is representative of the life of the Madonna, black for mystery,
and white for her purity. Hovering over the Palazzo at 102 meters
high, is the Torre di Mangia, built from 1338 - 1348. This tower
has a long narrow staircase, winding up to one of the best views
of Siena. Though the stairs can leave you out of breath for a few
minutes after arriving at the top, the climb is well worth it and
will afford the visitor with an absolutely spectacular view of Siena's
rooftops and maze of streets. The Museo Civico, inside the Palazzo,
is full of frescoes by Sienese artists such as Simone Martini (Maestà)
and Ambrogio Lorenzetti (Allegories of Good and Bad Government).
| Duomo |
 |
The Duomo is open from 7:30am - 1pm and 2:30pm - 5pm in January
to mid-March, from 9am - 7:30pm in mid-March through October, and
7:30am - 1pm and 2:30pm - 5pm in November and December.
The Libreria Piccolomini
It is open from 10am - 1pm and 2:30pm - 5pm in January to mid-March,
from 9am - 7:30pm in mid-March through October, and 10am - 1pm and
2:30pm - 5pm in November and December. Entrance fee to the Duomo
is free, and to the Libreria Piccolomini is £2,000. Built from the
13th to the14th century, this grand cathedral corresponds in art
history to the transitional period from Romanesque styles of architecture
to Gothic styles. In fact, though there are some elements that can
be characterized as Romanesque, it is a great example of Gothic
architecture. The Duomo has a wealth of artwork, including its marble
floor, marble pulpit, and Donatello's bronze statue of St. John
the Babtist. Inside the Duomo, is the fabulously ornate Libreria
Piccolomini, a dazzling Renaissance room which hosts the book collection
of Pope Pius II, built by that pope's nephew, Pope Pius III.
Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana
Open from 9am - 1:30pm in January to mid-March, from 9am - 7:30pm
from mid-March through September, from 9am - 6pm in October, and
9am - 1:30pm in November and December. Entrance fee is £6,000. This
museum, in Piazza Jacopo della Quercia, would have been part of
the New Cathedral, a cathedral whose building began in 1339 and
was permanently halted in 1348 as a result of the Black Plague's
decimation of Siena's population. The artworks inside this museum
previously decorated the Duomo. The museum's collection includes
the 12 statues of the prophets by Giovanni Pisano, and works by
Buoninsegna, and Taddeo di Bartolo.
Battistero di San Giovanni
Open from 10am - 1pm and 2:30pm - 5pm in January to mid-March, from
9am - 7:30pm in mid-March through September, from 9am - 6pm in October,
and 10am - 1pm and 2:30pm - 5pm in November and December. Entrance
fee is £3,000. This babtistery, located on the side of the Duomo
down the stairs, houses some of the very finest works of art in
Siena. Its purely Gothic façade was begun in 1317 and continued
on until 1382; the upper section of the facade was left unfinished.
Decorated with frescoes by Vecchietta, Pietro di Francesco degli
Orioli, and Michele di Matteo, the babtistery contains some excellent
works by Donatello, including Herod's Feast and statues representing
Hope and Charity.
Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala
The Spedale is open from10am - 6:30pm in the summer, 10:30am - 4:30pm
in the winter. The Museo Archeologico is open Monday -Saturday from
9am -2pm, on Sunday and public holidays from 9am - 1pm, and is closed
the first and third Sunday of the month. Entrance fee to the Spedale
is £8,000, and to the Museo Archeologico is £4,000. This ancient
hospital is situated directly across from the steps of the Duomo,
thus its name Spedale Santa Maria della Scala, della scala meaning,
"of the stairway". Tradition has it, that this hospital was founded
in 832 by a Sienese cobbler named Beato Sorore who started it as
a place to care for people travelling on pilgrimages to Rome. The
works inside include frescoes and other treasures collected throughout
its long history. The building also houses the Museo Archeologico
which has a fairly comprehensive collection of Greek, Roman, and
Etruscan remains.
Pinacoteca Nazionale
Open from 8am - 1:30pm on Monday, 9am - 7pm on Tuesday - Saturday,
and Sunday and public holidays from 8am - 1pm. Entrance fee is £8,000.
This national picture gallery is located in Palazzo Buonsignori,
a noble palace located at Via San Pietro 29. This gallery houses
numorous works of art by masters of the Sienese school. Taking some
time to browse from room to room, viewing works by Duccio di Buoninsegna,
Simone Martini, and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, one can see evidence in
the paintings of the pride the artists had for Siena.
Chiesa di San Domenico
Construction on this imposing Gothic church, located at Piazza San
Domenico, was begun in 1225, and then carried out through several
successive periods of time. This church is most well known for its
relationship with St. Catherine of Siena, and inside, her life is
pictured in murals by Il Sodoma. St. Catherine took her vows here,
in the Cappella delle Volte. There is also a portait of the saint
done while she was still living, as well as her actual head preserved
in a tabernacle on the altar of the Cappella di Santa Caterina.
Casa di Santa Caterina
Open from 9am - 12:30pm and 2:30pm - 6pm in the summer, from 9am
- 12:30pm and 3:30 - 6pm in the winter. Entrance is free. This is
the house, located on Costa di Sant'Antonio, in which St. Catherine
was born to a family of 25 children (Catherine was the 24th). The
home has been preserved in honor of the highly respected saint,
every room is now a chapel and contains frescoes from various Sienese
artists.
