Siena - Italy
Sites of Interest

Il Campo

The shell shaped Piazza del Campo is Siena's main center of activity, with 11 streets leading into it. Farsighted planning and restoration has preserved it as a medieval masterpiece. This is the venue of the famous Palio, a 90 second horse race that takes place twice each year, on July 2 and August 16. Tourists gather in the square to take a break from sightseeing, while others drink expensive coffees or beers at the outdoor cafés around the periphery. The square is paved into nine sectors, representing the members of the Council of Nine.

Palazzo Pubblico

The Piazza del Campo houses the Museo Civico and the city hall. The Civic Museum, contains some noteworthy frescoes and one of Italy's greatest paintings, the "Allegories of Good and Bad Government", painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in 1338. Also of importance is Simone Martini's famous Maestà in the Sala del Mappamondo. Completed and signed in 1315, it features the Madonna beneath a canopy, surrounded by saints and angels. It is one of the most important works of the Sienese school. Its bell tower, the Torre del Mangia, is 102m high. Dating from 1297, the palace is considered one of the most graceful Gothic buildings in Italy. The lower level of its facade features a characteristic Sienese Gothic arcade.

Duomo

This fine Gothic cathedral is decorated with richly colored 16th century stained glass windows and a tender Magdalen fresco by Piero della Francesca. Began in 1196 and was completed in the 13th century. Later several modifications were made on changing, enlarging and embellishing the structure. The dramatic facade with its colored bands of marble designed in part by Giovanni Pisano, dates from the 13th century. The mosaics in the gables were added in the 19th century. The statues of philosophers and prophets in the lower sections are copies of Giovanni Pisano's work, the originals being preserved in the adjacent Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana.

Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana

The museum displays works of art mostly from the church, including some famous masterpieces from the Tuscan and Sienese schools of the 13th and 15th centuries. Its great artworks formerly adorned the duomo, included the 12 statues of prophets and philosophers by Giovanni Pisano which decorated the facade. The museum's main masterpiece is Duccio di Buoninsegna's striking early 14th century Maestà, painted on both sides as a screen for the duomo's high altar. The front and back have now been separated and the panels depicting the Story of the Passion hang opposite the Maestà. The Treasury Room in the upper floor has a remarkable early Crucifix by Giovanni Pisano, a 13th-century gilded silver reliquary containing the head of St. Galgano and paintings by Domenico Beccafumi, Sassetta, and Vecchietta.

Spedale Santa Maria della Scala

Spedale Santa Maria della Scala is a massive complex encompassing 350,000 cubic meters of space. Nearly all the great Sienese artists have worked for the Spedale Santa Maria della Scala. It is considered the third artistic pole of the city with with the public palace and the cathedral. The building also houses the Museo Archeologico, which has an impressive collection of Roman and Etruscan remains.

Pinacoteca Nazionale

The Pinacoteca Nazionale in Siena is located in the 14th century Palazzo Buonsignori. It contains an extensive collection of 13th 16th century Sienese paintings arranged on two floors. Look for Duccio di Buoninsegna's Madonna dei Francescani, the Madonna col Bambino by Simone Martini and a series of Madonnas by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. 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

The San Domenico is an imposing gothic church built in 1225 in the Piazza San Domenico. More construction was then carried out through several successive periods of time. This church is most well known for its relationship with St. Catherine of Siena. 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 portrait 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.