Siena was medieval Florence’s archrival. And while Florence ultimately won the battle for political and economic superiority, Siena still competes for the tourists. Sure, Florence has the heavyweight sights. But Siena seems to be every Italy connoisseur’s favorite town. In my office, whenever Siena is mentioned, someone exclaims, “Siena? I looove Siena!”
Once upon a time (about 1260-1348), Siena was a major banking and trade center, and a military power in a class with Florence, Venice, and Genoa. With a population of 60,000, it was even bigger than Paris. Situated on the north-south road to Rome (Via Francigena), Siena traded with all of Europe. Then, in 1348, the Black Death (bubonic plague) swept through Europe, hitting Siena and cutting the population by more than a third. Siena never recovered. In the 1550s, Florence, with the help of Philip II’s Spanish army, conquered the flailing city-state, forever rendering Siena a non-threatening backwater. Siena’s loss became our sightseeing gain, as its political and economic irrelevance pickled the city in a purely medieval brine. Today, Siena’s population is still 60,000.
Siena, situated atop three hills, qualifies as Italy’s ultimate “hill town” (though it’s much larger than its cousins covered in the Tuscan Hill Towns chapter). Its thriving historic center, with red-brick lanes cascading every which way, offers Italy’s best medieval city experience. Most people do Siena, just 35 miles south of Florence, as a day trip, but it’s best experienced at twilight. While Florence has the blockbuster museums, Siena has an easy-to-enjoy soul: Courtyards sport flower-decked wells, alleys dead-end at rooftop views, and the sky is a rich blue dome.
For those who dream of a Fiat-free Italy, Siena is a haven. Pedestrians rule in the old center of town, as the only drivers allowed are residents and cabbies. Sit at a café on the main square. Wander narrow streets lined with colorful flags and studded with iron rings to tether horses. Take time to savor the first European city to eliminate automobile traffic from its main square (1966) and then, just to be silly, wonder what would happen if they did it in your hometown.
On a quick trip, consider spending two nights in Siena (or three nights with a whole-day side-trip into Florence). Whatever you do, be sure to enjoy a sleepy medieval evening in Siena. The next morning, you can see the city’s major sights in half a day. Or consider using Siena as your jet-lag pillow. With its lazy small-town ambience, impressive but user-friendly sights, and easy connection by bus to Florence’s airport (simply change at downtown Florence’s bus station), this is a fine way to settle into Italian life.
Siena lounges atop a hill, stretching its three legs out from Il Campo. This main square, the historic meeting point of Siena’s neighborhoods, is pedestrian-only—and most of those pedestrians are students from the university.
Just about everything mentioned in this chapter is within a 15-minute walk of the square. Navigate by three major landmarks (Il Campo, Duomo, and Church of San Domenico), following the excellent system of street-corner signs. The typical visitor sticks to the Il Campo-San Domenico axis. Make a point to stray from this main artery. Sienese streets go in anything but a straight line, so it’s easy to get lost—but equally easy to get found. Don’t be afraid to explore.
Siena itself is one big sight. Its individual sights come in two little clusters: the square (Civic Museum and City Tower) and the cathedral (Baptistery and Duomo Museum, with its surprise viewpoint). Check these sights off, and then you’re free to wander.
The TI on Il Campo can be an exasperating place. Think about the importance of tourism to this town—and yet this office charges €0.50 for a map and lets tour commissions color its advice (Mon-Sat 9:30-18:30, Sun 9:30-17:00, on Il Campo at #56, tel. 0577-280-551, www.terresiena.it). They hand out a few pretty booklets (including Siena and the regional Terre di Siena guide), sell maps and books, and may be able to answer a few questions. The TI also organizes walking tours (described later, under “Tours in Siena”). Ignore the second “TI” across from the Church of San Domenico, which is a useless private agency run by the local hotel association.
The small train station, located at the base of the hill on the edge of town, has a bar, a bus office (Mon-Fri 7:15-19:30, Sat 7:15-17:45, Sun 8:30-12:30 & 14:30-18:30), and a newsstand (which sells local bus tickets—buy one now if you’re taking the city bus into town), but no baggage check or lockers (stow bags at Piazza Gramsci—see “By Intercity Bus,” later). A shopping mall with a supermarket (handy for picnic supplies) is across the plaza right in front of the station.
Getting from the Train Station to the City Center: To reach central Siena, you can hop aboard the city bus, ride a long series of escalators (which involves a bit of walking along a picturesque street), or take a taxi.
By Bus or Escalator: To reach either the bus or the escalators, head for the shopping mall across the plaza. From the tracks, go down the stairs into the tunnel that connects the platforms; this leads (with escalators) right up into the mall. Alternatively, you can exit the station out the front door, cross over to the plaza, turn left and walk to the far end of the plaza, then turn right to enter the mall’s glass doors.
To ride the city bus, go through the shopping mall’s right-hand door and use the elevator to go down to the subterranean bus stop. If you didn’t buy bus tickets in the train station, you can get them from the blue machine (press “F” to toggle to English, then select “A” for type of ticket). Buses leave frequently (6/hour, fewer on Sun and after 22:00, €1.10, about a 10-minute ride into town depending on route). Smaller shuttle buses go up to Piazza del Sale, while bigger city buses head to nearby Piazza Gramsci (both are at the north end of town, walkable to most of my recommended hotels). Before boarding, double-check the destination with the driver by asking “Centro?” Punch your ticket in the machine onboard to validate it.
Riding the escalator into town takes a few minutes longer and requires more walking than the bus. From the station, follow the instructions above and enter the mall at the far-left end. Once inside, go straight ahead and ride the escalators up two floors to the food court. Continue directly through the glass doors to another escalator (marked Porta Camollia/Centro) that takes you gradually, up, up, up into town (free). Exiting the escalator, turn left down the big street, bear left at the fork, then continue straight through the town gate. From here, landmarks are well-signed (go up Via Camollia).
By Taxi: The taxi stand is to your right as you exit the train station, but as the city is chronically short on cabs, getting one here can take a while (about €11 to Il Campo, taxi tel. 0577-49222).
Getting to the Train Station from the City Center: If you’re leaving Siena by train, you can ride a smaller shuttle bus from Piazza del Sale (which goes straight to the station), or catch an orange or red-and-silver city bus from Piazza Gramsci (which may take a more roundabout route). Multiple bus routes make this trip—look for Ferrovia or Stazione on schedules and marked on the bus. City buses drop off right in front of the station. Confirm with the driver that the bus is going to the stazione (staht-see-OH-nay); remember to purchase your ticket in advance from a tobacco shop or blue machine, then validate it on board.
Most buses arrive in Siena at Piazza Gramsci, a few blocks north of the city center. (Some buses only go to the train station; others go first to the train station, then continue to Piazza Gramsci—to find out, ask your driver, “pee-aht-sah GRAHM-chee?”) The main bus companies are Sena and Tiemme/Siena Mobilità (formerly called Tra-In). Day-trippers can store baggage in the Sottopassaggio la Lizza passageway underneath Piazza Gramsci at the Tiemme/Siena Mobilità office (€5.50/day, open daily 7:00-19:00, carry-on-sized luggage no more than 33 pounds, no overnight storage). From Piazza Gramsci, it’s an easy walk into the town center—just head in the opposite direction of the tree-filled park. For more on buses, see here.
Siena is not a good place to drive. Plan on parking in a big lot or garage and walking into town.
Drivers coming from the autostrada take the Siena Ovest exit and follow signs for Centro, then Stadio (stadium). The soccer-ball signs take you to the stadium lot (Parcheggio Stadio, €1.70/hour, pay when you leave) near Piazza Gramsci and the huge, bare-brick Church of San Domenico. The nearby Fortezza lot charges the same amount. Another good option is the underground Santa Caterina garage (you’ll see signs on the way to the stadium lot, same price). From the garage, hike 150 yards uphill through a gate to an escalator on the right, which carries you up into the city. If you’re staying in the south end of town, try the Il Campo lot, near Porta Tufi.
On parking spots, blue stripes mean pay and display; white stripes mean free parking. You can park for free in the lot west of the Fortezza; in white-striped spots behind the Hotel Villa Liberty (south of the Fortezza); and overnight in most city lots from 20:00 to 8:00. Watch for signs showing a street cleaner and a day of the week—that’s when the street is closed to cars for cleaning.
Driving within Siena’s city center is restricted to local cars and is policed by automatic cameras. If you drive or park anywhere marked Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL), you’ll likely have a hefty ticket waiting for you in the mail back home.
Technically, hotel customers are allowed to drop off bags at their hotel before finding a place to park overnight, but getting permission to do so isn’t worth the trouble.
Combo-Tickets: Siena always seems to be experimenting with different combo-tickets, but in general, only two are worth considering: the €12 Opa Si combo-ticket that includes the Duomo, Duomo Museum, Crypt, and Baptistery (a savings of at least €9 if you plan on seeing all of those sights; sold only at the ticket office just right of the Duomo, near the Duomo Museum entrance), and the €13 combo-ticket covering the Civic Museum and City Tower (a €3 savings; must purchase at City Tower on Il Campo).
Wednesday Morning Market: The weekly market (clothes, knickknacks, and food) sprawls between the Fortezza and Piazza Gramsci along Viale Cesare Maccari and the adjacent Viale XXV Aprile. The fact that this is more local than touristy makes it, for some, even more interesting.
Internet Access: In this university town, there are lots of places to get plugged in. Cheap Phone Center is hidden in a small shopping mall near Il Campo (€2/hour to use terminals, €1/hour for Wi-Fi, Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-22:00; coming from Il Campo, go uphill past recommended Albergo Tre Donzelle, turn left at Via Cecco Angiolieri, after 20 yards look for #16). Internet Point is located upstairs at Via di Città 80, with the entrance around the corner on Via delle Campane (€3/hour, daily 9:00-21:00). See the map on here for locations.
Post Office: It’s on Piazza Matteotti (Mon-Fri 8:15-19:00, Sat 8:15-13:30, closed Sun).
Books: Libreria Senese sells books (including my guidebooks), newspapers, and magazines in English, with an emphasis on Italian-related topics (Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-20:00, Via di Città 62, tel. 0577-280-845). The Feltrinelli bookstore at Banchi di Sopra 52 also sells books and magazines in English (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:30, closed Sun, tel. 0577-271-104; the bigger Feltrinelli branch farther down the street at #64 has no English books). See the map on here for locations.
Laundry: Onda Blu is a modern, self-service launderette just 50 yards from Il Campo (about €6 wash and dry, daily 8:00-21:15, last load at 20:15, Via del Casato di Sotto 17—see map on here.
Travel Agency: Palio Viaggi, on Piazza Gramsci, sells plane tickets upstairs. Their downstairs office (go down the ramp to the door below the arch) sells train tickets, railpass reservations, and some bus tickets (only for the longer-distance Sena buses, not the regional Tiemme/Siena Mobilità buses). They charge a €1 fee per bus or train ticket, but this saves you a trip to the train station (Mon-Fri 9:00-12:45 & 15:00-18:30, Sat 9:00-12:30, closed Sun, opposite the columns of NH Excelsior Hotel at La Lizza 12—see map on here, tel. 0577-280-828).
Wine Classes: The Tuscan Wine School gives two-hour classes in English on Italian wine and food. Morning classes (11:00) cover rotating topics: wines from all over Italy, olive-oil tasting, or a “Savor Siena” food tour that visits several vendors around town (check website for specific schedule). Afternoon classes (16:00) focus on Tuscan wines, including samples of five vintages. They also offer a one-hour “crash course” at 14:00. Rebecca and her fellow sommeliers keep things entertaining and offer classes for as few as two people (€40/person, 20 percent student discount to anyone with this book, €25 for one-hour course, classes offered Mon-Sat, closed Sun, reservations recommended—especially in peak season, Via di Stalloreggi 26, 30 yards from recommended Hotel Duomo, see map on here for location, tel. 0577-221-704, mobile 333-722-9716, www.tuscanwineschool.com, info@tuscanwineschool.com). Their outlet store sells wine from local producers at cost (Mon-Sat 11:00-18:00, closed Sun).
Updates to this Book: For news about changes to this book’s coverage since it was published, see www.ricksteves.com/update.
Roberto Bechi, a hardworking Sienese guide, specializes in off-the-beaten-path, ecologically friendly minibus tours of the surrounding countryside (up to eight passengers, convenient pickup at hotel). Married to an American (Patti) and having run restaurants in Siena and the US, Roberto communicates well with Americans. His passions are Sienese culture, Tuscan history, and local cuisine. It’s ideal to book well in advance, but you might be able to schedule a tour if you call the day before (seven different tours—explained on his website, €90/person for full-day tours, €60/person for off-season four-hour tours, entry fees extra, assistant Anna can schedule city tours as well as other guides if Roberto is booked, Anna’s mobile 320-147-6590, Roberto’s mobile 328-425-5648, www.toursbyroberto.com, toursbyroberto@gmail.com). Roberto also does multiday tours. If you book any tour with Roberto, he can advise you on other aspects of your trip.
Federica Olla, who leads walking tours of Siena, is a smart, youthful guide with a knack for creative teaching (€55/hour, mobile 338-133-9525, info@ollaeventi.com).
GSO Guides Co-op is a group of 10 young professional guides who offer good tours covering all of Tuscany and Umbria (€130/half-day, €260/full day, 10 percent discount for Rick Steves readers, www.guidesienaeoltre.com). Among them, charming Stefania Fabrizi specializes in Siena (mobile 338-640-7796, stefaniafabrizi@kata.com; if unavailable call Silvia, mobile 338-611-0127).
The TI offers walking tours of the old town. Guides usually conduct their walks in both English and Italian (€20, daily April-Oct at 11:00, 2 hours, no interiors, depart from TI, Il Campo 56, tel. 0577-280-551).
Somehow a company called My Tour has a lock on all hotel tour-promotion space. Every hotel has a rack of their brochures, which advertise a variety of five-hour big-bus tours into the countryside (€38, depart from Piazza Gramsci).
▲City Tower (Torre del Mangia)
Via Banchi di Sopra and Via Banchi di Sotto
▲▲Duomo Museum (Museo dell’Opera e Panorama)
Sanctuary of St. Catherine (Santuario di Santa Caterina)
This square is the heart, both geographically and metaphorically, of Siena. It fans out from City Hall (Palazzo Pubblico) to create an amphitheater. It’s the only town square I’ve ever seen where people stretch out as if at the beach. Il Campo’s shining moment is the famous Palio horse races, which take place in summer (see sidebar on here).
Originally, this area was just a field (campo) located outside the former city walls. Bits of those original walls, which circled the Duomo (and curved against today’s square), can be seen above the pharmacy (the black-and-white stones, to the right as you face City Hall). In the 1200s, with the advent of the Sienese Republic, the city expanded—once a small medieval town circling its cathedral, it became a larger, humanistic city gathered around its towering City Hall. In this newer and relatively secular age, the focus of power shifted from the bishop to the city council.
As the city expanded, Il Campo eventually became the historic junction of Siena’s various competing contrade (neighborhood districts) and the old marketplace. The brick surface is divided into nine sections, representing the council of nine merchants and city bigwigs who ruled medieval Siena. The square and its buildings are the color of the soil upon which they stand—a color known to artists and Crayola users as “Burnt Sienna.”
City Hall: This secular building, with its 330-foot tower, dominates the square. In medieval Siena, this was the center of the city, and the whole focus of Il Campo still flows down to it.
The building’s facade features the various symbols of the city. The sun hearkens back to St. Bernardino of Siena. Born on the day that St. Catherine of Siena died, he grew up here and went on to travel throughout Italy, giving spirited and humorous sermons that preached peace between warring political factions. His sermons often ended with reconciling parties exchanging a bacio di pace (kiss of peace). In Siena he would stand in front of the Palazzo and preach to crowds discreetly segregated by gender with a curtain down the middle. Bernardino personally designed the sun logo to attract crowds, and later he became the patron saint of advertising (and of Siena).
To either side of the sun logo, she-wolf gargoyles lean out and snarl, “Don’t mess with Siena, Mister Pope!” This Ghibelline city prided itself on its political independence from the papacy; it embraced as a city symbol the pagan she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus (Remus’ son was Siena’s legendary founder). The black-and-white shields over the windows are another city symbol. Near ground level, the metal rings are for tying your horse, while the fixtures above once held flags.
The City Tower (Torre del Mangia) is Italy’s tallest secular tower. It was named after a hedonistic watchman who consumed his earnings like a glutton consumes food. His chewed-up statue is in the courtyard, to the left as you enter. (For details on climbing the tower, see “City Tower” listing, later.)
The open chapel located at the base of the tower was built in 1348 as thanks to God for ending the Black Death (after it killed more than a third of the population). It should also be used to thank God that the top-heavy tower—just plunked onto the building with no extra foundation and no iron reinforcement—still stands. These days, the chapel is used solely to bless the Palio contestants, and the tower’s bell only rings for the race.
Fountain of Joy (Fonte Gaia): This 15th-century work by Jacopo della Quercia marks the square’s high point. The joy is all about how the Sienese Republic blessed its people with water. Notice Lady Justice with her scales (also holding a sword, right of center), overseeing the free distribution of water to all. Imagine residents gathering here in the 1400s to fill their jugs. The Fountain of Joy still reminds locals that life in Siena is good. Notice the pigeons politely waiting their turn to tightrope gingerly down slippery spouts to slurp a drink from wolves’ snouts. The relief panel on the left shows God creating Adam by helping him to his feet. It’s said that this reclining Adam influenced Michelangelo when he painted his Sistine Chapel ceiling. This fountain is a copy—you can see most of the original fountain in an interesting exhibit at Siena’s Santa Maria della Scala (described later).
To say that Siena and Florence have always been competitive is an understatement. In medieval times, a statue of Venus stood on Il Campo. After the plague hit Siena, the monks blamed the pagan statue. The people cut it to pieces and buried it along the walls of Florence.
At the base of the tower is Siena’s City Hall, the spot where secular government got its start in early Renaissance Europe. There you’ll find city government still at work, along with a sampling of local art, including Siena’s first fresco (with a groundbreaking down-to-earth depiction of the Madonna). While pricey, it’s worth strolling through the dramatic halls to see fascinating frescoes and portraits extolling Siena’s greats, saints, and the city-as-utopia.
Cost and Hours: €8, €13 combo-ticket with tower (must be purchased at the tower), daily mid-March-Oct 10:00-19:00, Nov-mid March 10:00-18:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing, tel. 0577-292-615, www.comune.siena.it.
See the Civic Museum Tour chapter.
Siena gathers around its City Hall more than its church. Medieval Siena was a proud republic, and this tall tower is the exclamation point of its “declaration of independence.” Its 300 steps get pretty skinny at the top, but the reward is one of Italy’s best views.
Cost and Hours: €8, €13 combo-ticket with Civic Museum, daily March-mid-Oct 10:00-19:00, mid-Oct-Feb 10:00-16:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing, closed in rain, free and mandatory bag check.
Crowd Alert: Admission is limited to 50 people at a time, so be prepared for long lines or for tickets to be sold out. Wait at the bottom of the stairs for the green Avanti light. Try to avoid midday crowds (up to an hour wait at peak times).
In the Palio, the feisty spirit of Siena’s 17 neighborhoods lives on. Each neighborhood, or contrada, has a parish church, well or fountain, and sometimes even a historical museum. Each is represented by a mascot (porcupine, unicorn, wolf, etc.) and unique colors worn proudly by residents.
Contrada pride is evident year-round in Siena’s parades and colorful banners, lamps, and wall plaques. (If you hear the thunder of distant drumming, run to it for some medieval action—there’s a good chance it’ll feature flag throwers.) You are welcome to participate in these lively neighborhood festivals. Buy a scarf in contrada colors, grab a glass of Chianti, munch on some panforte, and join in the merriment.
Contrada passion is most visible twice a year—on July 2 and August 16—when the city erupts during its world-famous horse race, the Palio di Siena. Ten of the 17 neighborhoods compete (chosen by rotation and lot), hurling themselves with medieval abandon into several days of trial races and traditional revelry. Jockeys—usually from out of town—are considered hired guns, no better than paid mercenaries. Bets are placed on which contrada will win...and lose. Despite the shady behind-the-scenes dealing, on the big day the horses are taken into their contrada’s church to be blessed. (“Go and return victorious,” says the priest.) It’s considered a sign of luck if a horse leaves droppings in the church.
On the evening of the race, Il Campo is stuffed to the brim with locals and tourists. Dirt is brought in and packed down over the gray pavement of the perimeter to create the track’s surface, while mattresses pad the walls of surrounding buildings. The most treacherous spots are the sharp corners, where many a rider has bitten the dust.
Picture the scene: Ten snorting horses and their nervous riders line up near the pharmacy (on the west side of the square) to await the starting signal. Then they race like crazy while spectators wave the scarves of their neighborhoods. Every possible vantage point and perch is packed with people straining to see the action. One lap around the course is about a third of a mile (350 meters); three laps make a full circuit. In this literally no-holds-barred race—which lasts just over a minute—a horse can win even without its rider (jockeys perch precariously without saddles on the sweaty horses’ backs, and often fall off).
When the winner crosses the line, 1/17th of Siena—the prevailing neighborhood—goes berserk. Winners receive a palio (banner), typically painted by a local artist and always featuring the Virgin Mary. But the true prizes are proving that your contrada is numero uno, and mocking your losing rivals.
All over town, sketches and posters depict the Palio. This is not some folkloric event—it’s a real medieval moment. If you’re packed onto the square with 60,000 people, all hungry for victory, you won’t see much, but you’ll feel it. Bleacher and balcony seats are expensive, but it’s free to join the masses in the square. Be sure to go with an empty bladder as there are no WCs, and be prepared to surrender any sense of personal space.
While the actual Palio packs the city, you could side-trip in from Florence to see the horse-race trials—called prove (prohvay)—on any of the three days before the main event (usually at 9:00 and after 19:00, free seats in bleachers). For more information, visit www.ilpalio.org.
These main drags in town are named “upper row of banks” and “lower row of banks.” They were once lined with market tables (banchi), and rents were paid to the city for a table’s position along the street. If the owner of a banco neglected to pay the rent for his space, thugs came along and literally broke (rotto) his table. It is from this practice—banco rotto, broken table—that we get the English word “bankrupt.”
In medieval times, these two streets were part of the Via Francigena, the main thoroughfare between Rome, London, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The medieval Sienese traded wool with passing travelers, which required money changers, which led to banks. As Siena was a secular town, local Christians were allowed to loan money and work as bankers. Today, strollers out each evening for their passeggiata fill Via Banchi di Sopra.
If you’re into medieval art, you’ll likely find this quiet, uncrowded, colorful museum delightful. The museum walks you through Siena’s art chronologically, from the 12th through the 16th centuries, when a revolution in realism was percolating in Tuscany.
Cost and Hours: €4, Tue-Sat 8:15-19:15, Sun-Mon 9:00-13:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, free and mandatory bag check (must leave ID); from Il Campo, walk out Via di Città and go left on Via San Pietro to #29; tel. 0577-281-161 or 0577-286-143, www.pinacotecanazionale.siena.it.
Self-Guided Tour: In general, the collection lets you follow the evolution of painting styles from Byzantine to Gothic, then to International Gothic, and finally to Renaissance.
• The core of the collection is on the second floor, in Rooms 1-19. To reach them, ascend two floors and go up a little landing to your right.
Long after Florentine art went realistic, the Sienese embraced a timeless, otherworldly style glittering with lots of gold. But Sienese art features more than just paintings. In this city of proud craftsmen, the gilding and carpentry of the frames almost compete with the actual paintings. The exquisite attention to detail gives a glimpse into the wealth of the 13th and 14th centuries, Siena’s Golden Age. As you walk through the museum, take time to trace the delicate features with your eyes. The woven silk and gold clothing you’ll see was worn by the very people who once walked these halls, when this was a private mansion (appreciate the colonnaded courtyard).
Room 1 mostly features the pre-Duccio art world. (Duccio created the Maestà in the Duomo Museum, the Duomo’s big stained-glass window, and a fresco in the Civic Museum.) Altarpieces emphasize the heavenly and otherworldly, rather than the human realism that Duccio helped to pioneer. (You may see a Duccio in here, as well.)
Rooms 2-4 contain a number of works by Duccio (and assistants), whose groundbreaking innovations are subtle to the layman’s eyes: less gold-leaf background, fewer gold creases in robes, transparent garments, inlaid-marble thrones, and a more human Mary and Jesus. Notice that the Madonna-and-Bambino pose is eerily identical in each version.
In Room 5 are works by Duccio’s one-time assistant, Simone Martini, including his St. Augustine of Siena. The saint’s life is set in pretty realistic Sienese streets, buildings, and landscapes. In each panel, the saint pops out at the oddest (difficult to draw) angles to save the day. (Simone Martini also did the Maestà and possibly the Guidoriccio frescoes in the Civic Museum.)
Room 7 includes religious works by the hometown Lorenzetti brothers (Ambrogio is best known for the secular masterpiece, the Effects of Good and Bad Government, in the Civic Museum). The rest of the rooms on this floor are a menagerie of gold-backed saints and Madonnas.
In Room 12 are two famous small wooden panels: Città sul Mare (City by the Sea) and Castello in Riva al Lago (Castle on the Lakeshore). These pieces, done by an early 14th-century Sienese painter (some scholars think it could be Ambrogio Lorenzetti), feature the strange, medieval landscape Cubism seen in the work of the contemporaneous Guidoriccio da Fogliano (in the Civic Museum). Notice the weird, melancholy light that captures the sense of the Dark Ages. These images are replicated on postcards found throughout the city.
• Loop through the rest of this level, then descend one floor to view a minor collection of later art.
In Room 20, suddenly the gold is gone—Madonna is set on earth. See works by the painter/biographer Giorgio Vasari (Room 22), a stunning view out the window (Room 26), and several colorful rooms (27-30) dedicated to Domenico Beccafumi (1486-1551). Beccafumi designed many of the Duomo’s inlaid pavement panels (including Slaughter of the Innocents), and his original cartoons are displayed in Room 30. With strong bodies, twisting poses, and dramatic gestures, Beccafumi’s works epitomize the Mannerist style.
Room 31 has the sympathetic Christ on the Column by Sodoma (Giovanni Bazzi), and the long Room 32 displays large-scale works by Sodoma, Beccafumi, and others. In Room 33, Bernardino Mei gives a Sienese take on the wrinkled saints and dark shadows of Caravaggio.
Each of the first four sights (Duomo, Duomo Museum, Crypt, and Baptistery) is covered by a separate ticket, or by the €12 Opa Si combo-ticket. If you’re planning to visit only the Duomo and Duomo Museum, this ticket doesn’t add up; but if you’re curious about the Crypt and Baptistery, the combo-ticket lets you peek into those sights for just €1 more. Separate tickets and the Opa Si combo-ticket are sold only at the ticket office near the entrance to the Duomo Museum—to the right as you face the cathedral facade (no tickets sold at sight entrances).
This 13th-century Gothic cathedral, with its six-story striped bell tower—Siena’s ultimate tribute to the Virgin Mary—is heaped with statues, plastered with frescoes, and paved with art. Soak up the richly ornamented facade before venturing inside, where 1,000 years of popes keep watch from on high. The interior is a Renaissance riot of striped columns, remarkably intricate inlaid-marble floors, a Michelangelo statue, and evocative Bernini sculptures. The Piccolomini Library features a series of 15th-century frescoes chronicling the adventures of Siena’s philanderer-turned-pope, Aeneas Piccolomini.
Cost and Hours: €4 includes cathedral and Piccolomini Library, covered by Opa Si combo-ticket, buy tickets near Duomo Museum entry; March-Oct Mon-Sat 10:30-19:00, Sun 13:30-18:00; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 10:30-17:30, Sun 13:30-17:30; last entry 30 minutes before closing; modest dress is required to enter, but paper ponchos are provided; guided cupola/roof tour and videoguide available—see Siena Duomo Tour chapter for more information; tel. 0577-286-300, www.operaduomo.siena.it.
See the Siena Duomo Tour chapter.
Located in a corner of the Duomo’s grand but unfinished extension (to the right as you face the main facade), Siena’s most enjoyable museum was built to house the cathedral’s art. The ground floor features the original Duccio stained-glass window that once hung over the high altar, along with an army of statues from the facade. Upstairs is Duccio’s Maestà (Enthroned Virgin, 1311), one of the great pieces of medieval art. The flip side of the Maestà (displayed on the opposite wall) has 26 panels—the medieval equivalent of pages—showing scenes from the Passion of Christ. Finally, climb up to the Panorama dal Facciatone. From the first landing, take the skinny second spiral for Siena’s surprise view.
Cost and Hours: €7, covered by Opa Si combo-ticket, buy tickets near Duomo Museum entry, daily March-Oct 10:30-19:00, Nov-Feb 10:30-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, videoguide-€4 (€6/2 people), tel. 0577-286-300, www.operaduomo.siena.it.
See the Siena Duomo Museum Tour chapter.
Siena is so hilly that there wasn’t enough flat ground on which to build a big church. What to do? Build a big church anyway and prop up the overhanging edge with the Baptistery. This dark and quietly tucked-away cave of art is worth a look for its cool, tranquil bronze panels and angels by Ghiberti, Donatello, and others that adorn the pedestal of the baptismal font.
Cost and Hours: €4, covered by Opa Si combo-ticket, buy tickets near Duomo Museum entry, daily March-Oct 10:30-19:00, Nov-Feb 10:30-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing.
The cathedral “crypt” is archaeologically important. The site of a small 12th-century Romanesque church, it was filled in with dirt a century after its creation to provide a foundation for the huge church that sits atop it today. Recently excavated, the several rediscovered frescoed rooms show off what are likely the oldest frescoes in town. Religious art exhibitions are sometimes held here.
Cost and Hours: €6, €8 during special exhibitions, covered by Opa Si combo-ticket, buy tickets near Duomo Museum entry, daily March-Oct 10:30-19:00, Nov-Feb 10:30-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, entrance is halfway up the stairs between the Baptistery and Duomo Museum.
This museum, opposite the Duomo entrance, was used as a hospital until the 1980s (though it may be closed for renovation during your visit). Its labyrinthine 12th-century cellars—carved out of volcanic tuff and finished with brick—go down several floors and during medieval times were used to store supplies for the hospital upstairs. Today, the hospital and its cellars are filled with exhibits (well-described in English) and can be a welcome refuge from the hot streets. Stop in for a cool and quiet break in the air-conditioned lobby, which offers a fine bookshop and big, comfy couches, all under great 15th-century timbers.
Cost and Hours: If open, likely around €6, daily March-Oct 10:30-18:00, Nov-Feb 10:30-16:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, bookstore, tel. 0577-534-511, www.santamariadellascala.com.
Self-Guided Tour: It’s easy to get lost in this gigantic complex, so stay focused on the main attractions—the fancily frescoed Pellegrinaio Hall (ground floor), most of the original Fountain of Joy (first basement), and the Etruscan collection in the Archaeological Museum (second basement). Just inside the complex (enter from the square) is the Church of the Santissima Annunziata.
• From the entrance, walk down the lengthy hall to the long room with the colorful frescoes.
The sumptuously frescoed walls of Pellegrinaio Hall show medieval Siena’s innovative health care and social welfare system in action (c. 1442, wonderfully described in English). Starting in the 11th century, the hospital nursed the sick and cared for abandoned children, as is vividly portrayed in these frescoes. The good works paid off, as bequests and donations poured in, creating the wealth that’s evident throughout this building.
• Head down the stairs, then continue straight into the darkened rooms with pieces of Siena’s landmark fountain—follow signs to Fonte Gaia.
An engaging exhibit explains Jacopo della Quercia’s early 15th-century Fountain of Joy (Fonte Gaia)—and displays the disassembled pieces of the original fountain itself. In the 19th century, after serious deterioration, the ornate fountain was dismantled and plaster casts were made. (From these casts, they formed the replica that graces Il Campo today.) Here you’ll see the eroded original panels paired with their restored casts, along with the actual statues that once stood on the edges of the fountain.
• Descend into the cavernous second basement.
Under the groin vaults of the Archaeological Museum, you’re alone with piles of ancient Etruscan stuff excavated from tombs dating centuries before Christ (displayed in a labyrinthine exhibit). Remember, the Etruscans dominated this part of Italy before the Roman Empire swept through—some historians think even Rome originated as an Etruscan town.
This huge brick church is worth a quick look. The spacious, plain interior (except for the colorful flags of the city’s 17 contrade, or neighborhoods) fits the austere philosophy of the Dominicans and invites meditation on the thoughts and deeds of St. Catherine. Walk up the steps in the rear to see paintings from her life. Halfway up the church on the right, find a metal bust of St. Catherine, a small case housing her thumb (on the left), and a glass box on the lowest shelf containing the chain she used to scourge herself. In the chapel (15 feet to the left) surrounded with candles, you’ll see Catherine’s actual head atop the altar. Through the door just beyond are the sacristy and the bookstore.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 7:00-18:30, gift shop tel. 0577-286-848, www.basilicacateriniana.com. A WC (€0.50) is at the far end of the parking lot, to the right as you face the church entrance.
Step into the cool and peaceful site of Catherine’s home. Siena remembers its favorite hometown gal, a simple, unschooled, but mystically devout soul who, in the mid-1300s, helped convince the pope to return from France to Rome. Pilgrims have visited this place since 1464, and architects and artists have greatly embellished what was probably once a humble home (her family worked as wool dyers). You’ll see paintings throughout showing scenes from her life.
The youngest of 25 children born to a Sienese cloth dyer, Catherine began experiencing heavenly visions as a child. At 16 she became a Dominican nun, locking herself away for three years in a room in her family’s house. She lived the life of an ascetic, which culminated in a vision wherein she married Christ. Catherine emerged from solitude to join her Dominican sisters, sharing her experiences, caring for the sick, and gathering both disciples and enemies. At age 23, she lapsed into a spiritual coma, waking with the heavenly command to spread her message to the world. She wrote essays and letters to kings, dukes, bishops, and popes, imploring them to find peace for a war-ravaged Italy. While visiting Pisa during Lent of 1375, she had a vision in which she received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ.
Still in her twenties, Catherine was invited to Avignon, France, where the pope had taken up residence. With her charm, sincerity, and reputation for holiness, she helped convince Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy to the city of Rome. Catherine also went to Rome, where she died young. She was canonized in the next generation (by a Sienese pope), and her relics were distributed to churches around Italy.
Because of her intervention in the papal schism, today Catherine is revered (along with St. Benedict) as the patron saint of Europe and remembered as a rare outspoken medieval woman still appreciated for her universal message: that this world is not a gift from our fathers, but a loan from our children.
Enter through the courtyard, and walk down the stairs at the far end. The church on your right contains the wooden crucifix upon which Catherine was meditating when she received the stigmata. Take a pew, gaze at it, and try to imagine the scene. Back outside, the oratory across the courtyard stands where the kitchen once was. Go down the stairs (left of the gift shop) to reach the saint’s room. Catherine’s bare cell is behind wrought-iron doors.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 9:00-18:00, church closed 12:30-15:00, a few downhill blocks toward the center from San Domenico—follow signs to Santuario di Santa Caterina—at Costa di Sant’Antonio 6, tel. 0577-288-175.
The main drag, Via Banchi di Sopra, is a cancan of fancy shops. Here are some things to look for:
Flags: For easy-to-pack souvenirs, get some of the large, colorful scarves/flags that depict the symbols of Siena’s 17 different neighborhoods (such as the wolf, the turtle, or the snail). They’re good for gifts or to decorate your home (sold in varying sizes at souvenir stands).
Sweets: All over town, Prodotti Tipici shops sell Sienese specialties. Siena’s claim to caloric fame is its panforte, a rich, chewy concoction of nuts, honey, and candied fruits that impresses even fruitcake haters. There are a few varieties: Margherita, dusted in powdered sugar, is more fruity, while panpepato has a spicy, peppery crust. Locals prefer a chewy, white macaroon-and-almond cookie called ricciarelli.