Are you about to visit Tuscany and it just occurred to you that it would be a great idea to visit Siena? Do you want to discover what to see in Siena in a day?
I’ll oblige right away!
The reasons to head to this beautiful Tuscan city can be the most varied, and it doesn’t matter what excuse you find: whether it’s tasting the cinta senese cured meats or admiring Simone Martini’s frescoes, it’s all good.
Visiting Siena will be a wonderful experience!
Siena is a medieval city full of art masterpieces at every corner: the cathedral and its unique floor, the Piccolomini Library, the Palazzo Pubblico and its frescoes, the famous Piazza del Campo and the civic museum… Wherever you turn there’s something extremely beautiful to see.
I ended up in Siena almost by chance, but it was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had.
Now let me tell you why to visit Siena and what to see!
Off we go!
1 – Piazza del Campo in Siena
If you’re looking for a reason why to visit Siena, we can start right from Piazza del Campo.
If you look at Siena from above, the first thing you’ll notice is its shape: it’s as if the city grew in sinuous forms around Piazza del Campo, keeping its old brick-coloured buildings, among which the black-and-white marble cathedral stands out.
But the Piazza del Campo of Siena has a peculiarity.
Did you know this spot was once a marsh?
Indeed: one of the most famous places to see in Siena was nothing but a small marshy basin, where three hills meet. Once the area was drained, the “campo” became the centre of the city market, and from 1297 it was decided to build here the Palazzo Pubblico, symbol of the city free from ecclesiastical power and from despotism.
Since then the centre of Siena has been Piazza del Campo, with its splendid palaces and the distinctive paving divided into nine segments, recalling the Government of the Nine.
It’s in this square that the Palio di Siena is held every year, with the horses of the contrade racing in a joust of medieval origin. The Palio is one of the most important events in Siena and is lived by the Sienese with enormous passion.
2 – The Fonte Gaia in Siena
Among the things to see in Siena is the beautiful Fonte Gaia (Fountain of Joy).
It owes its name to the great celebration with which the Sienese marked its inauguration: it was in fact the first to bring drinking water right into Piazza del Campo, no small feat for the time.
Perhaps you don’t know it, but the original fountain was the work of Jacopo della Quercia, who made it between 1414 and 1419, while the one now visible in the square is a 19th-century copy (1858) by Tito Sarrocchi.
But where can you see the original?
The remains of the original, now much worn, are kept in the museum complex of Santa Maria della Scala, which I absolutely recommend visiting. The Fonte Gaia was one of the most important sculptural works of its century: just look at the wealth of detail in its figures to understand why!
3 – The Palazzo Pubblico of Siena
Among the things to see in Siena, don’t forget the Palazzo Pubblico, built from the end of the 13th century to house the city government.
The exterior is as majestic as the interior is vast and solemn: the Gothic forms merge with a complex, vast decoration. Why to visit Siena will become obvious from this building alone!
What’s inside?
It houses the civic museum and one of the most famous fresco cycles of the 14th century: the Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (1338-1339), which depicts the causes and effects of just government and misrule, an ever-relevant theme handled masterfully.
Artists such as Beccafumi, Sodoma and Duccio di Buoninsegna (author of the Maestà) also worked in this palace; famous too is the fresco of Guidoriccio da Fogliano, traditionally attributed to Simone Martini. In short, in the halls of the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena you retrace the history of 14th-century Tuscan painting!
I recommend it.
4 – The Torre del Mangia in Siena
Next to the imposing Palazzo Pubblico rises the Torre del Mangia.
This tower of 88 metres is as tall as the bell tower of the Siena cathedral, symbolising the balance that should exist between spiritual and temporal power.
But why is it called that?
It takes its name from the nickname of its first bell-ringer, “Mangiaguadagni” (“spend-earnings”), famous for his gluttony and for squandering his wages.
Would you ever have imagined it?
To climb the Torre del Mangia you’ll have to tackle more than 400 steps along a narrow, cramped route: I’d only advise against it if you have heart problems or claustrophobia, because the view from the top is truly stunning!
I think seeing the city from above is one of the most beautiful things to do in Siena: I’d have stayed up there for hours.
5 – The magnificent Siena Cathedral
What to see in Siena? Certainly its cathedral!
This medieval masterpiece went through various building phases, involving some of the greatest artists and architects of the time. The earliest records date to 1226, and on the lower part of the façade, towards the end of the 13th century, even Giovanni Pisano worked.
The building site of the Siena Cathedral continued for over a century, until it was decided to make it even grander, turning the existing cathedral into the transept of a far larger temple (the so-called “New Cathedral”).
However, the project was never completed: the Black Death of 1348 and a lack of funds halted the works, leaving everything half-finished.
What remains of it?
Today the arches of what was to be the new nave survive, along with the great unfinished façade (the “Facciatone”), which almost looks like an isolated triumphal arch and offers a splendid view.
In the Opera museum you can retrace the vicissitudes of this immense building site and admire the original statues, including those by Giovanni Pisano.
If you want to visit the complex without wasting time in the queue, here’s the ticket to the cathedral complex (cathedral, floor, Piccolomini Library and Opera museum).
6 – Don’t miss the Piccolomini Library!
Along the left aisle of the Siena cathedral you’ll notice a room entirely decorated and full of books: it’s the Piccolomini Library.
It was commissioned in 1492 by Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (the future Pope Pius III) to hold the library of his uncle, Pope Pius II, and decorated in the early 16th century (1502-1507) by Pinturicchio and his workshop; by tradition, the young Raphael also took part. The frescoes tell the life of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became pope under the name Pius II.
When you step into this library you don’t know where to look, whether at the books, the ceiling or the frescoes: it’s a jewel!
You’ll fall in love with it.
7 – The floors of the Siena Cathedral
An often underrated masterpiece is the floor of the Siena Cathedral (do you remember the floor of Otranto Cathedral?).
Made of marble inlays and graffiti, the floor of the Siena Cathedral has 56 panels, created between the 14th and the 19th centuries. The compositions are so varied that it’s hard to find a single theme, perhaps summed up as the search for salvation.
Biblical figures alternate with ancient sages like Hermes Trismegistus, with the Sibyls and with allegories of fortune and wisdom. At the centre stands the she-wolf of Siena, surrounded by the symbols of the allied cities.
If you visit Siena Cathedral, look out for it: visiting Siena is also this!
8 – Other beauties to see in Siena
If you’re still wondering what to see in Siena, I assure you the things to visit don’t end here!
You can admire the medieval Basilica of San Domenico, linked to Saint Catherine, or the church of San Francesco; discover the masterpieces of the National Picture Gallery or the ancient hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, today a great museum complex.
And around Siena?
Not far away lie other enchanting places, such as the Val d’Orcia or the striking San Galgano Abbey, with its sword in the stone: a walk that will leave you speechless.
And you, are you drawn more to the magic of Piazza del Campo or to the splendour of its Cathedral?
