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Things to see in and around Siena
If you are visiting the city of Siena, there are plenty of places to see... we will show you some.
Visiting Tuscany means to dive into a region rich in culture, with a unique and unmistakable territory, holding within itself varied sceneries and landscapes, immersed in Nature with its hills, countryside, sea, and mountains. You will discover places and unique historical evidences of rare beauty, museums, and monuments that make this territory the right place for any kind of vacation.
Terre di Siena between art, culture, and history
If you are visiting the city of Siena, be sure to also visit the areas surrounding the city, known as "Terre di Siena": Chianti, Val d'Elsa, Val di Merse, Crete Senesi, Val d'Orcia, Monte Amiata, and Val di Chiana.
Landscapes of astonishing natural beauty, unspoiled, immersed in expanses of hills of a thousand shades of colors, with rows of cypress trees, lonely paths, centuries-old villages, as well as ancient places of worship, castles, museums...and much more.
Walking the Via Francigena, which has as many as 120 km in its Sienese part, is a magical experience suitable for anyone and in any season of the year, one of the most beautiful itineraries, to be traveled in a setting of medieval history and enchanting landscapes. Along the Via Francigena, you can find as many as four Unesco Sites, including three historic centers: Siena, San Gimignano, and Pienza, and an area of great significance and scenic beauty, the entire Val d'Orcia. The Sienese territory is the Italian area with the largest number of Unesco recognitions.
Siena was once the center of power in northern Italy.
Siena, a wonderful destination for an exciting and romantic trip, where you can relive magical atmospheres of the past.
Siena is a timeless city, an ideal city that can offer an excellent example of fusion of art, history, culture, architecture, traditions, landscapes, and gastronomy condensed into a single setting of ancient beauty. The city of Siena has been able to guard and preserve the cultural, artistic, and civic heritage of the Middle Ages, while maintaining the original peculiarities that have made Siena a rich and influential city over the centuries, in particular from the XII to the XV century. Thanks to its architectural and urban characteristics, it still represents a model of medieval city; in fact, it is called “the only living model of a medieval city” and one of the best preserved historic centers in Europe. Since 1995, the historic center of Siena has been part of the Unesco World Heritage Site for having been able to preserve the fundamental characteristics of its medieval structure, and for its fine architecture that blends perfectly with the urban structure. The Historic Center is entirely pedestrianized; visiting it on foot is the best way to admire one of the most beautiful and engaging cities of art and to appreciate and experience its atmospheres. You will be enraptured by its noble beauty, the splendor of its magnificent historic center and of the countless noble palaces it has carefully preserved, the vibrancy of the traditions it has been able to preserve and defend, such as the exciting “Palio di Siena”.
There are many places to visit: the marvelous Piazza del Campo, one of the most famous squares in the World and one of the most striking examples of medieval town planning in Italy and Europe
With its characteristic shell shape and slightly downhill slope, divided into nine sections oriented toward the Palazzo Pubblico. The nine sections symbolize the nine governors who administered the Republic of Siena during the "Governo dei Nove", recognized as one of the most solid and peaceful governments in Italy. It was defined the "Buon Governo" (Good Government) and remained in office from 1287 to 1355. As for the artistic aspect, the nine sections represented the folds of the Virgin Mary's cloak. The "Buon Governo" came to an end due to severe economic crises resulting from famines and epidemics. Siena previously had the same size as the city of Paris, but after the desolation caused by the plague, the population decreased very considerably.
Originally, Piazza del Campo was designed to welcome all the townspeople for political events, games and various activities. As early as the XII century, Piazza del Campo also appears to have been intended as a marketplace, a tradition that has been reintroduced and can be revived every year on the first weekend of December. Piazza del Campo is surrounded by prestigious noble palaces, such as the Palazzo Pubblico, which was built between 1297 and 1310 by the Governo dei Nove of the Republic of Siena and has been the seat of civil power in the city of Siena for more than 700 years. Inside is the Museo Civico where works of Sienese art are preserved.
The 102-meter-high Torre del Mangia is among the tallest ancient towers in Italy, reaching the same height as the Bell Tower of Siena Cathedral, this is to signify and represent the balance between Church power and civic power. Palazzo Sansedoni, one of the most important palaces overlooking Piazza del Campo, was built in the early XIII century. It was home to the Sansedoni family for seven centuries. Today it is the seat of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation.
Opposite the Palazzo Pubblico is Fonte Gaia, a faithful reproduction of the work created by Jacopo della Quercia in 1346. The original is kept inside the Santa Maria della Scala complex. Fonte Gaia, as indeed all the fountains in Siena, was fed by the "Bottini", which can be visited by appointment. These are underground tunnels, built in the 13th-15th centuries and stretching for as much as 25 kilometers, capable of collecting rainwater from the surrounding hills to supply the city. This is a unique water supply system, especially when considering the purpose: it was aimed at supplying water to a medieval city that was among the richest and most populous in Europe.
The Palazzo Pubblico is one of the most ancient buildings in Siena.
There are more than 20 museums and galleries in Siena alone!
The Santa Maria della Scala Complex, which was built as a hospital, one of the oldest in Europe, an orphanage and a place to receive pilgrims, has now become a museum center, home to the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Children's Art Museum.
Opposite Santa Maria della Scala, the Duomo, is a perfect example of Romanesque-Gothic style and a typical example of Gothic architecture in Italy, built in the period between the XIII and XIV centuries. It represents one of the most excellent and significant combinations of art and spirituality in Europe. Inside the cathedral is the flooring that Vasari described as the most beautiful floor that had ever been seen up to that time, both artistically and spiritually.
The Museo dell'Opera, founded in 1869, represents one of the oldest private museums established in Italy. Its interior houses works from the cathedral and churches in the diocese, such as Duccio di Buoninsegna's Maestà made for the high altar and statues sculpted by Giovanni Pisano.
From March to October, it is possible to visit the "Porta del Cielo", showcasing the interior of the Cathedral seen from a different perspective, through a path of spiral staircases and attics. It allows you to admire from above the starry vaults of the right aisle, the high altar, the sculptural masterpieces, the floor of the Cathedral, the stained glass window by Duccio Buoninsegna as well as the enchanting views inside and outside the Cathedral.
The Pinacoteca Nazionale is one of the most prestigious museums in Tuscany, with masterpieces of Sienese art.
Palazzo Chigi Saracini on Via di Città, dating back to the 12th century, is one of the city's oldest noble residences. It has been home since 1932 to the prestigious Accademia Musicale Chigiana, established by the Count Guido Chigi Saracini himself.
Along the lively Via di Banchi di Sopra we reach Piazza Tolomei with the homonymous Palazzo, Piazza Salimbeni with the restored 14th-century Palazzo of the same name and home of Monte dei Paschi di Siena. This is the oldest bank in the World and it was founded in 1472, initially as a “Monte di Pietà” to give aid to the poorer classes of the population. The bank's historical archives are preserved inside.
The Basilica of San Domenico, built in the XIII century, is a majestic basilica also known as Santa Caterina’s Chapel because of its connection to the Sienese saint, housing the head-relic of St. Catherine of Siena inside.
The shrine and birthplace of Santa Caterina of Siena, Patroness of Italy, can be visited along via Santa Caterina. The Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi is another beautiful medieval church which can be visited near to Porta Romana. The Basilica of San Francesco, which is one of the most important churches in the city, was erected in the XIII century in the Romanesque style and then expanded over the next two centuries into the current magnificent Gothic structure; the Eucharistic miracle of the hosts took place here. The hosts were stolen in 1730, later found in the Church of Santa Maria in Provenzano and brought back to the Basilica of San Francesco. The hosts still remain intact after for a good three centuries.
You will be enchanted as you visit corners of medieval history and breathe in the special romantic atmosphere you will experience as you walk through the characteristic medieval alleys. Alleys are dotted with local craft stores, pastry stores, characteristic taverns, restaurants where you can appreciate and enjoy the excellent Tuscan cuisine, the flavors and aromas of the excellent products of the territory and the local gastronomy, with a generous offer of genuine food: The Extra Virgin Olive Oil of Terre di Siena, the Chianina meat, the meat and sausages of Cinta Senese pork, the Pecorino cheese of Pienza, the Saffron of San Gimignano, the delicious sweets of the Sienese tradition: Ricciarelli, Cavallucci, Panforte, Panpepato, Torta di Cecco, taste the excellent wines of the area, known and appreciated all over the World: Chianti Classico, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Rosso di Montalcino, Moscatello and Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Vino Orcia della Val d'Orcia, Vin Santo and many others.
Each product is the result of the unmistakable combination that exists between the land and the cultural traditions of its inhabitants, which has been most maintained and preserved in these lands.
You will get enchanted when visiting corners of Medieval history
