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With approx. 52,775 inhabitants Siena rises 322 meters above the sea level. Spread out over three hills, Siena is divided into three parts: the city itself, San Martino and Camollia and surrounded by a gentle landscape of vineyards interspersed with small churches and farmhouses.

The historic center of Siena has been declared by the Unesco a World Heritage Site.

A city always at odds with its powerful neighbor, Siena considers itself the counter attraction to Florence. The rivalry also extends to the many artistic treasures which fill every corner of this excellent Gothic city. First inhabited during the Etruscan period and later by the Romans, legend would have it that Senio the son of Remus, founded it when he escaped from Rome after his father was killed. This explains why the symbol of the city is a wolf nursing twins. Statues and other artwork depicting a she-wolf suckling the young twins can be seen all over the city of Siena.

Siena did not thrive under Roman rule. It was not situated near any major roads and therefore missed out on the resulting opportunities for trade. Its lone status meant that Christianity did not penetrate until the Fourth Century.

Later, Siena prospered under the new arrangements, becoming a major centre of money lending and town has important role in the wool trade. It was governed directly by its Bishop, during the 1100s. The bishop was forced to give a greater say in the running of the city to the nobility in exchange for their help during a territorial dissension with Arezzo, and this started a process which culminated in 1167 when the commune of Siena declared its independence from Episcopal control. By 1179, it had a written constitution.

During the middle Ages the city owed its good fortune to the Via Francigena which passed through Siena before reaching Rome. It gradually increased in size until its power became a threat to nearby Florence. The "Council of Nine" which ruled from 1287 to 1355, marked the artistic turning point of the city by ordering the construction of the Duomo, Piazza del Campo and Palazzo Pubblico. The arts also flowered with the creation of the Sienese school of painting, which produced Duccio di Buoninsegna and Simone Martini. The merchants and middle classes made the city wealthy, duly assisted by the bankers who expanded their business dealings into Europe. Siena's university, founded in 1203 and famed for its faculties of law and medicine, is still one of the most important Italian universities.

Siena rivaled Florence in the arts through the 13th and 14th centuries. During the Renaissance Siena was ceded to Florence who returned it to the nobles after removing much of it strength, especially from commercial point of view, by prohibiting the Sienese from running their own banks.

The plague in 1348 wiped out more than half of population and that was beginning of the city’s decline.

Siena retained its independence in Tuscany until 1557. Today Siena’s main sources of income are tourism and banking. The city is however, in the process of renewing its university and is looking to the new technologies as a possible area of development.

Places to Visit

Piazza del Campo

Piazza del Campo - rightly considered the centre of the city around which everything gravitates, and it is here that Palio is held. The square is shaped like a scallop shell and is slightly inclined. Paved with stone laid out in herring bone fashion to form sun like rise, its divided into nine sectors symbolizing the Council of Nine. In the central sector in front of the Palazzo Pubblico is the Fonte Gala (Fountain of Joy), an artistic masterpiece by Jacopo della Quercia. The fountain now seen in the square is a 19th-century copy of the original. This was removed to preserve it from the ravages of the weather. Water for fountain was brought from the hills since 14th century, through a system of galleries and cisterns 25 km long.

Palazzo Pubblico

Town Hall, dominated by the Torre del Mangia, Mangia Tower. Built between 1288-1342, its facade its three stories high in the centre and two stories on either side. The base is made of stone in the form of what are called "Sienese arcades" surmounted by a series of mullioned windows in marble which contrast with the bricks used for the facade. Inside the palace is Civic Museum which hold some of the most important Sienese paintings such as the "Maesta di Guidoriccio da Fogliano" by Simone Martini and the chapel with a splendid inlaid wooden choir stall. The Palazzo Pubblico still serves as the town hall, but the medieval state rooms are open to the public.

Mangia Tower

Mangia Tower is the second highest bell tower in Italy, at 102m. Climbing up to the top of the tower is without question an experience for both: the 505 steps involved and the fabulous panorama of the city and its surrounding area.

Loggia della Mercanzia

Loggia della Mercanzia is situated in front of the Palazzo Pubblico, once the headquarters of the merchants, with beautiful frescos on its vaulted ceiling, built at the beginning of the 15th Century, behind the Croce del Travglio, one of the crosses marking a stopping point on the Via Francigena.

Via di Citta

Via di Citta is one of the most elegant streets in the centre of the city, with its impressive palaces and prestigious shops. Number 75 Palazzo Patrizi, is the headquarters of the Accademia degli Intronati founded in 1525 to promote the study of letters and arts in the old Sienese city state.

Palazzo Picolomini

Palazzo Picolomini, a majestic building with a stone facade in Renaissance style was designed by Rosellino in 1485. It is now a cultural centre for contemporary arts offering workshops, art courses and exhibitions to young up and coming artist.

Duomo

If Piazza del Campo is the lay centre of the city, Piazza del Duomo is the spiritual one. Construction of the Duomo began in the Romanesque period around 1150 and continued through to the 14th century after the Plague eliminated the dream of building the largest temple in Christendom. This imposing and magnificent building has a Gothic facade with many Romanesque influences; the decoration of the lower portion was designed by Giovani Pisano. The central rosette is surrounded by spires, niches, statues and pinnacles, the work of Giovanni de Cecco. Mosaics by Augusto Castellani added at the end of the 19th century complete the facade. The bell tower with its white and black stripes is a Romanesque structure, but was added in the 18th century. The interior of the Dome, in the shape of the Latin cross, is majestic and solemn, with pillars holding up the pointed archers who are painted to simulate the sky and the stars. The marble floor is made up of 56 inlayed panels by more than 40 artists including Beccafumi who did many of them, depicting sacred and profane subjects. Unfortunately, it is almost always covered for conservation purposes.

At the end of the left nave is the Piccolomini Library, with frescos by Pinturicchio, a 15th century masterpiece without equal leaving the spectator breathless with wonder. It was ordered by Cardinale Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini to house the library of his uncle, Pope Pius II. It also displays a collection of exquisitely illustrated choir books, rarely found of such quality and especially in such quantity. In the left hand transept the white marble pulpit is by Nicola Pisano. At the front of the transept is the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist with a bronze statue of the saint by Donatello.

Museo dell Opera Metropolitana

Museo dell Opera Metropolitana was created out of a portion of the arcades destined for the new cathedral, the plans for which had to be abandoned. It contains works from the cathedral and the diocese of Siena. Impressive the round plate of the Madonna and Child by Donatello, a sculpted relief by Jacop della Quercia and ten statues by Giovanni Pisano which have been removed from the facade of the Dome. In addition to these pieces, which would be sufficient for an entire museum, there are several significant works by other Tuscan and Sienese artist.

Pinacoteca Nazionale

National Art Collection, housed in the Palazzo Buonsignori and Palazzo Brigidi include a cross painted by a Sienese master in the 12th century, a wooden tablet of the Madonna dei Francescani, the work of a young Duccio di Buoninsegna, and a room dedicated to Simone Martini, including, Beato Agostino Novello and Suoi Miracoli.

Oratory of Saint Bernard

Oratory of Saint Bernard, which now contains the recently restructured premises of the Diocese Museum for Sacred Art, including works from major Sienese artist collected from churches and convents.

Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels

Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels, covered in frescos telling the Story of the Virgin Mary, is an excellent example of Italian Renaissance workmanship with inlays and stuccos giving a rich and elegant feeling to the interior.

For more information visit

Comune Siena