The Gothic facade is a riot of green, pink and white marble, like a glorious iced cake, while inside the black-and-white banded walls reach up to the starry blue vaults. The best time to visit is when the intricate marble inlaid paving, created by major Sienese craftsmen between 1372 and 1562, is on display.
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Things to see in Siena
Tourist offices
APT Siena
Address: Piazza Duomo, Siena, Italy
Tel: +39 577 280 551.
Opening Hours:Daily 0930-1800 (Apr-Oct); Mon-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1000-1300 (Nov-Mar). www.terresiena.it
Siena Tourist Office, APT Siena, is in the Santa Maria della Scala museum. It can advise on events and guided walks, and offers the usual array of maps and leaflets.
Valid for three days, the Opa Si Pass at Museo dell’Opera (tel: +39 577 286 300; www.operaduomo.siena.it) offers discounted entry to the Cathedral, Library, Baptistery, Crypt and Museo dell’Opera. The Museo Civico Pass from the Civic Museum allows entry to the museum and the Torre del Mangia.
Duomo (Siena Cathedral)
Opening Times: Mon–Sat 1030–1900, Sun 0930–1800 (1 Mar–2 Nov); Mon–Sat 1030–1730, Sun 1330–1730 (3 Nov–1 Feb).
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Duomo, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 286 300.
Website:
www.operaduomo.siena.it
Piazza del Campo (Siena Main Square)
One of the biggest medieval squares in the world, this unique shell-shaped piazza has been the centre of Sienese life since 1300. Lap up the scenes from a café on the curved side. On 2 July and 16 August, the Sienese relive their medieval heritage with the Palio, a huge bareback horse race.
Opening Times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Campo, Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
Libreria Piccolomini (Papal Library)
For many, this Renaissance masterpiece is the most touching of Sienese treasures. The jewel-like library was built in 1495 by the future Pope Pius III, to honour his uncle Pope Pius II, and his collection of Humanistic books. Painted by Pinturicchio in 1509, the frescoed vaults show scenes from the Pope’s life.
Opening Times: Mon–Sat 1030–1900, Sun 1330–1800 (1 Mar–2 Nov); Mon–Sat 1030–1730, Sun 1330–1730 (3 Nov–1 Feb).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Duomo, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 286 300.
Website:
www.operaduomo.siena.it/libreria.htm
Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Museum)
The Cathedral Museum celebrates Sienese art and boasts beguiling views from the parapets. Nicola Pisano’s octagonal marble pulpit from 1226 is a Gothic masterpiece, as are his original statues for the cathedral facade. Climb the ramparts for a dazzling panorama where the sunset vista sums up Siena: a red brick medieval masterpiece.
Opening Times: Daily 1030-1900 (1 Mar–2 Nov); Daily 1030-1730 (3 Nov-1 Feb).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Duomo, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 286 300.
Website:
www.operaduomo.siena.it/museo.htm
Palazzo Pubblico and Museo Civico (Town Hall and Civic Museum)
This Gothic masterpiece has been the seat of the city government since 1310. Inside, the Museo Civico showcases medieval city art with a moral message for all masters. Painted on the walls is one of the world’s most famous allegories: Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good and Bad Government, painted in 1338.
Opening Times: Daily 1000–1900 (mid-Mar-Nov); daily 1000–1800 (Nov-mid-Mar).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Campo, Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 292 232.
Pinacoteca Nazionale (National Picture Gallery)
This is the place to overload on Sienese art. The early rooms are full of Madonnas, whether apple-cheeked, pale, remote or warmly human, while Lorenzetti’s Madonna deiCarmelitani is a sweeping cavalcade of local life. Styles here are mystical, lyrical and softly-coloured, even the landscapes. The art also evokes the intimacy and inwardness of medieval Siena, a mood that persists today.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0900–1900.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Via di San Pietro 29, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 281 161.
Website:
www.pinacotecanazionale.siena.it
Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala (Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala)
Opposite the cathedral, Santa Maria della Scala feels like a secret city within a city. It began as a hospital a thousand years ago and continued as one until it was reborn as a magnificent museum. The art-studded complex embraced frescoed churches, granaries and a pilgrims’ hostel, which can all be visited on a tunnel-like trail.
Opening Times: Mon 1030-1630, Wed-Thu 1030-1630, Fri-Sun 1030-1830
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Duomo, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 534 571.
Website:
www.santamariadellascala.com
City backstreets
Focusing on Siena’s major monuments shouldn’t blind you to the beauty of its backstreets. Here, the city history unfurls like a medieval banner. Siena’s compactness makes it easy to explore, so visitors can weave through medieval alleys and stumble across sculpted fountains and surprisingly rural views.
Opening Times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: Yes
Address:
Siena, Siena, Italy
Cripta e Battistero di San Giovanni (Cathedral Crypt and Baptistery)
When the labyrinthine Cathedral Crypt was discovered during restoration works in 1999, Biblical frescoes from the Sienese School also came to light – resplendent in vivid shades of blue, gold and red dating from 1280. The 14th-century Baptistery here is a vaulted, frescoed affair, with a magnificent baptismal font in marble and bronze.
Opening Times: Daily 1030–1900 (1 Mar–2 Nov); Daily 1030–1730 (3 Nov–1 Feb).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza San Giovanni (by the Cathedral), Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 286 300.
Torre del Mangia (City Tower)
Flanking the Palazzo Pubblico, this slender medieval tower must be seen from on high to appreciate its harmony and chromatic perfection. Clamber up the 87m-high (285 ft) tower for magnificent views of the pink piazza and russet rooftops. It was designed to be as tall as the cathedral to signal that state and church had equal status.
Opening Times: Daily 1000–1900 (Mar-mid-Oct); daily 1000–1600 (mid-Oct-Mar).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Piazza del Campo, Siena, 53100, Italy
Telephone: +39 577 292 342.
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