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Historic Centre of Siena

Siena · Italy

Background

World Heritage since
1995
Type of site
Cultural
Gothic city
12th–15th c.

UNESCO calls Siena the embodiment of a medieval city. Its people pursued their rivalry with Florence right into town planning and preserved the Gothic appearance the city acquired between the 12th and 15th centuries, when the work of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers and Simone Martini shaped Italian and European art. The whole city, built around the Piazza del Campo, was devised as a work of art that blends into the landscape.

Siena was a banking centre until the 13th and 14th centuries and is home to the Monte dei Paschi, operating since 1472, and to a university founded in 1240. The Palio horse race is run twice a year on the Campo.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. c. 900–400 BCAn Etruscan settlement on the hill
  2. 1240The University of Siena is founded
  3. 12th–15th c.The Gothic city takes shape around the Campo
  4. 1472The Monte dei Paschi bank is founded
  5. 1995Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Piazza del Campo
    The shell-shaped square, the Palazzo Pubblico's frescoes and the Torre del Mangia.
  2. 2
    Siena Cathedral
    The striped cathedral, its marble floor and the Piccolomini Library, with the Facciatone panorama.
  3. 3
    The Contrade
    The 17 districts of the Palio, each with its own fountain and flag.
  4. 4
    Pinacoteca Nazionale
    Sienese gold-ground painting.
  5. 5
    Santa Maria della Scala
    The old hospital turned museum opposite the cathedral.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Hills and Steps
A hill town: the Campo sits below the cathedral, and the tower climb is steep.
Campo at Dusk
The GoGo guide sits on the sloping brick square as the tower turns gold.
Bus from Florence
About 75 minutes by bus from Florence.
Panforte and Ricciarelli
Siena's spiced cake and almond biscuits.

Campo and Cathedral

From the GoGo Siena guide · Open the Siena Guide ›

  1. 09:00
    Piazza del Campo45 min
    The shell-shaped square.
  2. 10:00
    Palazzo Pubblico Frescoes90 min
    Lorenzetti's Good and Bad Government.
  3. 11:45
    Climb the Torre del Mangia45 min
    The tower over the Campo.
  4. 14:00
    Siena Cathedral and Piccolomini Library90 min
    The striped cathedral.
  5. 15:45
    Facciatone Panorama45 min
    The unfinished nave's viewpoint.
  6. 19:00
    Piazza del Campo at Sunset45 min
    The tower turns gold.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: May, Sep–Oct.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Nov (102 mm), driest Jul (30 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
San Gimignano is 29 km away, Pienza and the Val d'Orcia about 40 km, and Florence 51 km.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 717 · Wikipedia: Siena · Wikivoyage: Siena (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Siena guide · UNESCO listing