If you are about to visit Siena, it is good to know that the historical center of the city is considered a limited traffic zone (ZTL).

[Let’s open a parenthesis: Hotel Minerva is a hotel in the center of Siena not in the ZTL area and in addition with a 20-seater paid parking area].

This means that there are security cameras at the entrance or exit of almost all the streets of the historic center and to enter it is mandatory to obtain a permit, also to avoid unpleasant sanctions.

In particular, Siena has the oldest limited traffic area in Italy, one of the first ZTL in Europe, and is considered one of the most important in terms of extension (about 31 square meters per inhabitant). The ZTL of the historic center of Siena is equipped with special electronic gates that adapt perfectly to the telepass system and are equipped with cameras operating 24 hours a day.

These passages control all the accesses of the historic center and have seen their realization in 2004 in order to protect the particular urban fabric of Siena surrounded by walls.

The choice to use these gates, of course, is also an advantage for the residents of Siena, above all because a limited circulation of vehicles in the historic center means an improvement in the quality of life.

The ZTL of Siena, in addition to being one of the oldest in Italy, delimits much of the city center and, near its borders, allows tourists access to many convenient underground parking.

Siena’s ZTL is divided into three sectors: “ZTL”, “ZTL A” and “ZTL Y storico”.
The ZTL includes all the streets of the historic center within the Walls excluding:

• via Pian d’Ovile
• via Garibaldi (from Porta Ovile to viale Don Minzoni – Barriera San Lorenzo)
• via the New Kindergarten
• via Paolo Mascagni (from Nuovo Asilo to Bastianini)
• via Ettore Bastianini (from via Paolo Mascagni to the control gate ZTL)
• via Roma (from Porta Romana to the ZTL control gate)

Instead the “ZTL A” includes:

• via dei Montanini (from via del Sasso di San Bernardino to via Giuseppe Pianigiani)
• vicolo del Rustichetto
• via dell’Arco Malavolti
• via Giuseppe Pianigiani via the Termini
• Costa dell’Incrociata
• via del Cavalletto
• via della Sapienza
• Via delle Terme (from Via della Sapienza to Piazza Indipendenza)
• Piazza Indipendenza
• Banchi di Sopra (from Logge del Papa to via di San Vigilio)
• Piazza Salimbeni

The so-called “historical Y”, or the perimeter of Banchi di Sopra-Banchi di Sotto-via di Città, is considered a pedestrian area.

On this track, the absolute and permanent ban on all vehicles was established, with the exception of residents and authorized subjects with a permit regularly registered in the Municipality.

Here are all the streets of Siena interested by the “historical ZTL Y”:
• Banchi di Sopra
• vicolo Beato Pier Pettinaio
• vicolo del Coltellinaio
• vicolo della Torre
• via dei Pontani
• via dei Rossi (from Banchi di Sopra to via del Refe Nero)
• Banchi di Sotto (from via di San Vigilio to via di Città)
• via delle Donzelle (from Banchi di Sotto to vicolo del Viscione)
• via di Città
• via delle Terme (from piazza dell’Indipendenza to via di Città)
• via di Beccheria
• via dei Pellegrini (from via di Città to via di Monna Agnese)
• via delle Campane
• vicolo del Castoro (from via di Città to via del Poggio)
• Il Campo (upper ring)

We remember once again that the cameras related to the service of the ZTL of Siena are operating day and night without interruption.

The prohibition of access is regulated for every kind of motor vehicle, while motorcycles and mopeds in some areas of the LTZ can be accessed without any kind of authorization.

Now let’s see in detail where the cameras of the ZTL have been placed that serve to guard the entry and exit gates of the most important city streets of the historic center:

• Via Tozzi (entrance and exit)
• Via Camporegio (entrance and exit)
• Vicolo Malizia (entrance and exit)
• Via Mascagni (entrance and exit)
• Via delle Sperandie (entrance)
• Via Mattioli (entrance and exit)
• Via Garibaldi (entrance and exit)
• Via Fontanella (entrance)
• Porta Romana (entrance and exit)
• Via di Vallerozzi (exit)
• Porta Pispini (exit)
• Via di Mezzo (entrance)
• Via Gazzani (entrance and exit)
• Via Ettore Bastianini (entrance)
• Via Esterna Fontebranda (entrance and exit)
• Porta San Marco (exit)
• Porta Camollia (exit)
• Via Sasso San Bernardino (entrance)

The following are the categories of vehicles and persons authorized to move in the ZTL areas of Siena, obviously with the issuance of a regular permit:

• Taxi – Taxi Merci – NCC municipality of Siena
• NCC of other municipalities
• Vehicles of the municipality of Siena and vehicles used for public services identified by logos (For example, Police, Army, Firefighters, Guardia di Finanza, Corpo Forestale, ASL, emergency vehicles, garbage, public transport)

• Parking marked for disabled (as per article 188 of the C.d.S.) of other municipalities
• Residents
• Garage owners in the affected areas of the historic center
• Over seventy-years old people
• Minors
• Disabled
• Plant maintenance technicians
• Transport for construction companies
• Transport of goods
• Associations