What Attractions To See In The Center Of Siena Near Piazza del Campo
Are you planning to visit Siena and would you like to have some tips about the most important monuments and attractions to contemplate in the historic city center near Piazza del Campo? Well, follow our guide and you will find many interesting ideas to start from.
We start obviously from Piazza del Campo, for the Sienese simply the Campo, the real heart of the city, with its characteristic shell shape.
This is also the place where twice a year (July 2 and August 16) Siena celebrates the famous Palio di Siena, a very ancient and spectacular horse race among the 17 districts of the city.
Also on this square there are other important monuments such as the Palazzo Pubblico, the Torre del Mangia and the Fonte Gaia.
Palazzo Pubblico of Siena is the symbol par excellence of Sienese political power.
This is because, from the Government of the Nine until today, all the rulers of Siena have had as their home this extraordinary building, built in Gothic style in the fourteenth century.
The beauty and majesty of this building has conditioned over the centuries the city government to issue an edict that forced the owners of the houses located in Piazza del Campo to build their palaces respecting the stylistic coherence of the Palazzo Pubblico.
Inside this palace there is the Civic Museum of Siena, a real artistic container of works that have made Italy famous all over the world.
The Civic Museum of Siena holds first of all one of the most spectacular and envied allegories in the world: that of the Bad and Good Government, frescoed on the walls by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
So for the first time in the history of art, we are in 1337, an artist paints a pictorial cycle based on a civil and non-religious theme, with the aim of visually rendering the ideals that led the rulers of Siena.
The Allegory of Good and Bad Government is flanked by another great work: La Maestà by Simone Martini, which the Nine commissioned to witness the great devotion that the Sienese have towards the Virgin.In this case the Madonna is depicted in the center of the painting, seated on a royal throne and surrounded by a handful of saints. In the foreground, two angels are seen holding flower baskets, while the Sienese saints implore them to protect their city.
The best way to appreciate Piazza del Campo in all its splendor is to climb the suggestive Torre del Mangia, from which you can enjoy the panorama of the square.From the 88 meters of the Torre del Mangia you can see all of Siena: from Piazza del Campo to the Duomo, also glimpsing the distant Sienese hills.Legend has it that during the construction, at the foot of the tower, a series of lucky coins were buried, with the declared task of protecting the Tower from thunder and storms.
The bell that overlooks the Torre del Mangia, also called Campanone, was installed in 1666 and weighs 6,760 kilos.
Another attraction not to be missed is the Fonte Gaia, faithful reproduction of the fantastic hydraulic work of Jacopo della Quercia made in the first half of the fifteenth century.
The source was called “Gaia” precisely because it gave prestige and richness to the main square of the city.
La Fonte Gaia is located in Piazza del Campo near the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia and the monumental fountain is internally decorated with bas-reliefs by Tito Sarrocchi.
These bas-reliefs represent scenes from the history of the creation of Man and the Madonna and Child among angels and virtues. On the side, on the other hand, there are the depictions of Rea Silvia and Acca Larenzia, in memory of the legendary origins of Siena.
Finally we can not forget the Duomo of Siena, located in the square just above Piazza del Campo.
This monumental complex was built in the Gothic style and inside it is preserved a large amount of priceless works signed by the likes of Donatello, Pisano, Michelangelo and above all spectacular frescoes by the famous Pinturicchio.
The Cathedral was erected between 1214 and 1263, is characterized by a Latin cross structure and a not very protruding dome with adjoining adjacent bell tower.
Both the exterior and the interior are decorated with blocks of white marble alternating with much thinner greenish black stripes, which represent the colors of Siena.
Also worthy of mention are the extraordinary works of art carved on the floor, carved on marble by 40 of the most important artists of the time.
Finally, a reference to the extraordinary Piccolomini Library, located along the left aisle of the Cathedral and built in 1492 by the Archbishop of Siena, cardinal Francesco Piccolomini Todeschini (later Pope Pius III) to keep his rich library heritage.
The Library, which was frescoed by Pinturicchio at the beginning of the 16th century, is a rectangular-shaped hall equipped with wooden wardrobes and a triangular majolica tile floor.
Naturally all these attractions can be seen easily if you book a hotel in the center of Siena.
Our hotel, Hotel Minerva is a hotel in Siena near Piazza del Campo and also has two great advantages: a 20-seat indoor parking with direct access to the hall and many magnificent panoramic rooms with spectacular views of the city.
Discover Siena and if you book directly from the site you will always have the best price guaranteed.