Siena Points of Interest Travel Tips - Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

Map out the different places you will want to visit on your Siena vacation from this extensive list of places.

ACCADEMIA MUSICALE CHIGIANA- This building was completed in 1300 and has since undergone various restorations. It is built entirely of stone and brick and two series of three-paned windows and a short stone tower can be admired on its façade. It has been the quarters of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana since 1932.

PALAZZO PUBBLICO- The Palazzo Pubblico is situated in Piazza del Campo, surrounded by various other buildings. On the left is the Torre del Mangia, and at the foot of the tower is the Cappella di Piazza. Building was begun in 1250, and the central part was finished in 1299, but in 1309 the side sections were added. The work was finished in 1310 and although another storey was added in 1680, the style of the building remained unchanged. In the lower part of the building, two Sienese stone arches can be seen, while the two upper storys are decorated with a series of ogival three-paned windows. The raised section at the centre of the building displays a copper disc flanked by two-paned windows. In the centre of the disc is the coat of arms of St. Bernardino. Today, the Palazzo Pubblico is home to the Museo Civico.

CAPPELLA DI PIAZZA-Situated at the foot of the tower, this chapel was built to fulfil a vow made by the Sienese during the plague. Domenico d'Agostino began the work in 1352 and Giovanni di Cecco completed it in 1376.

FONTE GAIA- Fonte Gaia was built opposite the Palazzo Pubblico by Jacopo della Quercia between 1409 and 1419. The fountain, constructed entirely in marble, anticipates some of the fundamental aspects of Renaissance art. In the centre is the image of the Madonna, surrounded by the Virtues and the depictions of the Creation of Adam and Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In 1858, the original sculptures were moved to the Loggia of the Palazzo Pubblico and were subsequently replaced by copies created by Tito Sarrocchi.

TORRE DEL MANGIA- This slim and elegant structure (roughly 100m tall) was built by the brothers Minuccio di Rinaldo and Francesco Naldi from Arezzo between 1338 and 1348. The upper part of the construction, in travertine stone, shows two coats of arms of the town with a rampant lion at the centre, and was designed by Lippo Memmi. The bell, cast in 1665, is commonly known as the "campanone". The name of the tower comes from Giovanni di Duccio, also known as "Mangiaguadagni", who was one of the first people to hold the position of bell ringer.

DUOMO- One of Italy's best examples of Gothic-Romanesque architecture, the Duomo was built between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century on the site of another cathedral. According to tradition, the Duomo was consecrated in 1179 even though it had yet to be completed. A special delegation was set up for its construction, l'Opera di S. Maria, which was strictly dependent on the town council and its existence was documented in 1190. From 1258, the Opera was made up of monks from the Abbazia di S. Galgano; building, extensions and decoration with precious works of art continued in the centuries to follow. Giovanni Pisano worked on the lower part of the façade, an elaborate and animated structure. The church takes the form of a Latin cross, with three naves. The interior is decorated with black and white marble; the floor is a unique work of art in itself and is divide into 56 squares decorated with graffiti and marquetry. Numerous artists worked on the cathedral including Nicola Pisano (the pulpit), Duccio di Buoninsegna, Antonio Federighi, Donatello, Pinturicchio, Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Domenico Beccafumi, Bernini and many Sienese painters of the 17th and 18th centuries, right up to the work of Alessandro Franchi on the floor beneath the dome and Luigi Mussini on the mosaic pinnacles of the façade.

BASILICA DEI SERVI- This church was built in the 13th century at the top of a flight of steps, in a shady square. The façade has only one portal and one-paned windows that become three-paned windows higher up light the Romanesque bell tower. Various works of art can be admired inside the church.

BASILICA DI SAN DOMENICO- It was built at the top of the hill which rises up from Fonte Branda, one of the most beautiful springs in Siena. Dominican monks began to build it in 1226, and in 1300 the crypt was constructed. Big enough to be called a church in itself, it was known as the "Church below" or the Church of the Dead, as several tombs were laid there. The bell tower was built in 1340 and the building work continued on the basilica until it was finally finished in 1465. A fire in 1532 and an earthquake in 1779 seriously damaged the church, which was subsequently restored. Inside the church it is possible to see the Cappella di Santa Caterina, with frescoes by Sodoma, and the Cappella delle Volte which contains a painting by Andrea Vanni depicting St. Catherine of Siena, and is considered the only true likeness of Caterina Benincasa.

PIAZZA SALIMBENI- The Piazza is surrounded on three sides by important palaces. On the far side of the piazza is Palazzo Salimbeni, built in the 14th century and enlarged in 1879 by Giuseppe Partini. The palace has three storeys; the middle one is decorated with six elegant three-light windows underneath ogival arches showing the coats of arms of the nobility. Today, it is the seat of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank. On the right side of the square is the Palazzo Spannocchi. Giuliano da Maiano began work on this building in 1470 for Ambrogio Spannocchi, treasurer for Pope Pio II, and it was completed in 1880. Opposite this palace is the palazzo Tantucci del Riccio, built in 1548. In the centre of the square stands the monument to Sallustio Bandini, sculpted by Tito Sarrocchi in 1882.

PALAZZO TOLOMEI- This is the oldest private palace in Siena. In 1205 it was already in existence, but it was almost completely rebuilt after 1267. It is built entirely of stone, and today is home to the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze bank.