Siena City Guide

Il Campo, the cathedral & the Fortezza

From the brick basilica of San Domenico downhill to the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and up the Torre del Mangia. On to the black-and-white striped cathedral with its inlaid marble floor and into the thousand-year-old pilgrims' hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. Finally out to the Medici fortress, where the ramparts give you a look back over the whole old town.

1. Basilica di San Domenico – The day starts at the austere brick church of the Dominicans, sitting like a fortress above the western edge of the old town. Inside it is bare and enormous, without columns, with an open timber roof - no pomp, just sheer scale. The Cappella di Santa Caterina holds the head of Saint Catherine of Siena as a relic, the city's patron saint, who was born just nearby. From the terrace beside the church you already get the full view across the valley to the striped cathedral.
2. Piazza del Campo – The Campo is one of Europe's finest squares, sloping down like a shell with the Palazzo Pubblico at its lowest point. The red brick paving is divided by nine pale stone strips - for the Nine, the council that governed Siena in the 13th and 14th centuries. Twice a year, on 2 July and 16 August, the rim is covered in earth and the Palio is run: ten contrade, three laps, under 90 seconds. On every other day people simply sit on the bricks and watch time go by. At the upper edge stands the Fonte Gaia, the 14th-century marble fountain at the end of a kilometres-long underground aqueduct; what you see is a copy, the weathered originals are kept in Santa Maria della Scala.
3. Torre del Mangia – 102 metres high, around 400 steps, no lift: the slender tower of the Palazzo Pubblico was deliberately built as tall as the cathedral on the neighbouring hill - secular and church power were meant to stand eye to eye. Its name goes back to one of the first bell-ringers, a good-for-nothing nicknamed Mangiaguadagni, the devourer of profits. From the top, the view over the shell of the Campo and the surrounding hills is the best in town. The staircase gets narrower the higher you go, so it's no place for claustrophobia, and you should book your time slot in advance.
4. Siena Cathedral (Duomo) – Inside and out, the cathedral is banded in black and white marble stripes, the city's colours, which makes it look almost like a striped tent. The floor consists of 56 inlaid marble panels worked on over more than two centuries - fully uncovered only for a few weeks each year, usually in late summer and autumn. Don't miss the Piccolomini Library with Pinturicchio's glowing frescoes and Nicola Pisano's marble pulpit. A combined ticket covers cathedral, library, crypt and museum and almost always pays off.
5. Facciatone – The viewing platform on the unfinished facade of the giant cathedral Siena never completed - up a narrow spiral staircase, and at the top the best all-round view of the cathedral, the Campo and the Tuscan hills. Access is via the Museo dell'Opera; it's tight up there and not the place for a fear of heights. Late afternoon has the loveliest light.
6. Santa Maria della Scala – Opposite the cathedral stands one of Europe's oldest hospitals: for almost a thousand years, pilgrims were looked after here, the sick nursed and foundlings raised. Today it's a museum complex burrowing down through several levels into the hill. The highlight is the Pellegrinaio, the old pilgrims' hall, its walls covered in secular 15th-century frescoes - scenes of daily hospital life instead of saints. Far below you then find the archaeological museum with Etruscan finds and the original reliefs from the Fonte Gaia. Admission is surprisingly cheap, but don't underestimate the size.
7. Fortezza Medicea – To finish, the fortress Siena never wanted: Cosimo I de' Medici had it built after conquering the city, less for protection than to keep the defeated in check. Nothing of that threat is left today - the broad brick ramparts are a city park where Sienese jog, walk their dogs and wind down in the evening. Entry is free and the view back over the old town is the best way to close the day: cathedral and Torre del Mangia side by side above the rooftops. From here, buses at La Lizza take you back to the centre or to the station.