| Destination of the week: |
| | Siena, Tuscany |
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As the hooves of the horses thunder around the main square, rising above the roar of the crowd, you realise this is a city like no other in Italy.
Siena, in the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti area, is famous for its palio, the breathtaking spectacle dating from the 14th century that sees barebacked riders haring around a packed Piazza del Campo.
But there are countless other reasons why Siena is one of the three most visited cities in all of Tuscany and why its historic centre has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. For this is one of Tuscany’s fabled art cities, but in many ways all of Siena is a masterpiece of medieval art.
Start with the Piazza del Campo, the hub and heart of the city. As well as hosting the medieval spectacular, the evocative shell-shaped square is home to the Palazzo Pubblico. The huge edifice serves as the seat of local government and the civic museum.
The square is dominated by the Torre del Mangia belltower, which rises from the Palazzo and at 102m is the tallest of its type in Tuscany and the second tallest in all Italy. As you might expect, the view from the top is truly exhilarating – and well worth having to climb 500-odd steps for.
When you finally make the dizzying descent back to terra firma, you will find the piazza is thankfully lined with several cafes, ideal for getting your breath back over a cappuccino. The north side of the square also features a 19th century copy of a 15th century Jacopo della Quercia fountain.
A couple of hundred metres away, in Piazza del Duomo, lies Siena’s Gothic Duomo cathedral, whose black and white facade is adorned with numerous statues.
The building, which has three great portals, was consecrated in 1179, with much of its detail dating from the following three centuries. However, work was halted by the advent of the Black Death in 1348, which killed nearly 70 per cent of Siena’s population.
Its interior features a marble floor intricately inlaid with pictures, a 13th century pulpit and walls covered in horizontal black and white stripes.
Be sure to also see the Museo Dell’Opera del Duomo (also known as the Metropolitan Museum), which has superb Renaissance and Gothic sculptures and paintings.
Opposite the cathedral is the Santa Maria della Scala hospital complex, which dates from the 11th century and saw patients until the 1980s. On the walls of one former ward hang 15th-century frecoes offering an insight into daily hospital life in medieval times. A baroque chapel lies below the main hospital.
The entire site is now a museum and local tourism offices sell a combined ticket granting admission to both the Duomo and hospital.
Heading south out of the square, a couple of hundred metres along Via di San Pietro, is the city’s art museum, Pinacoteca Nazionale, packed with superb 13th and 14th century paintings.
The countryside surrounding Siena is also perfect for sight-seeing. To the north lies the classic Chianti wine region, perfect for wine-tasting tours, and also featuring scenic towns such as San Gimignano.
Further north, Florence is just over an hour’s drive away while to the west, coastal resorts such as Marina di Cecina are little over an hour and a half distant.
But no visit to Siena would be complete without witnessing its palio, held on July 2 and again on August 16. If you’re lucky to be here in summer, catch also the annual Jazz Festival, in late July and early August.
How to get here
There are direct flights to Florence and Pisa, respectively around 1hr 15min and 2hrs from Siena by road.
Click here to view some examples of properties in Siena. For further information on Siena visit www.terresiena.it. |
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