Italy · Toscana · Cities of art
Sienese Gothic on the hilltops, between Piazza del Campo, the cathedral and the Crete
Siena is visited on foot and uphill. The old town is a UNESCO site, it sits across several hills and it is closed by a restricted traffic zone that is in force twenty-four hours a day: the motorhome stays outside the walls and you ride up on the escalators, which are free. What you find at the top is Sienese Gothic in full, from the shell-shaped hollow of Piazza del Campo to the inlaid marble floor of the cathedral, and a city that during the Palio is not performing for tourists. Just outside the gates the Crete begin.
Sleeping
Two places to stay, both outside the walls: the surfaced area on Strada di Pescaia and the campsite on the hill of Scacciapensieri.
Strada di Pescaia 53, 53100 Siena (SI)
a level, lit apron shared with the tour coaches, at times under video surveillance, with a service point for filling and emptying tanks. Public transport into the centre is good. This is the apron Siena calls the Parcheggio Il Fagiolone, the one most used by motorhomes. The overnight rule still has to be asked on the spot.
Strada di Scacciapensieri 47, 53100 Siena (SI)
pitches for motorhomes and caravans in a panoramic position above the city and the Chianti hills, about 2.5 km from the old town. Inside there are a seasonal swimming pool, a restaurant, a pizzeria, a bar and a small shop.
Getting around
Seeing
Four stops inside the city, minutes apart, and a last one that begins where the walls end. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
Square · free entry · 43.31844, 11.33153
the shell-shaped hollow, divided into nine segments by bands of travertine in memory of the Government of the Nine that ruled the Republic at the height of its power. On the lower side stand the Palazzo Pubblico, the old seat of Sienese government and today the Civic Museum, and the Torre del Mangia: 102 metres, one of the tallest civic towers in Italy, and you can climb it. At the centre is the fountain called Gaia for the joy that the arrival of water in the city brought in 1346; Jacopo della Quercia's original sculptures are kept at Santa Maria della Scala, what stands here are the copies.
Church · 43.31745, 11.32860
one of the masterpieces of Italian Gothic. A facade of white marble, Siena red and green serpentine from Prato, an interior with columns banded in black and white. The treasure is the inlaid marble floor, unique in the world: 56 panels telling biblical and mythological stories, uncovered in full only for a short period each year, so the dates are worth checking before you set off. Inside is also the library commissioned by cardinal Francesco Piccolomini, later pope Pius III, frescoed by Pinturicchio.
Museum · 43.31760, 11.32950
it holds the works removed from the cathedral over the centuries, among them Giovanni Pisano's original facade sculptures and the Maestà by Duccio di Buoninsegna, once the high altarpiece of the cathedral and one of the absolute masterpieces of fourteenth century Italian painting. From the museum you climb to the top of the Facciatone, the unfinished front of the Duomo Nuovo, the enlargement that was never completed: from up there the horizon is complete, from the old town to the Crete Senesi.
Castle · free entry · 43.32225, 11.32337
also called Forte di Santa Barbara, it was built between 1561 and 1563 on the orders of Cosimo I de' Medici after the fall of the Republic of Siena: a defensive stronghold and at the same time a mark of Florentine rule. Today it is a place for walking and for culture and houses the Enoteca Italiana; the bastions are surrounded by the wide public park of the Lizza, with its view over the city.
Point of interest · 43.28611, 11.43041
the country south east of Siena takes its name from the clay in the soil, which gives it a grey blue colour and the lunar look it is known for. Bare rolling hills, single cypresses, farmsteads far apart and the landforms called calanchi and biancane. This is white truffle country, and it holds the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, set in a cypress wood, with its frescoed cloister.
When
Next: Mercato nel Campo · 4-8 Dec
the fourteenth century market rebuilt in Piazza del Campo, with stalls of crafts and local produce.
the horse race of the Contrade in Piazza del Campo, medieval in origin, ridden bareback for the Drappellone, the Cencio. It is not a re-enactment for visitors: it is the way Siena recognises itself.
the International Summer Workshop, among the most important jazz schools in the world, brings teachers and students to the city from everywhere and closes with a season of concerts and with the students' own performances.
Remember
Siena · part two
and then?
What to do, what to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
What we did starting from here, ordered by driving time.
The most typical dish, to cook again at home.
The next stop, ordered by driving time.
Distances and times by road, measured with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data.
Looking
6 shots from our visit. Tap one to see it large.
