Siena City Walk

Siena City Walk Whenever someone in my office mentions Siena, someone else always seems to chime in, Siena, I love Siena. Located in the heart of Tuscany, Siena is historic, atmospheric, and laid-back, exactly the kind of Italy people dream about. Hi, I'm Rick Steves. Thanks for joining me on this walk through the core of Siena.

We'll start in the city center, the red-brick piazza known as Il Campo. From there, we'll explore the city's narrow lanes, soaking up the medieval ambiance from the days when Siena was one of Italy's most powerful cities. A highlight of our walk is the magnificent cathedral, or Duomo. We'll go inside to see a treasure chest of art, including works by Michelangelo, Donatello, and Siena's own master, Duccio.

Note that the Duomo interior is only open during daytime hours and requires a ticket, but you could easily do the Duomo apart from this tour. You can do the church portion of this tour during the day and do the rest at night, when the city streets are especially atmospheric. For those who dream of a fiat-free Italy, this pedestrian-friendly city is your place. As the city is perched atop three hills, Siena could qualify as Italy's ultimate hill town.

Now, let's get started as we tour the heart of this fascinating town with a modern sensibility and a medieval soul. Siena. To help us along the way, I've invited a good friend and virtual travel buddy. Welcome, Lisa.

Ciao, Riccardo. Lisa will give us helpful directions and sightseeing tips throughout the tour. And my first tip is to be sure you get our tour updates. Just press the icon at the lower right of your device.

You'll find any updates and helpful instructions unique to this tour. Things like closures, opening hours, and reservation requirements. There's also tips on how to use this audio tour and even the full printed script. Yes, so pause for just a moment right now to review our updates and special tips.

It's okay. We'll wait. And then... Let the tour begin! The tour begins.

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Tour Begins: Il Campo

Il Campo. Start in the main square. Find a place right in the center and take in the 360-degree view. Dominating the square is the magnificent city hall with its soaring tower.

From there, the brick-paved square fans out almost like an amphitheater. All around, the square is enclosed by a curving arc of brown-colored palaces. Ric? This square is the heart of Siena, both geographically and metaphorically.

On the Siena city map, it sits right in the middle, surrounded by the various neighborhoods. The square still looks and feels like it did back in the 1300s, Siena's golden age. Back then, it was a city of rich bankers and businessmen. All Europe passed through here because Siena was situated on the main north-south highway to Rome.

With a population of 50,000, Siena was about as big as Paris. With a population of 50,000, Siena was about as big as Paris. With a population of 50,000, Siena was about as big as Paris. With a population of 50,000, Siena was about as big as Paris.

With a population of 50,000, Siena was about as big as Paris. With its large army, it was a rival of Venice, Genoa, and its closest neighbor, Florence. Ah, yes, Florence, my old nemesis. Yes, the two city-states became bitter enemies, as we'll soon see.

The focus of Il Campo is the city hall, not the cathedral, as with most European cities. That's significant. You see, originally, this area was far from the old city center, which gathered around the cathedral, or Duomo. Today's piazza was just a field, or campo, outside the former city walls.

But by the 1200s, the energetic city was expanding. This field became a thriving marketplace. Meanwhile, as Siena was becoming more democratic and secular, power was shifting away from the bishop and to the secular powers. By 1300, the center of the city had moved here, to Il Campo, and the focus was...

the city hall. Psst. By the way, folks, I've got a feeling Rick's gonna be talking a while, so feel free to wander around the square while he goes on about Il Campo. Uh, Lisa, who are you talking to?

Sorry, I'm here. Today, the square is arguably the best in Italy. The buildings and pavement are all a harmonious red-brown color. It's the same color as the soil they stand on, a color known to artists, as burnt Siena.

Yeah, I remember burnt Siena from my crayon box. Il Campo is still the city's gathering place. It's where locals text each other and say, meet you there in ten. It feels very relaxed.

I've actually seen people stretch out here like they're at the beach. Il Campo is the historic junction of Siena's 17 traditional neighborhoods, called Contradas. As we'll learn, these neighborhoods are fiercely competitive, but here at Il Campo, everyone can meet and put their guard down. It's considered neutral territory.

Il Campo is the site of Siena's international claim to fame, the Palio Horse Race. Twice each summer, crowds assemble here to watch horses race around the square. As big as this square is, it's still unbelievably small for a horse race. Yes, it is.

But picture the scene. For weeks, Siena's been building up for the race. Siena's been building up for the race. Siena's been building up for the race.

Siena's been building up for the race. Siena's been building up for the race. Siena's been building up for the race. Siena's been building up for the race.

Siena's been building up for the race. Of the 17 neighborhoods, 10 are selected. The tension builds. The horses are trained.

Jockeys are hired. Bets are placed. Il Campo is turned into a racetrack. They put up bleacher seats around the perimeter.

They haul in clay and pack it down to make the track. Mattresses are put up at the sharpest corners to protect the walls and the buildings. And the horses and riders, who often crash. Finally comes race day.

The crowds start arriving, very early. In the surrounding apartments, the owners have invited their friends to watch from the best spot in town, the balconies. Some splurge for a reserved bleacher seat. Everyone else packs into the center, where it's standing room only.

By evening, Il Campo is stuffed to the brim with 60,000 people. 60,000? Yes, 60,000 sweating, partying fans with noisemakers, neighborhood scarves. And straining bladders.

How do they do it? Depends. The horses are led in. Ten snorting horses, and they're very nervous riders.

They approach the starting line. The starting point is over there, by... Well, with your back to the city hall, it's on your left, near the upper left corner of the square. By the old pharmacy.

The horses line up. The crowd is hushed, and for a moment, you can hear a pin drop. Then they're off. The crowd roars, and the horses race like crazy, heading clockwise around the square.

The jockeys play. There's only one rule. There are no rules. Horses skid.

Horses tumble. Jockeys, forced to ride bareback, hang on for dear life, and many bite the dust. The horses go once around the square, about 400 yards. Then, once again, after a third lap, the crowd goes wild, waving their scarves as they approach the finish.

The horses streak across the finish line. A winner is declared, and the crowd goes berserk. Or rather, the winning contrada... After months of preparation, it's all over.

The whole thing took barely 90 seconds. The winner is awarded the traditional prize. By the way, the winner is not the first jockey. It's the first horse to cross the line, even if the jockey fell off.

The winner's prize is not money. It's a simple banner of the Virgin Mary. That's the so-called palio that gives the Palio di Siena its name. But the winning neighborhood has won something even more precious, bragging rights for the coming year.

And that's gone on here virtually every year for nearly 400 years. Now, let's turn our attention to the City Hall. The City Hall.

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City Hall

With its skyscraping tower, the City Hall is a place where the City Hall dominates the square. During Siena's Golden Age, around 1300, this was the center of the city. Even today, the whole focus of Il Campo flows down to the City Hall. The Sienese called their City Hall the Palazzo Pubblico, the Palace of the People.

In medieval times, that was a big deal. This magnificent building symbolized a republic whose people could govern themselves. They were independent from kings, popes, and rulers. And the Holy Roman Emperor, and proud of it.

Today, the building is still home to the city government. Inside, there's also a museum with a fascinating fresco showing 14th century Siena as a kind of utopia governed by enlightened citizens. It's clear that proud Siena considered itself the vanguard of Western civilization. And the exclamation point of that sentiment was that tower.

Yes. The tower was built around 1340 at 330 feet. It's still one of Italy's tallest towers. Or, rather, tallest secular towers.

In most cities, it was the church bell tower that was the biggest thing in town. This tower represents the rise of secular society, a movement that first appeared here in Tuscany, then spread through Europe with the Renaissance. This tower stands like a 330-foot Declaration of Independence as Europe moved out of medieval repression and into the modern age. By the way, you can climb the tower.

It's nearly 400 steps, but you're rewarded with one of Italy's best views. At the base of the tower is a small chapel. It was built in 1348. 1348, the year the bubonic plague swept through Europe.

Yes. This chapel was a way of thanking God for sparing Siena from the Black Death. Sparing them after it had already killed more than a third of the city. The plague was a watershed event in Siena's history, as we'll see later on.

They should also thank God that that heavy tower just plunked onto the city hall with no extra foundation still stands. These days, the chapel is used to bless the Palio contestants before the race. And it's also used as a temporary emergency room for doctors during the race. Now focus on the city hall's main decoration, a medallion with a stylized sun.

That's the logo of one of Siena's famous residents, Saint Bernardino. His mission was to bring peace between Italy's warring factions. Like the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet. Or like Siena's warring neighborhoods.

Bernardino would invite the Contradas to meet here on Il Campo, neutral territory. He'd preach peace. They'd make up and seal it with what was called a baccio di pace, a sign of peace. a sign of peace.

a sign of peace. A kiss of peace. The sun logo became a symbol of the city. The most famous city symbol is the she-wolf.

Notice the two she-wolf gargoyles on either side of the sun. They lean out like they're saying, Hey, tyrants, don't mess with Siena. The city hall's windows are distinctly Sienese. They're divided into three windows each, all topped with a pointed arch.

Inside the arches are little black and white shields. These are another symbol of the city. And near ground level, notice the iron rings. Another city symbol?

Nope. Those are for tying up your horse. Oh. And the fixtures you see above them?

For torches? Nope. Those are for flags. Darn.

You'll see features like these on other old palazzos along our walk. Let's turn to one final highlight of the square. Locate the Fountain of Joy, it stands at the top of the square. It's that rectangular pool of water enclosed by white marble walls. The Fountain of Joy, or Fontegaya.

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Fountain of Joy

For six centuries, this public fountain has brought water and joy to countless citizens of Siena. It's a monument by and for the people. In the 1340s, the Sienese Republic financed a massive engineering project to bring fresh water to this spot from hillsides 15 miles away. Then, in 1419, the communal water source was decorated with this marble enclosure by the Sienese sculptor Jacopo della Quercia.

The Fountain of Joy got its name from the delight it gave the Sienese to have fresh water completely free. I can imagine old-time residents, gathering here to fill their jugs and just cool off. Della Quercia's carved reliefs link the Sienese with their illustrious past. In the center is the Virgin Mary.

She's seated, cradling baby Jesus. The other robed women represent virtues. To the right of Mary, Lady Justice, holding her scales and sword, oversees the free distribution of water to all. Other reliefs honor famous mothers through the ages, the bringers of life, and sustenance.

In a way, even the waterspouts are mothers of a sort. They're she-wolves, the legendary creature that raised Romulus and Remus, who founded Siena. Check out the relief on the far left. It shows God creating Adam by helping him to his feet.

It's said that this reclining Adam later influenced Michelangelo when he painted the Sistine Chapel. By the 1800s, the fountain was in need of repair, and they replaced it with this copy. The original statues are exhibited in a museum I'll point out later. Now step back and just check out the scene.

Locals still stop here for a drink, even the pigeons. They politely wait their turn, then tightrope down to the spout for a drink. The fountain of joy still reminds locals that life in Siena is very good. Let's leave Il Campo and explore more of the city.

To get oriented, stand with your back to City Hall. We'll exit uphill to the left. Start heading for that corner now. We're basically heading for the cathedral, or Duomo, and taking the scenic route.

Exit Il Campo going uphill on the widest ramp. After a few steps, you reach Via di Città. Turn left on Via di Città and start walking uphill. Via di Città

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Via di Città

Work your way uphill, about 100 yards, heading toward where the street bends to the right. Via di Città is Siena's main street today, just as it has been for centuries. In fact, the city looks much as it did in the 1300s during Siena's Golden Age. There are brownstone palazzos that house apartments and shops.

And just as it has been for centuries, the 17 neighborhood divisions, the Contradas, are still strong. Each is a self-contained world with its own parish church, its own neighborhood well, and a square where people gather. Each is represented by a mascot, usually an animal, like an eagle, porcupine, unicorn, wolf, and so on. You'll see these symbols posted on many street corners.

Case in point, you'll soon reach a small intersection on the right. Pause here and look up. Find the tiny plaques on the buildings, on corners where street signs are posted. These plaques tell you which neighborhood you're in.

We've been walking through the Forest Contrada, shown by a green branch on an orange background. At this intersection, we'll be stepping from the Forest neighborhood into the Eagle Contrada. That would be a black eagle on a yellow background. You'll see more plaques like these, all along our walk.

Keep making your way uphill toward the bend in the street. Each Contrada has its unique colors. These colors are displayed by proud locals on flags, scarfs, and t-shirts. The Contradas still play an active role in the life of the city.

Contrada pride is evident year-round in Siena's parades. If you ever hear the thunder of distant drumming, make your way there. There's a good chance it's a Contrada on parade, featuring medieval banners and flag throwers. At some point in your visit, consider buying a scarf in Contrada colors and join in the fun of these lively neighborhood festivals.

When the road curves to the right, pause to take in the light gray palace on the left at number 89. The Kiji-Saraceni Palace.

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Chigi-Saracini Palace

This fortified noble palace has a graceful curved facade that echoes the name of the city. It echoes the bend in the street. It dates from the 13th century and is typical of a rich man's home during the Golden Age. If it's open, step into the palace courtyard.

There you'll find a photogenic well. Mansions like this enjoyed a direct connection to the city aqueduct. The loggia is decorated with busts. These are patriarchs of the powerful Kiji-Saraceni family.

The vaults are painted in the popular Renaissance style called grotesque. They're not grotesque. They're pretty. No, grotesque is named for the style found in ancient Roman grottos.

Grottoesque or grotesque. What are those holes that look like pigeonholes? They're actually part of the original structure. They were used to hold wooden beams for scaffolding, both for the initial construction and for ongoing maintenance.

And the wire mesh of today keeps the pigeons from nesting. You got it. The palace's last owner, Count Kiji-Saraceni, loved music, and had no heirs. So he willed his estate to fund the music academy that operates here today.

It hosts festivals every summer with nightly concerts, international talent, and affordable tickets. Keep going up Via Dicita another 100 yards toward the next big intersection. As you walk, think about Siena today. Locals live completely modern lives behind these medieval facades.

Siena's population is about what it was back in the day. Back in medieval times, around 50,000. But only 18,000 of those live here in the center, within the old walls. Many people work, of course, in the tourist trade, manning shops and restaurants like those along this street.

If you own one of these homes in the city center, you have strict rules protecting the historic exterior. Everything has to still look like it did in the 1300s. All the shutters, for example, have to be the same color. This can be deceiving, making it look like one big building when it's actually subdivided into several separate apartments for different families.

Inside, apartments have all the modern conveniences. And they're expensive, some of the most expensive in Italy. Keep going until you reach an intersection marked by a column with a wolf on top. The little square is called both Piazza di Postierla and Quattro Cantoni.

Take a moment to enjoy the fine palaces and bustling city. The city is a place where you can see the city. The city is a place where you can see the city. The city is a place where you can see the city.