During your stay in Siena, in Tuscany, you can discover frescoes, paintings, churches and castles in Siena area.
SIENA
The Cathedral of Siena, Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral, is one of the best expressions of the Gothic Roman style in Italy. The beautiful white marble facade is rich with decorations and sculptures, columns and capitals. The three upper cusps are decorated with mosaics with the Coronation of the Virgin in the main one.
Cathedral of Siena
Piazza del Campo is the heart of Siena, with its characteristic shell shape with the inclined floor and setting for the Palio. Surrounded by beautiful buildings including the Town Hall.
The Baptistery of St John, near the Cathedral, includes beautiful frescoes dating back to the fifteenth century which decorate the vaults and walls. Among the most beautiful works we find the baptismal font, the sculptural work of the fifteenth century in Renaissance style made of marble and bronze.
At the National Art Gallery we can admire many works of the Sienese school, such as paintings of the Lorenzetti brothers, Giovanni di Paolo, Simone Martini. Some rooms are dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
The Tower of Mangia is part of the Town Hall in Piazza del Campo and is one of the landmarks of the town. This curious name comes from the nickname of one of the first bell-ringers who worked in the tower. When the mechanism that replaced the bell ringers was installed, this was called “Mangia”. The great bell of the Mangia plays only in certain circumstances, such as the Palio di Siena, on April 25, May 1 and the inauguration of the academic year.
Tower of Mangia Siena
PIEVI E CASTELLI DEL CHIANTI
The Chianti is a unique landscape, known for the wine with the same name, is an area full of small historical and picturesque villages, there are many routes we can take on foot or by bike in this beautiful area. Among the most visited villages there are Castelnuovo Berardenga with the church of Santa Maria, Greve and its Castello di Verrazzano, Radda in Chianti and Volpaia Castle, San Casciano and Castello di Gabbiano.
MONTERIGGIONI
Monteriggioni is a beautiful medieval town, still enclosed within its walls, here we can visit the parish church of Santa Maria in Castello, the church of San Lorenzo and the Hermitage of San Leonardo.
SAN GIMIGNANO
In San Gimignano, in Piazza Duomo we can visit the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. Built in Romanesque style in the twelfth century, it houses many works of art such as The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, and The Birth of Mary. The cathedral includes the Chapel of Santa Fina with the relics of the Saint, the walls are painted with scenes of death and the funeral of Santa Fina.
Piazza Duomo San Gimignano
The Hospital of Santa Fina is a building that includes the Apothecary, an ancient pharmacy where there are all the tools and vessels to hold the herbs, the archaeological museum with Roman etruscan finds, and the modern and contemporary art gallery.
The Church of St. Augustine, dating back to the thirteenth century includes the Chapel of San Bartolo with a beautiful marble altar and numerous frescoes, the central choir chapel with scenes of the life of St. Augustine and the Chapel of the Sacrament, with scenes of life of San Gimignano.
BORGHI DELLA VAL D’ORCIA
Among the most beautiful villages of the Val d’Orcia, near Siena, there are Montalcino where you can visit the Cathedral and the Abbey of Sant’Antimo; Bagno Vignoni with the Parco dei Mulini; Pienza with the Cathedral and Palazzo Borgia.
