Things to do in Province of Siena, Tuscany: The Best Museums

Galleria Gagliardi is an extremely important cultural reference, among the most complete for the permanent promotion and sale of contemporary art: painting and sculpture. Every work is always subject to a scrupulous selection process, with every piece chosen directly in the studios of the artists with whom we work, constantly encouraging them to perform research, renewing their approach, improving their skills in order to present works of the very highest quality.

I was born in 1967 in San Gimignano, and here I decided to live and work.Since I was a young boy, the passion for photography has fascinated me, at the beginning because I felt I was immortalizing happy moments. And as I grew up I felt more and more that this hobby could become a serious occupation. As early as 1997 I had the chance to illustrate catalogues and books in collaboration with several national and international magazines (Conde Nast, Rusconi, Mondatori and others).Now he is looking towards a different type of image: a silent landscape where the human person, even though invisible, is always present and leads us towards a melancholic kind of joy.My first book "Viaggio nella Campagna Toscana" ("A Journey through Tuscan Landscapes") was published in 1998 after long and careful work so as to lead the reader on a poetic and aesthetic journey through the beauty of Tuscany. My wife Renata and I then decided to open a photo shop in San Gimignano, the first of its kind to sell colour and black and white photographs taken by me and printed in my own workshop. Our "La Bottega del Sale", the medieval "Salt Shop"in the Piazza Duomo, was inaugurated in April 2000 where we started this beautiful adventure which has brought us such great satisfaction.My journey as a photographer has grown steadily over the years. Initially I specialised in photographing landscapes, architecture and art. Later I tried to catch the soul of a silent landscape where the human being - even if not visibile - is always there conveying a feeling of melancholic joy. The second book of colour shots was published in 2008, with the title "Toscana dell'Anima" ("Tuscany of the Soul"), a volume of photographs selected together with poems of Tuscan authors of every age, from passionate verses from Cecco Angiolieri and Dante Alighieri to calmer and more ironic poets such as Folgore da San Gimignano and Aldo Palazzeschi. In the meantime, I have exhibited, participated in special events, and shown my work at "Rencontres de la Photographie" in Arles (France) in 2008 and 2009.I succeeded in realizing my first volume in black and white after years awaiting and respecting the flow of nature, in order to be able to photograph a landscape not just in its authentic form, but as my eyes would always like to see it. You must not be in a hurry when wishing to reproduce the sensations that flow through you when seeing a beautiful thing, and so "Toscana, occhi nel Silenzio" ("Tuscany, Eyes in the Silence") was published in 2010.

Located in San Gimignano, Campatelli is an 18th-century building that features one of the town’s famous medieval towers. The residence of a high-ranking family in the 19th and 20th centuries, Casa Campatelli reconstructs - through its fornitures, decor, paintings and private mementos - the ambience and history of a traditional Tuscan family and society of a bygone age, set against the background of 1000 years of history, recounted with sophisticated digital technology that encapsulates the origin of the legend of San Gimignano, givin visitors a deeper insight unto the town.

The Daily Telegraph has defined Palazzo Corboli as “one of the most beautiful small Museums in Italy”. It is set-up inside a wonderful medieval building, belonged to the wealthy Bandinelli family and it is decorated with a rare series of fourteenth century frescos. It hosts the Archaeological section, dedicated to Etruscan and Roman evidences from the High Ombrone Valley and the Sacred Art section, with real Sienese works of art.

Along with the Clock Tower, the Podesta's Palace Towers are the most impressive as they look out over the Piazza Duomo.

Occupying part of Il Duomo's extension, this museum houses Pisano's original statues from the building's façade and a fine array of panels, including works by Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and Sano di Pietro.

This museum complex, which houses the National Archaeological Museum of Siena, began as a pilgrims' hostel and orphanage, then served as a hospital from the 10th century to modern day.