Location: Siena
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What to do and see in Siena, Tuscany: The Best Free Things to do
This Tuscan hill town will transport you back to the Middle Ages. Siena's grand cathedral, built in the 1200s, has treasured artworks and marvelous marble floors. The Piazza del Campo, the main town square, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also home to the Palio, perhaps the most infamous horserace in the world. No goofy hats and mint juleps here—this is a medieval tradition involving bareback riders racing on cobblestones (so as you might imagine, it's quite dangerous). Siena is an easy daytrip by train from Florence, just 43 miles away.
Restaurants in Siena
1. Piazza del Campo
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14,045 reviews
Siena's main square is the site of the famous Palio horse races that take place in July and August.
Reviewed By Y7972VAmichaelh
The vast bustling Piazza del Campo in Siena is famous for the Palio horse races which attract thousands of visitors each year and must be a truly awesome spectacle. This is a most interesting city to explore for the spiders-web of streets that circumnavigate the Piazza lead to quite unexpected places, shops, churches and beautiful vistas. A photographers dream where sunlight and shadow enhances the beauty of the architecture at all times throughout the day. Siena is a must, and don’t cut your visit short for there’s much to see and do.
2. Centro Storico di Siena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,424 reviews
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
A fantastic city that left us speechless. The historic center of the splendid Tuscan city is a treasure trove. Thanks to its urban and architectural characteristics, the historic center of Siena is a testimony of man's creative genius, and concretely expresses the artistic and aesthetic human capacity. Furthermore, the original example of figurative civilization, in architecture, painting, sculpture and urban planning, has determined an important cultural influence not only in the territory of the Republic of Siena, but also in Italy and Europe, in particular between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries . This is why Siena is one of the most excellent examples of an Italian medieval and Renaissance city. And above all, this is why she entered, with good reason, to be part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is, in fact, the era when numerous artists had the opportunity to express their art here and the city was adorned with wonderful monuments, such as the Duomo, the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. Piazza del Campo is the same where the famous Palio takes place. Full of restaurants and bars, it is famous for its characteristic trapezoidal shape, downhill towards the center, where the Gaia spring is found, a copy of the fifteenth-century work by Jacopo della Quercia. All around the square stand out the monumental buildings including Palazzo Sansedoni and Palazzo Pubblico. The height of the Torre del Mangia, which dates back to the forties of the fourteenth century of 102 meters, is equal to that of the bell tower of the Cathedral to symbolize the balance achieved between divine and earthly power. At the foot of the tower stands the Piazza Chapel, a marble tabernacle with splendid sculptures inserted in the Gothic niches. Even in addition to Piazza del Campo, however, it is a riot of art and architecture with the succession of churches, including San Domenico, San Francesco and Santa Maria dei Servi, and, of course, the spectacular Duomo, one of the greatest examples of Roman style Italian Gothic. Built around the 12th century, it has a Latin cross structure, a dome, a bell tower and its facade is all in white marble with red Siena and green alternations. Its interior houses precious works by Bernini, Donatello, Michelangelo and Pinturicchio.
3. Basilica di San Clemente in Santa Maria dei Servi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 176 reviews
The Renaissance interior of this Basilica is beautiful, but some of its chilling displays of dead religious notables may give you nightmares, including a shrouded skeleton with a wax head and a mummified body.
Reviewed By tinaNtravel - San Jose, United States
I was surprised that for quite some time I was the only person in this huge Basilica. The church has huge vaulted ceilings large columns and paintings. The inside dome is pretty as is the altar. The interesting part of this Basilica are the remains of two saints: Francesco Patrizi and Gioacchino Piccolomini. Even without these relics the Basilica is worth a visit. Outside the entrance to the Basilica is a park area with benches where you can have a peaceful picnic lunch and let kids run around.
4. Cappella di Piazza
5. Casa di Santa Caterina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 523 reviews
The house of the Patron Saint of Europe.
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
In addition to St. Francis of Assisi Italians have another patron saint as a nation, namely Saint Catherine of Siena. A woman who, in her short earthly and great spiritual life, bore all the hardships and problems of the Church of her time. The shrine of St. Catharine of Siena presented us with the environment in which she lived during the 14th century. The native house of St. Caterina of Siena was transformed into a sanctuary in 1464 and there you can find many signs about her life. Catherine Benincas was born on 25 March 1347 in Siena, Fontebranda Street. She was the penultimate of the 25 children born in the large family as a twin sister with Giovanna that shortly after the birth dies. Her father Giacomo Benincasa and mother Lapa Piacenti were a wealthy family. They were engaged in dyeing fabric and leather. Siena was a rich city, and their wealth was based on the wool trade. Katarina since her childhood has been searching for silence, prayer, solitude, and regularly visits the nearby Basilica of Saint Dominic held by the Dominican Fathers. At only six years old (1353) she had her first vision. Over the roof of St. Dominic's Basilica, she saw a smiling Christ seated on a throne in papal garb accompanied by the apostles Peter and Paul and St. John the Evangelist. She decided to join the Dominicans, but as the family objected, she decided to cut her hair in protest. In isolation, she sought clarity and a path for three years. She watched God’s heart carefully to learn how to live according to God’s plans. Living in great intimacy with Jesus, in one vision Jesus instructed her to consecrate herself to the apostolate.Thus, she spent the rest of her life caring for the sick of the plague, visiting the poor, reconciling quarreling relatives, traveling, pursuing high politics and reconciling citys i states, advocating for the restoration of the Church and the return of Pope Gregory XI to Rome from Avignon. She found strength in the Eucharist. She did not eat anything for days, only receiving the Eucharist. So small, illiterate, St. Catharine became a Church scholar and co-protector of Europe: building in herself, in a deep dark cell, a place of encounter with God. She's worthy of awe. The House-Sanctuary consists of various environments, on the right the Chiesa del Crocifisso (Church of the Crucifix) (the artwork from which the St. Caterina received the stigmata in the Chiesa di Santa Cristina in Pisa in 1375), on the left the Oratorio Superiore (Upper Oratory) with beautiful majolica floor, the Oratorio della Camera frescoed in 1896 by Alessandro Franchi, and the Chiesa di Santa Caterina in Fontebranda, with a wooden statue by Neroccio and paintings by Della Pacchia and Sodoma.
6. Via di Citta
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 76 reviews
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
The picturesque Via di Citta street passes along the historic main square of Piazza del Campo. The atmosphere is beautiful. We feel the spirit of the Middle Ages every step of the way, giving us the opportunity to observe and enjoy the facades of beautiful buildings and palaces. Via di Citta is one of the main streets of old Siena. Today it is a pedestrian road that is flanked by many of the well-known historical buildings in the city. The Via di Citta or City Road was once called the Via Galgaria. This was because it consisted at the time of the city shoemakers' shops. The road is laid as a slope and the highest point which is a quarter flanked by medieval structures commands spectacular views across the Siena. At one end of the street is a square called the Quattro Cantoni. The square is the meeting point of the main streets of the city. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the high society of the city frequented the site. The beautiful buildings along the Via di Citta are the Palazzo Patrizi that dates back to the 14th century and houses the Accademia degli Intronati today, the music academy at the Palazzo Chigi-Saracini, the Palazzo delle Papesse, and Florentine renaissance style building that houses a contemporary arts center, in the Gothic style. I was particularly impressed by the Palazzo Marsili buildings and the Loggia della Mercanzia, the Sienese equivalent of a chamber of commerce.
7. Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Accademia dei Fisiocritici
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 93 reviews
The Museum of Natural History is one of the oldest and most important scientific museums in Tuscany. The building, previously a Camaldolese monastery, houses two centuries of acquisitions and donations. Collections of natural and historical specimens, period instruments and curiosities are displayed in nineteenth century style. The Museum is organised in four main sections and occupies the two floors of the building surrounding the central court, a large basement and an upper floor with attic. A specimen that has become the emblem of the Museum, the skeleton of a 15-metre fin whale, is on show in the courtyard.
