Overview
A rival of Florence in the Middle Ages, Siena froze at the height of its Gothic glory after plague and defeat, and its brick-red centre is now a World Heritage site little changed in six hundred years. The city fans out from the Piazza del Campo, the sloping square where the Palio is run, and climbs to a striped marble cathedral on the hill. It is compact and walkable, still divided into the seventeen contrade, or neighbourhoods, whose rivalry drives the race.
Highlights
The Piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s finest squares, curves below the Palazzo Pubblico and its tall Torre del Mangia, climbed for the view. The black-and-white striped Duomo is among the great Gothic cathedrals of Italy, with a carved pulpit and marble floors. Twice each summer the Palio fills the Campo with horses and colour, and the contrade streets reward a wander any day.