The beauty of Siena can only be appreciated a few days after leaving it. When you’re there, too busy trying to see as much as possible, you don’t immediately realize the beauty of this town in the center of Tuscany. Memories emerge only a few days later: the first thing that comes to mind is Piazza del Campo with the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia; then the black and white of the Cathedral, the Baptistery and everything else.

But perhaps above all we remember the color of the facades of the buildings and the roofs, that “Terra di Siena” known throughout the world that makes the city landscape coherent, harmonious and beautiful to look at. Perhaps this is what makes Siena so fascinating and loved: it has remained intact as in the Middle Ages and it is a kind of travel back in time, the search for a golden age that belonged to many other small and large Italian cities and that will never come back .

The Piazza del Campo in Siena is considered one of the most beautiful squares in the world. It has a characteristic shell shape with 9 segments, a detail that can only be admired from the top of the Torre del Mangia. Since 1300 it has been the center of life in Siena and has served as a market and meeting place for the Sienese during important political moments, festivals and fairs. As it still happens twice a year during the famous Palio.

Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico is the quintessential site of Siena’s political power. In fact, from the Government of the Nine (which made Siena as beautiful as we see it in the 13th century) until today, all of Siena’s rulers have resided here. If only nine “politicians” have managed to imagine and make this marvel a reality, we should expect something better from the hundreds of administrators that crowd our town halls these days.

If you suffer from vertigo, it may not be the case to venture up to 88 meters from the Torre del Mangia, but we warn you that you will miss an exceptional view. From up there, in fact, the view is truly impressive. You can see all of Siena: from Piazza del Campo, to the slightly more distant Cathedral, to the distant hills. Obviously the show will cost you the effort of climbing 400 steps!

The Civic Museum of Siena contains one of the most famous allegories in the world: that of Evil and Good Government, painted on the walls by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. In 1337, the Government of the Nine commissioned Ambrogio Lorenzetti to decorate the hall where guests were received with a fresco depicting the ideals that guided the Government of Siena. For the first time in the history of art, a pictorial cycle is painted in which the predominant theme is not religious but civil.

Usually, you arrive at the Duomo after visiting Piazza del Campo. Still with the majesty of the Piazza and Palazzo Pubblico in your eyes, don’t expect to be wowed just yet. What could Siena offer bigger and more beautiful? The answer is simple: the Cathedral with a façade where black and white prevail.