Siena: top attractions & road trip guide
Siena is a medieval hill town in Tuscany, built around its famous shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and known for its brick-red skyline, Gothic cathedral, and the twice-yearly Palio horse race that pits the city's historic districts against each other. Its well-preserved medieval core earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.
Siena sits amid the rolling vineyards and cypress-lined roads of the Tuscan countryside, making it a natural stop on a Tuscany road trip between Florence and the Val d'Orcia. The historic center is a ZTL zone closed to unauthorized traffic, so drivers leave their cars in one of the car parks ringing the old walls and walk in.
Top attractions
Piazza del Campo
Siena's shell-shaped main square, divided into nine sections, hosts the biannual Palio horse race and is ringed by medieval palaces.
Siena Cathedral
A striking black-and-white striped Gothic cathedral with an inlaid marble floor and a facade richly decorated with sculpture.
Torre del Mangia
A 14th-century bell tower rising over Piazza del Campo, climbable for panoramic views across the rooftops of Siena.
Basilica of San Domenico
A large brick Gothic basilica associated with Saint Catherine of Siena, home to a chapel preserving one of her relics.
Santa Maria della Scala
One of Europe's oldest hospitals, now a museum complex with frescoed halls and an underground archaeological area, facing the cathedral.
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