Siena Cathedral

Siena Cathedral: One of Italy’s Most Extraordinary Buildings

The Duomo di Siena is not subtle. The facade is striped black and white marble, heavily ornamented, almost aggressive in the amount of detail it throws at you. Construction stretched across several centuries from the 13th onwards, and the building was nearly doubled in size in the 14th century before the Black Death killed off the workforce and the money. The unfinished nave wall stands beside the cathedral today, and you can walk along it — this half-built extension, stopped abruptly in 1348, is oddly moving in a way that completed buildings rarely are.

Inside the Cathedral

The marble floor is the first thing to notice: 56 panels depicting biblical scenes, allegories, and historical events, made by dozens of artists over two centuries. Most of the floor is covered for protection most of the year, but sections are usually uncovered, and the full floor is revealed annually between mid-August and late October. If you’re visiting then, it’s worth timing your trip around it.

The Piccolomini Library, off the left nave, was built to house the library of Pope Pius II (born in Siena) and contains a series of large, vivid frescoes by Pinturicchio depicting scenes from the pope’s life. The colours have remained remarkably bright. A carved Roman Three Graces stands in the centre of the room. This section requires a small additional ticket but is worth it.

Nicola Pisano’s octagonal marble pulpit (1265–68) is one of the masterpieces of Italian Gothic sculpture. The narrative reliefs — Nativity, Crucifixion, Last Judgement — are remarkably expressive for the period.

The OPA Pass

Most of the Duomo complex (cathedral, Piccolomini Library, baptistery, crypt, and the Panorama del Facciatone walk along the unfinished nave walls) is covered by a single combined ticket called the OPA Pass. It costs around €20 in peak season. The Panorama view from the top of the unfinished nave is one of the better elevated views in Siena, and far fewer people do it than go up the Torre del Mangia in the Piazza del Campo.

Where to Eat

Pici is the Sienese pasta — thick, hand-rolled, somewhere between spaghetti and fat noodles. It’s traditionally served with a wild boar ragù or a simple cacio e pepe. Osteria Boccon del Prete near the cathedral is unpretentious and good. Pasticceria Bini on Via dei Termini is the right place for cantucci and ricciarelli (soft almond biscuits), and the coffee is excellent.

Where to Stay

The streets around the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo fill with day-trippers from Florence by 10am and empty again by 5pm. Staying overnight means you get Siena to yourself in the evenings, which is considerably better. Pensione Palazzo Ravizza is a comfortable mid-range option with a garden and genuinely helpful owners.

Avoid the two weeks around the Palio horse race (July 2 and August 16) unless you’ve specifically come for it. The races are extraordinary — chaotic, genuinely dangerous, and deeply embedded in neighbourhood identity — but accommodation prices triple and the town is packed.