5. TIPS FOR FREE TIME

5.1. Main places in the city
Thanks to its sites, the Historic Center of Siena is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO

1) Campo Square

Piazza del Campo is the main square in the historic center of Siena, Italy, and is considered one of the finest medieval squares in Europe. It is known worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The Palazzo Pubblico and its Torre del Mangia surround the square, which is shaped like a shell. The Palio horse race is held around the square in both July and August.

2) Siena Cathedral

The Cathedral of Siena is a Catholic temple of worship and the episcopal seat of the city. The current Piazza Jacopo della Quercia is its ideal continuation, where the “Duomo Nuovo” would have been built. In addition to the famous religious building, the museum of Santa Maria della Scala and the Baptistery are located here.

3) House and Sanctuary of Santa Catalina

The Sanctuary of Santa Catalina de Siena is a complex of religious buildings built around the family home of Santa Catalina de Siena, where this saint was born. The Church of the Crucifix stands out, with a Latin cross floor plan and whose name derives from a miraculous crucifix from the end of the 12th century from which, according to tradition, Saint Catherine received the stigmata.

4) Salimbeni Rock

The Salimbeni Palace is a Gothic-style urban palace located in Piazza Salimbeni. The building, associated with an ancient family of Sienese merchants, today houses the main offices of the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of the oldest banks in the world.

5) National Art Gallery

The National Picture Gallery of Siena is an art gallery that houses works of art especially from the late Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance. Opened in 1932, it is located in the Brigidi and Buonsignori palaces. The gallery has one of the largest collections of the Sienese School of the 14th and 15th centuries.

6) Accademia Musicale Chigiana

The Accademia Musicale Chigiana (also known as Accademia Chigiana or simply La Chigiana) is an institution founded in 1932 in Siena, Italy, thanks to the patronage of Count Guido Chigi Saracini. Its purpose is to provide advanced training courses for musicians and singers. Due to the high quality of its teachers, it has become one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.

7) Siena Contrade

A contrada is a district, or division, within an Italian city. The best known are the 17 contradas of Siena that take part in the Palio di Siena race. Each is named after an animal or symbol and each has its own history and coat of arms. Each contrada has a museum that can be visited.
 

8) Siena Wall

The walls of Siena are the ancient defensive circle of the city. Dating mainly from the Middle Ages, they are largely preserved. Along the walls there are several gates providing access to the city.

9) Medicean Fortress

The Fortezza Medicea (also known as Forte di Santa Barbara) of Siena is a fortress built in the Tuscan city between 1561 and 1563, by order of the Duke of Florence Cosimo I de' Medici. In 1937, after some restoration work, the interior of the fortress was transformed into a public garden, as it is today.
5.2 Main places of Siena

The surroundings of Siena are very charming due to the medieval villages set in a spectacular landscape.