Siena's shell-shaped Campo, a 400-step tower, a marble floor
Siena's centre is small, steep and car-free. Leave the car below the walls and walk, because the escalators do the climbing.
1. Count the nine sections of the Campo
Piazza del Campo was paved in 1349 with eight lines dividing it into nine sections. The number nods to the Nine who governed Siena from 1292 to 1355.
2. Climb Torre del Mangia before noon
Torre del Mangia is about 400 steps with no lift. A ticket is €10, sold on the day, and a visit lasts at most 30 minutes. From 1 November it closes at 16:00.
3. See the Duomo floor uncovered
The Duomo floor has 56 marble inlays and is usually covered. In 2026 it's on show until 15 November. I'd go now rather than wait for next summer.
4. Walk the old hospital opposite
Santa Maria della Scala faces the cathedral. A ticket is €9, and from 16 October to 14 March it's closed on Tuesdays.
5. Find the copy at Fonte Gaia
Fonte Gaia was built in 1419 to Jacopo della Quercia's design. The marble you see is Tito Sarrocchi's copy from 1866.
6. Buy the €20 combined ticket
The Museo Civico in the Palazzo Pubblico is €10–11 alone. The tower, the museum and Santa Maria della Scala together are €20, the deal I'd take.
Pici, panforte and ricciarelli in Siena
1. Order pici all'aglione at Papei
Pici are thick hand-rolled pasta, served with a garlic and tomato sauce called aglione. Antica Trattoria Papei is known for them, just behind the Campo.
2. Try La Torre by the Campo
Trattoria La Torre is a small trattoria for pici and plain Tuscan cooking, a few steps from the tower.
3. Buy panforte at Nannini
Panforte is a dense cake of honey, nuts, candied fruit and spice. The paler Margherita version is named for Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1879. Nannini sells it with ricciarelli, soft orange-scented almond biscuits.
4. Eat cinta senese
Cinta senese is the local black pig with a white belt, a protected DOP product. Il Cencio cures it.
The one thing I'd carry home is a slab of panforte. It travels well.
Siena's Palio days close the centre
1. Leave the car out on 2 July
The Palio di Provenzano runs on Friday 2 July 2027. The horses are assigned on 29 June, and the centre shuts to traffic on race day. Arrive in the morning and park below the walls.
2. Plan 16 August the same way
The Palio dell'Assunta is on Monday 16 August 2027. In 2025 you had to be inside the Campo by 15:45 to watch, and nobody left until the race was over.
3. See the floor before 15 November
The Duomo floor stays uncovered until 15 November 2026, with concerts for St Francis from 2 to 8 November.
4. Check Christmas in November
The city hadn't published its 2026 Christmas programme when I checked.
What's on
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Until 15 November 2026 | Duomo floor uncovered (56 marble inlays); concerts for St Francis 2–8 November |
| December 2026, dates not yet published | Christmas programme |
| Friday 2 July 2027 | Palio di Provenzano; horses assigned a few days earlier (29 June in 2026); centre closed to traffic |
| Monday 16 August 2027 | Palio dell'Assunta; centre closed to traffic |