Let’s visit the Duomo of Siena?

Siena Cathedral is beautiful and worth visiting. Don’t you know where to start? Then read this special post about this beautiful building in Siena! Be sure to put it on the itinerary! Let’s go to our Post of the day? Let’s visit the Duomo of Siena? Here at Your Travel to Italy with Ana Patricia you make the trip of your dreams!!! ALSO: see our “Accommodation in Italy – Tips for your holidays!”

Source Pixabay

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The Duomo of Siena (Source Pixabay)

Introduction

Siena can be defined as a city of art, a cultured city, a city of good food, a city of Palio. There are many faces, but the city is unique! Founded on three Tuscan hills, Siena still maintains its appearance and time seems to have stopped in the 13th century, when the city began to enrich itself with an artistic and architectural heritage that has always legitimized its glory. Read also How to get to Siena from Rome?

During this period the city experienced its best moment and it is at this stage that many great artists had the opportunity to express their art. We remember Duccio di Boninsegna, Simone Martini, Lorenzetti, who are, among other things, the great masters of Siena School. Also in this period the city was adorned with wonderful monuments, one of which is certainly its Cathedral. Find out here where to stay in Siena?

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1) Let’s visit the Duomo of Siena? LEARN ITS LOCATION

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, the Duomo of Siena, remains one of the most majestic and important Romanesque-Gothic churches in Italy. Visiting this place means uplifting the spirit, opening up to art and discovering one of the most precious treasures in the city. The Cathedral of Siena is located in the square of the same name located above Piazza del Campo (“Field Square”) and houses a lot of treasures by Donatello, Pisano and Michelangelo, but also frescoes by the famous Pinturicchio. How about an Excursion to San Gimignano, Siena and Chianti? Click here to learn more!

2) Let’s visit the Duomo of Siena? GET TO KNOW ITS ATTRACTIONS

The Cathedral is of such impressive beauty that it is sufficient to admire its exterior to remain deeply enchanted. The interior of the Cathedral is shaped like a Latin cross, with three large naves on plurilateral pillars that support the blue vaults with gold stars. When you enter the Cathedral you are literally stunned by its splendor, its marbles and its colors. White and dark green are the colors that also prevail because it recalls the colors of Balzana, the emblem of the city of Siena. Two eyes will not be enough to discover all the beauties contained in it, the columns keep the motive of alternating black and dark green marble, and then, looking up, you can see the busts of popes and emperors who lived in the past and seem to look at you.

The Cathedral Floor and Corridors

I advise you to pay special attention to the pavement, precisely because the most impressive works of art of the cathedral are found here, they are masterpieces that tell different stories through the use of different techniques: mosaic (La Lupa di Siena), marble and graffiti. The floor is very singular: with its fifty-six panels representing sacred and profane scenes, created by more than forty artists, including Beccafumi, who created thirty-five of them.

The nave’s precious pavement and corridors are not protected by any barriers, while the most valuable parts of the apse and transept are covered with a special floor that prevents consummation as many people will pass through them every day during tourist visits and mass. You can admire without protection only during a certain period of the year, usually between the months of June and October. The oldest drawings are located near the entrance and they are La ruota della Fortuna (the Wheel of Fortune) and La Lupa di Siena (the She-wolf of Siena) surrounded by the symbols of the allied cities dating from 1369. Each panel tells a different story.

The Piccolomini Library

From the center of the cathedral head to the Piccolomini Library, which is another precious treasure of the Cathedral, built in 1492 by Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (later Pope Pius III), this environment was built to house a rich collection of manuscripts by Cardinal Piccolomini’s uncle, Pope Pius II.

This great hall is called the Library because it was initially intended to accommodate the collection of manuscripts by Enea Silvio Piccolomini, but the Library never hosted the volumes of the Piccolomini family; it also preserves an unparalleled artistic treasure. In fact, on the walls, the frescoes by Pinturicchio and his collaborators can be admired, among which the young Raffaello Sanzio stands out. In ten fresco scenes of exceptional pictorial quality, episodes from the life of Pius II are told, before and after his election to the papal throne, in perfect balance between the humanist scholar and the supreme pontiff.

Other Beauties of the Cathedral

Other beauties that cannot be overlooked in this magnificent Cathedral are the splendid bronze sculpture of Saint John the Baptist, by Donatello, the Rosone, by Duccio Buoninsegna and the marble pulpit by Nicola Pisano. At the Piccolomini Altar, located on the left nave, it is possible to admire 04 sculptures made by Michelangelo: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory.

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Useful informations

I will leave some useful information for you, reader, but I always recommend visiting the official website, as changes in times and prices may occur at any time.

Address: Piazza del Duomo, 8, 53100 Siena SI, Italy
Official website: operaduomo.siena.it/it/

Schedules:

Monday – 10:30 am – 05:00 pm
Tuesday – 10:30 am – 05:00 pm
Wednesday – 10:30 am – 05:00 pm
Thursday – 10:30 am – 05:00 pm
Friday – 10:30 am – 05:00 pm
Saturday – 10:30 am – 05:00 pm
Sunday – 01:30 pm – 05:00 pm

Ticket Prices

Cathedral – From November 1st to December 24th and from January 11th to February 29th – Free / From December 26th to January 1st and from March 1st to August 13th – 4.00 euros / Period with open floor – 7.00 euros.
Cathedral + Piccolomini Library – From December 26th to January 10th and from March 1st to August 13th – 4.00 euros / From November 1st to December 24th and from January 11th to February 29th – 2.00 euros.
Museo dell’Opera and Panorama dal Facciatone – 7.00 euros.
Crypt – 6.00 euros.
Baptistery – 4.00 euros.

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How to get to Siena?

Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, in a central position, but off the main roads.

1) How to get to Siena? BY AIRPLANE

Siena does not have an airport for commercial flights and, therefore, to reach Siena by plane you have to get off in Rome (2 hours by car), Florence or Pisa.

2) How to get to Siena? BY CAR

Shall we visit Siena Cathedral by car? For those arriving from the south, there are several ways to reach Siena by car. The fastest road is the Naples-Milan highway; exit at ‘valdichiana bettolle sinalunga’ and continue at the junction that leads directly to Siena. For those arriving from the north of Milan in the direction of Rome, take the ‘Firenze Impruneta’ tollbooth and then continue on Raccordo Firenze-Siena, which takes about 30 minutes to the city.

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3) How to get to Siena? BY TRAIN

The train takes about an hour and a half from Florence to Siena and runs frequently every day. If you are coming from Pisa, you may need to change trains at Empoli. The train from Rome is a little ‘more inconvenient’ and not so frequent, you have to change trains in Chiusi. Siena’s train station is located about 1.5 km from the historic city center.

Did you know that Trenitalia is the main Italian company dedicated to the management of railway transport? Find out here “What is the difference between trains in Italy?”. Buy your ticket online in advance and save a lot, read the Post “How to buy a train ticket in Italy?”.

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Conclusion

Let’s visit the Duomo of Siena? The wealth of works of art, belonging to the most diverse eras and styles, make Siena’s cathedral a true unmissable museum. And if you feel insecure, have no time, and need help to organize your trip, don’t hesitate to contact me! I will love to help you make your dream trip to Italy come true. And how can I do that? Keep reading this post until the end and you will understand how we make your life and your trip much easier.

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