The San Leonardo al Lago church is not far from the town and is famous for its fabulous frescoes by the artists Lippo Vanni and...

The baptistery of San Giovanni in Siena dates from the 14th Century. In the centre is the beautiful king-size font, a masterpiece of Renaissance. It...

There is sometimes a bit of confusion among visitors regarding the Palazzo del Magnifico. In this case, il Magnifico (or the Magnificent) was not Lorenzo...

This Basilica dell’Osservanza is a truly beautiful building. It is sited on top of the Capriola hill which is just outside the walls and since...

The Oratorio dei SS Vincenzo e Anastasio was once part of a much larger complex of the 13th Century. The façade is quite plain but...

Originally built to defend the city of Siena, the Santa Barbara Fort is constructed in brick. It was commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici and...

San Pietro alla Magione is one of the Templar churches which abound in cities that date from the Middle Ages. This one has its origins...

The date of the Fonte di Pescaia fountain sited outside the city walls near Porta Camollia is uncertain even though its existence is documented as...

The Neo-classical church of Santo Stefano alla Lizza was originally built in a Romanesque style in the 12th Century. It was due to the greatly...

The Chiesa di Fontegiusta was erected in the latter part of the 15th Century to commemorate the Sienese victory at Poggio Imperiale in 1479. It...

The popular La Lizza Public Gardens in Siena were originally laid out in 1779. Further work took place in 1937 when the bastions of the...

The Fonte d’Ovile fountain was built around 1260 to replace an earlier existing fountain nearby. Over the centuries it has had very little maintenance, and...

The Basilica of San Domenico was built in the 13th Century. It would be a more pleasant place to visit were it not for the...

Oratorio di Santa Maria delle Nevi was built by the will of the Bishop of Pienza. At one time it was located in the Malavolti...

The Branda fountain was enlarged in the 12th Century and was documented as early as 1081, making it one of the oldest in existence. It...

The Santuario e casa di Santa Caterina was actually the house where St. Catherine of Siena lived. The sanctuary dates from 1464 and is now...

The Biblioteca degli Intronati in Siena is a library that was founded in 1759. Here there is a collection of more than 4000 manuscripts, incunabula,...

The church of San Donato used to take in the pilgrims who were walking to Rome along the Via Francigena. It is one of Siena’s...

Considered the oldest private palace in Siena, the Palazzo Tolomei was built on the square of the same name. The first mention of this building...

The church of San Cristoforo dates from the 12th Century. Renovation work gave it a brick façade and four new columns. Statues were added in...