Siena & Central Tuscany - Florence and Tuscany - page 364

ductions; the severely weathered originals, sculpted by Jacopo della Quercia in the early
15th century, are on display in the Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala.
At the lowest point of the square stands the spare, elegant Palazzo Comunale MAP
GOOGLE MAP (Palazzo Pubblico) , purpose-built in the late 13th century as the piazza's
centrepiece and now home to the Museo Civico . One of the most graceful Gothic buildings
in Italy, it has an ingeniously designed concave facade that mirrors the opposing convex
curve formed by the piazza.
Entry to the palazzo's ground-floor central courtyard is free. From it soars the graceful
Torre del Mangia MAP GOOGLE MAP (admission €8; 10am-6.15pm Mar-mid-Oct, to 3.15pm mid-
Oct-Feb) , 102m high and with 500-odd steps. The views from the top are magnificent, but
if you want to see them you should expect to wait in high season, as only 30 people are al-
lowed up at any time.
The Campo is the undoubted heart of the city. Its magnificent pavement acts as a carpet
on which students and tourists picnic and relax, and the cafes around the perimeter are the
most popular aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) spots in town.

Museo Civico
MAP

MUSEUM

GOOGLE MAP

( www.comune.siena.it ; Palazzo Comunale, Il Campo; adult/EU reduced €8/4.50; 10am-6.15pm mid-
Mar-Oct, to 5.15pm Nov-mid-Mar) The city's most famous museum occupies rooms richly
frescoed by artists of the Sienese school. These are unusual in that they were commis-
sioned by the governing body of the city, rather than by the Church, and many depict sec-
ular subjects instead of the favoured religious themes of the time. The highlight is Simone
Martini's huge Maestà (Virgin Mary in Majesty).
Purchase your ticket at the office to the right of the entrance then head upstairs past the
gift shop to the Sala del Risorgimento , with its impressive late-19th-century frescoes serial-
ising key events in the Risorgimento (unification of Italy). Next is the Sala di Balia (Rooms
of Authority). The 15 scenes depicted in frescoes around the walls recount episodes in the
life of Pope Alexander III (the Sienese Rolando Bandinelli), including his clashes with the
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Straight ahead is the Sala del Concistoro (Hall
of the Council of Clergymen), dominated by the allegorical ceiling frescoes of the Man-
nerist Domenico Beccafumi; and through a vestibule to the left are the Anticappella
(Chapel entrance hall) and Cappella (Chapel). The Anticappella features frescoes painted in
1415 by Taddeo di Bartolo. These include figures representing the virtues needed for the