Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
St Catherine was welcomed into the Dominican fold within this imposing church, and its
Cappella di Santa Caterina
is adorned with frescoes by Il Sodoma depicting events in
her life. Catherine died in Rome, where most of her body is preserved, but her head was
returned to Siena (it's in a 15th-century tabernacle above the altar in the chapel).
(Piazza
San Domenico;
9am-12.30pm & 3-7pm)
7
Casa Santuario di Santa Caterina
RELIGIOUS
If you want more of Santa Caterina - figuratively speaking - visit this pilgrimage sight
where the saint, her parents and 24 siblings lived (locals like to joke that her mother must
have been a saint, too). The rooms in the house were converted into small chapels in the
15th century.
(Costa di Sant'Antonio 6; admission free;
9am-6.30pm Mar-Nov, 10am-6pm Dec-Feb)
Understand
The Palio
Dating from the Middle Ages, this spectacular annual event includes a series of colourful pageants and a wild
horse race on 2 July and 16 August in which 10 of Siena's 17
contrade
(town districts) compete for the coveted
palio
(silk banner).
The race is staged in the Campo. From about 5pm, representatives from each
contrada
parade in historical
costume, all bearing their individual banners. For scarcely one exhilarating minute, the 10 horses and their
bareback riders tear three times around a temporarily constructed dirt racetrack with a speed and violence that
makes spectators' hair stand on end.
The race is held at 7.45pm in July and 7pm in August. Join the crowds in the centre of the Campo at least
four hours before the start if you want a place on the rails. Alternatively, cafes in the Campo sell expensive
places on their terraces; these can be booked through the
tourist office
(
0577 28 05 51;
www.terresiena.it
;
Piazza del Campo 56;
9.30am-6.30pm Easter-Sep, to 5.30pm Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sun Oct-Easter) up to
one year in advance.
