Historic City Centre of Siena
Siena is a medieval city located in Tuscany, to the south of Florence. Throughout the middle ages, Siena pursued a constant rivalry with Florence. They rejected the renaissance architectural style of Florence and instead maintained their gothic style as a way to differentiate themselves. The city is centered on the Piazza del Campo, marked by the towering Torre del Mangia and Palazzo Pubblico. It is in this square that the famed Palio horse race takes place every year. The Palio is a horse race between the different contradas, or neighborhoods, of Siena. There are seventeen contradas. The culture of the contrada is very important in Siena as one is born into their contrada and pride in one’s contrada permeates Sienese society. The Palio in July and August demonstrates just how important this is and how much the people of Siena care about the concept.
Siena is also famous for its imposing and impressive cathedral. The white marble cathedral stands in stark contrast to the rest of the brick city. The facade is ornately decorated and the interior is characterized by striped marble and mosaic floors. Extensions of the transepts of the church were begun and can still be seen but were halted when the Black Plague hit the town and killed off one fifth of the population. Siena is also home to Saint Catherine, one of the patron saints of Italy and a highly revered figure in the city. Her holy head is one display in one of the Basilicas of the city and draws a number of visitors and pilgrims every year.
The historic center of Siena was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1995. The criteria it met were as follows. First, its architectural design and layout demonstrated human creativity and artistic expression. Second, the architecture and art of Siena had a strong influence on the progression of art and architecture through Tuscany and Italy in the middle ages. And third, it is one of the most well preserved examples of a Renaissance and medieval town.
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Today, the rivalry between Siena and Florence has relaxed, except on the football field, and Siena is easily accessible as a day trip from Florence. There are many trains a day between the two cities and a direct train takes about two hours. The Siena train station is located in the valley plains area at the base of the city, but there is an escalator structure that brings passengers up to the level of the city.
