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City walk Tuscany — Siena, Italy

Siena on Foot: The Campo, the Duomo and the Contrade

One easy day through the medieval heart of Siena, from the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo up to the striped cathedral and out into the lanes of the contrade.

Siena on Foot: The Campo, the Duomo and the Contrade
Photo: Zairon · CC BY 4.0
Duration
1 day
Distance
2 km
Walking time (est.)
30 min
Difficulty
Easy
Best season
April–June and September–October

Walking

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    Getting there and back

    Start
    Piazza del Campo
    Finish
    The contrade lanes

    One-way: plan your trip back

    Directions to the start Back from the finish

    Few cities reward slow walking like Siena. Its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of red-brick lanes that fan out from one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares, and everything on this route sits within an easy stroll of everything else.

    The walk runs from the Piazza del Campo — the great scallop-shaped plaza where the Palio horse race is run each summer — up to the black-and-white marble Duomo, then loops out through the steep contrada lanes that give the old city its fierce local identity. It is a short day on the map, but Siena’s slopes and its detours reward taking your time.

    Getting there. Siena has no airport of its own; most visitors arrive by bus from Florence (about 75 minutes) or by train to the station below the old town, from where an escalator system and a short climb bring you up into the centre. The historic core is closed to most traffic, so plan to explore on foot.

    Permits & tickets. The Piazza del Campo and the contrade lanes are free to wander. The Torre del Mangia, the cathedral complex (including the Piccolomini Library) and the Baptistery each charge admission; a combined cathedral ticket (the “OPA SI Pass”) covers several of the sites and is worth buying if you plan to go inside more than one.

    Good to know:

    Elevation profile

    Highest point
    353 m Day 1
    Lowest point
    341 m Day 1
    Total descent
    7 m

    Point at the profile, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to see that spot on the map.

    Terrain heights along a straight line between each day’s stops, not along the footpath, so a pass or a switchback the path takes can be missing. Descent and walking times use the same line.

    Elevation data: Terrain Tiles (Mapzen, AWS Open Data)

    Day by day

    DayDistanceAscentDescent (est.)Walking time (est.)
    Day 1 Hardest dayThe Campo, the Duomo and the contrade
    Distance2 kmAscentNot recordedDescent (est.)7 mWalking time (est.)30 min

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    Day 1

    The Campo, the Duomo and the contrade

    Piazza del Campo → The contrade lanes 2 km 30 min
    Navigate this day

    A single easy loop through the oldest part of Siena, from the Piazza del Campo to the contrada lanes, never straying far from the Duomo.

    Drinking water

    Water
    Drinking water 30 m from stop 1
    Drinking water 80 m from stop 1
    Drinking water 110 m from stop 2
    Drinking water 140 m from stop 2
    Drinking water 190 m from stop 5

    Places mapped by volunteers on OpenStreetMap; opening times and taps change, so check before relying on one. © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Segments

    1. Piazza del Campo & the Palio
      Piazza del Campo & the Palio 0.3 km Map

      Via di Città → Piazza del Campo

      Brick-paved streets and square

      Begin in the scallop-shaped Piazza del Campo, regarded as one of the greatest medieval squares in Europe. Its red brick fans down toward the Palazzo Pubblico, and the Fonte Gaia fountain marks the upper edge. Twice each summer, on 2 July and 16 August, the square is packed with earth and becomes the track for the Palio, the bareback horse race run between the city's contrade. Allow about 30 minutes to take it in.

      About this place

      Piazza del Campo is the main public space of the historic center of Siena, a city in Tuscany, Italy. Its name comes from the Italian word campanilismo, which translates to "local pride" and campanile "bell tower." The campo is regarded as one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The Palazzo Pubblico and its Torre del Mangia, as well as various palazzi signorili, surround the scallop shell-shaped piazza. At the northwest edge is the Fonte Gaia.

      Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys) · CC BY-SA 3.0
    2. The Torre del Mangia
      The Torre del Mangia 0.1 km Map

      Piazza del Campo → Top of the Torre del Mangia

      Stone tower staircase

      Rising from the Palazzo Pubblico on the Campo is the Torre del Mangia, built in 1338–1348 and, at about 100 metres, once among the tallest secular towers in medieval Italy. The narrow climb to the top is steep but rewards you with a sweeping view over the terracotta rooftops and out to the Tuscan hills. Allow about 45 minutes, including any wait at the entrance.

      About this place

      The Torre del Mangia is a tower in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. Built in 1338–1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, next to the Palazzo Pubblico. When built it was one of the tallest secular towers in medieval Italy. At 102 m it is now Italy's second tallest after Cremona Cathedral's Torrazzo, the Asinelli tower in Bologna at 97 m being third.

      Read more on Wikipedia Photo: David McSpadden from Daly City, United States · CC BY 2.0
    3. Siena Cathedral & the Piccolomini Library
      Siena Cathedral & the Piccolomini Library 0.4 km Map

      Piazza del Campo → Piazza del Duomo

      City lanes, some uphill

      Climb the lanes to the Duomo, a medieval cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and wrapped in bands of black-and-white marble. Inside, look down at the elaborate inlaid marble floor and step into the Piccolomini Library, its walls covered in bright frescoes celebrating the life of the Sienese pope Pius II. Allow about 75 minutes.

      About this place

      Siena Cathedral is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.

      Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0
    4. The Baptistery
      The Baptistery 0.1 km Map

      Piazza del Duomo → Battistero di San Giovanni

      Steps behind the cathedral

      Tucked beneath the choir of the cathedral, reached by steps down its rear flank, is the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Its centrepiece is a hexagonal baptismal font ringed with gilded bronze and marble panels by leading early-Renaissance sculptors. It is small and easily missed — allow about 30 minutes.

      About this place

      The Battistero di San Giovanni is a religious building in Siena, Italy. It is in the square with the same name, near the final spans of the choir of the city's cathedral.

      Read more on Wikipedia Photo: gaspa · CC BY 2.0
    5. The contrade lanes
      The contrade lanes 0.6 km Map

      Battistero di San Giovanni → The old-town contrade

      Steep medieval lanes

      Finish by wandering out into the contrade, the seventeen historic wards that divide the old city. Each is named for an animal or symbol — the wolf, the snail, the tortoise — and marks its territory with painted flags, plaques and small fountains. Let yourself get pleasantly lost among the steep lanes; this is where Siena's living identity is easiest to feel. Allow about an hour to wander.

      About this place

      A contrada is generally a district within the Italian countryside. In the city of Siena, the term indicates the 17 urban wards, whose representatives race on horseback in the Palio di Siena, run twice every year in July and August. Each Sienese contrada is named after an animal or symbol, with a long history and complicated heraldic and semi-mythological associations.

      Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Photojournalist Roberto Vicario · CC BY-SA 3.0

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