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

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:

Siena is genuinely hilly; the lanes rise and fall sharply, so wear comfortable shoes even though the total distance is short.
If you visit around 2 July or 16 August, the city is given over to the Palio and its trials — thrilling, but crowded, and interiors keep shorter hours.

Day 1

The Campo, the Duomo and the contrade

Piazza del Campo → The contrade lanes 2 km

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.

Segments

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.
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Photo: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys) · CC BY-SA 3.0
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.
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Photo: David McSpadden from Daly City, United States · CC BY 2.0
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.
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Photo: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0
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.
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Photo: gaspa · CC BY 2.0
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.
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