Siena

Siena is the capital of the province and is located between the valleys of the rivers Arbia, Merse, Elsa and the hills of Chianti, the Montagnola and the Crete Senesi, surrounded by a hilly landscape of considerable charm. The town, characterized by unity of style that affects the Medievalarquitectureis included on the list of World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Siena boasts an immense artistic and cultural heritage, due in large part to the flowering, from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century of the Sienese school of painting. The main feature that distinguished and elevated the Sienese school was the focus towards the decorative beauty and elegance typical of Gothic and, despite being more conservative, it was able to compete with Florence. Thereweremanygreatpersonalitiesthatrepresented the school, from Duccio di Buoninsegna to Simone Martini, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Taddeo and Domenico di Bartolo and Matteo di Giovanni.

Piazza del Campo is the main square of Siena, famous worldwide for its shell-shaped, for its architectural beauty and where inside we find the Town Hall, also called Public Palace that was built by the government of the Republic of Siena in the early fourteenth century, the Torre del Mangia,one of the most Italian ancientand highest towers, that reach 102mts.; The Cathedral of Siena, namely the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is one of the churches in Gothic-Romanesque most beautiful of its kind; the Old Hospital of Santa Maria dellaScala, one of the oldest hospitals, founded in 898; the shrine and home of Saint Catherine incorporates the ancient home of Benincasa, birthplace of Catherine; the PinacotecaNazionale di Siena is the most important state museum of the city, where there is a fundamental collection of works of the Sienese school. Siena, as well as for its artistic and cultural heritage is world famous for the Palio, which takes place in Piazza del Campo and consists of a horse race in which take part  the various city districts. The Palio, besides being an ancient historical event, is one of the finest examples of Sienese tradition.

The territory of Siena is famous and renowned throughout the world for wines that are produced in many local wineries, including the Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Nobile di Montepulciano. Not to be underestimated is also the gastronomic tradition, largely due to the wealth that characterized the medieval period and the presence of many taverns along the Via Francigena.