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Massimo Catarinella
via Wikimedia Commons using the CC BY-SA 3.0 license
Exploring Siena & Monteriggioni
Explore Siena, Italy's enchanting medieval hill town. Witness the breathtaking Piazza del Campo, climb the Torre del Mangia for panoramic views, and marvel at the Duomo's artistic treasures. Indulge in delicious Tuscan cuisine and discover the city's rich history and Palio horse racing tradition.
by Celeste Lipford and Terry Lipford - last updated on 11/20/2024
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy and it is the capital of the province of Siena. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is one of Italy's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008. Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race ("Palio di Siena") held twice a year. During our pre-trip research, we had read about this horse race and since the race would be held while we were in Florence, we knew that we had to schedule a day trip to Siena to see this famous race.
Visitors to Siena may find navigating the city challenging due to its medieval layout, narrow streets, and hilly terrain. The city’s historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is characterized by winding, cobblestone streets that were designed centuries before modern transportation, resulting in limited access for cars and a maze-like atmosphere that can be confusing for new visitors.
The city\’s main square, Piazza del Campo, serves as a central reference point but does not align in a grid pattern with surrounding streets. This can add to the confusion, as landmarks may appear hidden within the city’s intricate layout. Despite the challenge, however, getting “lost” in Siena can be part of the charm, leading visitors to discover hidden courtyards, quaint shops, and unique views along the way.
Click here to view the Siena Wikipedia Page for a more complete description of the Palio di Siena.
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Exploring Siena Map
Once we were able to get clear of the Florence City traffic, we headed straight south on the Raccordo Autostradale Firenze for approximately 80 kilometers (from Porta Romano near our condo rental). Our primary concern was to get to Siena "early enough" to find a parking place, as we knew that there would be a very large crowd for the horse race.
Siena is a typical Italian city, where a new more modern city grew up and surrounded the older part of the city. Since the Palio di Siena horse race is held in the center plaza ('Piazza del Campo') of the older area of Siena, our challenge was to locate a parking place somewhere near enough to that area to allow us to walk to it.
Piazza del Campo
Even though we had arrived early in the morning, people were already starting to gather. The actual arena is in the interior of the city, a very large court yard, circular in layout and they have stadium seating and standing-only areas marked off (all of which were long since reserved and expensive).
After we discussed what we should do, and pondered the fact that since the horse race was not going to take place until late afternoon, and we had no place to sit, and standing room only was already filling up even at that early hour of the day. So we came to the conclusion that we should not spend an entire day waiting and that we should head out for the east coast of Italy.
We decided to do a bit of exploring as we made our way back to our rental car.
Porta Camollia
Porta Camollìa is one of the northern portals in the medieval walls of Siena. It is located on via Camollia and opens inside the city into the Contrada of Istrice. It consists of three arches; the inner arch is surmounted by a circular marble bas-relief with the Roman Catholic IHS Christogram inside a sun symbol (San Bernardino Christogram). The outer facade has the Medici heraldic shield with a stone arch added in 1604 by Alessandro Casolani and decorated by Domenico Cafaggi. The inscription was placed to record the entry of Ferdinand I de' Medici into Siena, and states Cor magis tibi sena pandit (Siena shows a heart that is bigger than this gate). The two central figures hold the Medici coat of arms.
Siena Cathedral
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. It was the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, and from the 15th century that of the Archdiocese of Siena. It is now the seat of the Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino.
Departing the Piazza del Campo
Since the horse race was still many hours later that day, we decided that we were not going to wait, so we researched our maps and decided to drive over to the coastal area of Italy near Livorno. This was our final view of the Piazza as we walked back to our rental car.
Castello di Monteriggioni Map
Image above is the property of
Maurizio Moro5153 via Wikimedia Commons using the CC BY-SA 4.0 license
The circular walls of the castle, totalling a length of about 570 metres and following the natural contours of the hill, were built between 1213 and 1219. There are 14 towers on square bases set at equidistance, and two portals or gates. One gate, the Porta Fiorentina opens toward Florence to the north, and the other, the Porta Romana, faces Rome to the south. The main street within the walls connects the two gates in a roughly straight line.
As we drove north on the autostradale Firenze (Florence Freeway), we spotted the sign for the Museo Delle Armature in Monteriggioni - which not only looked like an interesting place to visit, it also had a place to get coffee & snacks and restrooms!
Delle Armature
The Museo delle Armature (Museum of Armor) in Italy, located within the historic Rocca di Angera fortress near Lake Maggiore, offers a fascinating glimpse into medieval warfare and chivalric culture. The museum houses an extensive collection of delle armature (armor) that dates back to the Middle Ages and Renaissance, showcasing the craftsmanship, materials, and designs used to protect knights and noble soldiers in battle.
Visitors can view a variety of pieces, including full suits of armor, chainmail, helmets, shields, and weaponry like swords and lances. Many of the armor sets are elaborately designed, with intricate engravings and decorations that highlight the artistry of the time and indicate the rank or family of the wearer. The armor ranges from practical battle gear to ceremonial pieces worn during tournaments or parades.
The museum's layout and lighting enhance the dramatic presentation of the armor, allowing visitors to appreciate the detail in each piece and to imagine the history behind them. This collection is not only a display of military equipment but also an insight into the social and cultural significance of knighthood in Italian history.
Medieval Armor Interaction
The kids had a great time investigating various displays in the museum, because the Museum allows handling and wearing some weapons and parts of armor, located in special areas . Some explanatory panels and an easy multilingual audio guide accompany the visitor on this short but intense immersion in history.
The really interesting thing about this museum and their collection of armor, was that we were allowed to try various pieces on, and to interact with all of the displays. Very cool, and something that you just do not see in an American Museum.
Medieval Soldiers: Looking Fierce
I had just told the kids that medieval warriors & soldiers had to have a "fierce appearance" in order to intimidate the opposition! So when mom wanted to get a picture of them in this area of the museum, they struck their "fierce warrior" pose.
Exterior area of the Castello
The Castello was built by the people of Siena at the beginning of the 13th century, to watch over the valleys extending towards their rival town, Florence, in 1554 the Monteriggioni Castle was conquered by the Florentine Medici family. After so many wars, the castle changed hands not after a battle, but because of treason by a false ally, Bernardino Zeti.
Castello Ramparts
The entire castle structure and surrounding buildings looked as though they had been there for a seriously long time and looked every bit the part of a castle or fortified structure. Fortunately for us, it also had an espresso bar and a cold drinks machine.
Our next stop on the way to Livorno, would be Castel San Gimignano. Astute map reading and investigative use of our Italy guidebook led us to this decision.
More Info for the Monteriggioni Castle
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Some Useful Links for Siena
- Just Traveling Thru European Travel Tips
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- Where to stay in Siena on the 'Culture Trip' site
- Google Search Results List for "Restaurants in Siena"
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- Things to do and see in Siena on 'The Crazy Tourist' site
- One Day in Siena on the 'Discover Tuscany' Site
- Top Things to do in Siena on the 'Lonely Planet' Site
- Best Siena Tours & Things to do on the "Get Your Guide" Site
- Visit our Youtube Channel
- Siena Italy Wikipedia Article:
- Siena Italy Google Images Set:
- Our Siena Italy Image Gallery:
- Google Reviews for Siena, Italy
Italy Itinerary Trip Flow
Click above Image to view larger Google MapThis trip was accomplished half by train and half by auto, as we did not need a car in Rome and so we waited until we arrived in Florence before we obtained a rental vehicle. This allowed us to perform all of our day trips with a car, as several locations were remote. Prior to traveling to Venice, we turned the rental car in and took the train, as no vehicles are allowed in Venice and all of our transportation needs were met through use of water taxis and walking.
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