Piazza del Campo

The Piazza was where we started our day with our Italian breakfast of coffee, orange juice and a croissant while sat watching the square come to life. It was market day today, so the vans were pulling in and surrounding the piazza, getting ready to trade for the day. Unfortunately, most of the vans were selling tacky touristy items so that took away from the authentic feel.

We are loving the historic centre of Siena and can understand why it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I love how it is built around the Piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares and the location of the famous Palio di Siena, the twice-yearly horse race around the square.

The Piazza del Campo is surrounded by so much history, and home to the Fonte Gaia, a monumental fountain originally completed in 1342. The fountains, plates and statues depict episodes from Genesis, the Creation of Adam, the Flight from the Garden of Eden, with a central depiction of Mary, along with wolves spouting water, representing the mother-wolf of Remus and Romulus. While it isn’t as elaborate as fountains we have seen elsewhere, its very simplicity is what draws the eye to the craftmanship of the panels and sculptures. Legend has it that the fountain was met with much joy, thus it was given the name Gaia or joyous.

The main focal point of the Piazza del Campo is Palazzo Pubblico, the Torre del Mangia and the Cappella di Piazza. Palazzo Pubblico is the civic headquarters and home of the famous Government of Nine. The square is paved with a fishtail design of red brick divided by ten lines of white travertine stone, creating a shell-like appearance with nine sections pointing directly to the Palazzo Pubblico. Each section represents one of the ruling nine governors in the “governo dei nove” and long considered to be one f the most stage and peaceful governments in Italy.

Adjoining the Palazzo is Cappella di Piazza, the Piazza Chapel, built between 1352 to 1376 in honour of the Virgin Mary, thanking her for the escape from the effects of the Black Plague of 1348. During the Palio games, the mass for the jockeys is held at its alter.

The structure that all eyes are drawn to and can be seen from almost everywhere in Siena is the Torre del Mangia, our next stop for the day.Read more