Siena

Founded by the Etruscans, of whom traces continue to be discovered today in ancient necropolises right in the centre of the city, it was an active Roman colony, but not until the Middle Ages did it grow to the size and wealth that made it the most important city in Tuscany for more than three centuries, outclassing its eternal rival, Florence.
The city was a great independent republic in the Middle Ages, and then an active Renaissance city in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany under the Medici dynasty.

Piazza del Campo, the square that symbolises the city, is truly unique: its unusual shell shape and the brick red colour of its terra cotta pavement and of the buildings around it make visitors standing in the centre of the piazza feel as if they are surrounded in a warm embrace. It is here that the famous Palio of Siena, an event anxiously awaited by all the people of Siena, is held on July 2 and August 16 every year.
Piazza del Campo is home to Fonte Gaia, the biggest of the city’s fountains, the original of which was decorated with sculptures by Jacopo della Quercia.
The buildings surrounding Piazza del Campo include the Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia, a 87 metre high tower open to visitors who are willing to climb its 400 steps.
The imposing brick and marble Palazzo Pubblico contains the city’s Civic Museum, home to masterpieces by local artists such as the Maestà by Simone Martini and the Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
Piazza del Duomo is home to the city’s beautiful cathedral, with its crypt and the Piccolomini Library.

Palio of Siena

The Palio of Siena is a medieval horse race between the 17 districts into which the city is divided: Aquila, Bruco, Chiocciola, Civetta, Drago, Giraffa, Istrice, Leocorno, Lupa, Nicchio, Oca, Onda, Pantera, Selva, Tartuca, Torre, and Valdimontone. The event is normally held twice a year: on July 2 in honour of the Madonna di Provenzano and on August 16 in honour of the Madonna Assunta, Our Lady of the Assumption. The Palio has very ancient origins, and has been run in its present form in Siena since the 17th century. Each Contrada or city district is identified by its own symbol and colours, paraded around the city in the hours preceding the Palio.