Visiting Siena Cathedral: guide and photos
Siena has long been accustomed to mirroring itself in its lucid enchanting beauty, so much so that on several occasions some tourists have preferred it to Florence. It seems a heresy, yet this city has all the credentials to contend for the scepter to the historic capital of Tuscany and the credit goes to the boundless cultural heritage made up of a whole series of monuments of international resonance, an agglomeration of radiant gems enclosed in the throbbing heart Siena, namely the architectural complex of the Duomo in the homonymous square overlooking Piazza del Campo.
Inside the splendid Cathedral, visited by a multitude including one million people a year (estimate often given in defect), pearls of a glorious past converge, pieces of exceptionality such as the Crypt, the Baptistery (containing the fantastic Baptismal Font by Jacopo della Quercia, Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti) and the Opera Museum within the constructive synthesis of the “Old Cathedral” and the “New Cathedral”.
The history of the Cathedral
Herald exemplar of the Italian Romanesque-Gothic style, the Cathedral has expressed, since 1179 – the year of the consecration in the presence of Pope Alexander III Bandinelli – such magnificence as to leave one stunned, fueled by the evolutions of the architectural structure gradually covered, starting from 1227, of two-tone bands in white and dark green marble, in line with the typical concept of the Tuscan Romanesque which also affected the high adjacent bell tower, visible from afar and towering over the horizon.
Historical documents help to retrace the articulated viaticum of the building and reveal the personalities involved in shaping the royal aesthetic fury of the Cathedral: among these the artists Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, one author of the pulpit located in the left transept, are already mentioned in 1259 of the Cathedral, the other of the lower part of the facade and the sculptures now kept within the walls of the Museo dell’Opera. The construction of the dome, entirely of lead, dates back to 1263 and seals a unicum that the word “wonderful” is seriously threatened to diminish.
The floor in the Cathedral of Siena
At these levels, it is impossible to estimate the overall wealth, and when one enters the Sienese religious hub, the act of contemplation takes place with an open mouth. The incredible floor is immediately striking, which Vasari considered “the most beautiful … large and magnificent … that had ever been made”, the result of a work that lasted five centuries, from the 1300s to the 1800s. This is justified by the 56 inlays made with the techniques of the marble salesman and graffiti necessary to fully convey the idea developed in the brilliant minds of artists such as Pinturicchio, creator in 1505 of the inlay with the Colle della Sapienza. The synthesis of the two applications was further perfected by the Sienese painter Domenico Beccafumi, who managed to integrate it with chiaroscuro.
The parterre of sculptures has passed from the skilled hands of illustrious workers such as Donatello (his statue of the Baptist in the chapel of the same name), Michelangelo (San Pietro and San Paolo, San Pio and Sant’Agostino on the Piccolomini altar) and Gian Lorenzo Bernini ( Maria Maddalena and San Girolamo in the Chapel of the Vow). Other beautiful works contribute to furnish a very sumptuous environment, the monument-sepulcher of Cardinal Riccardo Petroni by Tino di Camaino, the holy water stoups by Antonio Federighi, the bronze Tabernacle by Vecchietta above the altar of Baldassarre Peruzzi and the monuments dedicated to the Pontiffs by Giuseppe Mazzuoli, Melchiorre Caffà, Antonio Raggi and Pietro Balestra. Not only sculptures, however, but also many tables, canvases and frescoes, including the Madonna del Voto attributed to Dietisalvi di Speme.
The frescoes of the Cathedral
The memorable cycle of frescoes painted by Pinturicchio between 1503 and 1504 ennoble the Piccolomini Library with energetic vigor, which features a bombastic vaulted ceiling, the Ginori floor replacing the original cobalt blue ambrogette with golden crescent, the Marble Three Graces and the antiphonaries, ancient liturgical books of a purely Catholic orientation.
Near the high-sounding presbytery appears the quadrilogy of frescoes by Ventura Salimbeni, depicting scenes of the Fall of the manna and Esther and Ahasuerus between two sides with Sienese saints and blessed. Worthy of extreme attention is the altarpieces in the Cathedral, the result of the creative flair that flared up in the seventeenth century thanks to exponents such as Carlo Maratta and Mattia Preti.
The stained-glass windows evoke dreamlike improbability, cloaked in unnatural gracefulness: the main one is that of Duccio di Buoninsegna, located in the Opera Museum and replaced with a copy. Also important remains the window of the Last Supper, placed in the eye of the facade and an exemplary demonstration of the mastery of Pastorino de Pastorini, a pupil of the famous Guillaume de Marcillat. Followed by the stained glass windows from the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio set in the chapels of the Sacramento and Sant’Ansano, and the twelve made in 1886 by Ulisse de Matteis, placed along with the drum of the dome. Finally, the choir is a jewel of Fra Giovanni da Verona, who composed 38 inlays there in the 16th century.
The Gate of Heaven
The surprises continue by visiting the premises of the Gate of Heaven, located above the starry vaults overlooking the sacred temple. The ascent to the Facciatone terrace is highly recommended, from which you can access the panoramic view of the city and the Sienese landscape marked by the beauty of the Tuscan countryside.
How to get to the Duomo of Siena
By car, the quickest route to take is the Autostrada del Sole Naples-Milan with exit at the Valdichiana-Bettolle-Sinalunga tollbooth to lead to the link road that leads directly to Siena; in the city it is advisable to travel by bus and get off in Piazza Gramsci, which is only 10 minutes away from the Duomo; the railway lines are the Florence-Empoli-Siena, Pisa-Empoli-Siena, Orbetello-Grosseto-Buonconvento-Siena, Arezzo-Sinalunga-Siena, Perugia-Terontola-Chiusi-Siena, Campiglia-Follonica-Montepescali-Siena; from the station you can take the bus to Piazza Gramsci and from there reach Piazza Duomo; walk from the station continue along viale Mazzini, via Garibaldi, via Montanini, via Banchi di Sopra, via di Città and Piazza Duomo (it is a 25-minute walk but very pleasant); the reference airport is located in Florence, 55 minutes from Siena.
Useful information for visiting the Cathedral of Siena
Where: Piazza Duomo – Siena Opening hours: 1st March – 1st November weekdays from 10.30 to 19.00, before holidays from 10.30 to 18.00, holidays from 13.30 to 18.00
2 November – 29 February weekdays from 10.30 to 17.30, days before holidays from 10.30 to 17.30, holidays from 13.30 to 17.30
26 December – 10 January weekdays from 10.30 to 18.00, days before holidays from 10.30 to 17.30, holidays from 13.30 to 17.30
floor uncovering on holidays from 9.30 to 17.30; open on Sundays only in March from 1.30 pm to 5.30 pm