Siena hotels

Hotels in Siena

While Florence has Renaissance flair, Siena has Gothic splendour. Home to magnificent buildings, fascinating museums and delicious Tuscan cuisine, Siena is one of Italy's greatest destinations. Siena hotels are an excellent base for exploring this breathtaking medieval city.

Buildings and squares

One of the great pinnacles of Romanesque-Gothic architecture, Siena's Duomo dates from the 12th century, with the main façade completed later in 1380. Some of Italy's finest artists have had their hands on the cathedral – Nicola Pisano created the pulpit, Giovanni Pisano created the façade and Michelangelo and Donatello both designed sculptures. In 1339 plans were made to enlarge the cathedral to make it of the biggest in Italy but progress was halted by the start of the Black Death. The incomplete remains of this ambitious project are still in Siena, on Piazza Jacopo della Quercia to the east of the cathedral. This site is called Duomo Nuovo and although it is unrealised it is nevertheless a wonder to behold.

The social centre of Siena since the mid-12th century has been Piazza del Campo, a sprawling piazza that was built on the site of an earlier Roman marketplace. The centrepiece of the piazza is Palazzo Comunale, dating from the late 13th century. Also worth seeing in Siena is the Gothic façade of the Palazzo Chigi-Saracini, home to the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.

Museums and galleries

The most famous museum in Siena is the Museo Civico, which features Simone Martini's iconic Virgin Mary in Majesty. There are frescoes here that detail episodes from the reunification period and that encompass a staggering amount of allegories and historical figures. Another key gallery in the city is the Pinacoteca Nazionale, housed in the 14th-century Palazzo Buonsignori. The gallery serves to illustrate the emphasis of Gothic and Byzantine styles of painting in Siena during the Renaissance period. There are works here by artists including Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Niccolò di Segna. Also make sure you check out the Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala, where you'll find the Archaeological Museum, the Center of Contemporary Art and the Art Museum for Children.

Food and drink

Visitors to Siena are spoilt for choice when it comes to good restaurants and places to buy food and drink. Pizzicheria de Miccoli sells an enormous range of Italian sausages, cheese and mushrooms, while Panificio Il Magnifico is the place to go for panforte, ricciarelli and cavallucci biscuits. Enoteca I Terzi, situated close to the Campo, is a very popular wine bar and Tre Cristi serves delicious seafood.