Tuscany Travel Guide

Siena's Duomo

Siena's Duomo
Siena's hulking Gothic cathedral is o treasure house of late Gothic sculpture, early Renaissance painting and Baroque design. The early architects dressed the edifice in striking Romanesque stripes, but the form is firmly Gothic, one of the best examples of the style in Italy. Equally fascinating ore the Duomo's C. outbuildings: the Baptistery, the Museo Metropolitana and the Santa Maria della Scala hospital across the square, where 1440s frescoes on the walls of the wards depict medieval hospital scenes.

Top Features

Pisano Pulpit
Niccola Pisano's son, Giovanni, and pupil Arnolfo di Cambio helped create this masterpiece of Gothic carving Similar to Pisano pulpits in Pisa and Pistoia, this one depicts scenes from the Life of Christ.

Piccolomini Library
The library was built to house manuscripts belonging to the humanist Pope Pius Il, born to Siena's Piccolomini family. His life is celebrated in masterly frescoes {1507, left) by Pinturicchio.

Piccolomini Altar Andrea Bregno's 1480 marble altar incorporates a Madonna and Child (1397-1400) by Jacopo della Quercia and four small statues of saints (1501-4) by the young Michelangelo

Chigi Chapel
Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed this chapel in 1659. The 13th century Madonna del Volto altarpiece is Siena's guardian: officials have placed the city keys before her in times of crisis, including during Nazi occupation, and Siena has always been delivered from harm.

San Giovanni Chapel
Giovanni di Stefano's Renaissance baptismal chapel (1492) is decorated with Pinturicchio frescoes and a bronze St John the Baptist (1457) by an t' ageing Donatello.

Duccio's Stained Glass Window Italy's earliest stained glass (1288) decorates the apse's round window Designed by Siena's great early Gothic master Duccio di Buoninsegna, it underwent at thorough cleaning In the 1990 sand the original has now been placed in the Museo Metropolitana

Choir
The intarsia wood choir stalls are by various master craftsmen (1362-1570), the marble altar by Baldassare Peruzzi (1532) and the candelabras by Beccafumi, who also painted the apse fresco of the Ascension (1548-51).