Palazzo Pubblico

Welcome to the Pah-laht-zoh Poob-lee-koh, the civic and administrative heart of Siena since 1297. Standing here in the Pyat-zah del Kahm-poh, widely considered one of the most beautiful public squares in Italy, you are witnessing…

Look up at the facade of the Palazzo. Notice the contrast between the light-colored natural stone of the lower floor and the warm, reddish-orange brick of the upper levels. …

Rising eighty-seven meters above the Palazzo is the Torre del Mahn-jah. Built between 1338 and 1348, it was intended to be exactly the same height as the bell tower of the Cathedral, signaling that the secular power of the state…

We now enter the Civic Museum, the heart of the Palazzo's interior. The most significant room is the Sala del Mah-pah-mohn-doh, named after a large circular map of the Sienese world that once hung here. …

Perhaps the most famous room in the world of political art is the Sala dei Nove, the Hall of the Nine. This was the private meeting room of the city's executive body. …

Adjacent to the great halls of government is the Civic Chapel, a space that reminds us that in medieval Siena, the secular and the sacred were never truly separate. The Nine would often begin their deliberations with a mass here. …

Before we conclude our tour, spend a few moments in the internal courtyard of the Palazzo, known as the Cortile del Podestà. This open-air space was the entry point for the officials and judges of the city. …

As we conclude our journey through the Palazzo Pubblico, step back out onto the Piazza del Campo and look at the building as a whole. You have seen the political heart of a republic that once rivaled the greatest powers of Europe. …