Siena, Piazza del Campo

(4 photos)

As we approached Siena from the south we could see the Torre del Mangia (the Siena town-hall tower), and the skyline of the city, from miles away. To help you understand Siena: the Piazza del Campo is incredible; the Torre del Mangia is astonishing; the Palio delle Contrade is phenomenal; the Siena’s Duomo is remarkable; the streets are exhilarating.

The Piazza del Campo, Siena’s civic center, must be the most outstanding city “square” in Europe. It’s best to come upon the Campo suddenly, to be swept at once into its elegant beauty. Eleven streets lead into the sea shell, or fan-shaped plaza, and it slopes down toward Palazzo Pubblico, Siena’s city hall with its attractive tall, thin tower, Torre del Mangia.

The fairest tower in Italy has borne witness to six centuries of Siena’s history. Like no tower in the world, a graceful flight of fancy caught in brick and stone, Torre del Mangia soars above the Palazzo Pubblico, in Siena’s Piazza del Campo. Information signs at the ticket booth, telling about the 412 steps we had to climb, had been translated and hand-printed into 65 different languages — and both the climb, and the view from the top, are impeccable.

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As we rambled through this fascinating city we were amazed to see streets so narrow and buildings so tall, there are places where the sun never shines. We remember a young lady in the uniform of the Post Office, who turned off the engine on her little Post Office motor scooter and coasted down a long, long, Siena street.

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Siena takes work to see, but it’s worth the effort. We must park on the edge of town, then walk. Twice we parked the RV in near-downtown parking lots, and twice we went to the campsite first, then rode the city bus to a plaza near the city center.
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Another view