DIRECTIONS:
By car:
A short way (60 km. about) from Florence throughout Greve in Chianti, the real centre of Chianti Gallo Nero

By train:
The easiest way is to join Florence from Rome or Milan.
A train connects Florence to Siena. Siena's railroad station is outside the town, and it's an expensive taxi ride to the city centre. So the best option is to take the SITA bus from Florence railway station to Siena's Piazza Antonio Gramsci, which is very close to Siena's main pedestrian access.

A little History
Siena is one of the best-preserved medieval Italian cities. The Renaissance did not leave many signs here and the town still looks much as it was in the Middle Age. The unique atmosphere in the walled part of the city will be felt walking in the narrow streets and in the squares, historical or not. Churches and museums are numerous and the historic but lively university town will bring the visitor back to the past. The artistic patrimony of Siena, encircled by the vineyards and the typical olive trees of the Tuscan landscape, perfectly reflects the splendour that characterized this town in medieval Age and Renaissance. The entire city constitutes moreover a vivid example of the high caught up levels from the gothic Italian.
The legend tells that Senio and Ascanio, twin sons of Remus, the brother of Romulus, and founder of Rome, founded Siena. They built a temple to Apollo in which they placed the statue of the she-wolf brought from Rome, then built a wall around the village to defend it, fearing attacks from Rome. The Romans did not succeed in conquering the fortress and Senio, however, soon triumphed, and the Romans surrendered. Their horses were taken to the area called "Stabukum Regis", the present day Stalloreggi.
This is only a legend. Founded by the Etruscans and then roman colony in 30 A.D.
The fortifications were strengthened by the construction of high walls after the fall of the Roman Empire, when barbarians came from Northern Europe.
The power passed from the Lombards - a certain Willerad, who lived in Siena in 678 - to the Franks, led by Count Alderico, having defeated the Lombards.
Under Alderico the church had a strong influence in Siena and great works were carried out, the most important being the pilgrims and travellers road "Via Francigena" that linked Rome and France. The city began to grow when the aristocracy, cooperating with the well-established ecclesiastic power, gave several consuls to Siena. Castles, the silver mines of Montieri and new territories were annexed between 1158 and 1181, economic and military power growing enormously.
Siena became in the middle Ages a commune, becoming, in 1186, independent from Episcopal power that until then had dominated the city.
To characterize this period of the history of Siena it is the secular rivalry with Florence, originated from the fight for the possession of the alum mines, necessary material to the manufacture of the wool, in that age primary activity of Florentine bourgeoisie .
The contrast between the two cities caught reached its climaxwith the crash between the factions flourishing factions of Guelfi (the supporters of the Papacy), and the Ghibellines (supporters of the Empire), ended with the Victoria of the second ones, in the epic battle of Montaperti of 1260 when the Ghibelline Siena won against Florentine.
Dante Alighieri wrote that the deaths "made the river Arbia run red".
The exploitation of alum transformed Siena in an economic power: the local financial institutions succeeded in granting huge loans to the Papacy and establishing relationships and trades with London, Marseilles and northern Europe. It was this prosperity to allow the Senesi to build up magnificent palaces and churches, extraordinary monuments such as the Duomo, the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia.
In the XVI century the city entered to make part of the Granducato of Tuscany, under the government of Cosimo de' Medici. In this age the business and banking activities had an arrest and in XVII the century the fights between factions started again and a short dominion of the Milan family of the Visconti marked the end of the greatness of the city.
In 1801, Siena became part of the Kingdom of Etruria and capital of the Department of Ombrone. In 1817, the first political movements took place towards the independence of Italy and in 1848 Siena took part with some volunteers from the university. On 20th February 1849, the Italian Republic was proclaimed.

The Palio of Siena has extremely old origins.
In the 1100s, horse races were held in the city streets, and these gradually led to the Palio. During the Medicea domination, in the XVI century, the tradition of the PALIO took place in Siena. The starting point was Porta Romana and the finishing line was the Duomo. It was called the "Long Palio" to distinguish it from the "Round Palio", which later took place in Piazza del Campo. Even in those days, the contradas paraded in Piazza del Campo with flag displays and allegorical processions. It is a horse race launched in an unbridled long gallop without saddleback along the perimeter of the Public Piazza del Campo. The competition is kept still today and calls passionate and curious from all over the world: the ancient times are lived again, with the alliances of quarter (contrade) and the secular rivalries. Only ten contradas were permitted to take part in any Palio. The contradas were drawn by lot, as they are today. The seven contradas not involved in July automatically had the right to run in August. The desire to win was such that it often led to violent disputes between the contradas Two times in the year, in July and August, after a scenic parade in medieval dresses and adorned of sbandieratori, the horses and the fantini of the 17 contrade of Siena contend the "Palio" (a heraldic banner) in front of a crowd of Senesi overflowed of excitation, in a moving contest without rules, during which the blows and the lashes between fantini are admitted also and that it can be won also by an excited horse that have unsaddled the knight.

THE PINACOTECA NAZIONALE

The collection was begun by Abbot Giuseppe Ciaccheri in late XVIII the century. The collection was later enlarged by private and public donations and with coming of works from the abolition of churches and convents. There are roughly 700 paintings of the greatest Sienese masters and painters.
In 1930 it passes to the State and it comes therefore placed in the center, in two splendid palaces, the late-gotico Buonsignori palace (restored in XIX) and the XIV century Brigidi.
Inside of the Pinacoteca it is possible to admire an important collection of senese painting works of great masters such as Duccio di Buoninsegna, Ambrogio and Peter Lorenzetti, Sassetta, Sodoma and Beccafumi, from the XIII to XVII century.
The Spannocchi collection enriched the Pinacoteca with paintings of Nordic and Flemish masters, among whom Duerer. In 1997 was inaugurated the section of the Sculptures collecting sculptures of Senese masters of the XIV-XV century, in part never exposed before to the public. To be visited the beautiful rooms of Beccafumi.

MUSEUM OF THE OPERA

When the first three arches of the right nave of the so-called "Duomo Nuovo" whose construction was interrupted after 1348 were closed off, a space was created which now houses the cathedral museum. It is located in the center, in a building near the Dome.
The greatest attractions are represented by the Maestà di Duccio di Buoninsegna and the view of the city and the outskirtses that are enjoyed from the so-called "Facciatone".
The Maestà, the tables of senese school, the interesting collection of oreficeria objects and the majestic statuaria of Nicholas Pisano, Donatello, City from Cortona, Jacopo Della Quercia and above all Giovanni Pisano are proposed to the admiration of the visitors. Paintings, sculptures, sacred ornaments and vestments, jewellery, and illuminated manuscripts offer an exhaustive insight into the city's artistic culture. The collection includes works of art coming from works the cathedral and the baptistry, from the oratories of S. Giovannino and S. Gennaro, and other churches in the diocese of Siena, removed from their original settings over the centuries. Two very important works of Italian art are also exhibited in the museum: the statues sculpted by Giovanni Pisano for the cathedral's façade, removed in the middle of the last century, and Duccio di Buoninsegna's (1255c.-1318/19) famous Maestà, painted for the high altar.
Numerous other masterpieces can be admired in the museum's thirteen rooms; Duccio's Madonna of Crevole, Pietro Lorenzetti's Nativity of the Virgin, the sermons of St. Bernardino in Piazza del Campo and Piazza S.Francesco, Domenico Beccafumi's St. Paul, as well as two canvases by Matteo di Giovanni. It is worth admiring the reliquary and crown of St. Galgano among the jewellery collection as well as the precious liturgical ornaments in gold, silver, enamel and rock crystal of the Cappella della Madonna del Voto. The stunning collection of wooden sculptures includes works by Jacopo della Quercia(1374?-1438), Francesco di Valdambrino, and Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1284-1344).

BATTISTERO DI SAN GIOVANNI

ORATORIO DI SAN BERNARDINO

This building is divided into two floors: the lower oratory, painted by the most famous sienese artists in the XV sec., and the upper oratory, with a lacunar ceiling and walls entirely painted with the History of the Virgin by Pacchia, Sodoma, Domenico Beccafumi in the XIV sec. Next to the oratory, there is The Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra, in which are conserved frescoes by Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and tables from XIV to XVI

SANTA MARIA DELLA SCALA

The immense complex of Saint Maria of the Scale (350,000 cubic meters), Situated opposite the cathedral's façade, served as a hospital for many years.
Built in the 12th century by Beato Sorore, it was in fact the oldest hospital in Europe.
After the exhaustion of the sanitary functions, is progressively opening new spaces to the public.
Nearly all the great senesi artists have worked for the Saint Maria of the Scale, a lot that this is considered the third artistic pole of the city together with the Public Palace and the cathedral, that it is placed just opposite it.
The most famous room is the Sala del Pellegrinaio, with its XV century frescoes depicting the history and life of Santa Maria della Scala painted by Domenico Bartolo, with the collaboration of other painters, including Vecchietta. Among the smaller rooms it is worth noting the Sagrestia Vecchia, the Cappella delle Reliquie with the lunette by Domenico Beccafumi, the Cappella della Madonna and the Chiesa della SS.ma Annunziata. The Marcacci, Novaro and Stretta rooms host the Archeological Museum of Siena, which exhibits articles found mainly in the Siena and Chiusi areas.
The building also houses the Museo Archeologico which exposes a remarkable archaeological complexes, archaeological finds of preistorica, Etruscan and Roman age, testifying the evolution of the civilization in the senese territory.

MUSEO CIVICO

The Museo Civico is placed in the Palazzo Pubblico and has several rooms. Among the most important of these is the Sala del Mappamondo, which hosts Simone Martini's Maestà, the Sala della Pace and the Sala dei Nove, so called because it was the seat of the "governo dei nove" (the government of nine), decorated with a series of frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Other important rooms include the Sala della Balia, the Sala dei Palestri and an exquisite chapel decorated with frescoes by Taddeo di Bartolo.