Piazza del Campo Live Cam

This live feed offers a view of the historic town of Siena in Tuscany, capturing the iconic Piazza del Campo along with the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. The Palazzo Comunale, prominently visible on the right, was constructed between 1297 and 1310 and now serves as the seat of the Municipality of Siena and the Civic Museum. Inside, it houses important artworks from the golden age of Sienese art. The Torre del Mangia, the civic tower of the Palazzo, stands at 88 meters and is one of the tallest in Italy. Despite being built on lower ground, it reaches the same height as the Cathedral of Siena’s bell tower—a deliberate architectural choice symbolizing the balance between earthly and spiritual power. Each summer, the famous Palio di Siena, a thrilling horse race between the city’s districts, takes place in the heart of Piazza del Campo.

Geological and Urban Context

Piazza del Campo in Siena occupies a unique geological basin carved into the gentle slope of the hilltop city. The compacted alluvial soils and underlying sandstone bedrock provided a stable foundation for medieval masonry, while the natural amphitheater shape of the basin dictated the shell-like, concave layout of the square. Water drainage was ingeniously managed through a subtle gradient radiating from the central point toward nine concealed channels—called “nicchioni”—that channeled rainwater into the medieval cisterns below, ensuring that even during torrential autumn storms the Campo remained remarkably dry.

Origins and Shell Geometry

Originally a marketplace in the 12th century, the Campo developed organically from three small hills—Terzo di Camollia, Terzo di Città, and Terzo di San Martino—that converged at the meeting point of three roads. Between 1297 and 1305, the Republic of Siena formalized the layout, quarrying Pietra Forte sandstone slabs to create the distinctive fan-shaped sections radiating from the Palazzo Pubblico. This shell or “conchiglia” design not only maximized visibility for public events but also reinforced the symbolic unity of the city’s nine governing districts, or “Terzi,” which are still commemorated in the Campo’s paving pattern.

Medieval Drainage and Paving Techniques

The Campo’s surface used a herringbone pattern of brickwork inset within bands of white limestone, alternating to form a radiating starburst effect. Beneath this mosaic lies a layered system: compacted gravel, sand, and lime mortar, overlaid with tightly fitted stones to withstand heavy foot traffic during the Palio and market days. The gradient of approximately 1% descends toward the south, where rainwater enters discreet medieval grates connecting to the subterranean aquifer reservoirs. Periodic archaeological surveys have uncovered fragments of terracotta pipes still intact after centuries of use.

Architectural Splendor of the Palazzo Pubblico

Dominating the uphill side of the Campo is the Palazzo Pubblico, a masterpiece of Italian Gothic civic architecture commissioned in 1297 under the auspices of the Sienese Commune. The two-story façade, built with locally sourced travertine and red brick, alternates horizontal bands that symbolize the balance of power between the Nine Priors and the Council of Deputies. The pointed arch windows and crenellated battlements crown the structure with medieval martial echoes, while the mullioned ogival windows allow natural light to flood the grand interior halls.

Construction Phases and Structural Innovations

Initial construction focused on the central hall—known as the Sala del Mappamondo—completed by 1310. Subsequent wings expanded the complex to encompass the Sala dei Nove, where the city’s highest magistrates held sessions beneath a vaulted timber ceiling supported by robust brick buttresses. Innovative use of eclipse arches reduced lateral thrust, permitting wider interior spans without thickening the external walls. The facade’s symmetrical arrangement of blind arcades and loggias underscores the Sienese emphasis on order, law, and communal identity.

Fresco Cycle: Allegory of Good and Bad Government

Inside the Sala dei Nove, Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s frescoes (1338–1340) form one of the earliest secular narrative cycles in Western art. The “Allegory of Good Government” depicts a virtuous cityscape where justice, concord, and wisdom manifest as personified virtues guiding a harmonious society—and the “Allegory of Bad Government” shows how tyranny breeds decay. Technical analysis of the frescoes reveals underdrawings executed in sinopia and a pigment palette rich in azurite, red ochre, and lime white, all fixed with egg tempera over a lime-plastered arriccio.

Engineering Feat of the Torre del Mangia

Adjacent to the Palazzo Pubblico rises the Torre del Mangia, completed in 1348 as a symbol of the commune’s civic pride—its name translating to “Tower of the Eater,” a reference to its first bell-ringer, Giovanni di Duccio, nicknamed “Mangiaguadagni” for his prodigious appetite. Soaring to 102 meters, the tower was one of the tallest secular towers in medieval Europe, engineered with a tapered square plan that gradually diminishes in cross-section to reduce wind loads and seismic stresses.

Masonry Techniques and Load Management

The Torre del Mangia’s core is composed of massive load-bearing walls, over one meter thick at the base, tapering to 50 centimeters at the belfry level. Each course of Pietra Forte blocks is bonded with hydraulic lime mortar, enabling slight movements without cracking. The internal wooden scaffolding beams—replaced periodically over the centuries—are supported by iron anchors embedded into the masonry. This hybrid wood-and-stone structure offers both resilience against tremors and flexibility to accommodate thermal expansion.

Bell Chamber and Civic Significance

The bell chamber houses two massive bronze bells cast in the 14th century, tuned to C-sharp and E-natural, whose peals once regulated everything from market hours to militia musters. The hours-long ringing for special events—such as the Palio di Siena—relies on a counterbalance pulley mechanism and hand-operated “a vista” levers. Restoration engineers in the 21st century installed dampers and microseismic sensors to monitor dynamic responses, ensuring the tower’s longevity without compromising its medieval character.

Palio di Siena: Traditions and Technical Preparations

Twice each summer, the Palio di Siena transforms Piazza del Campo into a temporary race track, attracting tens of thousands of spectators. The square is encircled with wooden barricades—“palchi” and “pali”—secured to metal anchors embedded in the paving, forming a 300-meter oval circuit. The dirt track, composed of sand and crushed brick stabilized with synthetic binders, is laid to a depth of 15 centimeters, providing optimal traction for the horses while minimizing dust.

Contrade Rivalries and Horse Selection

Siena’s 17 contrade (districts) each field a jockey and horse, chosen months in advance through agreements with breeders across Tuscany. Veterinary technicians perform gait analysis and cardiovascular stress tests, utilizing wearable sensors to track heart rate variability during training. The final assignments are drawn at the “Tratta,” where contrade representatives inspect the 24 eligible horses, selecting by blind lot to ensure fairness. The technical specifications for the saddle pad and reins adhere to a standardized design to prevent equipment advantages.

Race-Day Logistics and Safety Measures

On race day, the saddle cloth number is affixed based on the draw’s order, and jockeys wear silk silks emblazoned with contrada emblems. Medical teams, mounted on horseback and motorized carts, patrol the course, ready for rapid response. Additionally, structural engineers inspect the barricade anchoring points to confirm they meet dynamic load requirements, tested to withstand lateral forces of up to 5 kN generated by galloping herds rounding the corners at speeds exceeding 50 km/h.

Surrounding Monuments and Urban Fabric

The Campo is encircled by renowned landmarks, beginning with Fonte Gaia at the lower edge—a monumental fountain designed by Jacopo della Quercia in 1419. Carved from Carrara marble, the fountain’s bas-reliefs depict scenes from the legend of Rhea Silvia, combined with putti holding the she-wolf, emblematic of Siena’s mythical origins.

Adjacent Medieval Palaces and Towers

On the Piazza’s flanks stand the Palazzo Sansedoni and Palazzo Salimbeni, exemplifying late Gothic and early Renaissance urban palazzo typologies. Their façades feature trifora windows framed by molded archivolts and mullions, while their internal courtyards reveal cloistered loggias and Gothic capitals. Nearby, the Torre dei Pulci—though privately owned—retains its crenellated roofline and narrow arrow slits, reminders of Siena’s once-fortified urban network.

Via Banchi di Sopra and Roman Remains

Radiating from the Campo, the Via Banchi di Sopra follows the line of an ancient Roman cardo maximus, evident in subsurface archaeological strata uncovered during excavations. Foundations of thermal baths, mosaic tesserae, and amphora fragments have been found beneath modern storefronts, offering glimpses into the Etruscan and early Roman phases of settlement. Guided subterranean tours provide visitors with an immersive experience of Siena’s deep-time continuity.

Museo Civico and Civic Collections

Housed within the Palazzo Pubblico, the Museo Civico displays the city’s most significant artworks and civic artifacts. The collection includes Duccio di Buoninsegna’s monumental “Maestà” altarpiece panels, Simone Martini’s gilded triptych, and the original Palio silks dating back to the 17th century. Conservation scientists employ multispectral imaging and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to analyze pigment degradation and guide restoration strategies.

Interactive Multimedia Installations

Recent museum upgrades feature augmented reality stations that overlay reconstructed fresco fragments onto their original locations, using 3D photogrammetric scans of the Sala dei Nove. Visitors can manipulate virtual light sources to observe Lorenzetti’s color techniques under different ambient conditions. Additionally, a digital archive provides access to high-resolution scans of archival documents, including council minutes recorded on parchment dating from 1287 onward.

Gastronomy Near the Campo

Surrounding the square are historic “osterie” and trattorie serving Sienese specialties. Pici—thick hand-rolled spaghetti—are drenched in aglione sauce, a garlic-infused tomato reduction, while ribollita soup layers bread, cavolo nero, and beans in a slow-cooked broth. Sweet shops nearby pastry chefs craft ricciarelli almond biscuits and panforte, a dense cake of honey, nuts, and candied fruit originally developed by Dominican friars.

Wine Cellars and Enotecas

Below street level, medieval cellars carved into the tufa contain barrels of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Enotecas offer vertical tastings comparing vintages across decades, with sommeliers outlining vineyards’ terroir influences—north-facing slopes yielding higher acidity, while warmer southern exposures produce fuller-bodied profiles. Technical blending sessions illustrate malolactic fermentation and oak aging effects on tannin structure and aromatic complexity.

Tip: To fully appreciate the acoustics and scale of the Campo, attend the daily 7 AM “Campanile Tour,” where you can climb the Torre del Mangia steps before sunrise and observe the city awaken beneath you in the soft golden light.

Interesting Fact: The curvature of Piazza del Campo’s paving is so geometrically precise that modern laser scanning confirms it follows nine concentric arcs—each arc corresponding to one of Siena’s historic ruling councils, an enduring testament to the medieval city’s blend of art, mathematics, and civic pride.

Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia

Tuscany is a region of outstanding beauty and a treasure trove of history and culture. The landscape is magnificent with its vineyards, olive groves and medieval hilltop villages. This is no ordinary holiday area, but a total escape into a timeless way of life. Here you can relax in peace amid the rolling hills where the splashes of colors are those which inspired the great artists of the Renaissance.

Tuscany is fields of sunflowers, startling butterflies, and the most beautiful blue sky. Visits to the ancient cities of Pisa, Lucca, Siena and of course Florence are an essential part of any holiday to this part of Italy. Once you have sampled its wonders, the warmth of its people and the excellence of its wines and cuisine, the magic of Tuscany will touch you and you will want to return.

What To See

Few places in the world can boast the variety of landscape and economy that distinguishes the territory of Siena.

Siena is the quintessential medieval city, more intimate than the nearby -cosmopolitan- Florence and, for those who get to know it, ultimately more inviting than the Tuscan capital. Siena's heart is the sloping semicircular Campo, Italy's greatest square and scene for the famous Palio horse races (open only to 12 horses out of Siena's 16 neighborhoods, each sponsoring a horse) which - since the Middle Ages, if not earlier- have been taking place twice a year. At its lowest edge stands the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena's Townhall and home of the Museo Civico.

Numerous paintings line the walls, including two frescos attributed to Simone Martini in the Sala del Mappamondo: a Maestą and the "Portrait of Guidoriccio da Fogliano", a lovely image of a condottiere on horseback. Nearby the decorated facade of the Duomo makes an impressive introduction to a still more impressive interior. Of particular interest are: the inlaid marble pavement, the great pulpit, Donatello's bronze pavement, and the Piccolomini altar, partly sculpted by Michelangelo.

Above all else, however, visit the Libreria Piccolomini, with Pinturicchio's recently restored frescos on the life of Pope Pius II. The baptistry, below the east end of the cathedral, contains one of Siena's leading Renaissance treasures, a baptismal font decorated with bronze panels illustrating "Scenes from the Life of John the Baptist" by Donatello, Ghiberti, and other artists.

La Canonica - Murlo (4 stars) - Dating back to 1400, the original rectory, with its chapel still consecrated, has been transformed into a small 4 star hotel. It is a real jewel with only 8 rooms (including 2 suites), all of them with a beautiful panorama on the surrounding estate. Each room took the name of a famous priest to remember its old hosts and are all differently characterised through antique and style furniture, important ancient pictures, precious objects, silver and period furnishings belonging from generation to the owner's family who restored carefully the "Canonica" and maintained originals on sight bricks, stone arches and wooden girders, giving so a charming and refined "country-chic" atmosphere. The small comfortable sitting-rooms can easily be transformed in private spaces for small business meetings.

How to arrive - By Car: coming from any direction into Sinalunga, the Amorosa is well indicated by the roadsigns. It is 1.5 Km from the center of town, located along the road linking Sinalunga to Torrita di Siena (SS n° 326) From Florence or Rome - Take Autosole A1 tollway to the Valdichiana exit. Follow the signs to Sinalunga. Once you arrive into town follow the signs to Chiusi and Chianciano. It is 8 Km from the tollbooth. From Siena or Perugia - From either the Siena-Bettole highway or the Perugia Siena highway, exit at Sinalunga. Follow the signs to Chiusi and Chianciano. It is 2 Km from the exit. By train: there is also a train station in Sinalunga with quick and comfortable transportation to Chiusi (about one half-hour), from which one can arrive in Rome in a little more than an hour.

La Locanda - Radda in Chianti - Locanda is a 16th Century Tuscan farmhouse transformed into a charming small hotel with breathtaking views over the Chianti Classico. Tastefully decorated and run by Guido e Martina Bevilacqua, the hotel has the relaxed atmosphere you would enjoy in your own very comfortable country house. In the main house there are 6 double rooms and a suite. Another stone building houses a cosy drawing room with a big fireplace, a library-cum-bar and a comfortable dining room. The uniquely situated swimming-pool shares its magnificent view with the terrace. Truly an hotel for all seasons, La Locanda is a perfect haven after a long walk, a ride trough the woods or a hard day's sightseeing in the nearby cities of Florence, Siena and Arezzo.

How to arrive: Coming from the north. Take the a1 (autostrada del sole) and exit at firenze certosa. Turn right onto the siena-florence superstrada. After about 18 kms exit at san donato.Follow signs to gaiole in chianti and greve. Do not enter the village of san donato but follow road until a bottleneck with a small church on the left with a portico. Turn left immediately after the church. Follow the road through la piazza and at the bottom of the hill turn left following sign to greve. At the t-junction at the top of the hill turn right at sign to radda in chianti. Drive through lucarelli and after a few kilometers look out for signpost to volpaia and turn left.

As soon as you enter volpaia follow the sign for "La locanda", turn sharp right along stone wall and take a narrow road out of the village. After 2 kms on an unpaved road in the wood you will see a sign for "La locanda", turn on the left immediately after. You will find the locanda about 1 km down this road on the right. Coming from the south: take the a1 (autostrada del sole) towards florence.

After about 10 minutes driving uphill, turn right at signpost for radda in chianti (a fast detour to badia coltibuono is advised)> There is also a good restaurant. Is one kilometer from the cross) drive through la villa and past a filling station. After about 3 kms turn right at signpost to volpaia. As soon as you enter volpaia follow the sign for "La locanda", turn sharp right along stone wall and take a narrow road out of the village. After 2 kms on an unpaved road in the wood you will see a sign for "La locanda", turn on the left immediately after. You will find the locanda about 1 km down this road on the right.

L'Olmo - Monticchiello di Pienza - L'Olmo, originally built in the XVII century as a country house, has recently been restored to retain the ambience and style of that period but with all modern amenities. Regional and romantic furnishings include canopy beds, antiques, hand-forged iron light fixtures, local travertine bathroom counter. A large living room with fireplace, an intimate dining room, a heated swimming-pool and lounging area, and a courtyard filled with regional pottery and artifacts are all available to guests.

Canonica a Cerreto - Castelnuovo Berardenga: The building, together with the Church and bell tower built in the Middle Ages, constitutes a major attraction thanks to its historical and architectural features. It dates back to 1000, when it was founded by the Canonici of the Siena Cathedral. Restructured in 1400 and 1700, it was then used as a summer residence by the Bishop. The rooms, once belonging to the monks, have been transformed into apartments for two or four persons. The guests of the farm holiday apartments have a swimming pool with view on Siena at their disposal. Canonica a Cerreto is only 12 km from Siena, and is the ideal setting for an open-air holiday. Located at 380 mt above sea level, it looks down on the Arbia Valley and on the fascinating "crete senesi" (clay hills). The farm produces a great Chianti Classico wine and an excellent extra virgin olive oil. How to arrive: Canonica a Cerreto is located in the heart of Chianti, 12 km east of Siena, Tuscany.

Lucignanello Bandini - Lucignano d'Asso: Lucignano d'Asso is an enchanting hamlet that will delight visitors wishing to stay in one of the loveliest parts of Italy. Though part of an active farming community, the beautifully appointed accomodations are fully independent. They are thus well suited to those who like to return to a comfortable but homely base after excursions into the surrounding countryside with its historic, artistic and gastronomic treasures. Documentary evidence reveals that by 1458 Lucignano had become the property of the "heirs of Agnolo di Niccolò di Piccolomo Piccolomini", a family whose name is associated with numerous episodes in the religious and social Italy history. To this day, the entire setting recalls the landscapes painted by the great Masters of the Senese school of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. How to arrive: Situated in the southernmost tip of Tuscany, an hour's drive from Siena.

Montorio - Montepulciano: Montorio is a historic country residence situated on a hill with a view of Val d'Orcia which dominates the Temple of San Biagio designed by Antonio San Gallo "Il Vecchio". The residence is divided into 5 apartments and is nestled in a landscape of rare beauty, surrounded by a terrace garden with cypresses and olive trees, it is possible to enjoy panoramic views of the area, ideal for people that love reserved relaxation. Complete with all modern conveniences, Montorio offers a simple but refined familiar welcome.

How to arrive: Coming from the north (by car): take the a1 (autostrada del sole) and exit at valdichiana (n. 28). Turn left follow direction montepulciano-chiusi, after about 4 km you will find the village of torrita di siena and at the trafficlight turn left direction montepulciano-chianciano. Arrived in montepulciano follow signs to chianciano.Pienza, after about 1 km you will find a cross-road called bivio di s. Biagio. On the right you will see a private road that goes on a hill where is "Montorio". Coming from the south (by car): take the a1 (autostrada del sole) exit chiusi-chianciano n.29. Follow signs to chianciano (about 8 km), drive through chianciano and follow signs to montepulciano (about km 7). Arrived to montepulciano you will find a cross-road, called bivio di san biagio, turning left you go to pienza, turning right to montepulciano center and in front you will see a private road that goes on a hill where is "Montorio".