Piazza del Campo

Piazza del Campo is Siena’s principal medieval square, famed for its distinctive shell shape and acoustic arrangement of civic buildings. It dates to the 13th and 14th centuries and functions as the city’s civic and social focal point.

Major attractions around the square include the Palazzo Pubblico, the civic palace with its art-filled chambers, the tall Torre del Mangia and the decorative Fonte Gaia. The piazza’s brick paving is laid out in nine segments that converge on the central drain.

The square stages the twice-yearly Palio horse race, a traditional and tightly contested competition between city wards that transforms the piazza into an arena. The site has served as Siena’s administrative and ceremonial centre since the city’s communal period in the Middle Ages.

Piazza del Campo sits in the heart of Siena’s historic centre, on a hillside of Tuscany, with narrow streets radiating away from the square and easy walking access from the city’s main gates.

• Palio dates: The Palio horse race is held in the square twice yearly on fixed dates - 2 July and 16 August - when the piazza is transformed into a temporary race track.
• Photo tip: For the best unobstructed photographs of the shell-shaped paving and the surrounding facades, visit in the early morning before cafés and visitors arrive.

What to See #

• Palazzo Pubblico: A 14th century civic palace built as the seat of Siena's government, featuring fresco cycles including Ambrogio Lorenzetti's 'Allegory of Good and Bad Government'.
• Torre del Mangia: A slender civic tower built in the 14th century that rises above the square and offers panoramic views over Siena for those who climb its steps.
• Fonte Gaia: A large decorative fountain that occupies the northern edge of the square; the present sculptural decoration dates from later restorations of the original medieval fountain.