Piazza del Campo, Siena

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126 Reviews of Piazza del Campo

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Piazza del Campo - more than a horse race
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brendareed 277 reviews
Piazza del Campo from top of Duomo Museum
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The center of town is the Piazza del Campo, a shell-shaped public square and the site of Siena’s two-times-a-year horse race, the Palio de Siena. As you look at the piazza, try to imagine it filled to the brim with people in the center and along the edges as the horses race around the outside of the “track”. I haven’t been to one, but I can imagine and would like to go at least once to one of these races.

When no races are going on, the piazza is a nice place to meet up with people at the many cafes and shops around the edge, or at the fountain in the center of the piazza. The fountain, the Fonte Gaia, was built in 1419 and was a source of pride for the Sienese people since they had to use hydraulics to get the water up hill (there is no river in the town!). Miles and miles of tunnels were built to bring water from aqueducts to the city.

The piazza is lined with tall buildings, but the centerpiece is definitely the Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall, with its tower.

Written Feb 9, 2012

Address: Piazza del Campo

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Piazza Del Campo
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joiwatani 1675 reviews
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The Piazza Del Campo is the plaza where people congregate, ate, sit, hang out, wander around, and just relax. In other words, it's a place where the residents spend their spare time. It is also a city center where you can shop as the plaza is surrounded by small shops and restaurants.

This plazza has been in existence since the medieval times and the buildings were not renovated or changed.

After a long walk on narrow brick streets from where our bus was parked, and looping around in between old brick buildings, we finally saw the Piazza Del Campo. It is beautiful.

In the medieval ages, this site was used for execution, bullfights, festivals, markets and used for forums. Today, the Piazza del Campo is used for the Palio, a fast racing of horses that attracts thousands of Italians to come to Siena.

Written Nov 12, 2011

Phone: 56(0577-28 05 51)

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Torre Del Mangia
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Jim_Eliason 3755 reviews
Torre Del Mangia
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The watchtower built in 1348 is named after its original keeper who is said to have eaten all the profits o fthe builder. It costs 6 euros to climb up the tower for a fantastic view over Siena and the surrounding countryside

Written Oct 30, 2011

Address: Piazza Del Campo

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Piazza del Campo, still the center of things
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Martin_S. 2581 reviews
Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy
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Even today, this old city retains its magnetism and it is the center of not only tourist groups, but locals out for the day. You will see of course the magnificent structures around the Piazza, but also restaurants lining the sides with locals sitting back and enjoying the hub-bub of daily life. There is also a 14th century fountain in the Piazza, the Fonte Gaia, but my photos of that object did not come out, sorry. Found this website that has some 360° views -
http://www.360cities.net/image/siena-piazza-del-campo-tuscany#0.20,-8.40,110.0

Written Jul 21, 2011

Address: Central

Website: http://goitaly.about.com/od/siennaitaly/p/sienna.htm

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Piazza del Campo
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GracesTrips 1009 reviews
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I know I'm not the first person to write a tip on the Piazza and I'm not sure I can add anything more to make this a worthwhile tip to read than what you may have already read from the other VTers. First of all, if you go to Siena, you have to go to the Piazza del Campo. It is larger than life! You can look at all the photos you possibly can but to actually see it in person is fantastic. The feel of what a large open space that it is, is incredible!

For more information on the piazza and some of it's history, you can look at the link below.

Updated Jun 24, 2011

Address: Central

Website: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/a2d92/241f4/

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The famous Campo: not really a piazza.....
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Trekki 2149 reviews
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Oh my. The famous Campo of Siena. Wikipedia says that it is one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares and renowned for its beauty and architectural integrity. Says Wikipedia and say, I am sure, a lot of other people. I don’t understand this though. Yes, it might be beautiful but to me it is dead. The original idea of a piazza being the centre, the place where life is bustling in an Italian town is completely gone in the case of Siena’s Campo. Yes, countless people sit there and look at Palazzo Pubblico, but these are most probably tourists and students. Locals? No, I am sure they would rather sit in one of the bars and cafés around the square. I also sat there, very often, and every time I asked myself why this place didn’t impress me. I think it was because I had the feeling that it is dead, no life, no nothing. And its architecture? It might have been a challenging task, but there are many other real masterpieces in architecture of the Medieval times, especially when I consider Piazza Grande in Gubbio, although this becomes obvious only in rare aerial photos.
I hope, no one from Siena reads this; I might be thrown out of town next time….

Updated Dec 10, 2010

Address: Central

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A very unique piazza in Siena
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Jefie 1601 reviews
Souvenir stalls on the Piazza del Campo
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Siena's Piazza del Campo is one of Italy's most famous piazze, mostly because of "Il Palio", a horse race that dates back to the Middle Ages and that still takes place on the piazza every year. But Siena's main piazza is also famous because of its unique shell-shaped and slanting design. At the top of the piazza, there's a beautiful fountain called Fonte Gaia (Fountain of Happiness). The fountain's rectangular marble basin was once decorated by panels carved by Jacopo della Quercia, but these were replaced by slightly altered copies during the 19th century (the originals can still be seen at the Santa Maria della Scala museum). Taking a picture of the fountain proved to be quite a challenge - not only were there dozens of people hovering around, but it's nearly impossible to get a picture of one of the fountain's statues without a pigeon sitting on its head!

The Piazza del Campo's brick design makes up nine sections that represent the members of the Council of Nine, Siena's governing body that ruled over the city during the Middle Ages. From the top of the piazza, these sections converge towards the Palazzo Pubblico, which was the seat of the Sienese government at the time the piazza was built. The other beautiful palazzi that surround the piazza are now home to restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops. Once again, the piazza's sunny terraces and fun atmosphere proved to be impossible to resist and so we stopped for what turned out to be a very good lunch, followed by delicious home-made gelato. Definitely a great way to spend a couple of hours in Siena!

Written Jul 31, 2010

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The Heart of Siena
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Tom_Fields 2300 reviews
The Piazza del Campo
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The Piazza del Campo is the civic and commercial center of Siena. Dominated by the huge Palazzo Publico, this is one of Europe's most beautiful medieval squares.

The Palazzo Publico was finished in 1310, and served as the seat of government in the old Siennese Republic. Today, it's the city hall. The most prominent feature is the Torre del Mangia. Inside are a number of art treasures, notably Ambrogio Lorenzetti's panoramic paintings Effects of Good Government and Effects of Bad Government. I don't know if Machiavelli was consulted for these two works.

Strolling about the Piazza del Campo, one comes to the magnificent 13th century Palazzo Sansedoni. Its curve fits gracefully into the design of the piazza. It once had a tower even taller than the Torre del Mangia.

The Gaia Fountain lies in front of the Palazzo Sansedoni. Tuscan artist Jacopo della Quercia completed this work in 1419. Look closely at the statues, representing scenes from the Bible.

Written Jan 4, 2010

Address: Central

Website: http://yourtourinitaly.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=58

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Piazza della Campo
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aukahkay 883 reviews
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The Campo is an oval-shaped piazza that has long served as the city's civic and social heart. The Campo is the point of intersection for the city's fiercely independent contrade (parishes) and therefore the only neutral patch of ground in a combative city. Every year, on 2 July and 16 August, the Palio takes place at the Campo. The Palio involves a breathtaking bareback horse race around the Campo, together with many prepatory days of drama, processions, drumming, flag waving and colourful pageantry. The spectacle and celebration are living and vivid expressions of rivalries and traditions dating back over 700 years.

Written Oct 30, 2009

Address: Central

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Palazzo Comunale
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Tijavi 757 reviews
Palazzo Pubblico with Torre del Mangia
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At the lowest point of Piazza del Campo stands the high and mighty Palazzo Comunale, also known as Palazzo Pubblico. Completed in 1342, this imposing medieval structure continues to serve its original purpose - as Siena's town hall. It also houses Museo Civico showcasing some fine works of the Sienese school - something which I didn't get to see due to large number of tourists at the time.

If a visit to the Museo Civico is not possible, do at least visit the courtyard, which is free to the public. From there, you can have view the Torre del Mangia from a different perspective - which make for good photo subjects.

Updated Sep 15, 2009

Address: Central

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