Il Campo ★★★

Piazza del Campo. (Photo by Fulvio Ghiringhello)

The Piazza del Campo is Siena's public living room

The Fonte Gaia fountain on Piazza del Campo.Siena's trio of (usually) car-free boulevards: shopping drag Via Banchi di Sopra, touristy Via di Città, and quiet Via Banchi di Soxtto.

The three meet just outside Siena's lovely main square, Piazza del Campo —often called just Il Campo—a sloping scallop shell of herringbone brick where people picnic, nap, and celebrate soccer victories.

The south side of the Campo is anchored by the battlemented ★★★Palazzo Pubblico and its iconic Torre del Mangia belltower. This building has been Siena's town hall since the Middle Ages, and its wonderfully frescoed interior now comprises the city's Museo Civico (Civic Museum).

At the top end of the Campo is the Fonte Gaia,—the one pictures up above and that you see on all the postcards (usually with pigeons drinking from the water spouts coming out of the mouths of the marble wolves).

The current Fonte Gaia is a slightly bland mid-19th century reproduction of the original fountain carved by local master Jacopo della Quercia in 1409–19. (The original, much-worn statues from the fountain are on display in the Palazzo Pubblico.)

Tips

Details

★★★ Piazza del Campo
Piazza del Campo
Always open
Free

How long does the Campo take?

Planning your day: You will pass through here at least once or twice, but I suggest you stop and stay a while. Wander the perimeter. Admire the fountain. Have a cappuccino at one of the cafes. Take a nap on the bricks. Enjoy the Campo.