Occupying 13th-century buildings once used by the University of Siena, this municipal library was established in the 1750s. Its labyrinthine structure reflects the fact that it was cobbled together by constructing interlinking structures over medieval streets. A popular working space for students, it also has a large kids' zone for junior readers aged under 10 years, a handsome 15th-century lecture hall lined with historic volumes and a periodicals room.
Biblioteca Comunale degli Intronati
Siena
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.21 MILES
Consecrated on the former site of a Roman temple in 1179 and constructed over the 13th and 14th centuries, Siena's majestic duomo (cathedral) showcases…
0.22 MILES
Entered via the Palazzo Pubblico's Cortile del Podestà (Courtyard of the Chief Magistrate), this wonderful museum showcases rooms richly frescoed by…
17.65 MILES
Parts of San Gimignano's Romanesque cathedral were built in the second half of the 11th century, but its remarkably vivid frescoes, depicting episodes…
29.49 MILES
This chapel, in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, safeguards one of Italian art's greatest works: Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle…
Complesso Museale di Santa Maria della Scala
0.25 MILES
Built as a hospice for pilgrims travelling the Via Francigena, this huge complex opposite the duomo dates from the 13th century. Its highlight is the…
0.22 MILES
Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, archbishop of Siena (later Pope Pius III), commissioned the building and decoration of this hall off the north…
0.35 MILES
Siena's recently renovated art gallery, housed in 14th-century Palazzo Buonsignori since 1932, is home to an extraordinary collection of Gothic…
0.18 MILES
Popularly known as 'Il Campo', this sloping piazza has been Siena's social centre since being staked out by the ruling Consiglio dei Nove (Council of Nine…
Nearby Siena attractions
1. Casa Santuario di Santa Caterina
0.07 MILES
St Catherine once lived here with her parents and 24 siblings (locals joke her mother must have been a saint too). Now a pilgrimage site overseen by nuns…
0.08 MILES
One of the city's most handsome medieval buildings, this 14th-century Gothic-style fortified palace was built for the Salimbeni family, wealthy Ghibelline…
0.09 MILES
This towering Gothic structure with double lancet windows was built in stone between 1205–1212 for the Tolomei family, Guelph bankers. It now houses the…
0.1 MILES
Dedicated to the patron saint of travellers and a popular stop on the medieval Via Francigena pilgrims' route, this church dates from the 11th century but…
0.13 MILES
The largest medieval fountain in Siena, Fontebranda was built in the 13th century and features three wide Gothic arches, crenellations and water jets in…
0.14 MILES
Built between 1417 and 1428, this arched loggia with its distinctive sculptures is located on the Croce del Travaglio, from which the three main roads of…
7. Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico
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St Catherine was welcomed into the Dominican fold within this huge and austere 13th-century basilica. Inside, the Cappella di Santa Caterina (halfway down…
0.16 MILES
Water first bubbled forth from the Fonte Gaia in the upper part of the Campo in 1346. The fountain's panels are reproductions; the severely weathered…