This 16th-century gate replaced its medieval predecessor, which was the major northern entrance through Siena's medieval city walls. The structure has three arches, the largest of which was remodelled by order of the Medicis after their conquest of the city. It sports a shield with the Medici coat of arms on its outer (northern) facade. The text on this reads 'Cor magis tibi sena pandit' (Siena shows a heart that is bigger than this gate).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.72 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…
0.75 MILES
Entered via the Palazzo Pubblico's Cortile del Podestà (Courtyard of the Chief Magistrate), this wonderful museum showcases rooms richly frescoed by…
17.19 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…
29.53 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
0.75 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…
0.72 MILES
Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, archbishop of Siena (later Pope Pius III), commissioned the building and decoration of this hall off the north…
0.87 MILES
Siena's recently renovated art gallery, housed in 14th-century Palazzo Buonsignori since 1932, is home to an extraordinary collection of Gothic…
0.71 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. Chiesa di San Pietro alla Magione
0.08 MILES
Serenely beautiful, this Romanesque church was built in the 10th century and used by the Knights Templar in the 12th century. It then passed to the…
2. Chiesa di Santa Maria in Portico a Fontegiusta
0.14 MILES
This three-aisled 15th-century church was built on the site of Porta Fontegiusta, one of the original gates in the city walls, to thank the Virgin Mary…
0.22 MILES
Siena is unusual in that unlike many Tuscan cities, it isn't located next to a watercourse. To compensate, it has a unique historical network of…
4. Chiesa di Sant'Andrea Apostolo
0.32 MILES
This 12th-century church was one of the original pilgrim churches along Via Francigena but was heavily reconstructed in the 18th century.
0.35 MILES
Built by order of Cosimo de' Medici in 1563, this fortified brick castle was decommissioned as a military barracks in the late 18th century and converted…
0.52 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…
7. Biblioteca Comunale degli Intronati
0.53 MILES
Occupying 13th-century buildings once used by the University of Siena, this municipal library was established in the 1750s. Its labyrinthine structure…
8. Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico
0.54 MILES
St Catherine was welcomed into the Dominican fold within this huge and austere 13th-century basilica. Inside, the Cappella di Santa Caterina (halfway down…