Getty Images

Piazza del Campo

Top choice in Siena

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) in the mid-12th century. Built on the site of a Roman marketplace, its paving is divided into nine sectors representing the members of the consiglio, and these days acts as a carpet on which young locals meet and relax. The cafes around its perimeter are the most popular coffee and aperitivo (predinner drinks) spots in town.

The Fonte Gaia is located in the upper part of the square.

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Duomo
0.15 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…
Museo Civico
0.05 MILES
Entered via the Palazzo Pubblico's Cortile del Podestà (Courtyard of the Chief Magistrate), this wonderful museum showcases rooms richly frescoed by…
Collegiata
17.81 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…
Cappella Bacci
29.45 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
0.19 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…
Libreria Piccolomini
0.16 MILES
Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, archbishop of Siena (later Pope Pius III), commissioned the building and decoration of this hall off the north…
Pinacoteca Nazionale
0.2 MILES
Siena's recently renovated art gallery, housed in 14th-century Palazzo Buonsignori since 1932, is home to an extraordinary collection of Gothic…
Palazzo Comunale
17.8 MILES
The 13th-century Palazzo Comunale has always been the centre of San Gimignano's local government; its magnificently frescoed Sala di Dante is where the…

View more attractions

Nearby Siena attractions

1. Fonte Gaia

0.01 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…

2. Loggia della Mercanzia

0.04 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…

3. Museo Civico

0.05 MILES

Entered via the Palazzo Pubblico's Cortile del Podestà (Courtyard of the Chief Magistrate), this wonderful museum showcases rooms richly frescoed by…

4. Torre del Mangia

0.05 MILES

Completed in 1348, this 87m-high red-brick-and-travertine bell tower commands magnificent views from its highest levels. Its name (The Tower of Eater)…

5. Palazzo Pubblico

0.05 MILES

Built to demonstrate the enormous wealth, proud independence and secular nature of Siena, this 14th-century Gothic masterpiece is the visual focal point…

6. Sinagoga di Siena

0.08 MILES

Sheltering behind an anonymous facade, this Ashkenazi synagogue in Siena's former Ghetto once serviced a community of 500. Sadly, a mere 50 Jews now live…

7. Museo delle Tavolette di Biccherne

0.09 MILES

Housed in the Renaissance-era Palazzo Piccolomini, Siena's State Archive isn't a usual stop on the standard tourist itinerary, but it provides ample…

8. Palazzo Chigi Saracini

0.1 MILES

Few buildings have pedigrees as splendid as this 13th-century palace. Home of the Piccolomini family (of which Pope Pius II was the most prominent member)…

View more attractions