I arrived in Siena at 10 PM and spent the night at NH’s apartment, which was very lovely! It was located at the top of the building so she has a rooftop garden and awesome view. Siena is also a city surrounded by walls and some streets are quite steep in the centro area. The city life is centered pretty much within the walls, with the center located in Piazza Del Campo. In my opinion, it’s quite a unique piazza because of it’s half circle shape and the descending field toward Palazzo Pubblico. In the summer usually there will be horse racing event in the piazza.
There are two church (museum) complexes that are worth visiting: Duomo Di Siena and Santa Maria Della Scala. Here is the website to buy the tickets: https://operalaboratori.vivaticket.it/it/extsearch/complessosiena. I recommend to get the “Porta Del Cielo” or “Gate of Heaven” package because it will get you to several places in one ticket: Duomo Di Siena (which includes Piccolomini Library), attic of the duomo (SUPER recommended!), Battistero Di San Giovanni, Crypt of the Duomo, and Opera Museum (which includes access to Facciatone). The price might seemed expensive, but I assure you, it’s totally WORTH IT. The churches and museums are well kept, and you’ll leave each places in awe. I especially felt that after visiting the attic of the duomo.
I decided to visit the Duomo Di Siena complex first, then if I still have time I’ll visit Santa Maria Della Scala complex. Turned out that I spent the whole day in that complex only :”). I’ll visit Santa Maria Della Scala if I have the chance to go to Siena again!
So, let’s start with the duomo. Since I’ll go up to the attic, I have to wait in line after the entrance (the officers will show you where to wait). The group ascends every 30 minutes starting from the duomo’s opening hour. I was lucky to visit when Covid-19 limitation was just lifted, so it was only 10 or 12 people in my group and we didn’t have to wait too long to go up. It’s worth mentioning that the staircase was pretty narrow (only fits for 1 person), circular, and quite high (it took about 5 minutes to go up, i think). So, if you have claustrophobia, even the mild ones, you might need to rethink of it. I have a pretty mild claustrophobia, so I was quite afraid, even thinking of turning back after looking at how narrow the staircase was. But thankfully I managed to keep calm and went up without much problem.
To be honest, when you walked into the duomo, you’ll be able to admire the ceilings and the surroundings already. However, by going above, you can look at the paintings closer and you’ll be left feeling overwhelmed of how the hell did someone think about creating this piece of art all over the duomo? Oh, and it was also quite high. My hands went a bit sweaty when I was there, but it was totally safe. In the attic you can also see the tools and materials used to build the duomo. The guide explained some stuffs, but in Italian, so I didn’t listen to her much. Afterward, we descended and explored the duomo by ourselves. Similar to Basilica Santa Maria Degli Angeli in Assisi, every chapel inside the duomo was decorated with paintings depicting holy events in Christianity. I didn’t take much picture, too busy in awe :”)
Before leaving the duomo, don’t forget to visit the Piccolomini Library:
Inside the library you will find Pope Pius II’s manuscript collection. I didn’t take pictures as well, wouldn’t understand them lah 😂
Afterward, I went to the baptistery. Some parts were under renovation, but nevertheless was still breathtaking!
I had a short lunch at Piazza Del Campo then headed to Opera Museum:
From this museum, we can access the Facciatone directly. Just like the stairway to the top of duomo, the stairway to Facciatone is also pretty narrow and high. There will be one guy at the entrance and one guy guarding the exit at the top, to make sure that the crowd’s flow of stairway is only one way (either only going up or down), because it is that narrow. Brace yourselves because once you get out the wind will be quite strong, but it will be all paid off with the view:
You can see central area of Siena clearly with 360 degree view, including the duomo! And that marks the end of the Porta del Cielo ticket package. Don’t forget to visit Vista Panoramica di Siena (near Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico) and enjoy the view of the hilly city :)
I ended the trip by visiting Santuario di Santa Caterina, it’s free! This was the house of Santa Caterina, which then turned into sanctuary.
Siena was even better than I imagined, and now I understand why Siena Miller’s parents named her Siena: both are beautiful :)
