Siena city guide · TripCatholic

Siena is the city given to Mary. Before the battle of Montaperti in 1260 it placed itself under the Virgin's protection, and it has renewed that gift ever since, the last time in 2020. The cathedral is dedicated to her Assumption, and the two Palio races of the summer are run in her honor. Siena is also Saint Catherine's city. Her head lies in San Domenico, and her family house in Fontebranda is now the Sanctuary of Saint Catherine. Saint Bernardino preached the Holy Name of Jesus in the Campo and founded the Osservanza. The consecrated hosts stolen from San Francesco in 1730 and found three days later are still kept there, intact. Santa Maria della Scala, the pilgrims' hospital that faces the cathedral steps, fed and housed walkers on the Via Francigena for some nine centuries. Mass is in Italian; the one English Mass the archdiocese lists is at noon on Sundays at San Francesco, in the tourist season.

Fly over Siena in 3DA tour of the City of the VirginStart the tour

HistoryA Catholic History of SienaSiena's Catholic story runs from Saint Ansanus, the tradition's baptizer of the Sienese, through a pilgrim hospital on the Via Francigena and the vow of 1260 that made it the city of Mary. It gave the Church Saint Catherine and Saint Bernardino, two Piccolomini popes and Alexander VII, and in 1730 the hosts of San Francesco. The Palio keeps the Marian vow alive, and the city has renewed its gift to the Virgin in 1944 and 2020.Read the full history

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Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria AssuntaSiena, ItalyMedieval cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, housing the venerated Madonna del Voto icon, Nicola Pisano's 13th-century marble pulpit, early Michelangelo statues, and one of the most extensive inlaid marble floors in Italy.

Battistero di San Giovanni BattistaSiena, ItalyGothic baptistery beneath Siena's cathedral choir, housing the collaborative baptismal font of Jacopo della Quercia, Donatello, and Ghiberti, with vault frescoes depicting the Twelve Articles of the Creed.

Museo dell'Opera del DuomoSiena, ItalyCathedral museum housed in Siena's unfinished medieval nave extension, holding Duccio's Maestà altarpiece, Giovanni Pisano's prophetic facade sculptures, and relics of Saint John the Baptist.

Complesso Museale Santa Maria della ScalaSiena, ItalyFormer medieval pilgrim hospital on the Via Francigena, housing the Sacro Chiodo relic from Constantinople, the Pellegrinaio fresco cycle, and the traditional sleeping place of Saint Catherine of Siena.

Basilica Cateriniana di San DomenicoSiena, ItalyDominican minor basilica in Siena, housing the sacred head of Saint Catherine of Siena and the chapel where she experienced her major mystical ecstasies.

Santuario e Casa di Santa CaterinaSiena, ItalyBirthplace and childhood home of Saint Catherine of Siena, converted into a sanctuary after her 1461 canonization, housing the miraculous crucifix before which she received the stigmata, her original cell with its stone pillow, and the family hearth site of her kitchen ecstasy.

Basilica di San FrancescoSiena, ItalyFranciscan minor basilica in Siena, housing 223 consecrated hosts from the 1730 Eucharistic miracle, scientifically confirmed incorrupt across multiple inspections spanning three centuries.

Basilica di Santa Maria di ProvenzanoSiena, ItalySienese Marian shrine housing a miraculous 14th-century terracotta icon of the Virgin, canonically crowned in 1681, and patron of the annual July 2 Palio di Provenzano.

The Saints of Siena

Saint Catherine of Siena
The dyer's daughter from Fontebranda who became a Dominican laywoman, nursed the sick, wrote the Dialogue and urged the pope back from Avignon. Her head is in San Domenico and her house is a sanctuary. Her feast is April 29.
Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico Santuario e Casa di Santa Caterina Oratorio di Santa Caterina in Fontebranda +4 more
Saint Bernardino of Siena
The Franciscan preacher raised in Siena who spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and the IHS monogram. He founded the Osservanza in 1404 and preached forty five sermons in the Campo in 1427. His feast is May 20.
Basilica di San Bernardino all'Osservanza Oratorio di San Bernardino Oratorio di Sant'Anna in Sant'Onofrio +1 more

Beyond the churches

Views, walks and the town between the churches.

The Facciatone and the Torre del Mangia
The Facciatone is the standing wall of the cathedral extension abandoned after the Black Death. A narrow terrace on top looks over the cathedral and the city, and it is reached through the top floor of the Museo dell'Opera and included in the cathedral pass. The Torre del Mangia, the town hall tower, has about 400 steps and no lift. We checked the Comune's site on October 30, 2026. From November 1 to the end of February the tower is open 10:00 to 16:00, with last entry at 15:15. Climbs leave every 45 minutes for 25 people, and tickets of 10 euros are sold only at the Palazzo Pubblico desk on the day. It closes in bad weather.
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Itineraries

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In Siena

1 day · 5 sitesOne Day in Catholic SienaCatherine in the morning, the cathedral at midday, the Eucharistic Miracle and Bernardino in the afternoon

1 day · 5 sitesSiena in Half a DaySaint Catherine's basilica and house, the baptistery and the cathedral, in a morning of about four hours

Longer trips

14 days · 51 sitesItaly's Great Saints in Fourteen DaysRome · Assisi · Florence · Siena · Venice

Collections

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5 sitesEucharistic Miracles from Assisi to SienaShrines from Carlo Acutis's exhibition of Eucharistic miracles, near his tomb

7 sitesGreat Franciscan Saints of ItalyTombs and relics of the Franciscan family, from Assisi to the Gargano

7 sitesThe Dominican Road from Bologna to RomeWhere the Order of Preachers built its churches from Bologna to Rome

11 sitesSiena, City of the VirginThe churches where Siena keeps the Virgin's images and its vows

9 sitesWomen Saints of TuscanyMystics, a servant and foundresses of Florence, Prato, Siena, Lucca and Cortona

8 sitesThe Contrada Churches of SienaNeighborhood oratories where the contrade honor their patrons and bless their horses

7 sitesHidden Gems of Siena: Small Churches Worth the DetourSeven small churches with a clear reason to visit, away from the main sights

6 sitesSaint Bernardino's SienaThe places in Siena tied to the preacher of the Holy Name

8 sitesSaint Catherine's Places in SienaEight places tied to Catherine's life, from her childhood to her canonization

9 sitesThe Other Saints and Blessed of SienaWhere Siena keeps its martyr, its penitents and its founders

Featured Events

Good to know

Her head is in the Chapel of Saint Catherine in San Domenico, which is open 08:45 to 17:45. Her thumb relic and discipline cords are in the wall case along the right side of the nave. Her family house in Fontebranda is a sanctuary with her cell and the crucifix of her stigmata; it publishes no visiting hours, so call 0577 280801. Her body is in Rome at Santa Maria sopra Minerva (basilica timetable and archdiocese page, checked on October 30, 2026).

Article · 6 minWhere to See Saint Catherine of Siena's Head and HouseRead

The hosts stolen from San Francesco on August 14, 1730 and found on August 17 in an offertory box at Provenzano are kept at San Francesco. They are shown on the 17th of each month, according to the Via Francigena site of the Tuscany region, checked on October 30, 2026; no official page gives times, so check the day before. The anniversary is August 17 and the Corpus Domini procession is on the Thursday, May 27 in 2027.

Article · 5 minThe Eucharistic Miracle of SienaRead

In 2026 the Opera della Metropolitana uncovered it from June 27 to July 31 and from August 18 to November 15, as an extraordinary opening for the Franciscan anniversary year (opera site, checked on October 30, 2026). No 2027 dates are published yet; the Opera announces them in spring. Praying in the cathedral is free through the Porta del Perdono whether the floor is covered or not.

Article · 7 minSiena Cathedral Tickets, the Marble Floor and How Long to AllowRead

The OPA SI PASS covers the cathedral, Piccolomini Library, museum, crypt, Baptistery, the Facciatone viewpoint and the Oratory of San Bernardino for three days. It costs 14 euros, or 16 while the floor is uncovered, and the Opera says the route takes about two hours. The Porta del Cielo roof tour is 21 euros and includes everything on the pass (Opera della Metropolitana, checked on October 30, 2026).

Article · 7 minSiena Cathedral Tickets, the Marble Floor and How Long to AllowRead

The archdiocese's parish timetable, checked on October 30, 2026, lists one: Sundays at 12:00 at San Francesco, in English during the tourist season. It does not say which months that is, so confirm the week you travel. English Masses and confession at the Annunziata appear only in a 2024 listing and could not be confirmed; ask the archdiocese.

Article · 5 minMass and Confession in English in SienaRead

It is a civic and religious festival for the Madonna. The July race, on July 2, honors the Madonna of Provenzano, and the August race, on August 16, the Assumption. On race day each contrada, the neighborhood that runs a horse, has its horse blessed in its own church. The winning contrada sings a Te Deum after the race, at Provenzano in July and in the cathedral in August.

Article · 7 minThe Palio of Siena and Its FaithRead

Standing room in the middle of the Campo is free; the stands and windows are private and sold by their owners. The city's 2026 ordinances barred children under ten from the middle of the Campo from 15:00 on race days, and prams and pushchairs from the dress rehearsal and the race, but not wheelchairs. The 2027 races fall on Friday, July 2 and Monday, August 16, and rain moves a race to the next day. Check the new ordinance.

Article · 5 minHow to Watch the Palio of SienaRead

One night is the minimum and two suit a pilgrimage. The cathedral complex alone takes about two hours, Catherine's sites around San Domenico take a morning, and San Francesco, Provenzano and the Osservanza another half day. Santa Maria della Scala adds one to two hours and is closed on Tuesdays from November 1 to March 14.

Article · 6 minHow Many Days Do You Need in Siena?Read

Yes. The Autolinee Toscane rapid bus 131R runs from the Florence bus station to Via Tozzi in about 75 minutes, and trains take roughly 1 hour 10 minutes to 2 hours (timetable site e656, checked on October 30, 2026). Road works in Florence have diverted the buses since September 8, 2026, and some departures leave from Via Orti Oricellari until June 10, 2027.

Article · 6 minSiena as a Day Trip From FlorenceRead

The center is a limited traffic zone, and the Opera says the cathedral cannot be reached by car. Escalators run 24 hours from the station to Porta Camollia, from the San Francesco car park, and up the Costone from the Santa Caterina car park. City car parks cost 2 euros an hour, 35 euros a day in the Campo, Duomo, San Francesco and Santa Caterina car parks (Si.Ge.Ri.Co., checked on October 30, 2026). A free taxi for visitors with disabilities runs between the escalator ends on 0577 228799.

Article · 7 minGetting Around Siena: Station, Parking and LuggageRead

Dress as for Mass, with shoulders and knees covered. The Opera della Metropolitana publishes no dress code for the cathedral; its conduct rules for the roof tour ask for closed shoes that do not slip and no high heels. The live guide to church dress covers the rules across Italy.

Article · 6 minWhat to Wear in Italian Churches: the Dress CodeRead

On Sundays the cathedral opens only from 13:30 (10:00 until November 15 while the floor is uncovered), and the rest of the Opera complex follows weekday hours. Santa Maria della Scala is open every day from November 1 to March 14 except Tuesday. The Pinacoteca Nazionale has been closed for works since January 26, 2026 (Opera and museum sites, checked on October 30, 2026).