Palazzo Pubblico

Cross the beautiful Chianti hills as you ride south from Florence in an air-conditioned GT Coach. Arrive at San Gimignano, a medieval town declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Take time to wind your way through the narrow streets and admire the landscape. Make the second stop at Siena. Explore the Piazza del Campo, famous for the Palio Horse Race and for its splendid examples of Gothic civic architecture. You can also visit the magnificent Palazzo Pubblico. Finally, visit Monteriggioni and its intact medieval city walls. Then, head to the Chianti area and enjoy postcard-perfect landscapes. Conclude your day at a famous wine estate and taste fine Chianti red wine along with homemade snacks.

Enter the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena and visit the Civic Museum with this entry ticket. Located inside the Palazzo Pubblico, the Civic Museum is a 13th-century building home to impressive wall-to-wall fresco paintings. Explore the museum to learn about the history of Siena and see precious artifacts. Exchange your voucher for an entry ticket at the ticket office and begin your visit in the Sala del Risorgimento. This room hosts fresco paintings that depict the life of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. Walkthrough the Sala di Balìa and see wall paintings from the 15th-century by Spinello Aretino and Martino di Bartolomeo. Also, see the Sala dei Cardinali where precious carved coffers keep reliquaries. Move forward to the Sala del Concistoro, famous for its Beccafumi vault, and see Taddeo di Bartolo's 15th-century Cappella. Continue on to the Sala del Mappamondo, the widest room of the Palazzo Pubblico and used as the meeting place of the General Council. See the famous Maestà, a Gothic masterpiece painted by Simone Martini. Walk through the Sala della Pace or Buon Governo to see more fresco paintings painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The museum entry ticket also includes a visit to the 14th-century gallery, Loggia dei Nove, which offers a beautiful view of the landscape behind Palazzo Pubblico.

Explore the heart of beautiful Tuscany on a full-day tour of the towns of San Gimignano and Siena, then discover the bucolic wine region of Chianti. Depart from Florence by an air-conditioned bus to your first stop, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of San Gimignano. Discover one of the most splendid examples of an Italian medieval town. Distinguished by its famous towering skyline, San Gimignano stands along the Via Francigena on the hills of the Upper Val D’Elsa. Get acquainted with the Tuscan environment with the town’s Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine, saffron, and Santa Fina pottery. Enjoy some free time to stroll through the town on your own and see its beautiful squares, architecture, churches, and side streets. Afterward, head out to a unique location in the Chianti countryside to enjoy a wine tasting. Once you hop off the bus, be guided around a splendid winery. Get introduced to the estate's fascinating history and background. Head inside the cellars to learn the secrets of Chianti winemaking together with the local host. Then enjoy a delicious wine tasting of Chianti Classico. Continue to Siena for a guided tour of its enchanting architectural styles, including the Cathedral (exterior only) and Palazzo Comunale (Municipal Building, exterior only) in Piazza del Campo. The famous shell-shaped square provides the stage for the thrilling Palio horse race, run twice every summer.

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the towns, villages, and countryside of Tuscany on a full-day private excursion from Florence, and travel back in time to the days of the Romans, Etruscans and Middle Ages. You will start by driving to Pisa, a gentle town that recalls the days of the Pisan Republic. The focus will be on the astonishing Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), home to the medieval Duomo, Baptistery, and legendary Leaning Tower. Continue to the Etruscan village of San Gimignano, famous for its Vernaccia wines and medieval towers. Stroll the narrow streets of this pearl of Middle Aged Tuscany, before driving to the walled settlement of Monteriggioni, built in the 13th century by the Sienese to keep watch over the Roman Via Cassia from its hillside location. Siena is the next stop, where you will tour the romantic center, best known for the annual Palio horse race in the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. The city’s medieval skyline is dominated by the Gothic cathedral and taut needle of the Torre del Mangia. Also not to be missed is the Palazzo Pubblico, home to an important museum, and a great work of architecture in its own right. On the way back to Florence, see the charming Chianti area, characterized by rolling hills dotted with vineyards, cypress trees, olive groves, and small hamlets. You will stop at Panzano and Greve, 2 of the most beautiful Chianti towns. And, time permItting, break at a winery to taste world-famous Chianti wines and locally produced extra virgin olive oils.

See the highlights of Siena on a walking tour as your guide tells you about the development of the city over the centuries and you enjoy the spectacular scenery and monuments. As you visit Siena’s major attractions such as the central Piazza del Campo, the Palazzo Comunale, the Cathedral, and the majestic Basilica of San Domenico you’ll learn about each of these sights in depth from your guide. You’ll also hear about the noble families that were instrumental in the history of the city, including the Piccolomini, Tolomei, and Salimbeni, and see their palazzos. You’ll learn about the great tradition of the palio and hear stories of pilgrimage and saintliness that distinguish Siena. You can decide to finish the tour with a visit to Cathedral where numerous artistic treasures are preserved. Entrance to the Cathedral is available at an additional cost. You’ll see works by artists such as Pisano, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Donatello, Pinturicchio, and Gianlorenzo Bernini. During the summer you can also see the marvelous marble floor, which is a unique work in the history of art.

Discover the beauty of Siena during a 2-hour walking tour. One of Italy's loveliest medieval cities, it is known world-wide for its Palio, the country’s most spectacular festival that features a wild bareback horse race around Piazza del Campo, the central square. Visit Siena's historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and marvel at the magnificent architecture of the Palazzo Comunale and also the Palazzo Tolomei, said to be the oldest private palace in the city as well as the Basilica di San Domenico, Rocca Salimbeni, Palazzo Chigi Saracini, and other historical buildings. See the imposing stone tower of Palazzo Chigi Saracini, built by the powerful Marescotti family in the 12th century. The building is now the seat of the prestigious Accademia Musicale Chigiana, founded in 1923. Take a walk to St. Dominic's Basilica, built entirely of brick, and admire its Gothic architectural style. Continue your tour to one of the most spectacular cathedrals in Italy, the Duomo of Siena. Your guide will escort you inside the cathedral, where you’ll see impressive masterpieces by Donatello, Bernini, and Michelangelo. Admire the exquisite Gothic architecture, walk through the arcades with Renaissance busts of popes and emperors, and marvel at the unique black-and-white-striped bell tower.

Spend a day exploring the Tuscan countryside on a chauffeur-driven tour. Immerse yourself in Tuscan culture as you visit Siena's main attractions, explore an ancient hilltop town and discover one of Italy's most beloved wine regions. Your day begins with a hotel pickup to take you to the first stop on your sightseeing excursion, Siena. This historical city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous for its Palio, the bareback horse race that takes around its main piazza. Visit the three must-see attractions in Siena, the Piazza del Campo, Palazzo Pubblico, and the iconic Cathedral, one of the few examples of Italian Gothic architecture. Head back to your car and continue your tour of Tuscany with a drive to the walled hilltop town of San Gimignano. Dubbed the Town of Fine Towers, San is renowned for preserving more than a dozen medieval towers. Wander through this ancient city, explore the alleys and see the Piazza del Duomo and the seven towers that surround this town square. End your day of sightseeing with a visit to the Chianti wine region. Marvel at the unforgettable landscapes with its rolling hills, vineyards, and olive groves.

With this 1.5-hour guided tour of the Civic Museum you will discover one of the major Italy museums. Inside Palazzo Pubblico an expert guide will explain you the frescoes, created by some of the most important 14th-century artists, such as Simone Martini, Duccio di Buoninsegna and Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Within the exhibitions, you will see artistic works from the 14th up to the 19th century, offering you a complete overview of the evolution of Sienese art. Your guide will lead you to discover the heart of Sienese Art — the Civic Museum inside the Sienese town hall. Once inside the Civic Museum you will be introduced to the beautiful 19th-century frescoes in the first room of the museum, dedicated to Italy’s Risorgimento (unification), and you'll discover the medieval World Map Room, with the masterpieces of Simone Martini, la Maestà, and il Guidoriccio da Fogliano. Finishing your visit in the Peace Room, where you'll find the famous depiction of Siena, and the Allegory of Good and Bad Government, by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, one of the first examples of civil art. The subject of the painting is not religious, but rather represents Utopia in Siena and explains the difference between the good and the bad government.

The beautiful city of Siena is famous not only for its beautiful and historical buildings and the picturesque landscape surrounding it, but also for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and of course the Palio, the famous horse race held here twice a year. Take part in this private guided tour of the city and see its highlights, while your guide tells you about the development of the city over the centuries and you enjoy the spectacular scenery and monuments. You will visit Siena’s major attractions such as the central Piazza del Campo, the Palazzo Comunale, the Cathedral, the majestic Basilica of San Domenico, the Battistero of San Giovanni and much more! Prepare to take amazing pictures of the palaces, the "piazze", the typical streets of the old town and the picturesque hills all around you.

Along the way that will lead you to Siena, stop at San Gimignano, a small and world famous walled town located on a hilltop, which remained intact through the centuries, renowned for its tall towers, wonderful frescoes and many other valuable works of art: here you will be led until the heart of the historical center, where you have free time at disposal for its fascinating discovery. Following San Gimignano,  stop at the charming historical hamlet of Monteriggioni, an amazing medieval village enclosed by its famous walls, which have remained standing to this day. Enjoy some free time to visit this village. Then, crossing the gently Chianti rolling hills, arrive at a small and typical winery where you will taste 4 fantastic wines and sample balsamic vinegar and locally produced delicacies. Upon arrival in Siena, after free time for lunch (at your own expense until November 1, 2019, when lunch will be included), meet your local guide. Take a comprehensive guided tour of the historic center, starting from its most beautiful square, Piazza del Campo. Walk along the narrow medieval streets of the city, flanked by splendid palaces and historic shops, until you reach the Museum and Oratory of a Contrada (when open), where you can experience the atmosphere of the authentic and most intimate soul of the town. The “Contrade” (districts into which the city is divided) are the real core of local social life, where inhabitants of each district compete with each other, as they devote themselves to the preparation of the famous Palio horse-race. The Museum of a ”Contrada”, as well as its Oratory, is therefore the heart of the district. It is an intimate and secret place containing historical documents and wonderful relics of the famous Palio, as well as magnificent works of art which are normally not disclosed to the public. If you wish, your tour can include a guided visit inside the famous Siena Cathedral, built in the 12th century, to discover the beauty of its treasures and works of art.