Duomo di Siena: Everything You Need to Know Before You Visit

Autore: La Redazione di www.tourleaderpro.com

The Duomo di Siena is one of the most ambitious Gothic cathedrals in Italy — begun in the 12th century, substantially expanded in the 13th and 14th, and left forever incomplete when the Black Death of 1348 killed the workers, the will, and the money for what would have been the largest Gothic church in Christendom. What exists is extraordinary enough. The facade (by Giovanni Pisano, the most significant Gothic sculptor in Italy before Giotto changed painting) is a composition of rare richness. The interior — striped green and white marble, the famous inlaid floor, the Libreria Piccolomini, Nicola Pisano's pulpit — is one of the most concentrated collections of medieval and Renaissance masterpieces available in a single building. Visiting the Siena Cathedral without preparation means walking past things you didn't know to look at. This guide changes that.

The Inlaid Marble Floor

The floor of the Duomo di Siena is the largest and most complex inlaid marble floor in the world — 56 panels covering the entire nave and crossing, depicting subjects from the Old Testament, classical mythology, allegorical figures, and the Ten Sibyls, executed between 1372 and 1547 by more than 40 artists including Domenico Beccafumi (who designed approximately 35 of the panels). The technique: marble inlaid with dark stone or painted marble, called graffito or tarsia marmorea — fundamentally a drawing scratched into marble and filled with dark pigment, rather than mosaic. The effect is a vast narrative carpet that most visitors walk over without seeing, because the floor is covered with protective boards October through May (to preserve it from wear). The full floor is visible August-October. If you're visiting when the boards are in place, lift a corner — the caretakers will usually allow it.

Libreria Piccolomini

The Libreria Piccolomini (attached to the left aisle of the Siena Cathedral, separate ticket €4) was built in 1492 to house the library of Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini, a Sienese humanist who became pope in 1458) and is entirely frescoed by Pinturicchio with 10 large scenes from the life of Pius II (1505-07). The frescoes are in extraordinary condition — the colours retain their original brightness, the spatial construction (Pinturicchio's backgrounds extend to distant landscapes through columns and arches) is among the finest examples of 15th-century illusionistic painting. In the centre of the room, the Three Graces (a Roman copy of a Hellenistic original, 3rd century BC) which the young Raphael drew during a visit — his preparatory sketch is documented and the influence on his subsequent figure style is traceable. The Libreria takes 30 minutes to see properly. Allocate them.

The Pulpit of Nicola Pisano

The pulpit in the nave of the Duomo di Siena was executed by Nicola Pisano and his workshop (including his son Giovanni and Arnolfo di Cambio) between 1265 and 1268. It is the second of Nicola's two surviving pulpits (the first is at the Baptistery of Pisa, 1260) and significantly more complex — eight panels of carved marble narrative on a octagonal platform supported by columns of alternating porphyry, granite, and plain marble. The narrative scenes (Annunciation, Nativity, Adoration, Presentation, Crucifixion, Last Judgment) are the most advanced sculpture of their date anywhere in Europe — figures in high relief with individual physiognomies, emotional expression, and spatial depth that anticipates Giotto's painting revolution by 30 years. The pulpit is the origin of the Italian sculptural tradition that leads directly to Donatello and Michelangelo.

Questions About the Duomo di Siena

How much does the Siena Cathedral cost to visit?

The OPA SI Pass covers the full Duomo di Siena complex: Cathedral + Libreria Piccolomini + Museo dell'Opera (which contains Duccio's Maestà, the foundational work of Sienese painting) + Baptistery + Crypt. Ticket €15 (online at operaduomo.siena.it). Individual components have separate tickets. The combined pass is significantly better value and gives access to the Facciatone — the facade of the uncompleted Duomo Nuovo, from the top of which you have the finest view of Siena available at any price.

What is the Facciatone in Siena?

The Facciatone (the "big facade") is the surviving facade wall of the Duomo Nuovo — the enormous cathedral that Siena planned to build in the 1330s, which would have dwarfed the existing cathedral and the Florentine Duomo. The Black Death stopped construction in 1348 with only the facade wall and some side structures complete. The wall now stands as the most dramatic architectural ruin in Siena — its top, reached by a narrow staircase, gives a 360° view over the entire city from a height of approximately 30 metres above the surrounding streets. Included in the OPA SI Pass.

When should I visit to see the full floor?

August 18 to October 27 (approximately — dates vary by year, check operaduomo.siena.it). The rest of the year, protective boards cover most of the floor panels, and only a few sections near the altar are visible. If seeing the complete floor is a priority, plan your Siena visit for September or early October — the full floor coincides with pleasanter weather and lower crowds than August.

Curiosità sul Duomo di Siena

Il Duomo Nuovo di Siena — il progetto interrotto dalla Peste Nera — avrebbe reso il Duomo di Siena esistente semplicemente il transetto di un edificio enormemente più grande. Il piano prevedeva una navata che partiva dall'attuale facciata in direzione della Piazza del Campo, con dimensioni che avrebbero superato la Cattedrale di Milano (la più grande in Italia) e eguagliato Chartres. L'ambizione era la dichiarazione che Siena, nel momento del suo massimo splendore commerciale e politico (1330s), si concepiva come la città più importante dell'Italia centrale. Il crollo demografico del 1348 — che ridusse la popolazione di Siena da circa 50.000 a circa 25.000 in pochi mesi — non solo interruppe i lavori ma eliminò definitivamente la capacità economica di riprenderli. Il Duomo Nuovo rimane il più grande progetto edilizio che l'Italia medievale non completò mai. Vedi anche: Siena · Tuscany · Is Siena worth visiting.

Quello che gli Altri Non Ti Dicono sul Duomo di Siena

La cosa che nessun turista sa e che cambia l'esperienza del Duomo di Siena: il Museo dell'Opera (Museo dell'Opera della Metropolitana), incluso nel pass combinato, contiene la Maestà di Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308-11) — il dipinto che definisce l'intera tradizione pittorica senese e che i Senesi processarono per le strade della città il giorno del suo completamento come si portava in processione una reliquia. Il dipinto è grande (circa 5 × 5 metri in totale, con la fronte e il retro) e visibile a distanza ravvicinata nel museo. La faccia posteriore — le scene della Passione, meno riprodotte della Maestà frontale — è di una qualità narrativa che rivaleggia con Giotto nella stessa decade. Pochi turisti lo sanno. Il museo è vuoto rispetto alla cattedrale. Dedicate un'ora.