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The Palaces of Siena



In this brief travel guide to Siena could not certainly lack a page dedicated to the palaces of the town. If you choose to spend your holidays in Tuscany, you should be aware of the fact that you are going to visit the place where around the year one thousand were born the communes. And often imposing palaces were built inside the city walls as the symbols of powerful rival families.

You could therefore begin your tour of Siena from the Palazzo del Comune or Palazzo Pubblico, which opens onto the "shell" of Piazza del Campo. Siena "secular bell tower" crowns the 14th-century building. The Torre del Mangia is 102 metres tall and owes its name to its first guardian, who was inclined to "invest" all of his money in food (the Italian word "mangiare" means "to eat").

At a short distance from Piazza del Campo (and anyway within easy reach of the apartment or villa you have rented in Siena) is Palazzo Chigi Saracini, which hosts the prestigious Accademia Musicale Chigiana.

Opposite to Palazzo Chigi is Palazzo Salimbeni, which is also known as Rocca Salimbeni and is the headquarters of the oldest bank in the world: the Monte dei Paschi di Siena. The bank was created in 1472, twenty years before the discovery of America! Actually Palazzo Salimbeni is the result of the unification of three pre-existing palaces that belonged to the Tantucci, Salimbeni and Spannocchi families.

And during your stay you will have the opportunity to discover many other interesting palaces and villas in Siena .