Discover Art and Heritage of Siena

Crossing the door of the Rectorate means entering a space where the history of the University of Siena continues to live every day.

The Palace of the Rectorate welcomes visitors, students, and citizens in the heart of the city, preserving centuries of memory through courtyards, historic halls, and atmospheres that tell the long university tradition of Siena.

The Cappella del Manto, in the Santa Maria della Scala complex, houses medieval and Renaissance frescoes, the history of relics and sacred art in Siena.

In a niche overlooking Via dei Rossi, a female figure in stone has been observing the city's passage for centuries, becoming one of the most evocative and discreet details of the historic center of Siena.

The Madonna with the Big Eyes is Siena's oldest painted Marian image, created in the 13th century. Protectress of the city in the Battle of Montaperti, it is now housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo: a work that still speaks, after eight centuries.

Porta Ovile is one of the most authentic medieval gates of Siena: built in the 13th century in the Terzo di Camollia, it holds history, devotion, and daily life away from tourist circuits. A place where Siena reveals itself in silence.

Porta Pispini is one of the most fascinating medieval gates of Siena: built in 1326, enhanced by Baldassarre Peruzzi and decorated by Sodoma. A masterpiece of military architecture that guards centuries of history, devotion, and civic identity.