SIENA, a city and archiepiscopal see of Tuscany, Italy, capi tal of the province of Siena, 59 m. by rail S. of Florence and 31 m. direct. The population (1931) of the city was 47,688. The area of the city within the walls is about sq.m., and the height above sea-level, 1,115 feet. The plan, spreading from the centre over three hills, closely resembles that of Perugia. The city pos sesses a university, founded in 1203 and limited to the faculties of law and medicine (447 students in 1925-26).
The horse races of Siena known as the "Palio Belle Contrade" have a European celebrity. They are held in the public square, the curious and historic Piazza del Campo (now Piazza di Vittorio Emanuele) in shape resembling an ancient theatre, on the 2nd of July and the 16th of August of each year; they date in their present form from the 17th century and were instituted in com memoration of victories and in honour of the Virgin Mary (the old title of Siena having been "Sena vetus civitas Virginis"). Siena is divided into 17 contrade (wards), each with a distinct appella tion and chapel and flag of its own; and every year io of these contrade, chosen by lot, send each one horse to compete for the prize paiio or banner. The aspect of Siena during these meetings is very characteristic, and the whole festivity bears a mediaeval stamp in harmony with the architecture and history of the town.
Among the noblest fruits of Sienese art are the public buildings adorning the city. The cathedral, one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic architecture, obviously influenced in plan by the abbey of S. Galgano (infra), built in black and white marble, was begun at the end of the 12th century, but interrupted by the plague of 1248 and wars at home and abroad, and by 1325 a great part of it and the baptistery of San Giovanni were completed; a further enlargement (which would have made what had been already built into merely a transept of a larger church) was begun in 1339 but never carried out and a few ruined walls and arches alone remain to show the magnificence of the uncompleted design, which would have produced one of the largest churches in the world. In 1355 the construction of the older church was resumed.
The splendid west front, of tricuspidal form, enriched with a multitude of columns, statues and inlaid marbles, dates from 1377 seq.: it closely resembles that of Orvieto, which is earlier in date (begun in 131o). Both facades have been recently restored, and the effect of them not altogether improved by modern mosaics. The fine Romanesque campanile belongs to the first half of the 14th century. Conspicuous among the art treasures of the interior is the well-known octagonal pulpit by Nicolo Pisano, dating from 1265-68. It rests on columns supported by lions and is finely sculptured. Numerous statues and bas-reliefs by Renaissance artists adorn the various altars and chapels. The cathedral pave ment is inlaid with designs in colour and black and white, repre senting biblical and legendary subjects; the finest portions beneath the domes, with scenes from the history of Abraham, Moses and Elijah, are by Domenico Beccafumi and are executed with marvel lous boldness and effect. The choir stalls also deserve mention: the older ones (from S. Benedetto, a church long ago destroyed) are in tarsia work; the others, dating from the i6th century, are carved from Riccio's designs. The Piccolomini library, adjoining the duomo, was founded by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini (after wards Pius III.) in honour of his uncle, Pius II. Here are Pin turicchio's famous frescoes of scenes from the life of the latter pontiff, and the collection of choir books (supported on sculp tured desks) with splendid illuminations by Sienese and other artists. The church of San Giovanni, the ancient baptistery, be neath the cathedral is approached by an outer flight of marble steps built in 1451. It has a beautiful but incomplete façade de signed by Giovanni di Mino del Pellicciaio in 1382, and a marvel lous font with bas-reliefs by Donatello, Ghiberti, Jacopo della Quercia and other 15th-century sculptors. The Opera del Duomo contains Duccio's famous Madonna (or Maesta) painted for the cathedral in 1308-11, and other works of art.