Siena Webcam – Piazza del Campo, Home of the Palio

The Siena Webcam looks across Piazza del Campo, the sloping brick square at the center of Siena in Tuscany, Italy, toward the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. The camera sits high on the west side of the square and faces roughly east, so the town hall runs down the right of the frame with the open marble Cappella di Piazza at the foot of its tower. On the left, a curve of brick palazzi with cafe awnings at street level closes the shell, and the white basin of the Fonte Gaia sits at the edge of the frame near the top of the slope. By mid-afternoon in autumn the town hall facade is already in shade while the buildings opposite still catch the sun.

About Siena and Piazza del Campo

Siena stands at 322 meters (1,056 feet) in central Tuscany and has about 53,000 residents. Its historic center, with the Campo at its heart, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Florence Airport is 81 kilometers (50 miles) to the north.

The square was fully paved in brick in 1349. Eight lines of pale stone split the herringbone brick into nine wedges, usually read as a nod to the Nine, the government that ran Siena from 1292 to 1355. The Campo is shaped like a scallop shell and drops about 4.6 meters (15 feet) from its northern edge down to the Palazzo Pubblico.

The Palazzo Pubblico was built between 1297 and about 1310 for the Nine and serves as Siena’s town hall. The Torre del Mangia beside it went up between 1338 and 1348 and reaches 102 meters (335 feet). It takes its name from its first bell-ringer, Giovanni di Balduccio, who was nicknamed Mangiaguadagni, roughly “profit eater”. The marble chapel at its foot was built as a vow of thanks after the Black Death of 1348 ended. At the top of the square, the Fonte Gaia was completed by Jacopo della Quercia in 1419, and the figures there now are copies carved by Tito Sarrocchi in 1866.

Weather and Climate in Siena

Summers are hot and dry. In July and August the average high is about 30.5°C (87°F), with nights near 18°C (64°F), and July averages just 29 millimeters (1.1 inches) of rain. Spring warms quickly, from an average high of 14.6°C (58°F) in March to 22.7°C (73°F) in May. Autumn is the wettest stretch of the year: October averages 106 millimeters (4.2 inches) and November 125 millimeters (4.9 inches), with November highs around 14°C (58°F).

Winters are cool rather than cold. January averages a high of 9.8°C (50°F) and a low of 3.1°C (38°F), though the record low is minus 11.1°C (12°F). On camera the seasons show mostly in the light and the crowds. In late October the facade of the Palazzo Pubblico sat in shade by mid-afternoon, and small groups still sat on the warm brick near the top of the slope. Rain darkens the paving and thins out the square, while a dry summer evening tends to fill it.

Things to Do Near Piazza del Campo

The Palazzo Pubblico on camera houses the Museo Civico. Its Sala della Pace holds Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good and Bad Government, painted between 1337 and 1339, and the Sala del Mappamondo holds Simone Martini’s Maesta. Twice a year the Palio di Siena is run around the edge of the square, on July 2 for the Palio di Provenzano and on August 16 for the Palio dell’Assunta. Ten of the city’s 17 contrade race three laps on a track covered in a layer of tuff, clay and sand, and the race usually lasts no more than 90 seconds.

A short walk from the Campo, Siena Cathedral was begun in the 12th century, and its main facade was finished in 1380. Across Piazza del Duomo, the former hospital of Santa Maria della Scala is now a museum, and it keeps Jacopo della Quercia’s original relief panels from the sides of the Fonte Gaia.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More historic towns and squares to watch in Italy and beyond:

• Prato Webcam
• Orvieto Webcam
• Bamberg Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Siena Webcam?

The camera looks roughly east over Piazza del Campo. The Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia fill the right half of the frame, with the Cappella di Piazza at the base of the tower and a line of stone posts along the town hall. The curved row of palazzi on the north side of the square runs across the left, and the Fonte Gaia sits at the left edge near the top of the slope.

Where is Piazza del Campo located?

Piazza del Campo is the main square of Siena, in the middle of the city’s historic center in Tuscany, central Italy. Siena stands at 322 meters (1,056 feet) above sea level, and Florence Airport is 81 kilometers (50 miles) to the north.

Does the Siena Webcam show the Duomo?

No. Siena Cathedral stands on its own square a short walk from the Campo and is out of this camera’s view. The only tower on screen is the Torre del Mangia, the bell tower of the town hall.

Can you watch the Palio di Siena on this webcam?

The Palio is run around the edge of the square this camera overlooks, on July 2 and August 16 each year, with an extra race in some years. Whether the stream stays on during the race is up to the operator, Paesaggi Digitali, so the player on race day is the only way to know. The rest of the year the camera shows the square in its everyday state.

What is the weather like in Siena?

Summers are hot and dry, with average highs of about 30.5°C (87°F) in July and August. Winters are mild and damp, with January averaging 9.8°C (50°F) by day and 3.1°C (38°F) at night. November is the wettest month at 125 millimeters (4.9 inches), and the year totals about 823 millimeters (32.3 inches).

How tall is the Torre del Mangia?

The Torre del Mangia reaches 102 meters (335 feet) and was built between 1338 and 1348. It rises in the middle of this camera’s frame, and its clock face is visible on the brick shaft below the white stone top.

Why is Piazza del Campo divided into nine sections?

The brick paving, completed in 1349, is split into nine wedges by eight lines of pale stone. The nine sections are usually taken as a tribute to the Nine, the government that ruled Siena from 1292 to 1355 and had the Palazzo Pubblico built.

Is this the Siena College webcam?

No. Siena College is in Loudonville, New York, in the United States, and has no connection to this camera. This stream shows Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy, a city whose own university began as the Studium Senese in 1240.

Source: Paesaggi Digitali