10 Best museums in Siena

One of the oldest historical centers is located in Siena, in the region of Tuscany, a small city full of ancient buildings, squares, fountains, churches and very interesting museums that invite you to undertake a historical and cultural tour of the region.

Visiting its museums is one of the best things you can see and do in Siena, because the whole city connects with its past, and in every alley you can breathe its history. Here I will tell you about the main museums in Siena, so you can get to know the culture of the region in depth.

Although not strictly speaking a museum, the Cathedral of Siena or Duomo Santa Maria Assunta of Siena contains some of the most important works of art in Siena and Italy. Visiting this Cathedral is one of the best tours you can take in Siena.

The building itself is an architectural marvel, with its white marble facade with horizontal lines in green and red marble. The horizontally striped marble motif is also found inside, where you can see sculptures by Michelangelo, and works of art by Donatello and Domenico Beccafumi, among others.

The Pavement is considered one of the most interesting things you can see in the Cathedral, of great artistic beauty, although you can only visit it between late June and mid-October, as the rest of the year they take care of the footprints of tourists.

The Cathedral is part of the Duomo Complex, so with your ticket you can see the Piccolomini Library, where there are frescoes by Pinturicchio; the Crypt; the Panorama del Facciatore, one of the most beautiful views of Siena; and Porta del Cielo, which is a special tour to see the incredible paintings on the ceilings up close. It also includes a visit to the Baptisterio di San Giovanni, where baptisms were performed, and the Museo dell'Opera, where the original statues of the façade of the New Cathedral are housed.

For more information

• Hours: daily from 10.30 am to 5 pm in winter and from 10 am to 7 pm in summer.
• Location: Piazza del Duomo, 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
• Admission fee: for access to the entire complex, about 17 Euro for adults, 5 Euro for children between 7 and 11 years old, and free for children under 6 years old.
• Recommendations: check the schedule of holidays and masses on the website of the Cathedral.

The Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana is one of the main museums of the city, which you can access if you buy the ticket to the Duomo Complex, or you can visit it alone. It is located in Piazza del Duomo next to the Cathedral, in a building known as the New Cathedral. It was inaugurated in 1869.

It houses the original sculptures that had adorned part of the side facade of the cathedral, which was not completed due to the Black Death. Among the most important works that you can see in this museum are the works of Duccio Di Buoninsegna, especially the piece Majesty, which adorned the high altar of the Cathedral.

In this museum you can also see the famous Renaissance statue of the Madonna and Child with the four cherubs by Donatello, and the Gothic style statues by Giovanni, Pisano and Jacopo della Quercia.

The museum is part of the Duomo Complex, so if you buy the ticket to the entire Complex, you can also visit the Cathedral of Siena, the Piccolomini Bookshop, the Crypt and the Baptistery, at a discount. It is important that before you go you get information about tickets to the Cathedral of Siena, how to buy them, their prices and discounts, so that you have complete information about this complex.

More information about the cathedral

• Hours: daily from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm from April to October. The rest of the year from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm. From 26/12 to 6/1 from 10.30 am to 6 pm. Holidays from 1.30 pm to 6 pm, and holidays from 10.30 am to 6 pm.
• Admission fee: about €17 for adults (or €20 with the Porta del Cielo tour) and €4 for children from 7 to 11 years old (Opa si pass).
• Location: Piazza del Duomo 8, 53100 Siena, Italy.

The Santa Maria della Scala Museum is located in a complex of ancient buildings that functioned as a civic hospital for pilgrims, right in front of the Cathedral of Siena. In addition to a journey through the history, art and culture of Siena, its building is decorated with frescoes and works by important artists.

The museum has an area of over 20,000 square meters and 5 floors, four of which are open to the public, and is among the top 3 most important museums in Siena.

Among the 15th century frescoes that you can see in this museum, the Reunion fresco by Domenico Beccafumi (16th century) stands out. You can also visit the Pilgrim's Hall, which also has very interesting frescoes, some of them by Domenico di Bartolo. In this room there used to be beds for the sick.

The museum is part of the Museum Complex of Santa Maria della Scala, which includes the Children's Art Museum, located on the third floor of the Complex, the National Archaeological Museum, the Gaia Fountain and other attractions.

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• Admission fee: about 9€ per person.
• Hours: from March 15 to October 15: daily from 10 am to 7 pm, except Thursdays from 10 am to 10 pm.

The rest of the year: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

• Location: Piazza del Duomo 1, Siena, IT 53100.

The Civic Museum is located on the second floor of the Palazzo Pubblico, a former seat of government. This palace is located in the central square of the city, Piazza del Campo, near the Cathedral of Siena. In the museum you can learn about the history of the city and the main works of art from different periods. From its terrace you can also see a beautiful view of Siena.

The Civic Museum was designed in 1930 and among the most characteristic works are the Madonna and Child by Simone Martini and the Allegories and the effects of good and bad government by Lorenzetti, frescoes that compare a well-governed city with a badly governed one.

Inside the Civic Museum you can find characteristic exhibits of the Golden Age, and works by renowned artists such as Simone Martini, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Beccafumi and Aretino, among others.

The Palazzo Pubblico, built between 1282 and 1310, is one of the most representative and elegant in Siena. Its tower is the famous Torre del Mangia, one of the tallest buildings in Siena (88 meters), which you can climb by stairs and enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city. You cannot miss these illuminated buildings if you visit Siena at night.

More information about Siena

• Admission fee: about 10€ per person.
• Hours: daily from 10 am to 6 pm from November to March 15. The rest of the year from 10 am to 7 pm.
• Location: Piazza del Campo, Siena, IT 53100.

The Museum of Torture contains about 100 instruments of torture and instruments of execution used by mankind throughout the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. Among the most terrifying exhibits are the chastity belt, the inquisitorial chair, the guillotine and the Nuremberg Madonna.

One of the most terrifying instruments on display is the rack, a wooden bed on which people were tortured by pulling their limbs. But you can also see in this museum lesser known instruments such as the Piffero del Baccanaro and the ragni spagnoli.

Another of the terrifying exhibits you can see in this museum is the chastity belt, used by husbands to keep their wives from being raped during their absence, and also to prevent them from being unfaithful.

The museum was actually meant to raise awareness about human cruelty, and about the importance of respecting differences between cultures and beliefs. If you are not too impressionable, you can learn a lot about the worst side of humanity by touring the exhibits in this museum.

More information about the museum

• Admission: about 10€ per person, with group discounts.
• Hours: daily from 10 am to 7 pm. In winter only on Saturdays and Sundays with reduced winter opening hours.
• Location: Chiasso del Bargello, Presso Piazza del Campo, Siena, IT 53100.

The National Etruscan Archaeological Museum of Siena is also located in Piazza Duomo, where the ancient hospital of Santa Maria della Scala was. Here you can see very ancient archaeological remains found in the region, some of which date back to the Bronze Age. It was inaugurated in 1933.

It is located in subway rooms dating back to the 16th century. There you can see archaeological remains such as tombs, sarcophagi and other Roman artifacts from the 3rd and 4th centuries. It also houses private collections, such as those of Mieli, Petrucci and also of the Municipal Library and the Academy of the Physiocrat.

One of the most outstanding works you can see in this museum are the 13 alabaster urns, but you can also see important pieces of bronze, mosaic, ceramics and statues. It is a museum where you can learn about the history of Siena and the region since ancient times.

More information about the museum

• Admission fee: about 9 € per person.
• Hours: Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm, except Tuesdays when it is closed. On Thursdays it is open until 10 pm. Reduced opening hours in winter.
• Location: Piazza Duomo, Complesso di S. Maria della Scala 2 - Siena.

At the Siena Water Museum you can learn about the aqueduct systems, springs and the various artifacts of the time and the city, as well as the history and geology of Siena and the region. It is located next to the Pescaia Fountain, and was inaugurated in 2010.

With your ticket you can see this fountain, the bottini, multimedia exhibits, and also hear some testimonies from the city's elders. The bottini are a system of subway aqueducts that still today feed the ancient fountains of the city. They cover a total length of 25 kilometers and have been in operation since Etruscan times.

This museum also has a room called the Fountain of Capture, where you can learn about the history of the Bottini and their fountains. Siena does not have a river, so it resorted to a system of tunnels to transport the subway water to the fountains and distribute it throughout the city. If you visit Siena in two days, you can also visit the Fontebranda fountain, the oldest in the city.

More information about Siena

• Entrance fee: about 10€ per person. It is recommended that you book your ticket in advance because only 15 people can access per shift.
• Hours: from October to May: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 12 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm. From June to September: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 12.30 pm and from 4.30 pm to 7 pm.
• Location: Str. Fonti di Pescaia, 54, 53100 Siena SI, Italy.

The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena houses paintings belonging to the Sienese school of art, from medieval times and also older. Its most important collection is that of paintings on wood with gilded background from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

The Pinacoteca is housed in two palaces located next to each other, Palazzo Buonsignori and Palazzo Brigidi. The exhibits are arranged in chronological order on the different levels of the museum.

Some of the most renowned works in this museum are La Piccola Maestà and The Annunciation by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, also the Madonna by Duccio. During the visit you can see the works of prominent artists such as Simone Martini, Pietro, Giovanni di Paolo, Sassetta, Matteo di Giovanni and Francesco di Giorgio Martini, among others.

More information about the museum

• Admission fee: about 6€ for adults. Guided tours (in Italian) can be booked in advance on the Pinacoteca website.
• Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm, and Sundays and holidays from 9 am to 1 pm. Reduced hours in winter. Free on the first Sunday of the month.
• Location: Via San Pietro 29 - 53100 Siena.

The Children's Art Museum has been located in the museum complex of Santa Maria della Scala since 2007. It organizes events, workshops, games and artistic activities for children and teenagers, so it is perfect if you go to Siena with children. It was inaugurated in 1998.

The main objective of this museum is to bring children closer to art while having fun with their family, friends or school groups. There they can participate in role-playing games, creative laboratories and the possibility of learning by playing in groups.

In addition, the museum has special exhibits for children, both paintings and sculptures, as well as videos and photographs, organized in a didactic way. One of its outstanding rooms is the San Leopoldo, where there are works related to childhood and where many learning activities and didactic games are also carried out.

More information about the museum

• Admission fee: the entrance to the Complex is free for children under 11 years old, and costs about 9 ¤ for adults - Hours: from 10 am to 7 pm from March 15 to October 15, except on Thursdays, when it is extended from 10 am to 10 pm. The rest of the year: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

• Location: Piazza del Duomo 1, Siena, IT 53100.

The Accademia dei Fisiocritici Natural History Museum is one of the best museums in the Tuscany region. It is housed in a building that formerly served as a Camaldolese monastery. The museum exhibits natural finds made over two centuries in the region, and donations.

The museum is notable for its anatomy section, dedicated to Paolo Mascagni, an anatomist who made important discoveries, including a technique of tissue preservation using mercury.

Another of its sections is the zoology section, which exhibits different stuffed animals, skeletons and insects. The geology section exhibits minerals, rocks and fossil remains of different animals. Finally, the botany section contains numerous exhibits, such as terracotta fungi and lichen herbariums.

More information about the museum

• Admission fee: about 6€ per person.
• Hours: Monday and Friday from 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 2 pm to 7 pm and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm. Closed on Sundays.
• Location: Piazzetta Silvio Gigli, 2 53100 Siena.