A cura di Mauro Civai

The Architecture and the History

The Palazzo Pubblico has always represented the centre of civic life for the citizens of Siena; it has frequently been at the centre of the most significant events in the history of the city. Its interior walls are illustrated, side by side with images of the divine, with images of the important characters from Siena’s history, a past rich in events of great importance that reached far beyond the city walls. It was the Signori Nove that requested the construction of a new seat for the government, a Palazzo that could respond to the growing functions and requirements of an oligarchy in continuous expansion, while also considering the aesthetic ideals of a political class well aware of its role and confident of its own future. The construction of the Palazzo achieved exceptional results in part due to the precise urbanistic decision to incorporate the building into the grandiose space that is the Campo. The new construction was a focal point that could attract the attention of anyone, regardless of where they stood in the Piazza. Like a theatre set, the Palazzo was used by the city’s governors to display their power and to underline a proud liberty.