Most of the principal sites in Siena cluster around the fan-shaped Piazza Del Campo, one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares.
The piazza occupies the site of the old Roman forum and for much of the city’s early history was the principal marketplace. The present shape began in 1293, when the Council of Nine, Siena’s ruling body at the time, began to acquire land with a plan to create a grand civic plaza.
The piazza has been a setting for executions, bullfights and festivals. Today it is lined with cafés and restaurants. The fountain in 5r square is a 19th-century copy of an original carved by Jacopo della Quercia in 1409-19. It’s relief depict the Virtues, Adam and Eve and the Madonna and Child. The originals are in Santa Maria della Scala. The fountain’s water is still supplied by a 500-year-old aqueduct.
