Siena ( see-EN-ə, Italian: [ˈsjɛːna, ˈsjeːna] ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; Latin: Saena Iulia) is a city in the region of Tuscany in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. With a population of 53,180, it is the 12th-largest city in the region.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking centre until the 13th and 14th centuries. Siena is also home to the oldest bank in the world, the Monte dei Paschi, which has been operating continuously since 1472 (1472). Several significant Mediaeval and Renaissance painters were born and worked in Siena, including Duccio di Buoninsegna, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Sassetta, and they influenced the course of Italian and European art. The University of Siena, originally called Studium Senese, was founded in 1240, making it one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world.
Siena was an important city in medieval Europe, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which contains several buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries. The city is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year in Piazza del Campo.
In October 2025, Siena won the European Green Leaf Award for 2027.
Siena, like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (c. 900–400 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called the Saina. A Roman town called Saena Iulia was founded at the site in the time of the Emperor Augustus.
According to local legend, Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus and thus nephews of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Supposedly after their father's murder by Romulus, they fled Rome, taking with them the statue of the she-wolf suckling the infants (Capitoline Wolf), thus appropriating that symbol for the town. Additionally they rode white and black horses, giving rise to the Balzana, or coat of arms of Siena with a white band atop a dark band. Some claim the name Siena derives from Senius. Other etymologies derive the name from the Etruscan family name Saina, the Roman family name Saenii, or the Latin word senex "old" or its derived form seneo "to be old".
The first known document of the Sienese community dates back to 70 AD: the Roman Senator Manlio Patruito reported to Rome that he had been ridiculed with a fake funeral during his official visit to Saena Iulia, a small military colony in Tuscia. The Roman Senate decided to punish the main culprits and to severely call the Sienese to greater respect for Roman authority.
At the end of the third century the city was Christianised by Sant'Ansano, known as the "Baptist of the Sienese", who was punished by the Roman authorities governing Siena with the test of fire and boiling oil, imprisonment and finally beheading. During the Middle Ages he was therefore named patron saint of Siena, and the day of his liturgical anniversary came to mark the beginning of the "Contrada Year".
Feudal power waned, however, and by the death of Countess Matilda in 1115 the border territory of the March of Tuscany which had been under the control of her family, the Canossa, broke up into several autonomous regions. This ultimately resulted in the creation of the Republic of Siena.
The Republic of Siena, established in the 12th century, was a vibrant and influential city-state during the medieval and Renaissance periods. Founded on principles of commerce and governance, Siena quickly became a significant player in the region's political landscape. Siena's economy thrived primarily through its wool industry, which was renowned throughout Europe. The city's strategic location along major trade routes further bolstered its prosperity, allowing Siena to establish trade networks that extended across Europe. This economic success was supported by a well-developed banking system and a strong guild structure that regulated various trades and professions.
Politically, the Republic of Siena was governed by a complex system of councils and magistrates, dominated by powerful noble families who competed for influence and control. The city's political structure evolved over time, with periodic reforms aimed at balancing power and maintaining stability. However, internal rivalries often led to factionalism and occasional civil unrest, one of the main challenges faced by many Italian city-states of that period.
Culturally, Siena flourished during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, producing notable artists such as Duccio di Buoninsegna and Ambrogio Lorenzetti. These artists, along with architects and scholars, contributed to the city's rich artistic and intellectual heritage. Siena's distinctive Gothic architecture, exemplified by the iconic Duomo di Siena and the Palazzo Pubblico, remains a testament to its cultural achievements during this period. In the 1330s Lorenzetti painted the fresco The City at Peace in the local government chamber Sala dei Nove, placing human activities in the foreground while buildings frame and protect the city of Siena. Three panels of fresco depict The Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Lorenzetti in Palazzo Pubblico.
During the golden age of Siena before the Black Death in 1348, the city was home to 50,000 people. The Black Death curtailed the building of the Duomo, leaving it unfinished. The Black Death lead to the death of approximately half of the population of Siena, leading to construction and economic issues across the city.
Despite its cultural and economic prowess, the Republic faced external threats and conflicts, particularly from its rival Florence. The rivalry between Siena and Florence intensified throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, and eventually became a component of the Italian Wars. These conflicts ultimately weakened Siena's political and economic position. From 1547 to 1552, the Spanish-installed governor of Siena was Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, until he was ousted by a Sienese revolt, which re-established the Sienese Republic. In the Italian War of 1551–1559, the republic was defeated by its rival Florence in alliance with the Spanish crown. After 18 months of resistance, Siena surrendered to Spain on 17 April 1555, marking the end of the republic.
After the fall of the Republic, a few Sienese led by the Florentine exile Piero Strozzi, not wanting to accept the fall of the Republic, took refuge in Montalcino, creating the Republic of Siena sheltered in Montalcino. It survived until 31 May 1559 when it was betrayed by the French allies, whom Siena had always supported, concluding with the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis with Charles V, which effectively ceded the Republic to the Medici.
The Academy of Sciences (Accademia de'Fisiocritici) was formed in Siena in 1691, by Pirro Maria Gabrielli.
The House of Medici, apart from the brief parenthesis of Ferdinando I, who tried to create an organised state, were not able to give a stable structure to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, keeping almost unchanged the division between the so-called Old State, i.e. Florence, and the New State, i.e. Siena and the southern part up to Pitigliano, with different laws and taxes. With the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici, (1737), who had no children, the Medici dynasty ended and the Grand Duchy passed into the hands of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty who kept it until 1799.
After the Napoleonic period and the Risorgimento uprisings, Siena was the first city in Tuscany, in 1859, to vote in favor of annexation to the Kingdom of Italy. During the smallpox epidemic, Siena was an early adaptor of innocculation.