Palazzo Piccolomini

Frommer's Review

This 1469 palace is a touch of Florence peeking into the southeast corner of the Campo. It was designed by Bernardo Rossellino in the Florentine Renaissance style and is now home to the Archivio di Stato (head down the corridor off the left of the courtyard to grab the elevator to the fourth floor). The state archives preserve, among other notable documents, Boccaccio's will and Jacopo della Quercia's contract for the Fonte Gaia. But the main thing to see is a remarkable set of wooden covers made for the city's account books, called the Tavolette di Biccerna, painted from the 13th to 17th centuries with religious scenes and important events in Siena's history -- Sano di Pietro, Vecchietta, Domenico Beccafumi, and Ambrogio Lorenzetti even did a few.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.