Piazza del Campo

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Campo with Palazzo Pubblico

The Piazza del Campo is the most important square in the Tuscan city ​​of Siena , of which it forms the center.

The square is known for its impressive architecture and its semicircular shape and for the Palio di Siena horse race, which is held here twice a year .

history

The center of the city, which was already important in the Etruscan period, was originally in the area of ​​today's Castelvecchio, while "the Campo" was just a piece of land that was used to drain off rainwater. However, since the trunk road leading past Siena also ran over this field and crossed another road here, a market square soon developed at this point.

The name "Campo" is mentioned for the first time in writing in 1169 in a source that deals with the entire valley floor, which also includes today's Piazza del Mercato, today on the other side of the Palazzo Comunale. At that time, the city of Siena acquired the land that stretches from Piazza del Mercato to today's Logge della Mercanzia. A subdivision of the area into today's two squares is mentioned in 1193, so that one can assume that in the meantime at least one wall was built that divided the square into two halves; possibly this was done to better drain the water.

Pen drawing, around 1578

Until 1270, when the rule of the twenty-four (1236–1270) came to an end, the square was then used for fairs and markets. Although the square did not yet have the appearance it has today, it gradually developed into the second center of the city next to the cathedral; While religious festivals were the focus there, trade and secular festivals dominated in the Piazza del Campo. Since the city authorities also made themselves more and more independent of the bishop (and later the archbishop), the need for a town hall of their own arose during the reign of the Nine (1289–1355).

The Piazza del Campo is one of the most impressive municipal squares in Italy - in contrast to St. Mark's Square in Venice and Piazza dei Miracoli Pisas, this is a square without a church, i.e. a purely political center - and this is also reflected in the art in the interior of the City Hall. The terrain is slightly sloping and the Palazzo Pubblico, the public palace, i.e. the town hall, is at the bottom. This remarkably low position, in contrast to the customs of other cities, is explained by the need to choose a neutral location between the hills of Siena. Here, too, the competitive thinking within the city has had consequences. As a result, the tower had to be very high so that it could tower over the city despite its low location.

With the construction of the Palazzo Comunale, the impetus for an architectural design of the square was given. In the years 1327–1349 the square was paved, and the division into nine segments is still reminiscent of the rule of the nine at that time. However, the “skyline” of the square was not created spontaneously in one piece. Only over the years did the city administration ensure that the facade design was handled uniformly through corresponding laws. For example, a Peter and Paul Church was demolished; today the streets of Vicoli di San Pietro e di San Paolo remind of this.

Fonte Gaia

Fonte Gaia

On the higher side of the Campo is the Fonte Gaia, which Jacopo della Quercia created between 1409 and 1419. It is called 'Fountain of Joy' because in 1342 it was possible for the first time to let water flow into the city with the help of a 25 km pipe. The constant lack of water was a big problem in the mountain town of Siena - especially in the summer months. In terms of style, della Quercia achieved something similar in the figures of this fountain to Sienese painting, namely a balance between classical tradition and Gothic sweep.

The figures in the fountain have been replaced by replicas by Tito Sarrocchi since 1858 , but nonetheless we have before us an important document for the development of early Renaissance sculpture. At that time, 1409, people began to be increasingly interested in the ancient past and, of course, especially in the history of Rome. Jacopo della Quercia was commissioned by the city of Siena to document in this fountain the alleged Roman origins of the city as the foundation of the sons of Remus and their virtues based on them. The original parts of the fountain can now be seen in the Museum of Santa Maria della Scala in the Fienile area .

building

View of the Piazza del Campo and the surrounding buildings

Palazzo Comunale

Construction of the city administration building began in 1297. Originally the palazzo only had three floors; later there were further extensions. Above all, however, in the course of the 14th century, the Torre del Mangia was added to the 102 meter high tower that characterizes the cityscape of Siena. The name is derived from the nickname Mangiaguadagni (profit eater ) of the first bell ringer .

Cappella di Piazza

In front of the entrance to the Palazzo Pubblico, a small chapel, the Cappella di Piazza, the plaza chapel was built as a thank you for surviving the plague in 1352 - that is, still in the Gothic era - which over 100 years later (1463) its present shape with a Renaissance decoration received. But both go together so well, as if they were created at the same time. The roof construction comes from Antonio Federighi and was created in the 1460s. The Northern European Gothic was adopted in Italy in the 13th and especially in the 14th century in a form that was greatly modified and adapted to the Italian tradition. And later, in the 15th century, the Renaissance was able to build on centuries of preparatory phases. Both of these do not contradict each other here in Italy as in France or Germany. Here at this chapel the old round arch was used loosely in the Gothic style and not the typical Gothic pointed arch. And when the round arch became the norm again in the Renaissance, nothing had to be changed here.

The horse race

Twice a year, on July 2nd and August 16th, a horse race (" Palio di Siena ") is held on the square .

Web links

Commons : Piazza del Campo  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 43 ° 19 ′ 6.3 "  N , 11 ° 19 ′ 53.2"  E