Palazzo delle Papesse

Not far from Piazza del Campo in Siena, along the prestigious Via di Città, you can find the Palazzo Piccolomini known also as Palazzo delle Papesse.

The Palazzo delle Papesse, one of the most imposing buildings in humanist Siena, is a symbol of the dynastic policy of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Pope Pius II, who ascended the papal throne in 1458. As its name suggests, the residence was intended for his sister Caterina.

This palazzo was built between 1460 and 1495. In typical Florentine Renaissance style, the palazzo is on three floors, with the ground floor sheathed in studded stone and bifore windows opening up on the floors above. A terrace on the second floor offers a fine view of the so-called facciatone, the facade of the Duomo, while the whole of the city can be observed from the covered roof terrace on the summit of the palazzo.

In 1633, the Palace hosted the scientist Galileo Galilei who observed the moon from here, discovering that this satellite was not perfect or spherical as was believed, but dotted with mountains and craters on the surface.