Santa Maria della Scala

A museum complex in which visitors can explore its astonishing architectural, artistic, social, political and economic history going back almost a thousand years

Santa Maria della Scala was built at the end of the twelfth century; as a result of later extensions it now occupies one side of Piazza del Duomo. The building was intended as a place for hospitality, but over the centuries health functions became predominant and it became the city hospital until the nineties. A project by the architect Guido Canali, helped to recuperate about 18,000 square meters of museum spaces: the prestigious monumental rooms, which are the heart of the complex, the ancient granary that currently hosts the fifteenth century marbles of the Fonte Gaia by Jacopo della Quercia, the "warehouses" in which the Treasure of Santa Maria della Scala are exhibited and the tunnels which house the National Archaeological Museum and the section "Siena. A story of the city from its origins to the Middle Ages “. There are also the Museum of Art for Children and the Giuliano Briganti Library and Photo Library.
After having made a detailed historical survey, the City Council of Siena recently decided to relaunch it, transforming it from an exhibiting space to a center for artistic and cultural productions. Santa Maria della Scala is an extraordinary synthesis between the city and its history: a place where architecture, works of art and history tell us about life in a town that has continued without interruption for a thousand years.