Piazza del Campo in Siena is famous all around the world for the particularity of its conformation: the square in fact seems a big concave shell.
The ground is made of red bricks arranged in fishbone style, divided into a sunburst pattern by nine strips of travertine. The reason of this structure is because it was made in memory of the Government of the Nine, who ruled over the city from 1292 to 1355.
The white marble of the Fonte Gaia - the fountain - stands out on the paving, it is the masterpiece of 1419 by Jacopo della Quercia, later replaced by a copy.
In Piazza del Campo there is also the Palazzo Comunale - the town hall, unusually built on the lowest part of the square, and also the talls Torre del Mangia that stands out against the sky. The Torre del Mangia reaches 102 metres, including the lightning conductor.
At the base of the Palazzo you can find the Chapel of the Virgin, built by the Sienese, after the end of the terrible plague of 1348. Round the chapel there are the elegant facades of the palaces - Palazzi Signorili, belonging to the wealthiest families: the Sansedoni, the Piccolomini, and the Saracini.
The square was finished at the end of the 1200s, on the space that was for a long time used for fairs and markets and was situated at a crossroad of important streets.
The square was always in the long history of the town the main place where took place events, tournaments, buffalo and bull races.
