Siena: Stepping into Tuscany’s Medieval Heart
Let Siena’s Art, Beauty, and history speak for itself—or build it into a longer journey that begins in Florence’s Hidden Renaissance Elegance
Tucked into the sun-kissed hills of central Tuscany, Siena feels like a city forgotten in time. Walk through the ancient city gates and you’re swept into a world of winding cobblestone streets, Gothic spires, and ochre-coloured buildings that haven’t changed in centuries. The centre-piece is the breathtaking Piazza del Campo, a fan-shaped square where locals and visitors gather as they have for generations, and where the thunderous Palio horse race ignites the city with fierce tradition twice each summer. It’s easy to get lost in the rhythm of Siena—exploring the Duomo’s striped marble façade, sipping rich Chianti in quiet courtyards, or watching the light shift across medieval brick at golden hour.
For two days you will explore the art of Siena which captures the elegance and spiritual depth of a city that shaped the course of Italian painting. From the delicate grace of Duccio to the bold drama of Simone Martini and the expressive realism of the Lorenzetti brothers, Siena’s artistic legacy is a breathtaking fusion of devotion, innovation, and civic pride. Whether you're an art lover, a history enthusiast, or a curious traveler, you will experience a tradition that continues to inspire centuries later.
You can opt to visit Siena on its own, or you can begin your Tuscan adventure by joining us in Florence. Together, they form a living bridge between two of Italy’s most beautiful eras.
Dates
Monday 20 – Tuesday 21 October 2025
Fee
€ 1100
Here’s what to expect on the Siena tour.
Day 1
AM 09:30
Meet at Caffè del Duomo - Piazza San Giovanni, 5
Morning coffee with a view of the Duomo. Meet your group, orient to the square, and prepare for a day immersed in medieval Siena.
AM 10:00
Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena
This museum is the best place to trace the evolution of Sienese painting, especially from the 13th to 15th centuries. Highlights:
Duccio di Buoninsegna – the father of Sienese painting. His elegant figures bridge Byzantine formality and Italian emotion.
Simone Martini – famed for refined Gothic elegance, particularly in altarpieces.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti – painter of narrative complexity and proto-humanist themes.
Sano di Pietro – a later Sienese master known for luminous color and serenity.
Also see rare wood panel paintings and gilded backgrounds that defined early devotional art.
PM 12:30
Group Lunch
PM 14:00
Palazzo Pubblico & Civic Museum
Highlights:
Sala della Pace – Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, one of the first artworks with a secular, civic theme. It contrasts an ideal city with one in chaos.
Simone Martini’s Maestà – a Gothic Madonna enthroned, directly across from the councilors’ bench to remind them of divine oversight.
Chapel frescoes and painted ceilings that speak to both spiritual and state authority..
PM 16:00
Basilica of San Francesco
Highlights:
Houses a Crucifixion fresco by Pietro Lorenzetti (early 14th century) in the right transept — expressive and full of Gothic pathos.
This work shows his move toward greater human emotion and spatial realism, anticipating Renaissance developments.
PM 19:00
Group Dinner at Palazzo Alessi - Residence of Glen Hardwick-Bruce in Colle Val d'Elsa
Enjoy a relaxed dinner with the group in the comfortable surroundings of Glen Hardwick-Bruce's home in the Tuscan countryside.
Day 2
AM 09:30
Meet at Caffè del Duomo - Piazza San Giovanni, 5.
AM 10:00
Siena Cathedral (Duomo Complex)
Highlights:
Main Cathedral – Giovanni Pisano’s pulpit, striped marble interior
Piccolomini Library – Pinturicchio’s vibrant frescoes
Duccio’s Maestà at the Opera Museum
Marble floor: intricate scenes of biblical and allegorical subjects.
PM 12:30
Lunch (participants' own)
PM 14:00
Oratory of San Bernardino
Houses a splendid fresco cycle by Sodoma (early 16th century) and Domenico Beccafumi.
An intimate space focused on the life of St. Bernardino of Siena.
Rich gold-decorated ceilings and beautifully preserved Renaissance detail.
PM 15:00
Church of San Francesco
Houses works by Jacopo della Quercia and 14th-century frescoes.
The church is stark and Gothic, with a profound sense of space and light.
Tour Closes
Lecturer’s Biography
Aliki Braine
Born in Paris in 1976, Aliki Braine studied at The Ruskin School of Fine Art, Oxford, The Slade School of Fine Art, London, and The Courtauld Institute, where she was awarded a distinction for her master's in 17th-century painting. Aliki has been a regular lecturer at the National Gallery since 2001 and teaches at the Wallace Collection, Courtauld Gallery, and The Arts Society. She is an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Fine Art Photography at the University of the Arts London. Aliki is also a practicing artist who regularly exhibits her photographic work internationally.
Publications & Exhibitions
Books
Art; The Whole Story, Thames and Hudson (2010)
501 Artists, Barons Publishing (2007)
1001 Paintings to See Before You Die, New Burlington Books (2006)
Reviews
Robert Shore, Beg, Steal and Borrow; Artists Against Originality, Elephant Books (2017)
Pauline Martin, L’Évidence, le vide, la vie; La photographie face à ses lacunes, Ithaque Editions (2017)
Brady Wilks, Alternative Photographic Processes: Crafting Handmade Images, Focal Press (2015)
Robert Shore, Post-Photography: The Artist With a Camera, Laurence King Pub (2014)
Exhibitions
‘Veronica Bailey & Aliki Braine: Cross-Reference', dalla Rosa Gallery, London (2018)
‘Wilful Damage’, Galerie Raum Mit Licht, Vienna, Austria (2011)
‘Les Evidences du Réel; La photographie face à ses lacunes’, Musée d'art de Pully, Lausanne, Switzerland (2017)
‘Material Light’, Kulturni Centar, Belgrade, Serbia (2015)
