Siena Trip Overview
The visit takes place among the most suggestive places of Siena linked to the figure of St. Catherine, patron saint of two districts of Siena, of Italy and co-patron of Europe. You will visit together with an expert local guide the Basilica of San Domenico, where the young woman joined the Dominican Tertiaries and in which the relics of the Saint are still preserved. Then you will visit the Sanctuary of St. Catherine, where she used to live with her family. From the house, you will descend towards Fontebranda, one of the oldest medieval fountains, whose water was used by the dyers, among them was Catherine’s father. Afterwards, you will arrive at the medieval Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, where you will visit the Oratory of “St. Catherine of the Night”, where she rested and prayed after having dedicated herself to works of charity and assistance. The tour will allow you to get to know this brave woman of the past and to admire the wonderful landscapes that this itinerary offers.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: Siena, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Siena Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Siena, Toscana, Italy
The visit takes place among the most suggestive places of Siena linked to the figure of St. Catherine, patron saint of two districts of Siena, of Italy and co-patron of Europe. You will visit together with an expert local guide the Basilica of San Domenico, where the young woman joined the Dominican Tertiaries and in which the relics of the Saint are still preserved. Then you will visit the Sanctuary of St. Catherine, where she used to live with her family. From the house, you will descend towards Fontebranda, one of the oldest medieval fountains, whose water was used by the dyers, among them was Catherine’s father. Afterwards, you will arrive at the medieval Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, where you will visit the Oratory of “St. Catherine of the Night”, where she rested and prayed after having dedicated herself to works of charity and assistance. The tour will allow you to get to know this brave woman of the past and to admire the wonderful landscapes that this itinerary offers.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Basilica Cateriniana Di S. Domenico, Piazza San Domenico, 53100, Siena Italy
The visit will begin with the Basilica of San Domenico, where you will see the extraordinary chapel dedicated to the saint on the right side of the nave, which has been frescoed in the first part of the sixteenth century by Sodoma.The chapel preserves the relic of the holy head of the Saint. In the “Cappella delle Volte” Catherine took the habit of a Dominican Tertiary (called mantellata in Italian)and right there you will see what is considered her only portrait made by the Sienese artist Andrea Vanni in 1375.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Santuario di Santa Caterina, Costa di San Antonio 4, 53100, Siena Italy
The visit continues to the suggestive birthplace of St. Catherine, which became a sanctuary in 1464, shortly after her canonization. The Sanctuary consists of three oratories with decorations of different periods, from the Renaissance to the Baroque to the Sienese Purism, which will allow you to understand the intense mystical and diplomatic life of St. Catherine. The Kitchen Oratory is decorated from the end of the fifteenth century with paintings depicting mystical episodes, the diplomatic commitment carried out by Catherine, the “Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine” of Arcangelo Salimbeni and the painting of Pomarancio “Pope Gregory XI exhorted by St. Catherine brings back the papal Seat in Rome”; the Church of the Crucifix, a baroque church that preserves the Pisan crucifix of the second half of the 12th century in front of which St. Catherine received the stigmata, symbol of Catherine’s close union with Christ; the Oratory of the Bedroom, where Catherine used to rest on a stone pillow, the first place in which the young woman entered into intimate communion with Jesus.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Via di Fontebranda, Siena Italy
From the house of St. Catherine you will descend towards Fontebranda, one of the oldest and most important medieval fountains, whose water was used by the dyers. The district of Fontebranda was in fact inhabited by many dyers, who had there their houses, laboratories and their warehouses for dyeing cloth. Among them was Catherine’s father, Jacopo Benincasa.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Battistero di San Giovanni, Piazza San Giovanni, Siena Italy
From the fountain you can decide whether to take the escalators that lead near the Duomo, or sports enthusiasts can walk along Via del Costone, which offers a wonderful panoramic view. Catherine used to walk this way to reach the Cathedral and the Hospital; it was here that according to the legend as a very Little child she had her first mystical vision.
You will reach Piazza San Giovanni, where the Baptistery is located, rebuilt here as a sort of second façade of the Cathedral during Catherine’s ages, who received the sacrament of Baptism here.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala, Piazza del Duomo 1, 53100, Siena Italy
Going up the steps of the Baptistery, which are linked to another well-known legend of the Saint’s life, you will reach the Duomo, in front of which is located the imposing building of the Hospital Santa Maria della Scala, founded on the rise of the 10th century. In this place Catherine used to go to offer her help to the sick and poor people of the city. Inside you will visit the Oratory of Santa Caterina della Notte (St. Catherine of the Night) where Catherine rested and prayed after having dedicated herself to works of charity and assistance.
Duration: 30 minutes
