First of two days exploring Siena on foot, starting in the enormous, scallop-shaped Piazza del Campo, venue of the Palio horse race, one of the greatest Italian festivals. The square is dominated by the Palazzo Pubblico, arguably the finest civic building of Italian Gothic, whose council halls were frescoed by the Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and others. In the afternoon, we walk up to the majestic cathedral, symbol of Siena’s aspirations during its heyday in the 13th and early 14th centuries, to study the murals in the recently discovered crypt, Giovanni Pisano’s intricate façade, and an elaborately carved pulpit by Nicola Pisano. The adjacent Piccolomini Library was frescoed by Pinturicchio, illustrating the life of Pius II, Siena’s Renaissance pope. In the substructure of the cathedral’s choir, the baptistery houses an early 15th-century font embellished with gilt bronze reliefs by Ghiberti and Donatello.