Siena Cathedral, Italy

Siena Cathedral is located in Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square) and is rivalled only by the cathedrals of Milan and Orvieto. The Cathedral of Siena was built between 1215-1263. It is in Romanesque and Gothic style with a tangle of carvings, columns and decorative details. Overall it is the work of Giovanni Pisano, an architect and sculptor from Pisa. Inside the Cathedral, the ceiling with sculptural heads - busts of 172 popes starting from St. Peter and ending with Lucius III. The floor of the Cathedral consists of marble flooring, which consists of 56 narrative images made by the most famous artists of Siena.

In the Cathedral of Siena are of interest the Altar of Piccolomini - with statues by Michelangelo; the Piccolomini Library with a cycle of paintings from the life of Pope Pius II (born in Siena) by Pinturicchio of Umbria; the Amvona by Nicola Pisano; the tomb of Cardinal Petroni by Tino da Camaino; the Chapel of Ss. John the Baptist with more frescoes by Pinturicchio; the Baptistery of St. John with sculptures by Donatello, Jacopo della Cuercia and other masters from Siena and Florence.