The Palazzo Pubblico is in the lower part of the Piazza del Campo. The palace was built in 14 century, although some parts of the building were added later. For several centuries it was the seat of the republican government of Siena, so-called Council of Nine. Today visitors can see interesting exhibits of the city museum (the Museo Civico) at the Palazzo Pubblico.
The palace has a beautiful facade reflecting the outwards curve (convex) of the Piazza del Campo. The lower tier of the palace is trimmed with white stone. On the roof of the palace you can see crenellation giving it the look of a medieval fortress. The merlons have the shape of a quadrangle. Such merlons were characteristic of the cities, which supported the Guelfs (the followers of the Vatican). The Ghibellines decorated their castles with swallow-tail crenellations. On the upper part of the palace you can see a white circle with the monogram of Christ.
So far the city museum occupies only the ground floor of the Palazzo Pubblico. The offices of the City Hall are still on the first floor of the palace. In future it is also planned to place the museum collections on the second floor of the palace.
At the city museum you can see the works of art created in Siena during 14-16 centuries. There you can see interesting collections of ceramics, weapons and decorations. The walls of the museum rooms are decorated by the frescoes of Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Siena painter of 14 century.
