One of the great Gothic cathedrals of Italy, distinguished by its striped black and white marble exterior. The interior is extraordinary: the inlaid marble floor (the most elaborate in existence, depicting scenes from the Old Testament) and the Libreria Piccolomini with its vivid Renaissance frescoes are both unmissable. The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo next door houses original sculptures by Duccio and Donatello.
Siena Cathedral (Duomo)
Striped marble cathedral with elaborate inlaid floors
A story
The Sienese originally planned an even larger cathedral — what now stands was to be the transept of a giant new building. The Black Death of 1348 killed so many workers that the project was abandoned. You can see the unfinished nave wall still standing alongside the existing cathedral.