One of the two great commercial streets of medieval Siena, named for the moneychangers' tables (banchi) once set out along it. It climbs gently north from the Croce del Travaglio at the top of the Campo to Piazza Salimbeni and on towards Porta Camollia.
The lower stretch is lined with elegant shops; the upper end becomes more residential. The street follows the ridge of the city's northern hill — one of the three crests on which Siena was built — and is closed to most traffic.