Official Information
Official site: https://operaduomo.siena.it
Official tickets: Choose the official Opa Si Pass or other combined tickets here (this is the only official channel for advance purchase and up-to-date visiting information).
Address: Piazza del Duomo 8, 53100 Siena SI, Italy
Map: View on Google Maps
Opening Hours
Opening hours for the Cathedral, Piccolomini Library, Baptistery, Crypt, Museum, and Facciatone viewpoint vary by season. Typically open daily from mid-morning to late afternoon or early evening, with extended hours during peak months. Always check the ‘Visiting’ section on the official website for current times before your visit.
Siena’s Duomo complex is one of Italy’s richest clusters of Gothic art and architecture, and the Opa Si Pass lets you treat it as a single, multi-stop experience rather than just ducking into the church. The striped façade of black-and-white marble announces the city’s medieval wealth, but it’s once you step inside and then explore the satellite sites that the scale of the achievement really sinks in. In the Cathedral itself, the inlaid marble floor is the star: a patchwork of biblical and allegorical scenes executed over centuries by leading artists. For much of the year large sections are covered to protect them, but during special “uncovering” periods you can walk amongst an extraordinary graphic novel in stone. Look up and you’ll find a starry blue vaulted ceiling, intricate pulpits and side chapels glowing with stained glass and sculpture. The adjacent Piccolomini Library, entered from inside the Cathedral, is an explosion of colour, walls and ceiling entirely covered with Pinturicchio’s frescoes showing the life of Pope Pius II, with vitrines displaying jewel-like illuminated manuscripts. Down below lie the Crypt and Baptistery, where fresco fragments and baptismal fonts trace the evolution of Sienese painting. The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo extends the story with statues and altarpieces removed from the church for conservation. Don’t rush through: masterpieces by Duccio and his followers are easier to appreciate here than in the higher, darker nave. Finally, if you’re comfortable with stairs, climb the unfinished façade known as the Facciatone for a sweeping view over Siena’s tiled rooftops and the Tuscan hills, one of the most memorable panoramas in central Italy. Because the complex is spread over several buildings with separate queues, it’s wise to plan your route (the official website suggests itineraries) and allow a few unrushed hours rather than trying to squeeze everything into a quick stop between buses.