Siena’s National Art Gallery (Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena) is known for its large collection of Sienese paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries, with work by Duccio, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers among the artists featured. The museum is located in via S. Pietro, not far from the Duomo. The recommended route through the collection starts on the 2nd floor with the oldest paintings dating from the early days of the Sienese School until the seond half of the 15th century. Although I spent quite a long time looking at and enjoying the early paintings, mostly sacred art – altar pieces, diptychs, triptychs , many heavily gilded – I soon left my husband behind as this is his favourite period of Italian art and he studied everything in minute detail. My husband could easily have spent longer here but we were only in Siena for that day and wewere to meet the rest of our group at the Botanical Garden in the afternoon. I continued around the suggested route, although some of the collection was closed while we were there, and eventually found myself in a large gallery of stone sculptures and bas-reliefs, although I was initially drawn to the windows with their wonderful views across the rooftops of Siena.
The collection is amazing, even for a ‘lightweight’ like me, but for those who are real art lovers this museum is a must: it’s not all Sienese art as on the third floor there is a collection that has works by Northern Italian, Flemish, German and Dutch artists, including Durer. The building itself is beautiful and interesting: originally two palaces – the Buonsignori and Brigidi Palazzos. The Buonsignori Palazzo was built after 1440 in late Gothic style and the Brigidi Palazzo in the 14th century and restored in the 19th century; the museum was founded there in 1932. In the Brigidi part of the building is a spiral staircase (see photo) ‘della Pia’ so named after a character who inspired novels and an opera by Donitzetti.
The website www.pinacotecanazionale.siena.it gives details of opening times, which are rather complicated so it’s best to check if planning a visit. It closes on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month + 25 December and 1 January, but it also closes early on some days. Our entrance tickets cost 8 Euros each. There are splendid toilets up a short flight of stairs once you’ve walked past the cloakroom (where bags are left). There is a small lift and where there are different levels with short stairways stairlifts have been installed, making the museum largely accessible to all.
For those who can’t get to Siena a major new exhibition ‘Siena, the Rise of Painting 1300 – 1350’ is due to open on 8 March at the National Gallery in London – until 22 June, although the paintings are not from the National Art Gallery of Siena. .
