Biblioteca Piccolomini
Biblioteca Piccolomini
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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dr K.
Beirut, Lebanon368 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Small little library inside the duomo. Amazing ceiling and walls. We’ll worth it while in Sienna. Loved it with Siena in general
Written April 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brun066
Florence, Italy11,875 contributions
Nov 2022
I visited the Piccolomini Library in November 2022 for perhaps the sixth time. I have always found it fascinating for the narrative style of the artist who mainly worked on it, Pinturicchio, and in general for the liveliness of the pictorial decoration that covers the entire hall, very coherent because it was finished in a few years.
There are at least two ways to appreciate the cycle of Pinturicchio's ten panels frescoed between 1502 and 1507 and representing, on the walls, as many moments in the life of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, later Pope Pius II, since his departure for the Council of Basel (1431) until his death (1464). One way is that of the entrance, by this iconographic path, into the biography of Enea Silvio with his wanderings - somewhat cosmopolitan for the time - in Europe, from Italy to Switzerland to Scotland to England to France; not to mention Germany, where he stayed for a long time (for three years also as secretary of Emperor Frederick III).
The other way - the main one - to appreciate the paintings is that of the stylistic reading of the ten panels, which show the predilection towards detailed narration by Pinturicchio and his school, and which allow us to always discover new details of the narration itself. They range from the interest in the representation of the characters and their clothing, depicted with accuracy, with reference to their respective roles (emperors, kings, popes, cardinals, bishops, doges, oriental prelates and dignitaries, knights, courtiers, bodyguards, soldiers ...), the interest in the perspective construction of splendid architectures, both real and fictional (the court of the king of Scotland, the imperial one in Aachen, several rooms where the papal throne is located, the church of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, the court of the Duke of Mantua ), the interest in landscape representations (the storm with clouds, rain and lightning; the "Scottish-Italian" landscape, the landscape of central Italy; urban profiles that should be from time to time those of Trieste, Siena, Rome , Ancona). An extraordinary encyclopedia of places and events, in which you will never tire of browsing.
At the center of the room, then, the sensual Roman sculpture of the "Three Graces", object of ostracism from the nineteenth century onwards, and finally - hopefully definitively - brought back here in 1972 where the creators of the chapel had wanted it.
Overall, in the context of a sublime creation such as the Duomo of Siena, this Library is a further treasure chest of beauty.
There are at least two ways to appreciate the cycle of Pinturicchio's ten panels frescoed between 1502 and 1507 and representing, on the walls, as many moments in the life of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, later Pope Pius II, since his departure for the Council of Basel (1431) until his death (1464). One way is that of the entrance, by this iconographic path, into the biography of Enea Silvio with his wanderings - somewhat cosmopolitan for the time - in Europe, from Italy to Switzerland to Scotland to England to France; not to mention Germany, where he stayed for a long time (for three years also as secretary of Emperor Frederick III).
The other way - the main one - to appreciate the paintings is that of the stylistic reading of the ten panels, which show the predilection towards detailed narration by Pinturicchio and his school, and which allow us to always discover new details of the narration itself. They range from the interest in the representation of the characters and their clothing, depicted with accuracy, with reference to their respective roles (emperors, kings, popes, cardinals, bishops, doges, oriental prelates and dignitaries, knights, courtiers, bodyguards, soldiers ...), the interest in the perspective construction of splendid architectures, both real and fictional (the court of the king of Scotland, the imperial one in Aachen, several rooms where the papal throne is located, the church of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, the court of the Duke of Mantua ), the interest in landscape representations (the storm with clouds, rain and lightning; the "Scottish-Italian" landscape, the landscape of central Italy; urban profiles that should be from time to time those of Trieste, Siena, Rome , Ancona). An extraordinary encyclopedia of places and events, in which you will never tire of browsing.
At the center of the room, then, the sensual Roman sculpture of the "Three Graces", object of ostracism from the nineteenth century onwards, and finally - hopefully definitively - brought back here in 1972 where the creators of the chapel had wanted it.
Overall, in the context of a sublime creation such as the Duomo of Siena, this Library is a further treasure chest of beauty.
Written November 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maggie N
1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Family
It was definitely worth seeing. The pope depicted in the ceiling was an interesting man. The manuscripts are gorgeous, especially if you’re interested in reading music. It’s a quick view, and worth it! The whole church is gorgeous.
Written July 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dillons780
Long Island, NY521 contributions
Jun 2022
The library is connected to the Duomo di Siena and is a relatively small room which makes for a great quick visit after visiting the Duomo di Siena. The library is stunning and unlike anything we've seen before. Tickets are sold in combination with entrance to the Duomo di Siena. Highly recommend.
Written June 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jackiesamy
Miami, FL209 contributions
Dec 2021
excellent place, beautiful to visit i recommend to see it the place was not that crowded and the people was nice
Written January 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Craig E
Manchester, UK1,747 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
The intricate detail in the library is beautiful. The colours are also very vibrant and look like they were painted yesterday!
Definitely worth a quick visit if inside the cathedral.
Definitely worth a quick visit if inside the cathedral.
Written October 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
slowtravel2018
Jerez De La Frontera, Spain45 contributions
Oct 2020
Don't miss this beautiful library! You can easily walk by the small entrance to this stunning room, so watch out for it. Yes, the cathedral is impressive, but the library is the real treasure trove, with exceptional artwork, very well preserved.
Written October 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew S
Bellingham, WA1,046 contributions
Jun 2019
Truly spectacular library attached to the Duomo. Stunning artwork. Well worth the wait in line. Don't miss it.
Written May 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mairwen1
United Kingdom8,650 contributions
Jun 2019
To see the library, you have to have a ticket to go inside the cathedral. Once inside the cathedral, it can be easy to accidentally miss the library because the entry can be hidden behind the crowds. It is only a small space so you may have to wait to go in but it’s worth it.
Pope Pius III started building this library in 1492 after his uncle, Pope Pius II (spot the trend) died and left him a collection of Greek, Latin and Hebrew books. Pius II seems to have been a lover of books and in addition to collecting them, he also wrote poetry, historical accounts and one racy erotic novel, ‘The Tale of Two Lovers’.
The Piccolominis were a powerful and wealthy family in Siena so the library was intended to honour and commemorate his uncle as well as house the books.
The ceiling and walls are covered in detailed frescoes with brilliant scarlets, vivid blues and glittering gold highlights that are still very vibrant.
There was a little bit of scaffolding covering some of the room when we were there but considering that the works are about 500 years old, you can’t really complain when they need a little tender loving care.
What to See:
• Despite it being a library there aren’t many books left, but there are a number of large and beautiful illuminated choir books
• The frescoes are the highlight. They tell the story of Pope Pius II’s life and are basically a biography in pictures. Whilst that might not sound like the most interesting thing in the world, they really are very beautiful. I found myself lingering in front of them for some time because they contain so many details of colourful costumes, pagaents, architecture etc
• The fresco on the entrance wall shows Pope Pius III’s coronation on October 8, 1503. It is especially poignant looking at this because the new pope was to die just ten days later.
• The last picture also turned out to be another harbinger-of-death-scene. It shows Pius II arriving in Ancona to meet with a fleet from Venice and personally lead a crusade against the Turks. This caught my eye because we were on our way to spend a couple of weeks not far from Ancona in the Marche region. However Pius II was already sick when he arrived on 19 July 1464 and he died there 1 week later, far away from home. To make things worse, his crusade was cancelled on his death. Pius II had been the driving force behind it and it wasn’t that popular an idea anyway so nobody seemed to mind much.
• Another scene also caught my attention. Pius II is only 27 years old and not yet Pope (still simple Enea Silvio Piccolomini). He is setting off on a journey on a white horse - a symbol of what was to come because normally only popes rode white horses. What really caught my eye was the fact that he was a very well dressed traveller, wearing a rather beautiful travelling cloak with a fur collar. Clearly tourists dressed better in those days. I wouldn't mind a travelling cloak myself if only I had more room in my luggage. I also liked the dark, grey storm blowing in behind him and the detail of the ships in the harbour that were about to be tossed wildly about about in a few moments when the storm hit.
• It is worth noting that although the Pinturicchio was the main artist, some of the work was done by a very young, Raphael. In the scene showing the canonisation of St Catherine, you can see an image of Raphael - look for the man with red stockings and his hand on his hip.
• With all of the colour and detail on the walls, you can kind of overlook the ceiling but the detail there is so lovely too – lots of tiny cherubs, demons, horses, monkeys, birds, and winged creatures on vivid red and gold backgrounds. The half moons are there because they are the Piccolomini family symbol.
Pope Pius III started building this library in 1492 after his uncle, Pope Pius II (spot the trend) died and left him a collection of Greek, Latin and Hebrew books. Pius II seems to have been a lover of books and in addition to collecting them, he also wrote poetry, historical accounts and one racy erotic novel, ‘The Tale of Two Lovers’.
The Piccolominis were a powerful and wealthy family in Siena so the library was intended to honour and commemorate his uncle as well as house the books.
The ceiling and walls are covered in detailed frescoes with brilliant scarlets, vivid blues and glittering gold highlights that are still very vibrant.
There was a little bit of scaffolding covering some of the room when we were there but considering that the works are about 500 years old, you can’t really complain when they need a little tender loving care.
What to See:
• Despite it being a library there aren’t many books left, but there are a number of large and beautiful illuminated choir books
• The frescoes are the highlight. They tell the story of Pope Pius II’s life and are basically a biography in pictures. Whilst that might not sound like the most interesting thing in the world, they really are very beautiful. I found myself lingering in front of them for some time because they contain so many details of colourful costumes, pagaents, architecture etc
• The fresco on the entrance wall shows Pope Pius III’s coronation on October 8, 1503. It is especially poignant looking at this because the new pope was to die just ten days later.
• The last picture also turned out to be another harbinger-of-death-scene. It shows Pius II arriving in Ancona to meet with a fleet from Venice and personally lead a crusade against the Turks. This caught my eye because we were on our way to spend a couple of weeks not far from Ancona in the Marche region. However Pius II was already sick when he arrived on 19 July 1464 and he died there 1 week later, far away from home. To make things worse, his crusade was cancelled on his death. Pius II had been the driving force behind it and it wasn’t that popular an idea anyway so nobody seemed to mind much.
• Another scene also caught my attention. Pius II is only 27 years old and not yet Pope (still simple Enea Silvio Piccolomini). He is setting off on a journey on a white horse - a symbol of what was to come because normally only popes rode white horses. What really caught my eye was the fact that he was a very well dressed traveller, wearing a rather beautiful travelling cloak with a fur collar. Clearly tourists dressed better in those days. I wouldn't mind a travelling cloak myself if only I had more room in my luggage. I also liked the dark, grey storm blowing in behind him and the detail of the ships in the harbour that were about to be tossed wildly about about in a few moments when the storm hit.
• It is worth noting that although the Pinturicchio was the main artist, some of the work was done by a very young, Raphael. In the scene showing the canonisation of St Catherine, you can see an image of Raphael - look for the man with red stockings and his hand on his hip.
• With all of the colour and detail on the walls, you can kind of overlook the ceiling but the detail there is so lovely too – lots of tiny cherubs, demons, horses, monkeys, birds, and winged creatures on vivid red and gold backgrounds. The half moons are there because they are the Piccolomini family symbol.
Written March 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Asiyah Noemi K
Pula, Croatia4,972 contributions
Jan 2020
The Piccolomini Library is a monumental environment of the Siena cathedral.The library is magically beautiful. Its frescoes and exposed books are priceless treasure. In the honor the memory of the maternal uncle Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II), and to preserve the rich bibliographic patrimony that the pontiff and humanist collected when he was in Rome, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, archbishop of Siena (later Pope Pius III), around in 1492 he was built a library on the premises of the old rectory along the north-western side of the Cathedral. Todeschini was inspired by the French tradition that included libraries attached to cathedrals and by the opening of the Vatican Library of Pope Sixtus IV. As for the chronology of the frescoes that decorate the library, they were made by Pinturicchio and his workshop in a period of time ranging from 1503 to 1508 and celebrate the life and deeds of the pontificate of Pius II, rich in evocation of landscapes and real and imaginative costumes, with refined representations of ceremonies and characters, performed with a wealth of glazed colors. Among the beautiful murals besides Pope Pius II is the character of Pinturicchio himself. In the scene with the canonization of Saint Catherine of Siena, among the public of the religious orders, in the lower left, the two figures in which the young Raphael (with red stockings) have long recognized themselves, who would have collaborated with Bernardino di Betto the execution of the frescoes in the Library, and Pinturicchio himself (with the red cap). The fifth scene of the cycle is one of the best known: it represents the meeting, promoted by the pontiff, between Emperor Frederick III and Eleonora of Portugal, which took place on February 24, 1452, near Porta Camollia. In addition to the murals in the room, we can also admire the marble sculpture of Three Graces. Magnificent codes ( Hand Painted and Written Books),(Gradualie Antifonari) are preserved in the display cases on the walls. It is a very representative collection for the history of the Italian miniature of the fifteenth century. Beyond the Sienese artists, the most precious pages are those decorated by Girolamo da Cremona and Liberale da Verona.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DaAv1979
Sondrio, Italy309 contributions
È consentito fotografare l’interno? Si paga una sovrattassa al biglietto?
Ida B
Province of Bergamo, Italy607 contributions
Si è possibile fotografare e non c è una sovrattassa. Non fare una visita veloce sia la biblioteca che la chiesa meritano una visita accurata
Elisabetta A
Como, Italia45 contributions
vorrei andare a vedere il pavimento del Duomo in occasione della scopertura e , visto che ne parlano tutti bene, anche la libreria , ho visto un biglietto intero a 8 euro, include anche l'ingresso alla biblioteca??? scegliendo l'orario si evita la fila???' grazie
marco p
Savigliano, Italy472 contributions
la biblioteca rientra nel biglietto di ingresso al Duomo
jimsack
Fort Wayne, IN182 contributions
what is the admission price, and are the lines long? Thank you.
jen1105
San Diego, CA536 contributions
The Piccolomini Library is housed within the Duomo. On TripAdvisor, The Duomo is listed as the Siena Cathedral and is the #2 "Things to do in Siena".
If you go to that TripAdvisor listing, you will see a yellow button linking you to the Duomo of Siena Complex: Skip-the-line Entry Ticket, which is approx. $13 and up cost.
There's also a yellow button link to the Viator Skip the Line: Siena Duomo and City Walking Tour, cost approx. $33/pp. I booked this tour ahead of time and my entrance to the Duomo was included in the cost. It was a great tour with Sylvia.
The Siena Cathedral listing also has a website link to the official Duomo ticket office (the operaduomo site) where you can make inquiries via email or even book tickets online.
The Piccolomini Library, and the Duomo it's housed in, were two of my favorites on the tour I took. Since I was part of a late March skip the line tour, I can't speak about wait times, because we only had a 5 minute wait while our tour guide picked up our passes in the ticket office. We then simply walked into the Duomo without queuing.
Italy tourist sites can be crowded anytime you go, I would book a "skip the line" ticket or tour ahead of time through one of methods I describe above. However, if you need more flexibility, then take a look at TripAdvisor reviewer, pingaroo, who talks about purchasing a skip the line entrance pass to the complex for 13 Euro, plus 7 Euro more for the Gate of Heaven Tour. Pingaroo purchased the tickets upon arrival in Siena on a Sat in September 2016. The pingaroo review is on the Siena Cathedral review page listed under "Must do Gate of Heaven tour" posted on March 30 2017.
Hope this helps :)
ysiNovi_Mi
novi, mi163 contributions
Is it open all year round or only during certain periods like the floors?
lllaroo
Atlanta, GA397 contributions
I believe the library is open year round at the same times as the Duomo itself.
Daria C
27 contributions
È possibile vedere la biblioteca senza andare nella cattedrale e pagare il biglietto solo per la biblioteca?
BodhisattvaHand
Boston, MA411 contributions
Pienso que no.
Biblioteca Piccolomini (Siena) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Biblioteca Piccolomini
- We recommend booking Biblioteca Piccolomini tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 1 Biblioteca Piccolomini tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Biblioteca Piccolomini:
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- (0.02 mi) HOUSE WOW panoramic terrace *.*
- (0.02 mi) Casa WOW panoramic terrace * . *
- (0.03 mi) Nuovissimo Appartamento a due passi dal Duomo
- Restaurants near Biblioteca Piccolomini:
- (0.01 mi) Bar Fusari
- (0.01 mi) Osteria Il Cancellino
- (0.02 mi) Antica Osteria da Divo
- (0.02 mi) Osteria del Gusto
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