Known also as Palazzo Comunale, Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico is considered one of the finest examples of gothic secular architecture. Formerly the residence of the city’s Signoria, or Podestà, the building is now the seat of the town council. Of all the buildings that look onto Piazza del Campo, the Palazzo Pubblico is the most imposing and stands as the natural centre of the square’s architectural perspective.
Up until 1270, when Siena was ruled by a council of 24 members known as the Governo dei Ventiquattro, the town’s government had been housed in a Church building next to the church of San Pellegrino. The decision to erect a building to house the government was taken in the second half of the 13th century. Initially the plan was to convert some rooms that had been used by the Siena customs office, but under the successive Governo dei Nove – the Government of the Nine – designs were drawn up for a new and much larger building. This was so that there would be space enough to house all nine of the city’s governing council, who on taking office were confined permanently within the building and only allowed to leave it on feast days.

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