# Siena: the cathedral floor shows twice in 2026

> Siena's inlaid marble floor is uncovered June 27 to July 31 and August 18 to November 15, 2026. The Palio is free if you stand in the middle.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/siena
Last updated: 2026-09-02

The inlaid marble floor of Siena cathedral is visible only in two windows in 2026, June 27 to July 31 and August 18 to November 15, and stays boarded over for the rest of the year.

## Two windows, and a covered year around them

The 2026 uncovering runs June 27 to July 31 and then August 18 to November 15, under the title Il Sommo Bene, tied to the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis on October 3, 1226. Outside those dates the inlays are protected by boarding and you will not see them.

The Opera della Metropolitana manages access, and tickets come from Piazza Duomo 7, the Dear Guests visitor center at via di Città 48, or online. If the floor is the reason you are coming, check the dates before you book the train, because the gap between the two windows falls in the middle of August. Read [a floor you can see twice a year](/stories/a-floor-you-can-see-twice-a-year).

## 56 panels, six centuries, forty hands

The floor is made of 56 marble inlays produced across six centuries, from the 14th to the 19th, by more than 40 artists, including Pinturicchio and Domenico Beccafumi.

That is why it comes and goes: it is a working floor, walked on, and each generation added to it rather than restoring it whole. Seeing it uncovered means seeing the joins between the centuries, which the postcards flatten out.

## The Palio is free from the middle

Standing in the center of Piazza del Campo costs nothing, for all 3 laps of the race. The money changes hands for the stands built around the square and for the windows and balconies of the private buildings above.

The race is ridden bareback and preceded by the Corteo Storico, over 600 costumed participants leaving Piazza del Duomo in the early afternoon. Free means committing to hours in the sun with no way out of the crowd once the gates close, which is the trade you are making. Read [the Palio is free from the middle](/stories/the-palio-is-free-from-the-middle) and events in Siena.

## Museo Civico, and which combination pays

The Museo Civico in the Palazzo Pubblico costs €10, or €11 if you book, with a reduced rate of €9 and a family ticket at €22, and the Torre del Mangia is €10 on its own (2026). Prices in euros.

The combined tickets are where it gets interesting: Museo Civico with Santa Maria della Scala is €14 and valid two days, Museo Civico with the tower is €15, and all three together are €20, or €40 for a family. Entry is free for residents of the comune of Siena, children under 11, public school groups, licensed guides, and disabled visitors with a companion.

## The tower is the one thing you cannot book

There is no online booking for the Torre del Mangia, and the €10 ticket is sold at the Museo Civico and Santa Maria della Scala desks on the day of the climb itself.

Ascents leave every 45 minutes with a maximum of 25 people each, and they run out. The practical consequence: if the tower matters to you, buy it as your first act of the day, then go and do something else until your slot. See [things to do in Siena](/towns/siena/things-to-do) and [Tuscany](/regions/toscana).

## FAQ

### When can you see the floor of Siena cathedral in 2026?

In two windows: June 27 to July 31, and August 18 to November 15, 2026. For the rest of the year the inlays stay under protective boards and cannot be seen. The 2026 uncovering is titled Il Sommo Bene, for the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis.

### What is the Siena cathedral floor made of?

56 marble inlay panels, worked over six centuries from the 14th to the 19th by more than 40 artists, among them Pinturicchio and Domenico Beccafumi. It is not one artwork but a slow accumulation, which is why the uncovering is treated as an event.

### Does it cost anything to watch the Palio?

Not from the middle of Piazza del Campo, which is free. You pay only for the stands built around the square and for windows and balconies in private buildings. The race itself is three laps, ridden bareback, after a historic procession of over 600 people.

### Can you book the Torre del Mangia online?

No. Tickets are sold only at the Museo Civico and Santa Maria della Scala desks, on the day of the climb, at €10. Groups go up every 45 minutes, capped at 25 people, and they do sell out, so buy first thing rather than after lunch.

### Which combined ticket is worth it in Siena?

The Museo Civico with Santa Maria della Scala at €14 is valid two days, which suits a short stay. All three sites including the tower are €20, or €40 for a family. Residents of Siena and children under 11 pay nothing at any of them.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2026 il pavimento a tarsie marmoree del Duomo di Siena e' scoperto in due finestre: dal 27 giugno al 31 luglio e dal 18 agosto al 15 novembre 2026. La scopertura straordinaria, intitolata 'Il Sommo Bene', e' legata all'ottavo centenario della morte di san Francesco (3 ottobre 1226). Per il resto dell'anno il pavimento resta coperto da protezioni e non e' visibile. | [Opera della Metropolitana di Siena](https://operaduomo.siena.it/news/il-sommo-bene-scopertura-del-pavimento-del-duomo-di-siena-2026/) | medium | 2026-12-31 |
| Il pavimento del Duomo di Siena e' formato da 56 tarsie marmoree realizzate nell'arco di sei secoli, dal Trecento all'Ottocento, da oltre quaranta artisti, tra cui il Pinturicchio e Domenico Beccafumi. | [Opera della Metropolitana di Siena](https://operaduomo.siena.it/news/il-sommo-bene-scopertura-del-pavimento-del-duomo-di-siena-2026/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Assistere al Palio di Siena dal centro di Piazza del Campo e' gratuito: si paga solo per i palchi montati attorno alla piazza e per le finestre e i balconi dei palazzi privati. La corsa consiste in tre giri della piazza a cavallo senza sella ed e' preceduta dal Corteo Storico, con oltre 600 figuranti, che parte da Piazza del Duomo nel primo pomeriggio. | [Comune di Siena](https://palio.comune.siena.it/node/75) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| A Siena il Museo Civico di Palazzo Pubblico costa 10 euro (11 con prenotazione) e la Torre del Mangia 10 euro (2026); il cumulativo Museo Civico + Santa Maria della Scala costa 14 euro e vale due giorni, quello con anche la Torre 20 euro. Ingresso gratuito per i residenti nel Comune di Siena e per i minori di 11 anni. | [Comune di Siena - Musei Civici](https://museocivico.comune.siena.it/biglietti) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La Torre del Mangia di Siena non si puo' prenotare online: il biglietto si compra solo alle biglietterie del Museo Civico e di Santa Maria della Scala il giorno stesso della visita, le salite partono ogni 45 minuti e sono limitate a 25 persone per turno, e i biglietti si esauriscono. | [Comune di Siena - Musei Civici](https://museocivico.comune.siena.it/biglietti) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.siena.1600.jpg
Author: LigaDue. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SienaPalazzoPubblicoPiazzaDelMercato.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/siena.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/siena.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/siena.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/siena.md