# Siena in 2026: the cathedral floor is uncovered

> The marble floor of Siena cathedral is uncovered until November 15, 2026, and Santa Maria della Scala across the square costs €9, or €8 booked ahead.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/siena/things-to-do
Last updated: 2026-09-03

The one thing in Siena that is not available all year is open now: the marble floor of the cathedral is uncovered until November 15, 2026, in the second of the two 2026 windows.

## Two windows in 2026, and nothing in between

The marble inlay floor of Siena cathedral is uncovered in 2026 in two periods, June 27 to July 31 and August 18 to November 15. Outside those dates it stays under protective boards, and there is no way to see it.

The 2026 uncovering is titled Il Sommo Bene and is tied to the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, on October 3, 1226. It is run by the Opera della Metropolitana di Siena.

Tickets are sold at Piazza Duomo 7, at the Dear Guests visitor center on via di Citta 48, and online. This is the one date on a Siena itinerary that cannot be moved, so build the rest of the trip around it.

## What you are actually looking at

The floor is made of 56 marble inlay panels, produced over six centuries, from the fourteenth to the nineteenth, by more than forty artists, among them Pinturicchio and Domenico Beccafumi.

Six hundred years of work in one surface is also the reason it spends most of the year covered: this is a floor people walk on, and the boards are conservation, not theater.

Give it longer than you expect. The panels reward slow circling, and the crowd moves in one direction around the barriers.

## Santa Maria della Scala: €9, or €8 booked

Across the square at Piazza Duomo 1, the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex costs €9 full, €8 if you book in advance, €7 reduced, €20 for a family ticket and €5 a head for groups of ten or more (2026). Under 11s and Siena residents go in free.

Booking here saves €1, which is the opposite of what happens at some other Siena sites, where reserving adds a fee. Read the two ticket pages separately rather than assuming a rule.

Opening runs daily 10:00 am to 7:00 pm from March 15 to October 31. In the winter half, from November 1 to March 14, it is 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday and 10:00 am to 7:00 pm at weekends, closed on Tuesday, with daily opening from December 23 to January 6 and closure on December 25.

## The tower you cannot book

No online reservation exists for the Torre del Mangia: tickets are sold only at the two ticket desks of the Museo Civico and Santa Maria della Scala, on the day you climb.

Climbs leave every 45 minutes with a maximum of 25 people per slot, and the operator warns that tickets run out. That ceiling, not the queue at the door, is what decides whether you get up.

The practical order for a half day is therefore fixed: buy the tower slot first thing at the desk, then use the wait for the cathedral floor or the museum across the square.

## Choosing the month

The second uncovering window, August 18 to November 15, 2026, has an advantage beyond the weather: it runs past the peak of the North American season. US visitors put 39.7% of their nights into June, July and August, with July as the single peak month, and 25.1% into low season.

October therefore catches the floor open and the summer traffic gone. It is the most useful piece of timing on this page, and it costs nothing to act on.

Two sights, one square, half a day. More in [Siena](/towns/siena), [the floor that opens twice a year](/stories/a-floor-you-can-see-twice-a-year) and [the Palio](/events/palio-di-siena).

## FAQ

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

In two windows: June 27 to July 31 and August 18 to November 15, 2026. The rest of the year the marble inlays stay under protective boards and are not visible. The 2026 uncovering is called Il Sommo Bene and marks the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi.

### What is the cathedral floor made of?

56 marble inlay panels, made over six centuries from the fourteenth to the nineteenth, by more than forty artists including Pinturicchio and Domenico Beccafumi. It is a single artwork assembled across six hundred years, which is why it is protected for most of the year.

### How much is Santa Maria della Scala?

€9 full, or €8 if you book ahead, €7 reduced, €20 for the family ticket and €5 a head for groups of ten or more (2026). Under 11s and Siena residents enter free. It stands at Piazza Duomo 1, facing the cathedral.

### When is Santa Maria della Scala open?

Daily 10:00 am to 7:00 pm from March 15 to October 31. From November 1 to March 14 it runs 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm at weekends, closed on Tuesday. It also opens daily from December 23 to January 6, closed December 25.

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

No. Tickets for the tower are sold only at the ticket desks of the Museo Civico and Santa Maria della Scala, on the day of the visit. Climbs leave every 45 minutes with a maximum of 25 people, and they do sell out.

### Which month is quietest for the floor?

The second window, August 18 to November 15, 2026, runs past the American peak. US visitors concentrate 39.7% of their nights between June and August, with July the peak month, and 25.1% falls in low season. October sits outside both the floor closure and that peak.

## 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 |
| Il complesso museale di Santa Maria della Scala a Siena, di fronte al Duomo in Piazza Duomo 1, costa 9 euro (8 euro prenotando in anticipo), 7 euro il ridotto e 20 euro il biglietto famiglia (2026). Dal 15 marzo al 31 ottobre e' aperto tutti i giorni dalle 10 alle 19; dal 1 novembre al 14 marzo chiude il martedi'. | [Santa Maria della Scala - Comune di Siena](https://www.santamariadellascala.com/en/plan-your-visit) | 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 |
| L'americano non e' un turista estivo: il 39,7% delle sue notti cade tra giugno e agosto e il 25,1% in bassa stagione; il picco e' luglio, non agosto. | [Banca d'Italia, Indagine sul turismo internazionale](https://www.bancaditalia.it/statistiche/tematiche/rapporti-estero/turismo-internazionale/) | medium | 2027-07-31 |

## 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

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