Walking arround
You are now in Piazza XXIV giugno, the heart of the old town. Originally Piazza Vittorio Emanuele its was renamed to commemorate the arrival of the allied forces at 8 am on 24th June 1944 following the retreat of the German forces. The War Memorial by the Florentine sculptor, Arnaldo Zocchi, stands where the marble fountain now in Parco Mazzini once stood. Underneath the loggia is the entrance to the charming 18th century theatre. It has recently been restored and thanks to its excellent acoustics is often used for concerts and plays. A notice on the door specifies the opening hours for visits. Returning down towards Corso Garibaldi, take the right fork leading from the piazza, Via dei Goti, where no. 15 is the birthplace of Pope Pius III (Piccolomini Tedeschi) who unfortunately officiated for only 27 days before he died of blood poisoning from an ulcer of the leg on 18th October 1503 at the age of 64. Above the door, in the centre is the coat of arms with five moons of the Piccolomini family, to the left is the coat of arms of the Piccolomini Tedeschi family quartered with those of France, Aragon and Jerusalem, to the right that of Piccolomini quartered with those of Aragon and Castile.
Returning to the piazza, the wide slope leading down will take you back to your starting point in piazza Bargagli where the newly renovated church of Saint Francis is worthy of a visit.
It was built in the 14th century – a column inside the church bears the date 1341 - in the Franciscan style, together with the cloister and convent on the left, now incorporated in Palazzo Bargagli. The façade, showing the coat of arms of the Piccolomini family and designed by the Sienese architect Antonio Federici was added in the second half of the 15th century. The Sarteanese Francesco Piccolomini Tedeschi (elected Pope Pius III in 1503), at the time Archbishop of Siena, promulgated indulgence for those making donations for the façade. The bell tower was built in the 17th century. Along the walls inside the church are 12 frescoed panels 11 of which were originally in the 11th century Romanesque church of Santa Vittoria near the cemetery and one, the first on the right, came from the Convent Cloister. The memorial tablets along the walls were in the floor of the church before restoration took place. A door to the right leads to a corridor in which the remains of some 11th century mosaics are displayed. They originally decorated a pulpit in the church of Santa Vittoria and are the only ones of their kind to be found in the province of Siena. Another door to the right leads into a room with frescoes dated 1737 by Giuseppe Bonfigli depicting some of the more important Sarteanese religious personalities. To the left of the alter stands a 16th-17th century wooden statue of Saint Francis. Legend has it that it was carved from a tree which grew from a stick used by Saint Francis. The tree is said to have grown close to Porta Ovile in Siena after a Franciscan monk who lived as a hermit in an area near Sarteano prayed there. All that is left of the cloister are the remains of a Byzantine archway. The 16th century well which once decorated the courtyard is now to be found in front of the ex Park Hotel in Siena which was once Villa Bargagli Petrucci.
