The centerpiece of the city is the famous Piazza del Campo, with its distinctive shell shape, in which the famous Palio, one of the most important events for all Sienese, is held. The Palio of Siena is a ‘passionate horse race that takes place every year, in July and August and its origins seem to go back as far as the seventeenth century.
During the Government of the Nine until 1270 the square was used for fairs and markets. It was during the Government of Nine that, after the construction of the Town Hall (seat of the city government), the paving of the square began. Its division into nine segments can still be seen today, in memory of the Government of Nine.
At the highest point of the square is the Fonte Gaia.It was named to commemorate the joy of the Sienese at the moment when water first gushed into the Piazza del Campo. The fountain holds an important artistic value for the entire city: made of marble by Jacopo della Quercia with a series of statues and bas-reliefs between 1409 and 1419, it is considered one of the greatest artistic and sculptural expressions of the Italian 15th century. Today in the square is a copy of the fountain, made by Tito Sarrocchi in 1869. The original marbles are kept inside the Museum of the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala.
