The Palazzo Pubblico, or Town Hall of Siena is the most grandiose of all gothic palaces in Tuscany. It was the seat of the Signoria and Podestà (the ruling bodies) and thus the centre of the city government. The building is strong, solemn, and yet graceful and elegant, forming a picturesque backdrop to the Piazza del Campo at the heart of the city. Built between 1288 and 1309, it was later enlarged with the addition of a prison and the Gran Consiglio meeting hall.
The central body of the façade has three levels, and the wings two.
The City Museum, which is within the Town Hall, presents works of extraordinary artistic value, including the Majesty painting by Simone Martini with the Mother and Child at its centre, a masterpiece of Italian art; Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti; paintings from the 16th to the 18th century by both Italian and foreign painters; 14th-18th century Sienese ceramics, as well as other precious collections.