Banchi di Sotto is the name of one of the main streets in the Terzo di San Martino district in Siena. The street starts at the Croce del Travaglio and ends at the Logge del Papa, where it continues under the name Via di Pantaneto. Following the route of the Via Francigena pilgrim’s road, it has always been one of the most important streets of the city.
A brief history of the Banchi di Sotto in Siena
The Banchi di Sotto (“Banks Below”) is a sort of extension of the Banchi di Sopra (“Banks Above”). It is also known as the strada maestra. The banchi refer to the moneychangers who had set up their banks in the street, which was also where other important artisans had their workshops. In 1398, the city even issued a decree establishing which professions were allowed to set up shop in the Banchi di Sotto.
The Banchi di Sotto is mostly flanked by Gothic buildings with Renaissance and Baroque influences.
What to see in the Banchi di Sotto
The road starts at the Croce di Travaglio, a small square where the via di Città and the Banchi di Sopra meet. From here it runs south-east along the back of several buildings that face the Piazza del Campo. It ends at the Logge del Papa.
Palazzo Sansedoni is a 13th century building. It is currently the seat of the Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena.
The extremely narrow building on n.19 is the birth house of Giovanni Caselli (1815-1891), inventor of a precursor of the fax machine, called Pantelegraph. Initially, Leopold II was impressed and helped to finance Caselli‘s experiments. When the Grand Duke’s interest waned, Caselli moved to France, where Napoleon turned out to have a longer attention span. In 1863, he sent the first fax from Paris to Marseille.
The 11th century Torre dei Guastelloni (n.39) and the 13th century building of the same name are located on the corner with the Via delle Donzelle. It was earlier known as Torre di Serravalle, when it was still a watch tower defending the valley that is now occupied by the Piazza di Campo.
The Torre dei Rinuccini is all that is left of a medieval fortress.
The Via San Vigilio side street leads to the church of that name and to the Castellare degli Ugurgieri. The building on the corner itself used to be the convent belonging to the church, but is now the main seat of the university, called Palazzo del Rettorato.
The building across the road is the Palazzo Piccolomini, currently the seat of the State Archives and of a small museum called Museo delle Tavolette della Biccherna. The building was designed by Bernardo Rossellini.
The Palazzo Piccolomini-Clementini is located slightly further down the road, as is the Torre Maconi.
The Logge del Papa were built in 1462, by order of Pope Pius II, as a gift to the Piccolomini family (of which he was a member).
Banchi di Sotto – Siena
Sources
- Siena – History and masterpieces (Piero Torriti, 2000).
- Photos are ©RenatoProsciutto.