Courtyard of the Podestà

From the door overlooking the Piazza, close to the chapel, one enters the Courtyard of the Podestà (meaning 'Chief Magistrate' or 'Governor'). It was built in 1325 on an elegant brick colonnade on which rises a floor with big trifora (three-arched) windows. As well as the series of governors' coats of arms, one can see the remains of the stone statue of the 'Mangia' and the 'Wolf that feeds the twins', the work of Giovanni Turino and the symbol of Siena. From here one enters the 'Torre del Mangia' and the Civic Museum.