Sienna

Sienna, or SIENA, a province of Italy, and its capital. The former has an area of about 1,500 square miles in the centre of Tuscany, the northern portion being mountainous, but yielding fine marbles, whilst the plains and valleys are fertile. The city, picturesquely built on three steep hills, was in the Middle Ages a strong and wealthy place, the centre of a republic which rivalled Florence and Pisa. Its cathedral (11th to 13th century) is the noblest existing specimen of Italian Gothic, and contains many magnificent works of art. The university founded in the 14th century still flourishes, especially as a medical school.