The Palazzo Pubblico has been the center of Siena's government since the early 1300's and still functions as the city hall. The city's nine leading families governed from here during Siena's golden years, and managed to coexist semi-peacefully for a while. This relative calm allowed it to grow into a full-fledged military and economic rival to Florence. It also accounts for the surprising harmony in the city's architecture, as the Council forbade the families from building heavily fortified palaces with huge towers and enforced height restrictions on buildings. The city also maintained a monopoly on brickmaking, ensuring that all buildings were made of the same uniformly coloured brick. The colour is of course memorialized in Crayola crayon sets as burnt siena.

Unlike Florence, which is stuffed with art museums, Siena's greatest art is actually painted on the walls of the Palazzo Pubblico. As a result many of the various chambers and meeting rooms are open to the public, and a visit here is the obvious highlight to any Siena visit.