Level III

The Fonte Gaia was completed in 1419, a little more than ten years after the start of the project by Jacopo della Quercia. A very strong civic symbol, it represented an ideal frame for that precious resource that was water for any citizen, especially for those living in hilly areas.

The path, which develops in the tunnels overlooking the internal road, illustrates, through archaeological materials, documentary sources, and a rich array of photographs and reconstruction tables, the historical development of Siena from the first discoveries in the urban area to the extraordinary flourishing of the communal era and the completed structure of the hospital in the mid-15th century.

The church of the Santissima Annunziata, oriented longitudinally with respect to the square, today occupies much of the facade of the hospital. Numerous interventions and transformations have characterized its history, as well as the furnishings and works commissioned for it, some of which are still preserved within its structure, but also those of which traces remain in the rich hospital documentation or in the iconographic tradition. The first testimony of its construction dates back to 1257, the year in which Pope Alexander IV grants the hospital permission to build a chapel and Bishop Bonfiglio of Siena confirms to the rector of Santa Maria della Scala the possibility of erecting a 'ecclesiam sive oratorium'. The first place of worship was not actually built anew, but is likely to be identified in the space characterized by the limestone cladding on the facade, originally intended as the first reception area. By the mid-thirteenth century, this function is moved to the interior of the building, towards the valley behind. Initially likely a chapel, its transformation into a church occurred between the end of the thirteenth century and the mid-fourteenth century. Inside, sources attest to the presence of numerous chapels built by noble families and rectors; significant members of the hospital community or deserving noble families were also buried there. On the external facade in 1335, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti along with Simone Martini were called to paint the 'Stories of the Virgin,' which are now lost, having been erased in 1720 under a layer of plaster, following the removal of the protective roof, by order of Rector Antonio Ugolini Billò. In 1362, with the arrival of the relics, a marble pulpit topped by a pergola was built on the facade of the church, from which the relics were displayed to the population, which had already disappeared by the early eighteenth century when Girolamo Macchi depicted it in the famous drawing of the hospital facade.

These evocative environments, located in the heart of Santa Maria della Scala, where Saint Catherine of Siena would pause in prayer and bring comfort to the sick, still retain today the intensity and atmosphere that for so many centuries has accompanied the religious fervor of the countless devotees of the Saint. 
Known since the 14th century as the confraternity of San Michele Arcangelo, the company was primarily devoted to piety for the deceased. 

From May 22 to September 30, 2025, the Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala Foundation presents the exhibition Jacob Hashimoto. Path to the Sky, curated by Raphaëlle Blanga, an expert in modern and contemporary art.

From May 17th to 25th, the exhibition A ritrovar la Diana at the Magazzini della Corticella raises awareness among young people about water issues and Siena's water-related heritage, with works created by students. The initiative is part of the "Siena and Water" project.

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