Piccolomini Library

The construction was first commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini Todeschini, who later became Pope Pius III, only 25 days before his death in Rome. It was built under the cathedral, and the entrance is adorned with beautiful marble arches. The frescoes were added between 1502 and 1507, representing different events in the life of Cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Pius III's uncle, who was Pope Pius II. Unlike its walls, the roof of the library has images of mythological figures and the Graces. Opening hours: daily from 9am to 7.30pm from March to October, from 2 to 7.30pm on Sundays, from