Piazza del Campo and the Palio Among the examples of civilized architecture, the Piazza del Campo, or "the Campo", as it is called in Siena, is certainly one of the most beautiful in the world. When it was built in the beginning of the 1300's, it could hold the entire population of the city, transforming it into a place for performances, jousting matches, and bull and buffalo races. The most important public manifestations have always been held here, on the nine sections of bricks in the form of a fish spine that form the foundation of the piazza. In Siena, the typical contrast in Italy between the city's cathedral and the Palazzo Pubblico (City Hall) took on an even more distinct character, as the varying levels of the terrain prompted a unique solution: since the Palazzo Pubblico had already been constructed as the backdrop of the Piazza...