Out of the Box is a 2025 curatorial project by Santa Maria della Scala that reinterprets the museum’s heritage by pairing historical and contemporary works for new interpretations.

Out of the box: in dialogue. From storage to museum – intersecting perspectives at Santa Maria della Scala

Curatorial experiment

Visitor Notices

fresco

The Pellegrinaio

Level IV

The fresco depicts the story of Sorore and is prominently displayed today on the left side, above the door leading to the aisles of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano.

Story of blessed Sorore

particolare "l'accrescere di muraglie"

The fresco in the third bay of the Pellegrinaio depicts a construction site related to the hospital, with an octagonal building in the background and a portico where workers are engaged in their tasks.

Enlargement of the hospital

particolare dell'affresco "consegna l'abito al rettore"

The fresco by Priamo della Quercia located in the Pellegrinaio, in the fourth bay on the right, represents the blessed Agostino Novello presenting the Augustinian habit to the Rector. Among the characters, the emperor John VIII Palaiologos can be recognized.

Agostino Novello gives the habit to the rector

The fresco in the fifth bay on the right located in the Pellegrinaio depicts Eugene IV handing a scroll to Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli. In the background, Oriental and African figures can be seen.

The Pope grants an indulgence

The fresco, by Domenico di Bartolo, is located in the fifth bay on the left in the Pellegrinaio and depicts a medieval hospital with doctors, friars, and nurses, offering a detailed portrayal of hospital life from 1378.

Care of the Sick

The fresco located in the fourth bay on the left of the Pellegrinaio depicts a historical scene in the hospital, highlighting the weekly distribution of bread to the poor. It features figures of pilgrims, sick individuals, and nobles, such as the Emperor Sigismund.

Alms

The "marriage of young girls" is located in the fourth bay of the Pellegrinaio. This bay features a significant scene illustrating one of the charitable functions of the hospital: the marriage of young poor women, a practice that was part of the hospital's activities in providing assistance and social support during the medieval period.

Giving young women away in marriage

The almsgiving of the Corticella is located in the third bay of the Pellegrinaio. This bay is one of the most significant, as it hosts scenes related to hospitality and the care of pilgrims, including the distribution of alms, in a context that reflects the charitable practices and assistance of the medieval hospital.

The alms of the corticella (Distribution of alms)

Marble

Sculpture

National Archaeological Museum

head of Pseudo Seneca

Levels I and II

The head was found accidentally in 1930 in Siena, on via Mascagni, during the construction of the Hygiene laboratory.&nbsp;

Head of the so-called Pseudo-Seneca

il soffitto

The ceiling decoration in the Pellegrinaio hall, created between 1439 and 1441 by Agostino di Marsiglio, features saints and figures, along with coats of arms and vegetal motifs, across the five spans and four connecting arches.

The ceiling of the Pellegrinaio

Cinerary urn

Urna di Larth Sentinate Cumere

The urn, belonging to the family tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, shows the deceased semi-reclining on the kline. On the coffin is a representation of the recognition between the two brothers, the sons of Agamemnon, Iphigenia, and Orestes in Tauris.

Urn of Larth Sentinate Cumere

urn of the Sentinate Cumere family

The urn, belonging to the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, features a recumbent male figure on its lid. The scene depicted on the chest has been interpreted in various ways: the traditional interpretation of two warriors supported by companions as a representation of the dying Eteocles and Polynices has been questioned due to the presence of the lightning bolt.

Urn of the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere

The Old Sacristy

In 1444, Domenico di Bartolo painted the Madonna della Misericordia in the Chapel of Relics, which later became a place of veneration. In 1610, the fresco was transferred to the Old Sacristy. During the restoration in 1969, preparatory sketches and hidden side panels were discovered.

Our Lady of the Mantle

Gold-plated silver

The Reliquary is a liturgical object of great artistic and religious value. It features reliefs depicting the Resurrection and the Crucifixion.

Reliquary 

bucchero

ceramics

heavy bucchero amphora

The amphora, reddish-brown in color ('red bucchero'), comes from a tomb discovered in the locality of Querce al Pino, Chiusi. The body of the vase is decorated with a stamped band featuring sphinxes facing left, while the shoulder is adorned with seed pod shapes with hanging drops. On the rim, aligned with the handles, are plastic female heads. The tomb's grave goods also included another similar amphora and two hydrias.

Heavy bucchero amphora

Silver and enamels

The reliquary of the Holy Nail is a work of great historical and artistic value, linked to one of the most important objects of devotion in Christian tradition.

Reliquary of the sacred nail

The Fonte Gaia

Level III

Original fragment by Jacopo della Quercia representing Hope, detail of the Fonte Gaia.

The Hope, Fonte Gaia

The marble sculpture represents Acca Larentia and was created by Jacopo della Quercia for the Fonte Gaia.

Acca Larentia, Fonte Gaia

rea silvia

The marble sculpture represents Rhea Silvia and was created by Jacopo della Quercia for the Fonte Gaia.

Rhea Silvia, Fonte Gaia

Plaster

The sculpture by Tito Sarrocchi represents Temperance; it is a plaster replica based on Jacopo della Quercia&rsquo;s model for the Fonte Gaia.

The Temperance, Fonte Gaia 

Just over six hundred years after the birth of Lorenzo di Pietro, known as Vecchietta (Siena, 1410–1480), the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex has decided to reorganize some of its rooms, starting from the artist who left the deepest mark on its history.

Vecchietta at Santa Maria della Scala. A new vision for the museum complex

The series Incontri alla Scala returns to the Museum: on Thursday, December 18 at 5:30 p.m., in the Sala Sant’Ansano, the book Medioevo che crea. Innovare, inventare, sperimentare nell’Italia dei secoli X-XIV. will be presented.

Presentation of the book "Creative Middle Ages. Innovating, inventing, experimenting in Italy from the 10th to the 14th century"

Every first Sunday of the month, Santa Maria della Scala opens its doors to the public free of charge. An opportunity to visit the museum complex and the National Archaeological Museum.

Sunday at Santa Maria della Scala

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The site-specific installation Path to the sky by artist Jacob Hashimoto will be on display until January 6, created for the eponymous exhibition inaugurated last May at the museum.
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Site-specific installation by Jacob Hashimoto for the Santa Maria della Scala museum

"Path to the Sky", Jacob Hashimoto's installation open to visitors until January 6

On Thursday, December 11, 2025, in the Sant'Ansano hall, the conference "Archaeological Museum and Surroundings. Personalities in Comparison: Fabio Bargagli Petrucci and Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli" will be held.

Archaeological Museum and Surroundings. Personalities Compared: Fabio Bargagli Petrucci and Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli

From November 13 to 16, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala presents the second edition of Xenos. Festival of performance.

Xenos. Performance Festival

From November 13 to 16, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala presents the second edition of Xenos. Festival di performance.

Xenos. Performance Festival - November 15 Program

Between fairytales and botany in blue:
Roberta Favia and Laura Capra together for a workshop dedicated to fairytales and cyanotype, part of the EducarSi 2025 project organized by the Municipality of Siena.

img-cover-workshop- 11-12-2025

BETWEEN FAIRYTALE AND BOTANY IN BLUE

From November 13 to 16, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala presents the second edition of Xenos. Festival of Performance.

Xenos. Performance Festival - November 14 Program

The Santa Maria della Scala Museum Complex in Siena will host the exhibition Metamorfosi del Sacro from November 14, 2025 to January 11, 2026, the first institutional solo show by Teodora Axente.

Metamorphoses of the Sacred

Xenos. Performance Festival -  program for November 13

Xenos. Performance Festival -  program for November 16

On the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day, Wednesday, October 1, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala is organizing the conference Well-being at the Museum: Examples of Best Practices in Projects for Alzheimer’s and Those Who Care for Them, a moment of reflection and open discussion for cultural and healthcare professionals as well as the general public.

Well-being at the museum: examples of best practice projects for Alzheimer’s and their caregivers

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From October 18 to 25, 2025, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala will take part in the eleventh edition of the Settimana degli Archivi Aperti, the event promoted by Rete Fotografia to enhance and raise awareness of the photographic heritage preserved in Italian archives.
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poster

OPEN ARCHIVES WEEK – 11th edition

At Santa Maria della Scala, from October 3 to 5, 2025, the fifth edition of Siena Comics For Kids will take place, the comic festival dedicated to children and young people.

Siena Comics For Kids. The Comic Festival at the Museum!

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The Bright-Night 2025 of the University of Siena returns on Friday, September 26th inside the museum complex.
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Bright-Night returns to Santa Maria della Scala. Stands, talks, walks with research, guided tours, and music

Thursday, September 18 at 5:30 pm, Santa Maria della Scala hosts a new event in the #IncontriallaScala series, dedicated to the presentation of the book Museology and Perception. From the Contemplation of Beauty to the Aesthetic Experience, written by Domenico Piraina and Maurizio Vanni and published by Pacini Editore.

#IncontriallaScala- Museology and Perception. From the Contemplation of Beauty to the Aesthetic Experience

On Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 4:30 PM, the presentation of the volume Fausto Melotti. In leggerezza | A tribute to Italo Calvino, curated by Michelina Eremita and published by Silvana Editoriale, will take place at the Sala Sant’Ansano.

Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A Tribute to Italo Calvino

On the occasion of the fifth edition of the Festival Voci Migranti, the Giuliano Briganti Library and Photographic Archive will host from October 24 to 31 the work Oh Good! by the artist Moustapha Cessay, created as part of the Le Valigie Digitali project.