Piccolomini Library, Siena

Right next to the Siena Cathedral resides Piccolomini Library, a stunning library with wonderful sculptures, unique books and manuscripts, and outstanding frescoes by the Italian painter Pinturicchio (Bernardino di Betto). The colorful frescos describe ten milestones in the life of cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II). Pinturicchio painted the library's fresco from 1503 to 1508 and the result is one of Siena's highlights.