Built right on the edge of one of Siena's hills, San Francesco is a Gothic church which has undergone major restoration (the façade dates from the 19C). In 1425, Bernardino, a Franciscan monk, preached in the church square. Decked in the colours of the contrade, the basilica comprises a single wide nave. Note the fresco depicting the Crucifixion by Pietro Lorenzetti and the beautiful historiated stained-glass windows. It was in this church that Giuseppe Verdi performed his Requiem for the first time.