tuscany: exploring siena

After Chef Mike cooked up his eggs Florentine (eggs with cheese and spinach) and plain toast, accompanied by peach juice and espresso, we were on our way to Siena.  The forecast was for rain, so we took our raincoats and umbrellas despite the day’s auspicious partly-sunny beginnings. Actually, clouds scuttled across the sky, but I held on to my optimism through much of the day, until it actually started raining in Siena at 2:30.

We stopped along the way to take pictures of the beautiful farms lined with cypress trees.

cypress trees all lined up

cypress trees all lined up

Tuscan countryside

On the way into Siena, one of Italy’s best preserved medieval towns, we passed the huge Basilica of San Dominico, an imposing red brick box begun in 1226.  Named for the founder of the Dominican order, it is now more closely associated with St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).

entering Siena

Basilica of San Dominico

Fiat in Siena

Siena’s streets

a cute little sconce

bicycle in Siena

We stopped first for coffee and croissants and then bought tickets for one of Italy’s finest Gothic churches, Siena’s Duomo, or Cathedral. It was completed in two brief phases at the end of the 13th and 14th centuries.  Giovanni Pisano designed the white, green and red marble facade. Multicolored marbles and painted decoration seemed to be the Italian approach to Gothic architecture.

Duomo di Siena

The Duomo has a striking interior with black and white striped columns and a gilded dome. It holds the oldest example of stained glass in Italy (1288) in a circular window; the carousel pulpit, carved by Nicola Pisano in 1265, and Renaissance frescoes in the Biblioteca Piccolomini.

Duomo di Siena

Duomo di Siena

Duomo di Siena

inside Duomo di Siena

inside Duomo di Siena

inside Duomo di Siena

inside Duomo di Siena

inside Duomo di Siena

Life of Virgin Mary Stained Glass, 1288, in Duomo di Siena

The Duomo is famous for its inlaid marble floors, which took nearly 200 years to complete. They include 56 separate compositions, including Biblical scenes, allegories, religious symbols, and civic emblems. These sorts of “Bible in images” were created between 1369 and 1547 to the designs of great painters such as Matteo di Giovanni and Dominico Beccafumi.

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

the Duomo’s inlaid marble floors

The interior was exquisite in many ways.

Duomo di Siena

Duomo di Siena

Duomo di Siena

Duomo di Siena

We then went into the Museo dell’Opera, where we waited in line for a while to climb the tower inside the museum, the Panorama del Facciatone. They only allowed 28 people go up at a time as the stairway up was extremely narrow. People who climbed up were only allowed 15 minutes at the top.

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Museum

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

View of Siena from the Panorama del Facciatone

Mike in Siena

il Campo

me with il Campo in the background

We walked briefly through the Museo dell’Opera, which contains the Duomo’s treasury and some of the original decoration from its facade and interior.

The masterpiece at the museum was Duccio di Boninsegna’s Maestà (1308-1311).  One side of the altarpiece had 26 panels showing episodes of the Passion, and the other side had a Madonna and Child Enthroned.  Duccio’s Maestà set Italian painting on a course leading away from the representations of Byzantine art towards more direct presentations of reality.

The Maestà, or Maestà of Duccio

The Maestà, or Maestà of Duccio

The Maestà, or Maestà of Duccio

Also in the Museo dell’Opera:

Museo dell’Opera

Museo dell’Opera

Museo dell’Opera

Museo dell’Opera

Museo dell’Opera

Museo dell’Opera

Museo dell’Opera

We popped into the Battistero di San Giovanni, the Duomo’s 14th century Gothic Baptistery, built to prop up the apse of the cathedral. There were beautiful frescoes throughout. The highlight was the huge bronze 15th century baptismal font designed by Jacopo della Quercia (1374-1438).

Battistero di San Giovanni

After the Battistero, we went in search of lunch.  We settled into a small outdoor cafe on a side street, Ristorante Le Campane, where I finally discovered one of the orange drinks I’d seen everywhere, Aperol Spritz, vino bianco secco e soda (dry white wine and soda).

streets of Siena

I was finally able to order the dish my daughter Sarah had recommended: Picio Cacio e pepe: Homemade Sienese pasta with black pepper and pecarino (ewe’s milk) cheese. Mike ordered a Pumpkin Velouté with sausage crumbles (a soup) and a side dish of spinach and Swiss chard.

Picio Cacio e pepe

Pumpkin Velouté

It was all yummy, and we relaxed at the cute outdoor cafe with greenery and flowers hugging the balcony.  We thanked the waiter: “Va tutto benissimo, grazie,” or “Everything’s great, thank you.”

We strolled down to the Piazza del Campo, a fan-shaped sloping plaza simply known as il Campo (The Field). It was built toward the end of the 12th century and is the heart of the town. The focal point of the Piazza is Palazzo Pubblico, a Gothic building that has served as Siena’s town hall since the 1300s. Its distinctive bell tower, Torre del Mangia, completed in 1349, apparently offers superb views, but we didn’t climb.

On July 2 and August 16 of each year, the Palio, the famous horse race preceded by a splendid historical procession, takes place at il Campo.

il Campo and Palazzo Pubblico

il Campo

il Campo

il Campo

It started raining at 2:30, so we headed toward our parked car.  Our parking expired at 3:30, so on the way out of town, we dipped into a scarf shop. I would have bought two more Italian scarves, but the saleswoman reprimanded me for taking one of the €59 scarves off the rack and trying it on; she pointed to a sign written in Italian.  I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t read Italian,” and she said she’d have to write it in every language to accommodate every tourist. As we were the only ones in the shop, she easily could have told us directly not to try on her scarves. It was ridiculous and I refused to patronize someone so unaccommodating and rude. There was no skin off my neck; I’d bought plenty of scarves already. 🙂

Siena

Siena

last view of Siena

Leaving Siena, we drove on to Monteriggioni.

*13,001 steps, or 5.51 miles*

Saturday, May 4, 2019*