May 2023 Italy Wed May 3, Old Town Siena

When you read about Tuscany, one of the towns you will nearly always see is Siena. It, like many in this central part of Italy, dates back to the Etruscans who were here before the Romans. With the exception of gelato shops and awnings, Siena looks much like it would have in 1300. The two biggest attractions are the Siena Cathedral and the Piazza del Campo.

The Siena Cathedral, “Duomo di Maria Assunta” is touted as one of the most outstanding Romanesque-Gothic churches in all of Italy. It is truly breathtaking. Consecrated in 1179, work continued for another 200 years. It was intended to be even larger but the Black Plague put an end to that when the population was drastically reduced. It is made primarily of black and white marble, a nod to the colors of the coat of arms of the city, with some red Siena marble on the facade that makes it look like pink mixed among the white.

Inside is just incredible, with the black and white marble columns that make me just want to hug them, the blue and gold painted ceiling and dome that allows natural light, and masterpieces by artists such as Pisano, Piccolomini, and Michelangelo, and Donatello, frescos, and a very special marble floor. There is a round stained-glass window in the museum that was made in 1288 and is the oldest known Italian made stained-glass. A replica is in the window above the choir.

The floor in itself is artwork. It is divided into 56 squares called a “tarsie” and each was designed by Renaissance masters. Marble sculptors and masons then copied the designs in marble. Most of the floor is kept covered most of the year to protect it, and only uncovered in its entirety for a few months from mid-August to October. It is fabulous.

There is a crypt, discovered in 1999 during renovations to the church, that has rooms with paintings by Sienese artists depicting episodes from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. They date to the 1200’s. The room was apparently filled in with dirt in the 1300’s and remained buried and somewhat preserved for seven centuries.

One entire wall depicts scenes from the death and burial of Jesus including the crucifixion, deposition from the cross, and the entombment. It is incredible to walk inside space that is over 1000 years old and has not been seen until recently for nearly 700. Who knows what masterpieces or records of civilizations or heroic tales of great acts of consequence lie buried beneath rubble and buildings and gardens and forests?

There is a museum next to the Duomo that houses sculptures and other works of art including the nearly 20 feet in diameter stained glass window by such masters as Giovanni Pisano, Jacopo della Quercia, Donatello, and Duccio di Buoninsegna. There are silk fabrics, goldsmith’s and jeweler’s art that is beyond masterful and extremely rare, illuminated manuscripts.

In the section known as “The Treasury”, there are priceless items of gold and jewel work among many other objects, and there are two reliquaries, one for a skull and bones said to be from Saint Clemente and one for the arm of John the Baptist that appeared to be empty.

The other area I mentioned is the Piazza del Campo. It is a sea shell shaped plaza divided into nine sections in honor of the nine Lord’s who ruled Siena in the late 1200’s. The Piazza is known for the famous horse race, the Palio, that is run twice a year on July 2 and August 16. Ten horses with riders riding bareback and dressed in the colors of the contrada, or neighborhood they represent can run in each race. There are seventeen contrades and people from each support their riders with medieval dress, parades, songs, and flag throwers. The competition is intense – between the riders and the neighborhoods.

When the Piazza is not being used for dangerous horse racing, it is a gathering place. Old buildings from the 13th century ring the plaza with restaurants running along about 2/3 of it. People either eat inside, at tables on the walkways out front, or picnic on the sloped bricks of the pizza itself. We stopped for – yes, gelato for lunch, and felt as if we were sitting at tables overlooking beach goers.

After our healthy and late dairy and fruit lunch (mine had strawberries and Genny’s had bananas!) we walked through the thousand year old streets and found our way eventually to a taxi stand where we waited for a cab. Eventually it was our turn and we cabbed back to the hotel (no apping or Ubering here).

I needed some cash, so found a nearby ATM and drove over to use it. That doesn’t sound worthy of a mention except that driving anywhere and returning in one piece feels like a huge victory. I always watch you-tube videos and read about driving before I plan to do so in other countries. I try to get info on traffic laws, signs, customs, etc., and whether you need an International Driver’s License – which sounds impressive but anyone can get one at AAA for $20. The most notable instruction I got from one website about Italy was, “head on a swivel!”. They were not exaggerating.

We were planning to stay three nights in Siena, but after the first night of no A/C and paper thin walls, we checked with the folks at our next stop which was supposed to be four nights at an Airbnb to see if they had availability for us to come sooner. They did, so we packed up Tuesday night in preparation for leaving on Wednesday. We usually stick pretty tightly to our planned itinerary, but this trip we padded with time and opportunity to adjust if needed and have taken full advantage of that.

So we’ll leave you in the heart of Tuscany for now, and with the next couple of posts I should be able to catch us up. I don’t know if I like sharing this way as much as by email – there are pros and cons. I can include more pictures which is good, and I only lost a post once that I then had to go back and re-write. Ugh. But if you are enjoying them it’s worth it.

For those of you who are rambling along with us and facing difficulties or just walking through the daily requirements and challenges of life, please know we pray for you. Just because we are taking a somewhat leisurely stroll through a portion of Italy does not mean we have forgotten about the cares of life. How overwhelming to also know a God who said to us, “casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you”.

Love to all.