2023 Wednesday Oct. 18

Siena Rest Day

The day was a rest day but we could certainly have used more time to see and understand the famous sites of Siena.

The Piazza I’ll Campo is the center of the city, and the site of Siena’s famous Palio horse race.
The center low point (and drain) is divided into nine sections radiating out from the center.
The nine areas defined by fish bone patterned bricks spiking out from the central point represent the government of the Nine in the 13th and 14th century.
A picture of the Palio race, a twice-yearly event in July and August. The horses and riders race along the outer ring while spectators crowd the central area as well as every spare window in surrounding buildings.

The Siena Cathedral is so amazing that I am breaking my rule of posting only a few photos of churches.

The Siena Duomo was consecrated in 1215 on the site of an earlier church.. It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower.
The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with the addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, linked to black and white horses of the legendary city’s founders, Senius and Aschius.
The inlaid marble mosaic floor is one of the most ornate of its kind in Italy, covering the whole floor of the cathedral. This undertaking went on from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and about forty artists made their contribution. The floor consists of 56 panels in different sizes. They represent the sibyls, scenes from the Old Testament, allegories and virtues. Most are still in their original state. The earliest scenes were made by a graffito technique: drilling tiny holes and scratching lines in the marble and filling these with bitumen or mineral pitch. In a later stage black, white, green, red, and blue marble intarsia were used. This technique of marble inlay also evolved during the years, finally resulting in a vigorous contrast of light and dark, giving it an almost modern, impressionistic composition.
One of the two 18 m (60 ft) tall flagpoles in the Siena Cathedral. During the battle of Montaperti (1260), Bocca degli Abati, a Sienese spy, brought the Florence flag down causing panic among the Florentine soldiers and ultimately their defeat.
The round stained-glass window in the façade dates from 1549 and represents the Last Supper. It is the work of Pastorino de’ Pastorini.
The baptistry is not a separate building, but is in the back of the cathedral.
Baptistry art.
An added nave was planned in 1338.
however, a Black Death scourge in 1368 stopped construction, and with problems found, Construction never resumed.
Adjoining the cathedral is the Piccolomini Library, housing precious illuminated choir books and frescoes painted by the Umbrian Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio, probably based on designs by Raphael.
The frescoes tell the story of the life of Siena’s favorite son, cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who eventually became Pope Pius II.
The octagonal pulpit has panels with carved reliefs that represent a Christological cycle from the Visitation to the Last Judgment. The central column is on a pedestal that is encircled with the carved figures of ‘Philosophy’ and the ‘Seven Liberal Arts’.
The high altar.
St Jerome. by Bernini.
The Piccolomini Altarpiece, left of the entrance to the library, is the work of the Lombard sculptor Andrea Bregno in 1483. This altarpiece is remarkable because of the four sculptures in the lower niches, made by the young Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Gregory (with the help of an assistant) and Saint Pius. On top of the altar is the Madonna and Child, a sculpture (probably) by Jacopo della Quercia.
Donatella sculpted his John the Baptist.
On our way back to the hotel, we encountered this student group practicing with a drum and flags.
Riccardo Petroni (born Siena ca 1250 – died Genoa 10 February 1314) was a senior cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church during the closing decades of the thirteenth century and the early years of the fourteenth century.
Dinner at a local restaurant, Vivace.

Comments:

David Holt: Looks like you are having a fabulous time. Love your photos and reading your blog. 2023/10/21 at 6:40 pm

Reply: Thanks, David. We are enjoying the trek, just as we knew we would after seeing your trip photos. You guys are always working to increase the length of our bucket list. 2023/10/21 at 7:56 pm

Kathy Nichols: I am truly overwhelmed by the art (in all its forms) of the cathedrals you are visiting. It must be just as overwhelming to see it in person. I imagine it would take hours (?) to really study all the intricacies. Thanks so much for your great photos. Now I don’t have to travel to Italy! 2023/10/26 at 11:33 pm

Reply: There is certainly much to study. It is interesting to me to try to understand the stories, and recognize the saints. Whether or not we believe, it’s part of human history. 2023/10/27 at 5:00 am