Siena

After a long day of Herculaneum and Pompeii we returned to our hotel in Naples for a good nights sleep. The next morning, after a dose of espresso, we hopped the train to Siena. About 5 hours later we landed in what was one of our favorite towns of the trip...and not just because one of Bob Ross' favorite paint colors, Burnt Siena, is named after the brownish-red rooftops of this town. It seems a bit cliche given that every tourist that has been here loves it, but it is hard to find anything unattractive about the city.


The social heart of Siena, particularly for tourists like us, is Il Campo, or the central plaza. It is shaped like a three dimensional scallop shell rising and fanning out from the Palazzo Publico (town hall). During all hours of the day every day people gather here to socialize, sit, eat, and just relax. According to Wikipedia, Il Campo is "regarded as one of the most beautiful civic spaces in Europe." I have to agree that it was one of our favorite places to relax during the entire trip. The scallop shaped plaza is divided up into nine sections each one representing an original neighborhood in the historic old center. These represent nine of the 17 or so neighborhoods that compete in the Palio (an annual bareback horse riding competition that takes place in the plaza twice a year). At the far end of Il Campo, near where I'm sitting above, is the plaza's fountain - Fonte Gaia. The "Fountain of Happiness" depicts stories of the bible. Marble panels here are replicas (we would later see the originals in the city's museum). Unfortunately, the fountain has been gated off from people and now is primarily ruled by pigeons. If you look closely at the picture on the left you'll see an unlucky pigeon floating in the distance.

The winner of the Palio competition is granted bragging rights until the next race (usually a year away). Bragging consists of parading through the town with your colors playing music and talking trash. We were lucky enough to stumble across one such parade during our second day in town on our way to see the Duomo (cathedral).

The Duomo in Siena bears a striking resemblance to that of Florence. Built in Tuscan Gothic style it is a bit of an eyesore albeit an ornate and kind of pretty one. The interior of the cathedral however differs from that of Florence dramatically. The people of Siena insisted that it be grander than the Florence Duomo during the years when the two cities were fighting to be the renaissance capital of Italy. Lavish inlaid marble floors and statues by Michaelangelo and Donatello adorn the entire layout. There were even plans to expand the cathedral until the plague hit the city.



Siena was where Danielle discovered that most bars in northern Italy offer free appetizers to anyone who buys a cocktail. Most places would set their goods out around 5PM meaning that by 5:15 we would be in there mowing down "dinner." I was impressed with Danielle's knack for stacking piles of olives, bread, cheese, fruit onto a cocktail napkin. Gelato was a highlight here, as it was just about everywhere else. Unfortunately, this is only one of a couple of pictures documenting the experience. If its good enough for Gods followers its good enough for me. Favorite flavors: pistachio, lemon, watermelon, and rice.