Italian Trip Diary -- Day #8 -- Siena

Wednesday, June 20, 2001, Siena:

On our next day in Siena, we visited the Pinacoteca Nazionale (picture gallery) which is filled with Sienese masterpieces (as with most Italian museums, no photos were allowed). After our art “fix” we stopped for lunch on the Campo.  Then we walked to the cathedral.  The exterior is an extravagant mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles in multi-colored marble.

Siena Cathedral (Santa Maria Assunta) exterior from the southwest.  The lower part of the
west facade was designed by Giovanni Pisano, who also did most of the sculptures.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The upper half of west facade was completed between 1360 and 1370 to designs
  by Duccio di Buoninsegna.  The large rose window meant off-setting the structural supports
 of  the upper facade from the columns between the doors, making the composition unstable.
The Venetian glass mosaics in the gables were added in 1878.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Detail of the lower half of the west facade showing the elaborate sculpture and
scultural elements designed by Giovanni Pisano around 1284.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The present church is contained in what was originally planned as the cathedral transepts.  The planned nave was left incomplete when the Siena was ravaged by the black plague in 1348.  The Republic of Siena never fully recovered from the ravages of the plague and was eventually conquered by the Republic of Florence in 1554 and incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1559.  

Interior of Siena Cathedral.  The nave is just one bay longer than the choir.
The black and white striped marble of the columns and walls reflects the colors of
Siena's coat of arms.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Ceiling of the nave showing the bust of popes just below the cornice.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The interior is famous for the beautiful pavements, but they are mostly covered over by plywood for preservation.  The few panels that were available were wired to detect any seismic fluctuations due to some excavations in the crypt below the cathedral.  There is a magnificent marble pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano (father of Giovanni) with panels depicting episodes from the life of Christ. 

Octagonal Pulpit by Nicola Pisano rests on eight columns, four supported on the backs of animals.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Panels of the Pulpit portray the Life of Christ -- here the Crucifixion.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

From the cathedral we walked over to the museum (Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana del Duomo) which is built into the end of the planned nave. 

Vestiges of the planned nave extending from the Cathedral's south transept.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The floor of the planned nave is now a parking lot.  Photo by Blomme-McClure 

There is a gorgeous 'Virgin in Majesty (Maesta)' by the early Sienese painter Duccio. 

'Virgin in Majesty (with Saints and Angels)' by Duccio (di Buoninsegna),
tempera and gold on wood, 1308-1311.  Photo from Wikipedia

And on the reverse are 26 panels (from the original 43) depicting the passion of Christ. 

'Scenes from the Passion of Christ' by Duccio (di Buoninsegna),
tempera and gold on wood, 1308-1311.  Photo from Wikipedia

The whole thing is displayed in a darkened, climate controlled room with dramatic lighting which highlights the shimmering golden backgrounds – a feature of the Sienese style.  This suite of paintings originally assembled as an enormous altarpiece was placed in the cathedral upon its completion in 1311.

From the interior of the museum there is a winding stair leading up to the top of (what would have been) the west front of the nave.  From the top, there are marvelous views back toward the Cathedral and out over the Campo, the city and the surrounding hills.

South facade of Siena Cathedral with campanile and dome looking from the top of
the abandoned nave.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

View of Piazza del Campo with Palazzo Publico and Torre del Mangia from top of abandoned nave of
Siena Cathedral.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

George and Carl climbed to the very top, Doug settled for an intermediate stage where there was a larger viewing platform with wonderful views.

Siena is a very small city with three main streets that run along three ridges.  We enjoyed wandering through the old streets which were surprisingly free of tourist throngs (especially compared to the crush of Florence).

Palazzo Tolomei on Piazza Tolomei was begun in 1205.  It's the oldest surviving
residence in Siena, although it has suffered fires and destruction in times of war
 and been restored several times.  Photo by Blomme-McClure 

'Loggia della Mercanzia' built by Sano di Matteo and Pietro del Minella between 1417 and 1428,
was under restoration when we were in Siena.  This loggia is at the corner where the three main streets of Siena come together and was a meeting place of merchants.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

'St. Paul' by Vecchietta on the Loggia della Mercanzia, marble, 1460-62.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Palazzo Salimbeni is the seat of the world's oldest bank, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Upon returning to the hotel, we were disturbed by a sinister looking man knocking on our door.  Since we had all sent out laundry in the morning, we were expecting a porter to be bringing back the clean clothes and innocently opened the door. When we went out to dinner later and compared notes with Carl, we found that the same man had knocked on his door as well and then claimed to have the wrong room when he opened the door. 

That evening we dined at La Taverna del Capitano (Via del Capitano 6/8, Siena; 0577/288094) near the cathedral.  When we arrived there was a party (bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party?) in the main dining room (about 18 Italian women of all ages drinking lots of wine, laughing and shouting).  To avoid the din, we elected to sit outside, where the chill breeze made for an uncomfortable dinner setting -- although the food was delicious.

As a result of our chilly dinner setting we elected to retreat for dessert and coffee to Café’ Victoria (via di Citta 130, Siena; 0577 46720) which offered a warm corner, a funny waiter and a delicious apple cake.

When we returned to the hotel, we discovered that an elderly lady from a touring group staying on our floor had been burgled by a man who had pushed his way into her room when she answered the door!  We felt somewhat sheepish that we had not reported our earlier encounters with the sinister man to the front desk.  On the other hand, our experience with the general indifference of the staff at the front desk gave us little confidence that any action would have been taken.