Friday, March 5, 2010

Toscana: Siena

We did it.  We went on another adventure!  The weather here this past weekend was wonderful- bright, sunny, and in the low 60's.  We've heard such great things about the beauty of Siena and the hill towns of Tuscany that we decided to take advantage of the early glimpse of spring and make a visit.

Saturday, we woke up super early and drove down to Siena.  We were there by lunch time and spent the afternoon wandering the medieval streets. 

I understand now why everyone raves about Siena.  The streets are small and winding, and also mostly limited to pedestrians. Everything is picturesque.   It's also unbelievably clean.  There was little to no trash or graffiti, creating very pleasant surroundings. 





The main piazza, Il Campo, is just magnificent.  The city hall and tower made me think of a gigantic medieval Lego set.  There is also a beautiful fountain.  The weather brought out many who were also lounging and socializing. We sipped glasses of Chianti and Vernaccia di San Gimignano while taking in the beautiful buildings and people.


While sipping, we gabbed about the Palio di Siena that happens twice each year in this exact square.  It was hard to imagine the square packed full of sweaty people in the heat and humidity of July and August to watch the world's most exciting horse race.  The outer ring is lined with dirt and mattresses are even put up on the walls.  There is a horse and jockey team with an animal mascot for each neighborhood.  The first horse to make it three times around the square wins.  I happened to catch some video footage from the 2005 Palio later at the hotel.  I was surprised at how emotional the people were.  It's a lively and exciting tradition that seems very personal to the people of Siena.



Later in the afternoon we visited the Duomo.  The exterior had a mix of Romanesque columns and arches and Gothic spires.  The inside and outside walls were lined with white and green striped marble.  


The she-wolf image with Romulus and Remus was present everywhere- both as sculptures and marble inlaid in the floor. Apparently, it is one of the symbols of Siena.  I found this unusual because I've always associated the she-wolf icon with Roma.





The dome in the center of the cathedral was painted with an optical illusion- it appeared 3-D and sculptured although it was simply a flat fresco.








The walls and ceiling of the Piccolomini Library (a side chapel off the main church) were beautifully frescoed. I was impressed by the 3-D effects created by the artist Pinturicchio.  The colors and gold of the paint were brightly illuminated by the natural sunlight coming in through the windows.  This room was radiant and warm and I thought there was a striking contrast between it and the darker, colder interior of the rest of the church. 



For dinner, we ventured away from Il Campo and found a wonderful osteria called Taverna di San Giuseppe.  I really loved the interior and ambiance.  It had a grotto feeling that was rustic but dressy with modern touches.  And the food- amazing!  For my primo, I had pasta with pumpkin, saffron, and leeks.  Michael had pasta with artichokes, leeks, and Gorgonzola. We even had enough courage to order a local Tuscan speciality for our secondo- wild boar!  Michael said it reminded him of slow roasted pork.  We ended the meal with the best tiramisu we've ever had.


We strolled hand in hand back through Il Campo to our hotel.  Ahhhhh.  We, too, now looooooove Siena.




Some additional photos...



The fountain in Il Campo


Duomo with Bell Tower and Dome


She-wolf sculpture plus beautiful ornate marble


A handsome tourist


Come back tomorrow for details of our visit to one of the hill towns.

2 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful! So glad you had a great time!!!

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  2. Yay!! Glad you guys were able to go and loved it!! It's such a beautiful and quiet town, isn't it? =) Can't wait to see you soon!!!! Love you!

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