Sightseeing in Siena: The Unique and Beautiful Duomo - Italy Bound with our Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze

October 15, 2015

Sightseeing in Siena: The Unique and Beautiful Duomo

We are really enjoying staying at Casa Laura. The location of the apartment on the courtyard is very quiet and its view of the old brick walls and other apts give us the feeling of being part of an Italian neighbourhood.
Laura has outfitted the apartment with everything we could ask for. The kitchen is great, we have an antique wooden couch, antique brass king sized bed, beautiful old tiled floors and lovely marble in the bathroom. When you step out of the main front door, you are in the middle of a bustling community with university students and small family businesses. It's great.
We couldn't wait to start walking and see some of Siena. We have bought the combo ticket at the Duomo which includes entry to the Baptistry, Crypt, Gate of Heavens tour, Duomo and its museum: a very good value. As we are here 3 days, we think that we will pace ourselves and see a few things each day, so that we have time to stroll through the streets of Siena as well.

In Europe, postal delivery is always interesting - by bicycle, on foot or creative little vehicles like this one.
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We loved this fountain in Il Campo square and so did the pigeons.
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Il Campo is a huge circular piazza in Sienna and it fans out from City Hall to create an ampitheatre like setting. During the famous annual Palio horse race, the centre is full of people and the outer ring is covered in dirt and the horses race around the Piazza.
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This dog waited patiently for his master outside the museum. We were royally entertained by his intense scrutiny as he sized each of us up in the long line waiting to buy tickets.
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Throughout Siena, these "happy" Chinese statues have been installed. This group are jumping in joy in front of the Duomo.
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The current structure of the Duomo dates back to 1215. The lower part was built by Giovanni Pisano in the Romanesque style featuring arched opening - and the upper part was designed and built a century later in the Gothic style. Siena is built on 3 hills and the town follows the ridges like a spine. The Duomo sits on the highest point. Like all churches in Siena, the Duomo honours the Virgin Mary.
As well as its unique design elements, the Duomo is known for its extraordinary artwork including statues by Michaelangelo, Donatello, Bernini...the well preserved frescoes,the marble floors and historically significant paintings.

We loved the whimsy and joy that these statues give to the space.
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A pasta sampler for lunch - yummy.
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Charmaine RuppoltGreat idea for a restaurant to offer a pasta sampler! :) I would've gotten it too!
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6 months ago
The Palio race has gone on for hundreds of years in Il Campo square. Each horse and rider represents one of the 17 districts in Siena. Passions and loyalty for one's district are very fierce and have deep roots in families for generations. The race is very dangerous and riders are often thrown from the horse (note the rider on the ground at the right). The winner is the first horse across the line - even if the rider is no longer on the horse.
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The most impressive Duomo - Siena Cathedral. We have seen so many types of churches in Europe - but this one is unique and a must see.
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Luckily for us, September and October are a special time for touring the Duomo. The floor is made up of original art made of marble and tiles and it is covered most of the year to protect it. It is exposed only for these two months. We took a tour which took us up into the upper attic and roof line of the Duomo to have a great view of the interior (and these floors_ and the countryside.
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As part of our tour in the upper part of the church at the roof, we got to see the original beams and a museum of tools used.
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Looking across the roof lines of Siena and the Civic Tower from the walkway on the roof of the Duomo.
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Looking at the Tower, Civic buildings, Il Campo and the Tuscan countryside beyond from the Duomo.
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The roof line of the Duomo.
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The identifiable striped pattern of the Siena Duomo is made up of 4 kinds of white marble and dark green marble. The floors are beautiful.
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We have climbed many narrow and winding steps to get to the top of the Duomo. We are lucky to have good weather today - no rain!
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Standing in the attic of the Duomo.
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While climbing up the stairs of the Duomo, we looked out at one of the decorative angels on the exterior of the building. From the ground, the angels look so tiny. Seeing these details up close make you appreciate the exquisite work and craftsmanship that has gone in to these historic buildings.
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On our tour we got to walk on a "hidden" walkway up high in the Duomo. I say hidden because the stone work is part of the facade. We got an interesting view of the length of this beautiful place from a great vantage point.
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The floor panels each tell a story and offer quite a detailed narrative.
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For almost 200 years, 40 artists carved the marble floor with intricate patterns from scenes of the Old Testament and historical allegories. From the entrance to the altar, you see a progression from simple allegorical images followed by more elaborate floors featuring detailed stories from the Old Testament with intricate techniques such as inlaid marble.
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These busts of 172 former Popes, whose reign was from St.Peter's time to the 12th century lie the perimeter of the roof line. A curious detail is that there are four faces that are repeated over and over again.
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This fresco by Pinturicchio celebrates the life of Pope Pius II and frames the entry to the Picciolomini library.
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As well as frescoes lining the walls of the Piccolomini Library, these music manuscripts are on display all around the room. They date from the 15th century and are made of sheepskin. They are so large because this era predates individual hymn books and the choir would read from one large book. Each page is a work of art and show little evidence of their age.
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This photo and the following two show details of the frescoes in the library.
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There is so much to observe and learn about here. So we took a break and read about the history and art of this beautiful Duomo.
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For us, the Piccolomini Library is a treasure within the Duomo. The 10 frescoes on the walls celebrate the life of Pope Pius II, music manuscripts line the walls and the Roman statue of the 3 Graces are in the middle of the room. Standing here one can feel the history of what it must have been like as a library, centuries ago.
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The 10 frescoes in the Library are remarkable in their vibrancy as they have never been retouched. Large windows flood the library with light, so candles were never used. This eliminated the tell-tale soot from centuries of burning candles. The 3 dimensional skill of the artist is shown well by the "arches" over each fresco.
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This marble altar was designed for the tomb of Pope Pious III, born in Siena. As he was buried at the Vatican, this was never used. Most notable is the statue of St. Paul which was carved by Michaelangelo.
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This fresco shows the coronation of Pope Pius III.
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The pulpit carved by Pisano from 1268 rests on the backs of lions, an important Christian symbol. The seven detailed panels show the life of Christ. Pisano's son continued the work and carved many of the panels.
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A close up of one of the lions supporting the pulpit. The symbolism of the lion eating its prey ia akin to Christianity overcoming paganism.
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A section of the moving and violent scene of the Slaughter of the Innocents. The carved marble panels and mosaics show the time of Herod sitting on his throne ordering the slaughter of babies to prevent the coming of the Messiah.
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Mary Magdalene in a state of ecstasy, sculpted by Bernini, stands inside the Chapel of the Madonna del Voto.
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This statue of St. Jerome playing the crucifix like a violin is by one of the greatest Baroque sculptors, Bernini. It communicates a depth of emotion.
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The painting, Madonna and Child, in the Chapel of Madonna del Voto. This has tremendous significance for Siena and as well, the Palio (horse race) is dedicated to her.
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Offerings of silver hearts and medallions are offered to the Madonna del Voto. These are displayed on the wall of the Duomo around the cathedral.
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A detail from a huge fresco in the Cathedral.
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These carved pews in the choir from 1363 represent some of the finest wood carving in Siena.
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We were very lucky that we were visiting the catherdral at this time of the year as the beautiful floor is usually covered in gray carpeting the rest of the year.
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The display case at the Allimentari - it is later in the day and people are stocking up for dinner.
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Francesco and Carlo are siblings who run the business at the Allimentari (Mama does the cooking) and over 3 days we got to know them very well. Each day we would go in to see what was being prepared for dinner and we would take it back to the apartment. A great place.
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This Allimentari was a few doors from our hotel and we bought our dinner (prepared by Mama) every day. These were some of the best meals of our trip.
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When in Siena, one must drink Sienese wine with a great label....and it tasted good too.
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Francesco at the Alimentari taught us much about traditional Tuscan cuisine. She encouraged us to try this local Sienese delicacy - raw salami spread on fresh bread. It was actually very tasty.
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