May 31 - Siena, Italy

Tuesday, May 31 – Siena

Today we explored the medieval town of Siene, nestled in the hills of Tuscany. The town's narrow streets and high walls were built to withstand the armies of Florence in 1260. One of the main attractions was the shell-shaped Piazzo del Campo crowded with an intermingling of tourists and locals. The Torre del Mangia with its 290 ft. height drew large groups of tourist due the views of the city when you got to the top. We chose instead to tour the Museo Civico or City Museum full of frescoes depicting early Italian history. From its rooftop, we had a great viewpoint of the reddish orange brick buildings spread out over the hills.

Ken and Karen

Sherry and Charles

Web site: http://www.comune.siena.it/

At the end of one of its winding streets, we caught our first sight of the exquisite Duomo di Sante Maria dell Assunte with the white and pink sculpted inlaid marble with bands of green and white circling the bottom. Inside we were fascinated with the intricate red, black and white marble designs covering large sections of the floor. Paintings of figures from the Old Testament graced the walls and the many separate alcoves. The library included a collection of frescoes and statues which continued in the attached Museu dell 'Opera Metropolitanna.

Front of the Duomo

Ceiling of the Duomo

Satisfied and exhausted, we finished the day in Caffe Pontevecchio over Campari and Gin and Tonic with coni con mousse al zafferano cakes before returning to the train for our return trip to Florence.