DAY 126 – REST DAY IN SIENA

Strictly we were not due a rest today, having only walked for three days rather than our usual five, but we would not have wanted to miss out on extra time in Siena. It’s simply wonderful! We need to return and spend longer here another time.

Once again the exterior gave no indication of the comfort of our B&B inside

Our billet is very convenient, though it was rather noisy last night, with a bar and restaurant immediately below our window. As it was Friday night there were lots of people out enjoying themselves. However, we were only a few minutes walk from the two main sights here, the Piazza del Campo (main square) and the duomo (cathedral).

Although the cathedral is very ornate, we were bowled over by the skilled craftsmanship of the stonework, both outside and inside. We were surprised to learn that the cathedral was built between 1215 and 1263, a period when English cathedrals were much plainer. The cathedral and its campanile are made from white marble, with parts interspersed with black (actually very dark green) sepentinite. Tom says it looks like a zebra! The cathedral was intended to be much bigger and extension works were begun, but the Black Death in 1348 brought everything to a halt, and work was never resumed. The tower has six bells, the oldest one cast in 1149.

The west end of the duomo and the campanile
Detail of the magnificent facade at the west end

The west facade is just stunning! Even on a grey soggy day the pink/white marble glows warmly. The design combines French gothic, Tuscan romanesque, and classical architectural styles. The skilled carving is almost miraculous in its detail and mostly follows Giovanni Pisano’s original design although he left Siena before the work was completed.

The nave looking east
Pulpit sculpted by Nicola Pisano and others between 1265 and 1268, and is the earliest remaining work in the cathedral
Looking down into the main nave and its beautiful inlaid marble floor

The whole floor of the cathedral is covered with inlaid marble mosaics, mostly made between the 14th and 16th centuries by a large number of sculptors. It is reputed to be the most ornate floor of its kind in Italy, and is certainly very impressive. The images portray various biblical stories including a particularly gruesome image of King Herod’s killing of male children following the birth of Jesus.

Inlaid marble floor, depicting the slaying of the baby boys on Herod’s orders

Our ticket also allowed us to visit the crypt which has many brightly coloured frescos, apparently only relatively recently discovered. The crypt had been filled with rubble when the baptistry was built, and was only rediscovered and excavated in 1999- 2003. The frescos are thought to date from the 13th century. The colours are remarkably intense.

Unfortunately the font in the baptistry was wrapped up in plastic sheeting whilst it is being worked on, but the painted vaulted ceiling was amazing.

Having spent several hours looking around the cathedral, taking a roof tour (wonderful views over the city as well as down into the body of the cathedral), and visiting the crypt and baptistry, we went off to find somewhere for lunch. A nearby cafe provided a very acceptable lasagne followed by panforte di Siena, with cafe latte. All delicious!

Many of the palazzos had stylish metal rings along their walls – for tying up horses?

We decided to skip looking around the Palazzo dei Populi on the main square as this is supposed to be a rest day, and will look forward to doing that another time. Our final task for the day was to buy sandwiches for the next two days, to make sure we don’t get caught out again without food, or have to rely on our emergency muesli supply.

Coming back down into the Piazza del Campo with Palazzo dei Populi ahead – it is surprisingly noisy in the enclosed space of the piazza as any sound echos off the surrounding buildings

Back in our room there was some kind of group gathering going on in the Piazza del Mercato below, with several people banging drums in unison (in one short repetitive pattern) whilst others were waving banners. We couldn’t work out what it was all about, but after about half an hour of drumming we were very relieved when they all moved away!

We returned to the cathedral to attend the 6pm Eucharist, which was a real privilege. Despite our very poor understanding of Italian we were able to follow most of the service and even understand parts of the sermon. It is all so similar to the liturgy we follow in the Anglican Church. What a pity we seem to be so defined by our differences rather than that which we have in common.

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