In the morning we took a train to Siena, another of the best preserved medieval cities, this one perched atop of a large hill. A moment of insanity caused us to choose the walk, rather than bus or taxi, to get to the top of the hill to enter the city walls and begin our walking tour of the city.
Siena, like Rome, is built on seven hills. Legend tells that Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus who founded Rome, which explains the many statues of a she wolf nursing two boys.
We navigated the narrow medieval streets and alleys to find fan shaped Piazza del Campo. This 12th century piazza is bordered by elegant palazzi (palaces). The graceful Gothic town hall was completed in 1342. The adjacent bell tower, at 330 feet tall, is the second highest in Italy.
From the top of the bell tower you can see all of Siena and much of Tuscany.
As we continued through Siena, we saw the University of Siena. Founded in 1240, this is one of the oldest universities in the world. It still functioning today and has 20,000 students.
We wandered past many other ancient, beautiful sites on our way to the Duomo (cathedral). Siena’s Duomo (1136-1382) is one of the most spectacular in Italy. The front was undergoing maintenance, which prevented seeing that side, but the remainder was beautiful. Much like the exterior walls, the supporting pillars were black and white marble from quarries on the outskirts of the city.
The Duomo has beautiful inlaid marble floors.
There were many works of art throughout, including work by young Michelangelo.
Its baptistery was also beautiful. Its centerpiece included statues by Donatello and Ghiberti.
