Siena, Part 3

The other major building in town is the Palazzo Publico, on the famous main square, the Campio.   It is the city hall; it was in the 14th century, and still is, although the older part is now a museum.  The most interesting feature of the interior is the frescoes, mostly painted in the 14th and 15th centuries.  The frescoes are both religious and secular; some of them portray events in the city's history, and one room contains the very famous frescoes depicting good government vs. bad government.  (An interesting concept to apply to today's city halls?  Imagine commissioning a contemporary artist to do the same?)

At night:

Inside, a fresco depicting  naval battle:

detail:

More decoration and ceilings:

And part of the fresco of bad government:

Detail; resemblance to contemporary politicians is encouraged:

 A town with good government, with a fascinating glimpse at an imagined streetscape from the 15th century:

Siena, part 2

The main cathedral in Siena is another extraordinary work of Italian Gothic, like the Duomo in Florence.   Like seemingly every church in Italy, though, it is a collage of different styles as things were added and changed over the centuries.   For example, in the facade, the original was the multicolored stone gothic, but the gold mosaics  were actually added in the 19th century, even though they refer to a Byzantine style.

The interior is striking, not the least for its over the top stripes (alternating bands of dark and light marble).

The cathedral is also known for its floor, which has elaborate carvings.

Ceilings and domes:

The music library ceiling  (many beautiful chant books were on display):

The lower half of this photo is actually a fresco painted to look three dimensional:

A column from the Baptistry, located below:

And wonderful intarsia:

I think that this church was the most dazzling of all the ones we saw.  In addition, next door there was a museum of works from the church, including even more dazzling Sienese paintings.

This "Maesta" from Duccio was formerly on the altar of the Duomo:

More from the museum:

Siena, Part 1

Our last stop on this trip was Siena, and the contrast with Florence was fascinating.  Siena is really a medieval city; by the time the Renaissance appeared, Siena had been decimated by the Black Plague, and had lost her wars with Florence.  Not that much happened  afterwards, so that most of the city is as it was in medieval times.  It's a hilltop city, with hills everywhere, and mostly pedestrian streets.  Sienese art, as well, remained stuck in the Gothic style, without much influence from the Florentian artists down the road.   Which, to me, is a good thing, as I really have come to like pre-Renaissance art.   So we headed straight for the Pinocoteca, which features an astonishing collection of Sienese paintings beginning from the mid 13th century.   What a dazzling array of wonderfully colorful and expressive paintings!  It was fascinating to see painting emerge out of Byzantine styles, as artists tried various new ideas, some of which seem to be leaping straight ahead to the twentieth century.   Our pleasure was increased by the absolute quiet of the museum; for most of the time we were there, there were only 2 other people on a floor of about 20 rooms.    Take that, Uffizi!   Here are some highlights, mostly details..

This detail in a painting shows exactly the ceilings we have been seeing in the churches:

Everywhere gold...

Strange visions:

Musicians abound...

Color!

These pictures can only convey a portion of the impact of seeing these paintings in person, in full size and brilliant color, all of them dating from the 13th through 15th centuries.

Cinque Terre

As a kind of breather in between Florence and Siena, we went to the Ligurian coast to the now famous Cinque Terre region.   These are five impossibly picturesque villages that cling to the mountains next to the sea.   I have a Michelin Green guide from the 1980's that gives a just very brief mention of the Cinque Terre region; today the five villages are a certified mass tourism destination, an  essential stop on the package tour of Italy, and the narrow little main streets resemble the corridors of the Uffizi, with tour groups from all over the world clogging the streets.  (I expected lots of Rick Steves-toting Americans, but not large tour groups from Japan.)  The five towns are not connected by road, but by a train line, built in 1874.  Riding the train is a bit like riding the subway at rush hour in New York!
But, like the Uffizi, if you make an effort, you can escape the crowds, and have a great time wondering the back streets. Or stairs, I should say, as the villages are perched on steep hillsides and rocks, and you go up and down stairs and alleys as you wander.  Everything is up and down.  The villages were constructed between the 12th and the 16th centuries, and are a testimony to the sheer ingenuity of the human constructive impulse.   It's hard to imagine how these villagers hauled the stones up to these impossibly inaccessible spots and created these little villages.  (Apparently they were defending themselves against pirates, among other things.)  And each village has its own little churches.

Postcard worthy views..

I can't help but mention that these pastel house colors are controlled by the local governments.

In addition to the villages, the rock formations and water are enticing.

The variety of structures within these towns is amazing; here's one sample.

Our second day, there was a big storm; huge waves and lots of wind, but no rain.

A 13th century church, with a window on the harbour.

A beautiful church in the town of Corniglia, where we stayed.

And you have to have drinks on a terrace watching the sunset!

In the train, on the way to Cinque Terre, we passed by Carrara and its quarries, the source of marble for Michelangelo and countless others since then. It's amazing to think that they have been getting stones from this mountain for more than 500 years.