Our Journey: 2017

Siena is the capital of Tuscany located 190km north of Roma. The city is located on the top of a  mountain. The modern developed part of Siena has been unable to spread into the high part of  Sienna so the city looks like it was in previous centuries. In March, when we were there, only a  few tourists were present, which made the visit very pleasant. According to the legend the city  of Siena was founded by the two sons of Remulus founder of Roma hence you will find numerous  statues of the wolf which they took from Roma. When you approach Siena you immediately  notice the two towers of the major buildings. The highest tower is the tower of the city hall. It  was built from 1322 to 1344 and reaches a height of 102 meters. I  personally wonder how the  tower is still standing as it looks very fragile if there is an earthquake. In front of the city hall  you have a big plaza, Piazza del Campo, were tourists likeo sit and relax in the sun or to observe the surrounding buildings. Early July and around the 12 of August the city is having big  celebrations but the best know event is the a famous horserace  in which horses have to race  three times around the piazza. At that time the whole city tries to see this event and the place  is packed with people. The Cathedral or Duomo is another highlight of Siena. It was built using  black and white marble laid horizontally. This is quite unique. Inside you have numerous  interesting pieces of art such as mosaics and paintings. The mosaics represent famous bible  scenes such as the massacre by Herod. Around the Cathedral, there are also remarkable  places to visit such as the crypt that is located underneath the cathedral. Unfortunately, the  crypt did suffer from the weight of thecathedral and some parts of it are damaged.  Nevertheless, some parts of frescos are visible. Recently, several pieces that were damaged  during the earthquake of Norcia in 2016 were transferred from the crypt and  stored in a safe  place while awaiting restoration.    The baptistery is also a very interesting place to visit. It is full of beautiful statues and  frescos. Opposite the entrance of the Domo you find the old hospital, but we only visited the  church. The church has a very impressive ceiling and behind the altar there is a pool that refers  to the pool were Jesus healed the sick. I do not know if in the past patients were brought to  the pool with the hope of being healed. A beautiful organ is also visible in the church.  The Opera museum is another obligatory place to visit. Inside there are a lot of items from the  cathedra that have been transferred for better preservation. The advantage is that you can  have a very close look at the paintings, statues and bells. The way the pieces are exhibited is  really cleverly done and allows visitors to see the skills of the artists of the time. You can end  the visit of the museum by going out on the roof from where you can view Siena from high up.  The stairs leading to the the roof are narrow, so the guards act as traffic controllers to  prevent traffic jams on the stairway. We loved Siena and we can really recommend that you  visit it, but if possible, before Easter as then it is still not crowded and the temperature is very  pleasant.