Memory Monday - Siena, Italy

One of my absolute favorite small towns in Italy is Siena.  It isn't a quaint seaside town like Positano nor a colossal capital like Rome but the uniqueness of Siena's character is astounding.  It's no wonder that it has been declared a World Heritage Site.  The history of the town is fascinating, all beginning with the legend of Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf suckling infants that can be seen throughout the town.  Siena is divided up into 17 different neighborhoods, each named after a different animal (real or mystic).  Ten out of these seventeen neighborhoods compete in the Palio horse races that happen twice a year, once in july and once in August.  The Piazza del Campo is the town square where twice a year a horse from every neighborhood competes in the horse races.  Everyone in town, adorned in their neighborhood's color and mascot comes out to cheer and celebrate.  The summer sun and spectacular mass of people elicits more joyful loyalty than thought possible.  Standing on the Piazza's brick flooring it's hard to imagine it packed with people for a 90 second race.  The madness seems to make it that much more exciting and special.

After stepping into the Siena Duomo (cathedral) I had to pick up my jaw off the floor. The ceiling, more specifically the dome, gives an optical illusion that it rises for miles. It was added by the world renowned architect and painter Bernini.  Upon walking further in you realize that the columns are black and white striped.  These represent Siena's coat of arms and the colors incorporated in it.  In the center is the Pulpit which possesses an intricacy that is beyond usual carvings.  The outside incorporates scenes from the Last Judgement and the life of Christ, all carved in marble. My favorite by a long shot is the adjoining part of the church called the Piccolomini Library.  It houses precious choir books encrusted in gold and frescoes that look illuminated by a non existent backlight.  It is so delicate and potent at the same time that you feel almost entranced.  As you walk in a recording is playing of a choir singing the songs in the books displayed before you.  You really get a feel for what it was actually like to hear them sung.  Not a square inch is left of unpainted walls. The story of Pope Pius II is being told in larger than life murals. On the ceiling are paintings of mythical creatures that push you to the border of the real and unrealistic.

I'm begging you, if you have any chance to visit Siena you can't pass it up!