Hi Everyone!
Thankfully the train strike was cancelled, so I took my original train to Siena, a Tuscan village outside of Florence. Siena is known for its Palio, a horse race that takes place in the Piazza del Campo.
I visited the Cathedral in Sienna. I'm convinced the plan with this cathedral was to cover every square inch in decoration. There is so much to look at that it can be dizzying!
There is a beautiful chapel that houses Bernini's famous Madonna statue (on the right).
In England the crypts of cathedrals are burial chambers. I've quickly learned that in Italy, the crypt is where the really interesting stuff is, such as ruins of previous churches. The crypt of the Siena cathedral has beautiful frescoes. The majority of people in the 1300's couldn't read, so most of the art from then, and even in the current cathedral was designed to tell the story of Christ in a way the people would understand.
I took a walking tour that I found while researching my trip, and I'm so glad I did. It took me through the quiet side streets of Siena, which look exactly like you expect a Tuscan village to look; yellow buildings with green shutters, window boxes of flowers, and laundry hanging from balconies.
The walking tour takes you to a beautiful vista where you can see the Tuscan hillside. Harold loved the view.
Siena is divided into districts called contrada. Each contrada has a horse in the Palio race, a saint, a fountain, and a flag depicting a mascot. People are super loyal to their contrada, in the same way die-hard sports fans support their team. Each contrada has a day set aside to give thanks to the saint associated with the contrada, and to celebrate. I'm sure you can guess where this is going. Today is the day the Contrada dell Oca (goose) gathers to march through the city to give thanks to their saint. I first saw the procession at the Siena cathedral, then again in the street while on my walking tour, and finally in the Piazza del Campo. I love it when things like this happen while on my travels, sometimes the unexpected things are the best!
Thankfully the train strike was cancelled, so I took my original train to Siena, a Tuscan village outside of Florence. Siena is known for its Palio, a horse race that takes place in the Piazza del Campo.
I visited the Cathedral in Sienna. I'm convinced the plan with this cathedral was to cover every square inch in decoration. There is so much to look at that it can be dizzying!
There is a beautiful chapel that houses Bernini's famous Madonna statue (on the right).
In England the crypts of cathedrals are burial chambers. I've quickly learned that in Italy, the crypt is where the really interesting stuff is, such as ruins of previous churches. The crypt of the Siena cathedral has beautiful frescoes. The majority of people in the 1300's couldn't read, so most of the art from then, and even in the current cathedral was designed to tell the story of Christ in a way the people would understand.
I took a walking tour that I found while researching my trip, and I'm so glad I did. It took me through the quiet side streets of Siena, which look exactly like you expect a Tuscan village to look; yellow buildings with green shutters, window boxes of flowers, and laundry hanging from balconies.
The walking tour takes you to a beautiful vista where you can see the Tuscan hillside. Harold loved the view.
Siena is divided into districts called contrada. Each contrada has a horse in the Palio race, a saint, a fountain, and a flag depicting a mascot. People are super loyal to their contrada, in the same way die-hard sports fans support their team. Each contrada has a day set aside to give thanks to the saint associated with the contrada, and to celebrate. I'm sure you can guess where this is going. Today is the day the Contrada dell Oca (goose) gathers to march through the city to give thanks to their saint. I first saw the procession at the Siena cathedral, then again in the street while on my walking tour, and finally in the Piazza del Campo. I love it when things like this happen while on my travels, sometimes the unexpected things are the best!
That is so cool how your timing was in getting to see this!
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