We went in the Duomo (of course...cathedrals are where all the good stuff is) and saw some Michelangelo, some Donatello, some Giavanni, some Bernini, and others. Amazing cathedral for sure!
My favorite was the Piccolomini Library:
These frescos are from the 1400s, never restored, and absolutely brilliant colors! I've never heard of the painter Pinturicchio, but I'm no art historian. The panels illustrate scenes from the life of Pope Pius II, who was from here.
Here's from the top of the Duomo museum, which houses many works of art from the cathedral, like the original rose window. The area between us and the dome was origionally slated to be the main nave of the church, and would have been larger than Sienna's rival Florence. The plague in the mid 1400's got in the way, when the town lost 1/2 their population, so they gave up their competition and settled for a smaller church.
And Sienna, with the clock tower by the Il Campo.
We loved Sienna! On the way back to the villa, we rolled thru an afternoon thunderstorm, which was very dynamic to watch roll over Tuscany! We're relaxing now, waiting for the storm to pass so we can go out to the pool!
These frescos are from the 1400s, never restored, and absolutely brilliant colors! I've never heard of the painter Pinturicchio, but I'm no art historian. The panels illustrate scenes from the life of Pope Pius II, who was from here.
The entire floor has inlaid scenes by 40 different artists done over 200 years! This one is the she-wolf of Sienna, who fed Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
Here's a shot from the back towards the nave. This is a very complex cathedral!
Here's a shot from the back towards the nave. This is a very complex cathedral!
Here's from the top of the Duomo museum, which houses many works of art from the cathedral, like the original rose window. The area between us and the dome was origionally slated to be the main nave of the church, and would have been larger than Sienna's rival Florence. The plague in the mid 1400's got in the way, when the town lost 1/2 their population, so they gave up their competition and settled for a smaller church.
And Sienna, with the clock tower by the Il Campo.
We loved Sienna! On the way back to the villa, we rolled thru an afternoon thunderstorm, which was very dynamic to watch roll over Tuscany! We're relaxing now, waiting for the storm to pass so we can go out to the pool!
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