Duomo in Sienna

The Duomo in Sienna was the most ornate we visited.  We are amazed at the craftsmanship in this cathedral in particular because of the stripes.  Just wait.  You'll see.  The church is made of black and white marble in a striped pattern.  How did men work the marble to the precise sizes needed with just hand tools?

This wall lies perpendicular to the church you just saw.  It was supposed to be the back wall of an even bigger cathedral; the town's goal was to have the biggest church in the country.  The existing church was to be the entry into the larger sanctuary.  Sadly, the plague of 1348 depleted both human and capital resources, so the church never reached the dreamed of size.  Dave climbed the wall.  I took a break.

After his climb, we went inside the church.   The stripes are everywhere.

There were many decorative designs in the floor.  Some were cordoned off so you couldn't walk on them.  Others had cardboard taped over them in an effort to preserve them.  We noticed in Florence's Duomo that the different colors of marble must have different densities because the wear on some colors is more than on the other colors. 

One of the side rooms to the chapel, contained this ceiling art and books copied and illustrated by Monks.  The painstaking detail in this church is over the top.  Some complain that it is gaudy.  It's a bit much, but when you think of the intention, giving your best to God, you have to stop and pause.  Certainly best efforts were given; the craftsmanship is unrivaled.  However, as we strolled through the streets of Sienna, we also pondered the question of resources, the well-being of the people at time, and God's desire for our use of his wealth.  Does God want big gaudy churches showcasing craftsmanship or does He want us to feed his people and be sure that everyone's basic needs are met?

I'm not sure what the answer is to the question I posed.  I don't know that there is an answer, just a point to ponder while we wander.

Miglia 1000

Imagine our surprise when we heard the roar of engines echoing through the city center of Sienna.  Even greater was our wonder as the crowds parted for these cars to thunder by.  Some people in the crowd were waving flags that said "Miglia 1000."  

It wasn't until we were in the airport in Milan on Monday morning that we learned more about Miglia 1000.  We happened to be standing in line at the American Airlines counter behind a gentleman with Miglia 1000 tags on his bag.  As we turned a corner in the line, I mouthed to Dave, "Ask him."  Another risk for both of us, since we just don't talk to strangers.  It wasn't a huge risk as we figured he'd be willing to talk about himself and this mysterious Miglia 1000 since it was all over all of his luggage.  It turns out he was a driver in one of the cars.  The race started in 1927, as a true road race covering 1000 miles of public roads in Italy.

The race begins in Brescia, goes to Rome and then back to Brescia.  In 1957, a car went out of control.  The driver, co-pilot, and seven spectators were killed in the accident.  The Pope intervened; the race was no more.  Today it is a road rally, with check points along the way for drivers.  What a next opportunity to see vintage cars.

We hope Gavin will one day want race cars in his room.  We'll have just the images to print and frame to adorn his walls.  (I just updated his room with construction equipment, else I'd be updating it now--just to use the pictures.)

You can see the crowds pressing in as the cars drive by.  I can see how a car could go out of control and hurt people.  I'm really surprised that it took 30 years for it to happen.

Sienna

Saturday morning, we decided to take a trip to Sienna via train.  I really just wanted to stay in Florence, but I'm so glad Dave convinced me that we needed to explore more of the country side.  We had a great trip!

We were able to buy our tickets, catch our train, and more importantly, in Sienna buy a bus ticket, get to the right stop and walk to the city center.

Sienna is a tourist destination.  I shouldn't be too impressed with our bus efforts; we followed our best rule of thumb:  follow the crowd.   The streets were packed and then we realized there was a race of some sort going on.  Signs told us it was Miglia 1000; there's a lot of history there and cool cars, so it gets its own post.

Below is a picture looking through a street into the city's main piazza.

We roamed through the city streets.  We found il Duomo and toured it; we were quite impressed by it.  Most of the pictures in this post are simply shots of things that we found interesting.  One of the things we talked about as we meandered through Sienna is that we never traveled abroad during college.  Neither of us wanted to then, so it isn't like it's something we wanted to do, but couldn't.  However, in watching the younger full-time MBA students who have no children at home, we saw a different experience.  By Saturday, we were tired and missing Gavin.  We hope to be able to allow Gavin to travel and see the world while he's young. And, we hope to take him with us on other adventures.  He's still just a bit young.  I can't imagine a trip with a little boy who doesn't sleep well in strange beds and routines.

It rained a bit on us.  Notice the umbrellas in the piazza in the picture below.

There had been a wedding at this church.  There were two kids out sweeping up rice.

San Gimignano

After the winery tour and lunch, we boarded the charter bus, which took us to San Gimignano.  We were dropped at the edge of the city and walked to the center of the city. I had to giggle as I stepped from the path to allow a group of silver-haired retirees pass as I took Advil to get ahead of the pain in my knee. 

We wandered around a bit taking pictures of the narrow, curving streets.  Dave also took some cool pictures of doors and door knockers.  I'll do a separate post with some of those photos. 

San G once boasted 72 towers in the town.  Families built them as a sign of their wealth.  The plague of 1348 and a diversion of a trade route led to the decline of the town.  Of the 72 towers, only 14 remain today.

Part of Piazza del Duomo is seen below.  As narrow as the streets are, they are not closed to automobile traffic.  As we were inside a shop just outside this picture (to the bottom left corner, add one building), buying a belt (Dave wishes he had bought a second the quality is so good), a car drove by a bit too close to the outside cafe tables pictured below under the tents and scraped the metal rails of the outdoor dining area. 

We climbed to the top of Torre Grosso for these views of the city and the surrounding country side.

I'm not really sure why this statue is posed to jump from this tower.

Dave dangled over the edge just a bit to get this shot of the flowers growing in the wall of the tower.

I was grateful that the climb up the Torre Grosso was made easier by such wide stairs.

Torre Grosso from the Piazza below.

I just think this sign denoting a hiking trail is funny.  I love that the lady is wearing a scarf around her hair.  I know that's what I do when I go hiking.  There were a few other signs that I found funny; again, I should have taken a picture.  And some of the funny signs were not so humorous once the meaning dawned on me.  For instance, near the elevators, there was always a sign pointing to the stairs.  The figure is clearly running; I kept thinking, "Oh, the Italians think you have to run up the stairs."  Then I realized it was pointing to the stairs as an emergency exit.  Duh. I do find it interesting that running can be conveyed so easily with just one image.  Maybe that's a testimony to the simplicity of my artistic talents.