Teeny Tiny's Travel Tuesdays: Siena

On one of Teeny Tiny's many days in Florence, he planned a day trip to Siena, just an hour away by train. Siena is famous for its horse race, Il Palio, and its stripey cathedral. Because the historic part of Siena is up a mountain, when Teeny Tiny arrived, he made sure to grab a bus ticket.

After a minor getting-on-the-wrong-bus mishap, Teeny Tiny made his way to a city gate and greeted the symbol of Siena, the she-wolf.

The Sienese like to insist that their town was founded by the son of Remus, so the suckling wolves is an important and persistent image. Another important image is the Palazzo Publico, the ruling building for the republic.

The walls of the interior of the People's Palace chronicle the history of the republic. One of Teeny Tiny's most important historical finds was that the Sienese believed in unicorns:

After a thorough exploration of the palace, Teeny Tiny spent a bit of time in the big piazza. He could hardly believe that they raced horses around the distorted oval. He then made his way through the steep and winding streets first to a market to buy goodies and then to the Duomo.

The square was as good a place as any to eat his lunch. He found a ledge in front of the old hospital and enjoyed the people milling about:

Siena's cathedral is the most Gothic and adorned of all of the Italian churches Teeny Tiny has seen. It is covered with statuary and striking from every angle.

Inside the cathedral is just as remarkable as outside. Much of the floor has been roped off to protect the marvelous bas-relief tombs and decorations.

The pulpit shows a Last Judgment carved by Nicola Pisano.

Teeny Tiny loved that the church was striped inside and out, but he wished the Sienese had gone with more colors, perhaps some red and blue.

Teeny Tiny next took an amazing tour of the newly excavated narthex under the Duomo, where he saw some old frescoes and the original structure of the church. He explored the Baptistry, housed underneath the church's choir. The baptismal font was sculpted by Donatello and Jacopa dell Quercia.

Teeny Tiny next went to the museum of the Opera del Duomo to check out some of the great works commissioned for the church. At the top of the museum, he discovered a little stairway.

On his way up, he noticed this warning:

After getting his hand for to hold as instructed, he completed the climb. It was a bit exhausting, but the view was worth it.

After chatting with a lovely British couple on holiday, he tried to get a better idea of what it must be like for the horses to race in Il Palio.

All in all, Teeny Tiny's day in Siena turned out to be a perfectly beautiful day. He finished with some tasty gelato, of course, and managed to grab the correct bus back to the train station.