Siena

From Florence, E and I took a bus to Siena, where we stayed at the Albergo Benini, which had been recommended in Rick Steves' 2014 Italy guidebook. Rick Steves must be a very powerful man in Italy, we figured, given the number of American tourists we saw carrying his books around Tuscany. Indeed, a tour guide in Volterra (whose walking tour we took because it was recommended by you know whom) told us that something like 70% of all tourists from the U.S. use his books.

The view from our room was jaw-droppingly spectacular. I recommend both the hotel and the Rick Steves book.

We spent two nights in Siena, and enjoyed its easy walkability, beauty, and relative quietness. The old-town section was full of tourists, but at only a small fraction of the density as in Florence. Siena also had far less automobile traffic and exhaust. And while it lacked the iconic art punch of Florence, there were more than enough frescoes, sculptures, museums, towers, and gorgeous buildings to keep us ogling.

On our first afternoon, we visited churches: San Domenico, which was a block from our hotel, and the Duomo sites (museum, baptistery, and Duomo including Piccolomini Library). Just below our hotel was the much expanded house where St. Catherine grew up, so we visited that too.

San Domenico

Duomo. The Duomo museum was a highlight, but no photos allowed.

Duomo interior. Notice the pope head sculptures looking down from the wall.

Dome

Slaughtered innocents in the marble floor of the Duomo.

Two frescoes in the stunning Piccolomini library (commissioned in 1494 by Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini to house the books of his uncle Enea Silvio Piccolomini. Enea became pope Pius II; Francesco became pope Pius III. 

Piccolomini library ceiling

A fresco in the sanctuary: Enea Piccolomini becoming Pius II

That evening back in our hotel room, we heard drums, and when we looked out the window, we saw a pair of flags flying up over the roof line of the St. Catherine house below. We scrambled outside to watch flag throwers from Siena's Oca Contrada (Goose neighborhood) practice (presumably for the July 2 Palio, which was about two weeks away).

Our second day began with the Thursday market, a crazy busy couple of city blocks crammed to bursting with stands selling clothes, shoes, books, sewing supplies, kitchen gadgets, potted plants, and other assorted jim jams. There was breathing room next to the plants, which is why I have photos of plants.

We had room to turn around here, so I took a photo...

We headed to City Hall and the Piazza del Campo midday, followed by the amazing museum Santa Maria della Scala. The museum was practically empty while we were there, which was nice but surprising. Over 1000 years old, the building was built into the hill in front of the Duomo and descends for a total of four cavernous stories. It's main use was as a hospital for the ill and a hospice for the poor and abandoned. Photos, of course, were not allowed; see the museum website for a sense of how its 200,000 cubic meters are used today.

Siena City Hall

Given the scruffiness of this guy, I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be John the Baptist

Climbing up, looking down

Duomo to the left, San Domenico to the right

I used to think the detailed landscape backgrounds painted into small windows in assorted Renaissance "Madonna & Child" paintings were there to look charming and painterly, until I learned that that's what distant landscape backgrounds actually look like in Tuscany.

A hair salon hung a bunch of cardboard wigs in an alley with a sign saying "take photos and post them online!"