Unexpected Trip to Siena

I love unexpected occasions; when it’s a Saturday night, and you have nothing to do and then within two seconds your Saturday and Sunday are filled with dinners and engagements.

A last minute invite to a meal turned into drinks, and another dinner the next day, and a trip Siena.

This was my first trip to Siena. I don’t know why, but I have never made it a point to visit the city whose inhabitants are known for being more closed off to strangers than the Florentines.

My friend Nicola gave me a tour of the town and explained its history. He had lived there years ago as a student. The city was formerly a nation state and was, and still is divided into contrade (districts).

He told me that the shape of Piazzo del Campo, was constructed to capture water when it rained; all of Siena’s water comes from the sky. Beneath the city exists a network of systems to purify and cleanse the water.

We decided to brave it and climb up the tower that dominates the square and Siena. A small strict doorway, opened into a modern room. I didn’t know if the entrance or the room after it was indicative of the stairwell that laid ahead. Unfortunately, it was the former.

Parts of the stairwell were so tight, that my back barley slipped through. Plus the climb was a physical workout. At times we had to pause to catch our breaths. But the view from the top was worth the labor.

From there we noted that there were not that many cars within the city walls. Most of the ancient streets could not fit the modern vehicle. The absence of cars, coupled with the absence of graffiti, gives Siena a sense of tranquility that Florence does not posses.

Nicola explained that the Sienese would personally punish anyone who tried to deface their beloved city. Before we entered the city he told me that the only place I would see graffiti would be the building that housed the school of arts. And he was right.

One of the street art that made me stop and stare, was a still life of a bare breasted woman in a window. I was not sure if the woman was part of a symbol of one of the 17 districts. But she was not the only woman who decorated the streets. All throughout there were tabernacles of the Virgin Mary. The city was dedicated to the Virgin Mary prior to the Battle of Montaperti (1260), when Siena defeated its rival Florence (the city has been dedicated several times to the Virgin since that time).

My personal tour ended with a tall pint of frothy Guinness. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.