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Siena…imagery

26/04/2019 /

In my last blog, I ruminated about and wrote on my attraction to Italy, its people and places in general, and then focused on Siena’s palio horse race in particular. In this blog, I want to present images of Siena, taken by my Friend Clive, photographer of remarkable skill and intuition, while walking within the Medieval-walled part of this magnificent city over a one week period in February 2019. Through what lens, literally and figuratively, do we look and what do we see when we visit and walk in a country/city/venue different from our home? For me, the images capture so much of the sensation of the town, its people, its architecture, and just the feel of being there, witnessing and appreciating the experience. Save for some brief captions, I choose to let the pictures speak their thousand words.

 

In most of Europe, apartment or dwelling clothes' dryers are relatively rare for reasons such as it's the way it has always been done as well as economical and efficient use of space. In Italy, the country's residents quip that filled laundry lines are so prevalent that they are the national flag. And so it was in Siena...
What has life meant to this woman? What does she see and what do we see in her?
We were captivated just observing and people-watching. What elements of life are etched on his face? Something there is about the sage in this gentleman...
Streets within the walled city of Siena are extremely narrow, built for carts and people, not for cars. The brickwork is centuries' old. Most streets have been modernized with patterned stone over subterranean utilities. Most apartment/home entrances are non-descript; from the outside, one has no idea of the nature of what is within.
Siena is ensconced among the hills of Tuscany. Thus, walking in the city necessitates navigating a series of hills.
A roof-top view taken from an inner city courtyard. Trees and greenery within the walled city are rare. Buildings no taller than 4 stories are the norm.
The ubiquitous wall of the city, built as fortress against 'invaders' from Florence, surrouds the town. Four gates, like this one, are the only entrances to the original Siena.
Doors are just so unique, so variable in style and age...
Affixed into the brickwork all along the city wall are gargoyle-like horse-tethering rings similar to this one.
Wandering the streets is what people do and how they be in Siena, tourists and natives alike. Modern architecture seems carefully planned and sometimes, its nuances are missed - note the top of the background building and see its detail in the next image...
...the brickwork intracacies are evident and the heads in the upper balustrade are so unique.
The facade of the Duomo, the great Gothic cathedral filled with treasures by Pisano, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Construction on this magnificent Catholic church began early in the 13th century.
Duomo interior with its stunning architecture, vaulted ceilings, paintings, and sculptures throughout. The red, cordoned off areas are placed to keep pedestrian traffic off of the mosaic floor tiles, some of which took decades to complete.
Vaulted alleyways abound and seem to reflect the architecture of the Duomo as well as give character to the city.
And the city has its characters; people meet and just communicate with each other.
Meetings occur anywhere, young and old alike. Panforte di Siena, a honey-loaded dessert confection composed of nuts and fruits and available everywhere in the city along with other baked sweets and coffee are favourites.
The Grom in Siena, easily one of the finest gelaterias we've encountered in the country, was special not only for the exquisite flavours of its gelato, but also because everything sold in the store is gluten-free - of huge import and support to the over 30% of Italians who are celiac.
Restaurant exteriors are tastefully and artfully decorated. Eating well is easy in the city.
Il Biondo Restaurant was one of our gastonomic delights. Who wouldn't be attracted by the hobby-horse relic, ancestor to the modern bicycle.
The University of Siena, one of the oldest (mid-13th century) publicly-funded universities in Italy, has multiple locations throughout Siena. On convocation day, tradition holds that graduates wear a wreath such as the one sported in this image.
The Tuscan landscape outside the city with one of the omnipresent vineyards.
Though not in Siena per se, street artists - in this case, using chalk - are common throughout the country.
No trip to Italy is complete without a visit - in this case by train, Alitalia, from Siena - to one of the greatest cities in the world - I tumble home to Florence to buy socks to feed my soul.