The name Siena evokes childhood memories of the Crayola Crayons. Burnt Sienna was a color in the box of 64 if I remember correctly. The color comes from the earth pigment containing iron oxide and manganese oxide. When heated, it becomes reddish brown and called Burnt Sienna. The color was very common between the 16th and 19th centuries with painters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt.
After nearly flooding the bathroom during our showers this morning (the shower leaks out water horribly onto the tile floor), we mosey over to the breakfast room. Not a huge selection, but they do have the requisite cereal, yougurt and pastries. Mom of course had her usual followed by a pain au chocolat. I carb loaded because, well, quite frankly I could. No eggs this morning, so I added some ham/cheese to my breads.
After breakfast we met outside the hotel for our morning tour. This morning we were off to a stained glass shop. It was about a 15-20 minute walk. Siena is full of uphill/downhill streets. There are a few where I thought I was never going to make it to the top. Proud to say I did!
This little glass shop was amazing. We were shown the steps from beginning to end. Our host Gianni explained how the glass was made (handmade, not industrial production). He showed us how glass was cut, how it was painted, then put together with lead and tin. This shop has provided stained glass windows around the world. Currently they are finishing up some windows for the church at Villanova. We saw the mock ups and it’s amazing.
After the stained glass tour, we met up with Donella who was our guide thru the Siena Duomo. I have been constantly amazed by our guides and the knowledge they have. I suppose I shouldn’t be. That’s why they are guides! This woman knew so much about the Duomo. She said until about 60 years ago, there was not much interest in Siena at all, but now there are restoration projects and research being conducted all around Siena. Construction on this Duomo started in 1196, but it wasn’t completed until 1348. The facade is a combination of French Gothic and Romanesque architecture.
The interior is a whole other story. There are columns with black and white marble stripes. The floor is all inlaid mosaic marble. There are 56 different panels created by many famous artists of the day.
We learned the floor is usually covered most of the year, but in September it is uncovered for a few weeks for viewing.
There is a small library called the Piccolomini Library. The room was never used as a library, but it is filled with frescos depicting events in the life of Pope Pius II. There are also song books for Gregorian chants.
Our guide took a little more time to explain about the pulpit. It was sculpted from Carrara marble in the mid 1200’s. The message in the carvings are concerning the doctrine of Salvation and the Last Judgement. This is the earliest remaining work in the Duomo.
The tour is over at this point. Mom and I exit the Duomo and start working our way back to the hotel. We stop a few places; first the shop where the glass works guys sell their wares. Might have picked up a pair of earring for myself and a Christmas ornament. Next we stopped at a book store that sold books in English. Mom had finished her book and was looking for another to read.
We returned to the hotel and sorted out our belongings. Started to repack our bags for our travel day tomorrow. Mom started reading her new book (she says it’s very good!) and we both might have drifted off to catch a little nap. Yes, we have been napping a lot. But we have also been walking a ton! Most days it’s over 10,000 steps. Today was less, but they were harder steps. Lots of uphill/downhill. Work those glutes!
We wandered out again around 5PM. Headed for the main piazza to find a place to eat and watch the people go by. We found a little place with front row seating. We are starting to get uninspired by Italian food. Mom had the Marhgerita pizza and I had the Four Cheese Pizza. Mom did get a “Coke Zero” which again wasn’t as good as Diet Coke, but it will do in a pinch. I stuck to water. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but in Italy they won’t just bring you a glass of water. Tap water is considered “tacky”. So you always get a bottle (usually a half or whole liter). And something else…when you eat outside, you get smokers. You see there is an ashtray on our table…when was the last time you saw that in the States? And there are a lot of smokers here. Every meal you get smoke blowing your way.
After dinner, we walked to Nanninis’ Gelato shop recommended to us by Sara. It’s only a few blocks from the hotel so it was a perfect place to stop for dessert. I had the chocolate and the vanilla chocolate chip. Mom had chocolate and mango. We met up with one of our group there; we sat and ate our gelato while watching the people walk by. Quite a nice evening indeed.
Back in our room again. Noting aches and pains from the walking…Naproxen for me and my aching knee. Also have multiple blisters on my littlest toes. Mom was mentioning some aches and pains from the hill walking today as well. I’m sure she will sleep well (as will I) and we will be ready to go again tomorrow.
Had a bit of a chat via text with my boss. Sounds like she might miss me a little bit. She gave me a wonderful gift of a photo of her and a couple of my teammates which (you guessed it), made me cry a little. It was good to see my friends from home!
Good night to all my friends and family! Te amo!
