Siena Cathedral (Il Duomo)

Today I slept in late, which is easy to do here in Italy. I thought about another wine tour but didn't think I could make two days in a row! It was a day of leisure today. The shopping in Firenze is extensive and expensive, but here in Siena it is quite affordable. There are a lot of shops around the Piazza del Campo. The leather bags and purses …

For the first time since being on the tour we were able to wake up in our own time without any pressures to have breakfast, meet in the lobby of the hotel or put our luggage out for the porters to load back on the coach.
The general feel of Tuscany, and more specifically the Chianti region where we are staying, is all very laid back and slow …

Well Italy, you've done it again! Right when I start to get attached to other countries, you pull on my heartstrings like a first love. This weekend in Tuscany was the best ever and made me ache at the thought of leaving in 32 days (AH!). The Tuscany trip was another Loyola sponsored weekend excursion that took myself and 26 other students on a …

So once again I find myself in Siena, the epitomy of Medieval Tuscany. According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus, who was in turn the brother of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Throughout the city there are statues and other artwork depicting a she-wolf suckling the young twins Romulus and Remus. Kinda disturbing …

Nach einem erholsamen Tag am Swimmingpool haben wir heute von unserem Hotel den Bus nach Siena genommen. Ein Grund für den Bus war sicherlich auch, dass unser Auto die lange Fahrt nicht ganz unbeschadet überstanden hat und nun nur noch maximal 110 km/h fährt, wenn es bergab geht. Auch die Werkstatt konnte uns nicht weiterhelfen. Mit den Mechanikern …

Today was Florence! And what a beautiful city it is – full of old beautiful buildings with tonnes of character, and HOARDS of tourists!! We had a bit of hassle finding a place to park within Florence, in fact, it was a bit of an epic adventure! It started with us asking our GPS, Gina, to find us a tourist info office. She took us to two …

The Tuscan landscape is beautiful. The road winds its way through low, flat valleys and expansive farmland divided by rows of trees. Above, seemingly regularly spaced, ancient towns sit atop hills framed by cypress trees. The bus leaves the main highway and starts its ascent to the medieval town of San Gemignano. As the road narrows, we slow to a …

Our bus takes us into the hill towns. We stopped in Siena. Our guide is Elisa. It is a lot of walking up and downhill. I am exhausted when we are done. We visit the Church of St. Catherine of Siena. I light some candles. We see St. Catherine's relics, her head and her finger.
We visit the Siena Cathedral. The black and white cathedral is under …

Back on the road again headed west. We left the flat lands well past Venice and back into hill country. It seems the Italian philosophy of road building is to maintain minimum elevation changes on the road by building bridges across valleys and tunneling through hills - very expensive infrastructure costs but they toll these roads to pay for them. …

We had only 1 full day in Siena but it was perfect. After doing do much site seeing of paintings, basilicas, duomos and a lot of history we decided to just wander and do what ever come up. After sleeping in till noon (a nice change from the early mornings of Florence) we headed out. We ate breakfast from an amazing botega, walked the Fort walls, …

Imagine a town with an over-the-top Gothic cathedral started in 1100 and something, streets and alleys with surprises around every corner and the whole thing ringed by a mediaeval wall. We had that today in Siena, with sunshine and coffee added for ...

... lucky enough to get a hotel room on a square overlooking the main pedestrian thoroughfare, with a balcony looking out on a beautiful cathedral and, beyond that, bits of the Canal system. We spent two full days in Venice; highlights included watching the ...

... the other hand has something genuine that Venice lacks.  Can't put my finger on it, but it's a magical place.  And the Cathedral really is one of the best in all Europe - Sorry Florence.  I know that's a sore point.  Even ...

... one, sit for a while and watch the world go by. We paid the small admission to visit the imposing Siena Duomo - the Catholic cathedral built from the 11th to the 13th centuries in predominantly white and black marble. It has a nave still unfinished ...

... have been able to support the weight of the planned addition.  So three cheers for the black death I suppose.  The cathedral was incredibly impressive, and rather inexpensive to get into.  We wandered in, and took in the sheer size of the ...

... generations of Sienese over the centuries. The floors were even more ornate: on even going so far as to represent Siena as the centre of Italy with Rome and Florence as subordinates. Somehow I doubt the Florentines or Romans would agree with that. After ...

... ;s. Of course, a trip to Siena would not be complete without spending some time in the incredible Duomo – the Romanesque cathedral that dominates the town.  They started building in the 1300’s and finished (sort of – does anyone ...

... the piazza we headed to some other church, forget the name, and then on to the Duomo, Siena's magnificent black and white Italian Romanesque cathedral. There are multiple parts to this including the Libreria Piccolomini, Baptistery (separate entrance and ...

... it, had gelati, and went to the Cathedral/Duomo. It was incredible!!! It is the most beautiful cathedral I have seen! The ceiling alone is fantastic!! Siena is really pretty, quaint and everything they rave about it is true!! I now know why TripAdvisor ...

... and attached is a arch of the plague to remember all those who died of the devistating plague that was experienced in Italy a long time ago. 7% of Siena died from the plague. the Chapel is used twice a year only to bless the horses and the jocks. We ...