Medieval State of Mind*

St. Catherine of Siena Dominican Church

Friday marked the beginning of the first real weekend here in Italy. With no Friday classes at the Villa, the group headed to nearby Siena, a town that remains medieval in every sense of the word. Siena is located roughly an hour and a half south of Florence, at a much higher elevation. As a result, the drive wound past Tuscan hills, snow-peaked mountains, and finely-aged chateaus.

After an hour and a half on the bus, we arrived in a parking lot, surrounded by an enormous wall dating back nearly a thousand years. As we parked the bus, I imagined 13th century Florentine soldiers under the command of the Medici wheeling catapults to where we now stood (and subsequently flinging dead donkeys and dung at their rival city).

The entrance to the city is marked by a tremendous Dominican church, dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena (Her skull is on display in the church in one of the side chapels. It was actually posthumously severed from the rest of her body which remains enshrined in Rome). St. Catherine is remembered today as a religious mystic, whose intense personable experiences with Christ included the stigmata (as depicted in many a portrait). One of the striking differences between this church and the cathedrals in Florence was the style of painting. Though many of the paintings came from the 14th and even 15th centuries, they remained very medieval, just one of the ways that the Sienese demonstrated their disdain for the Florentines.

After a tour of the church, we descended (literally) into the city down cobblestone roads adorned by tremendous medieval arches and crowded apartments. Many of these residences have not been altered for centuries, as a local ordinance forbids the renovation or remodeling of any building within the city walls.

The winding, narrow corridors of Siena

Now, I had done some reading about Siena's tremendous cathedral in a few of the art

history texts we have at the villa. But ultimately, nothing could prepare me for the splendor

possessed by this enormous structure. The church cuts deep in to the city's second of three hills.

At the bottom is the baptistry, and an excavated portion that existed prior to the building of the

grand cathedral, which had formerly housed all of the church's functions. In this excavation are

numerous frescoes, some of which have chipped away, but most of which are better intact than

frescoes that have been preserved over the years. Because of the innumerable tons of dirt deposited

in this portion, the frescoes have not been exposed to oxidation processes. I think I'll start randomly

digging in places in Italy, hoping to score a huge discovery such as this!

The main portion of the cathedral was decorated by the Pisanos, Niccola and Giovani. As

a result, there is tremendous continuity with the cathedral at Florence. Since there really are

no words to describe something as grand as this, I'll just post a few snapshots.

The Cathedral's interior. The black and white striping is significant of the division between the Guelphs (supporters of the Holy Roman Empire) and the Ghibbelines (supporters of the Papacy). This conflict divided Tuscany throughout the early Renaissance- with Siena typically supporting Rome.

A view of the Cathedral's colossal exterior. Notice the stained glass- an indication of French gothic influence, likely due to Giovani Pisano's contacts with French clergy and artists. The two massive stained glass windows are some of the main distinctions between the cathedrals of Siena and Florence.

Inside of the cathedral is a very famous puplit- sculpted by Nicola Pisano. The cathedral is

very significant to the Renaissance style because of the intense naturalistic detail, the careful

formation of human expression, and the relative crowding of stories and figures. I particularly

enjoyed the lion sculptures at the pulpit's bases- which depicted a Lion (Jesus) tearing into an

apocalyptic horsey. Neigh!

After a visit to the Cathedral museum (home of several very important paintings of the

Virgin Mary as depicted by the painter Duccio), we enjoyed packed lunches of paninis and

european candy bars--- the pigeons of the town certainly enjoyed feasting on the crumbs we

dropped! The afternoon brought a tour of the city hall and the paintings depicting good and

bad government- and of course, a tasty dish of Gelatto!

City Hall, home of the famous Council of 9, who presided over Renaissance Siena. Every year

in this square is a giant horse race between the 9 neighborhoods of Siena. Also of note is that this square

is considered the best preserved Medieval square in the world- nothing has changed in centuries!

After leaving Siena, the group traveled to a vineyard for a tour of the winery, villa, and of course, a delicious wine tasting of various types of Chianti Classico. It was a tremendous cultural experience- I learned how to go about tasting a wine for all the varieties of flavor.

I also picked up a bottle of their finest red for a housewarming gift for my family when they come to visit- looking forward to sipping a glass this March!

Chianti Classico at the wine tasting
My roommates at the vineyard's garden (Dan in the middle, Adam on the right)

The tranquility of a Tuscan sunset

Yesterday was another enjoyable day in Florence: Woke up for another 3 mile mountain jog, went to the Saturday market in Sesto, and took the noon train in to Florence. Got lost looking for a market, found the market, spoke italian with a very nice bakery owner. Ordered a 2 euro panini with some kind of meat I can't pronounce, and a cheese I've never heard of. Enjoyed the panini on the steps of San Francesco church, while evading hordes of attacking pidgeons. Purchased a AFC Fiorentina jersey, bought a cup of gelatto, didn't buy jewelry at the Ponte Vecchio. Took a walk on the river bank, followed a distant tower for a mile or two, and got a great view from where we were led. Walked back across the Arno, saw Michaelangelo's David, went to mass at the Duomo. Wondered if Pope Benedict is thinking of burning me at the stake for numerous heresies and frequent criticisms. Marveled at the beauty of the cathedral, and prayed for the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Returned to Sesto, got a beer at a bar packed with locals. Another day.

This morning we woke up for brunch and headed to the hills for a tour of a great hiking/running path. The walk took about an hour- though the way my legs feel right now it might as well have lasted all day! I look forward to taking my family up in to the mountains. That's the real Italy. It's also where Italian resistance fighters (including the Villa's garden) hid from the Fascists during WWII. We were going to go to Fiesole, a Roman/Etruscan village atop Florence, but it's cloudy and cold- so we wouldn't have been able to see much of the panoramic views of the city below. Tonight, heading back downtown to watch the Cowboys clobber that Brent guy I used to like.

Until next time... Arrivederci!

* I dedicate this post to the memory Ann Marie Debruin, who passed away yesterday of a heart attack at the age of 53. Mrs. Debruin was my freshman english teacher and remained a friend and mentor for years after I left her classroom. Of all the teachers I've ever had, Debruin remains the most influential. She taught me how to enjoy poetry, that Bruce is Boss, that Breakfast Club is one of the better comedies of the 1980s, that Romeo and Juliet isn't just for lovers and weiros.... and how to write. Hopefully, she forgives me for this sloppy blog post I threw together on a Sunday afternoon.

I'll never forget her quote about God:

"I'm not sure why this is.... I'll have to ask God when I meet her."