Road Trip!

Today many students left Florence for the first time since arriving three weeks ago. Their destination? San Gimignano and Siena. A large group met at the Santa Maria Novella Station at 8:30 to get on one of four buses bound for the Tuscan countryside. Two buses when to Siena first, followed by San Gimignano, with the other two buses taking the opposite route. I was on the bus that took us to San Gimignano first.

San Gimignano, located in Central Tuscany, is called “the city of beautiful towers.” Originally, during the 13th century, there were 76 tall towers gracing the skyline of the town, some built for defense but most built to demonstrate the owners’ wealth. Today 14 of those towers survive, making San Gimignano one of the best preserved Medieval towns in Tuscany.

The bus dropped us off below the town, and we were led up to one of the town gates. There was no guided tour here; instead we were given time to explore the town on our own and to have lunch. And we couldn’t have arrived at a better time. The streets were virtually empty, and the town was enshrouded in fog, making it even more atmospheric. We all took off in separate directions down the town’s maze of cobbled Medieval streets, each leading up hills and around bends, revealing the town’s secrets.

My first stop was La Rocca (the fortress), which was built in 1353 to afford protection to the town. Today the fort encloses a public garden, filled with olive and fig trees, offering panoramic views of the town. There is also a vineyard here where wine is still produced, as it has been for centuries. San Gimignano is known for a dry white wine, Vernaccia.

After leaving the fort, I followed a twisting road back into town, where I entered Sant’Agostino, a church that was consecrated in 1298. Although the façade of the church is extremely simple, the Rococo interior is heavily decorated and filled with artwork, most noticeably a series of frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli entitled The Life of St. Augustine; they were painted in the late 1400s.

After looking at this inspiring artwork I was now ready to climb a tower! The Museo Civico, located in the Palazzo del Popolo (town hall) offers a small museum and the opportunity to climb the tallest tower in the town (175 feet). Most of the steps, though, are modern, so the climb seems remarkably easy. At the end you must climb up an almost vertical ladder to get to the top, where you’re rewarded with stunning views over San Gimignano and the Tuscan countryside. A bank of fog almost covered the countryside, here and there revealing villas and small hilltops. I could have stayed up here all day, the views were so amazing. But there was still more to see. And on my way down, I saw a group of students below, ready to make their ascent!

After descending the tower, I toured the museum, which exhibits art and also has a Sala di Dante (Dante’s Room) in which is displayed an inscription of Dante’s plea in 1300 to the city council to support the Guelphs (pro-Pope) in the war against the Ghibellines. My favorite, though, were the Wedding Scene frescoes, a series by Memmo di Filipucci. These beautiful frescoes, which had been whitewashed over at one point and are in the process of being restored, depict the story of a courtship in fourteenth-century Tuscany. A young couple meets, they fall in love, and they are married. On their wedding night they bathe together, and they then get into bed to consummate the marriage. It was quite rare in those days to show such scenes in frescoes (some considered it quite risqué), making these frescoes even more special.

After the museum I found a small place for lunch, where I also bought some homemade chocolates. (I’ll try to save some for you, Chip!) We then boarded the bus for Siena, just as the sun began to burn through the fog.

The town of Siena dates back to the 12th century, and ironically it is tragedy that has preserved the character of this town. First, about a third of the population lost their lives to the Black Plague in 1348. Then, many more died two centuries later in the war against Florence, long the town’s rival. Once Florence was victorious over Siena, it halted any further development, essentially leaving it frozen in time.

When the bus arrived, we were let out near the city walls. Once inside the walls, we were greeted by an English-speaking tour guide, who lives in the Forest District within the walls of Siena. You see, the entire town is divided into 17 contrade (districts), each represented by an animal. A rhinoceros represents her district. How fortunate we were to be led around town by someone who actually lives there!

We started the tour by entering San Domenico in which is housed the Capella di Santa Caterina (Chapel of Saint Catherine); Saint Catherine is the patron saint of Siena and still much revered to this day. The church is filled with frescoes depicting her life, including the moment when she received the stigmata and the time when she was sent to Avignon as a diplomat to persuade the pope to return to Rome. Also on display is the head of Saint Catherine (yes, her actual head, preserved in wax), as well as one of her fingers. Although her body is buried in Rome, Siena managed to get these two body parts so that they could have something of their beloved saint preserved in the town of her birth.

Our tour guide then led us through steep narrow lanes, lanes that were once frequented by chariots, as we made our way through various districts. In her own district, she stopped to tell us about the Palio, a horse race that takes place two times each year (July 2 and August 16). This horse race is an intensely competitive event that pits the 17 districts against each other for the chance to win the coveted palio (banner), which includes bragging rights for the entire year. This horse race dates back to 1283, when horses first raced the three laps around the Piazza del Campo, a race that takes approximately ninety seconds. But the districts prepare all year for those important ninety seconds, and signs and flags promoting the district can been seen year-round.

As you might have guessed, a race this important and this intense has, over the years, led to scandal, including bribery and secret plots to drug horses and kidnap jockeys. Interestingly, the only thing considered taboo is to sabotage the reins of a horse. Everything else is considered fair game! However, to prevent some of these occurrences, horses are chosen for each district at random just three days before the race, and jockeys are hired from surrounding towns, but the conspiracies still go on. During the race, incidentally, the jockeys ride bareback, and, as you can imagine, it can get very rough at times on the track. Our guide told us that it’s not uncommon for a jockey to fall off a horse, which still goes on to win the race. You see, finishing with a jockey is optional! I would love to one day see this historic display of rivalry, loyalty, and exuberance.

After our lecture on the Palio, we walked over to the Duomo (cathedral). Although we didn’t go inside, we were able to admire its Gothic façade of black and white stone, most of which was carted to the building site by the citizens of Siena. The campanile (bell tower) is also interesting, with each floor containing one additional window as a way to reduce the weight of the higher levels. Construction of the structure was completed in 1382. Originally the plan was to create the biggest church in Christendom (and certainly bigger than the Duomo in the rival city of Florence). Although work on a large nave, which would have accomplished this goal, began, work was halted by the Black Plague in 1348 and was never restarted. Therefore, you can still see the unfinished walls (photo with the yellow door at the bottom) of this dream unfulfilled. We were indeed fortunate that, as we arrived, the light was hitting the Duomo just perfectly, making it glow in all her glory.

And then it was time to see Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico (town hall), a magnificent building completed in 1342, which contains the second-tallest campanile (330 feet) in Italy. The Palazzo Pubblico sits on one side of the famous Piazza del Campo, a shell-shaped piazza dating back to the 12th century. It is surrounded by stately palazzi (palaces) and cafés. The shape of the piazza is interesting. Not only is it shaped like a fan shell, but it also slopes down toward the Palazzo Pubblico. And all over the bricks of this piazza were sitting students and others, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. We soon joined them, as our tour ended here. What a perfect ending to a very memorable day!