7. Game of Thrones

Rest day in Siena

For a girl who could neither read nor watch Game of Thrones, Italy can be mighty confronting. You are faced with tales of rape, torture and murder at every turn, and that is just in the churches. In addition there are body parts of saints on display in even some of the tiniest chapels, or even whole bodies in glass tombs. When you go about your due diligence and read up on the history of the place it’s a glorious mix of legend and history - with very thin degrees of separation at times.

Siena is a particular case in point. In the amazing mosaic you see in this picture you will see a large wolf being suckled by two humans. This is the Capitoline Wolf and the two humans are the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. (Their mother was a Vestal Virgin but there are rumours that Mars might have been involved). Their death was ordered by their grandfather and they were thrown in a river as babies, but rescued and suckled by a she-wolf. Eventually they grew to be leaders and established Rome. A statue of the she-wolf suckling the brothers became the symbol of Rome. Sadly as is the way of these tales, a disagreement resulted in Remus being killed by Romulus… But there is more. Remus had two sons, Senius and Aschius. When their father was murdered they stole the statue (as you do) and escaped with it to Siena. It is now ALSO the emblem for Siena. Are you exhausted? That is just the tip of the iceberg and we are still in the realms of Roman mythology.

Anyway, I recommend Siena and I particularly recommend the Duomo complex but I also recommended you pay the money and get a guide because there is SO MUCH! The mosaic floor of the Duomo was started in the 1400‘s and the scale and detail and technical skill is mind boggling. The other symbols in the picture represent the other cities around Siena.

A display that I particularly enjoyed was in the beautiful Libreria Piccolomini - a library in the cathedral with astonishing frescoes. Also lining the walls were the choir books.These were massive and beautifully decorated. They were created in the fifteenth century and the notation is for plainchant. One book was used for the whole choir and placed on a giant music stand. (The choirs in these cathedrals are placed behind the altar and mostly out of view).

We have had a good restful day, got some washing done and looking forward to a night out on the town before the next stage of the journey tomorrow. We are off to Lucignano d'Arbia which is 21km down the road. Speak to you then.

In the meantime, here is a look at the beautiful choir music book.

Love Marie