If you have been to some of the other Travel Portfolios,
you’ve probably noticed that they are fairly comprehensive,
generally compiled from several hundred shots taken over days
(or sometimes a couple of weeks, e.g. Japan). In the case of Siena,
I was traveling between Florence and Rome, and my friend who was
driving suggested we stop in Siena. I was only there for four hours,
and Siena is a place that would probably take a week or more
to explore properly. I obviously couldn’t do that, but I did the
best I could with the time I had. Siena is truly magnificent.

Many of these images are highly detailed. File sizes can get a bit large
(I didn’t want to compromise image integrity by over-compressing).

click an image for a larger version
use your back button to return to this page
(Composites will open in a 2nd window)

There are three Galleries in the Siena Collection.
 

Siena City Gates 5983

Entering Siena from the southwest through the medieval city walls,
you can see where the earlier, more substantial gate was anchored.

Siena Street 5987

Heading into the city up Via di San Marco,
the buildings near the gate seem to
be medieval warehouses.

Palazzo Courtyard 5990

Just a quick peek in through the gate
of one of the homes on the way up the hill.
A fountain stands in the middle of the courtyard.

Siena Street 5998

Siena’s narrow medieval streets twist and turn,
and buildings are buttressed across the streets.
The only real spot of color is the door...

Isletia 5995

They do love their doors.

This one has a distinct medieval flavor.

She-Wolf Giuliano Vangi 6067

Piazza Postierla

The radical jump in shot numbers is because I spent some time shooting the facade
of the Cathedral of Siena (Duomo) before heading towards the Piazza del Campo.
I have the shots I took of the facade below, with the images of the Cathedral interior.
Piazza Postierla is at the junction to Via di Citta, which leads to Piazza del Campo
from the Duomo. Above is the Lupa, or Sienese She-Wolf, atop a column in the
square. Below left is a dragon-headed rein-ring left from the days before Fiat.

Medieval Rein Ring 6072

She-Wolf Giuliano Vangi 6069

The popular legend is that Senius and Ascanius,
two of Remus’s sons, were forced to flee Rome
to escape the fury of their uncle Romulus after
he killed their father. They took a statue of the
She-Wolf with them from Apollo’s Temple, and
the image of the She-Wolf suckling the twins
 is the emblem of Siena. The She-Wolf can be
seen all over the city (the original statue is on
a column in front of the Cathedral, shown later).
This one is a modern version by Giuliano Vangi.

Siena Grocer 6074

This small grocer and the Pizzicheria below provide a little ‘local color’.

Bicycle Pizzicheria 6080

I couldn’t resist taking this...
the scene is a classic postcard.

Pizzicheria 6082

Pizzicheria is a dry-grocer and delicatessen
(note the boar’s head hanging in the doorway).

An historical interlude

On the Via di Citta, which runs towards the Piazza del Campo from the road below
the Duomo, you pass some of the medieval palazzos built by the Sienese aristocracy.
Below left is the narrow Via di Citta where it passes the Palazzo Piccolomini (on the left),
with the battlemented tower of the 12th-14th c. Palazzo Chigi-Saracini in the background.

The Palazzo Chigi-Saracini was originally built in the 12th c. for the Marescotti family, a
powerful Ghibelline family (supporters of the Holy Roman Emperor in the 12th c.), who were
important members of Siena’s aristocracy. Before the building of the Palazzo Pubblico, meetings
of the Council of the Republic were held there. In the early 14th c. it was bought by the Piccolomini.

The Piccolomini family was a powerful Guelph family in the 14th century (supporters of the Papacy),
and a very strong trading family from the 12th c., when they had been given a feifdom by Frederick II.
They had shifted from support of the Emperor to the Pope in the interim. The civil conflicts between
Guelph and Ghibelline tore apart Siena and Florence in the Middle Ages. The political activism
of the Piccolomini family caused them to be driven from Siena in the mid-13th c., returned a
few years later after the Angevin victories only to be forced out again, then returned with
the help of Charles of Anjou in the late 13th c. The conflict and displacement cost the
family much of the trading influence, but they remained significant landowners, and
eventually they were distinguished as statesmen and military officers, as well as
in the Church. Several were Bishops, and two were Pope (Pius II and Pius III).

The Palazzo Piccolomini (AKA the Palazzo delle Papesse, so called because it
was owned by the sister of the Piccolomini Pope Pius II) is one of two Piccolomini
palaces in Siena. The other is on the opposite side of the Piazza del Campo about
1/4 mile away... (that palazzo is truly enormous). Built by Caterina Piccolomini between
1460 and 1495, it was designed by Rosselino in Florentine Renaissance style. The ground
floor exhibits the rustication (studded stonework facade) typical of many Florentine palazzos
(see the image below left, the palazzo on the left side of the street). It is now an arts center.

In 1770, Palazzo Chigi-Saracini was bought by the Saracini family, enlarged, and curved
to follow the line of the street. They also acquired 12,000 pieces of art and furniture over
the next 100 years, and in the early 1800s opened part of the palazzo as a museum to
exhibit some of their art. In 1877 after the death of the last Saracini family member,
the palazzo passed on to the Chigi family, descendents of the Sienese banking
family, of whom most prominent was the fabulously wealthy Agostino Chigi,
banker to Pope Julius II. Another famous Chigi was Fabio, who became
Pope Alexander VII in 1655. The Chigi family was very prominent in
the 17th through 19th centuries in the Church, and remains
extremely powerful in Italy today. Their palace in Rome
is the current seat of the Italian Government.

Both the Piccolomini and Chigi families
figure prominently in the Cathedral.

And now... back to our show.

Palazzo Chigi Piccolomini 6078

The narrow Via di Citta leads past the
Palazzo Piccolomini (delle Papesse) to
the Palazzo Chigi-Saracini, seen here
in the central background. Notice how
narrow and dark the street is... this is
typical of Siena in this part of town.
It is challenging photographically.

Julius III 6086

The last high-Renaissance Pope, Julius III
was a powerful statesman as a Bishop and
Cardinal, but indulged himself when he became
Pope. He was a patron of Michelangelo. He was
also the instigator of an enormous sexual scandal
that rocked society for over a century after his
death, and changed Papal policy forever.

Palazzo Chigi Courtyard 6090

The Palazzo Chigi is now the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, founded by
the last occupant (Count Guido Chigi Saracini), and it houses his art collection,
containing paintings (strong on Sienese masters such as Beccafumi and Botticelli)
as well as ivory, silver, porcelain and ceramics. It also houses a library of over 70,000
volumes (literary and musical) and a collection of musical instruments (esp. stringed).

Palazzo Chigi Courtyard 6091
 

Palazzo Chigi Courtyard 6094
 

The especially attractive medieval courtyard of the Palazzo Chigi.
The entrance to the courtyard passes through the tunnel which houses
the statue of Julius III shown previously, and under the frescoed arch below.

Palazzo Chigi Arch Detail 6099

The frescoed arch leading from the tunnel
into the medieval courtyard of the Palazzo Chigi.
The fresco adds considerably to its character.

Palazzo Chigi Arch 6101

Palazzo Chigi Courtyard 6104

Piazza del Campo Rein Ring 6170
 

Piazza del Campo Lantern 6128
 

A couple of medieval touches from walls around the Piazza del Campo.
The object in the left image was used to tie down reins. Rein rings in various
shapes are everywhere... note the ring on the bottom of the lantern to the right.

Siena Palazzo Pubblico
Torre del Mangia 6136

The Palazzo Pubblico is the town hall of Siena.
Located in the Piazza del Campo, it was begun
in 1297and construction continued over several
hundred years. It is a combination of Gothic and
Medieval styles, with a lower level of stone and
characteristic Sienese arched windows, and
the upper levels of brick with triple-mullioned
Gothic arched windows. The central tower has
double-mullioned windows, and the building
is surmounted with merlon battlements. The
concave facade balances the convex shape
of the Piazza del Campo in which it stands.

Lion Rampant Palazzo Publico 6155

The arch above the door at the far right of
the picture (1636, left) has a pair of Sienese
She-Wolves flanking a shield with Lion Rampant.

At the left of the Palazzo is the Torre del Mangia.
The tower gets its name from the first bell-ringer,
Giovanni di Duccio (from 1347), who had the
unfortunate nickname of Mangiaguadagni as
he had the habit of spending all of his money on
food. The tower’s foundation stone was laid in
1325, and it was constructed from 1338-48
(completed just before the city was devastated
by the Black Plague). The brick tower has a
medieval stone bell chamber at the summit.

(no linked image)

Palazzo Pubblico detail

The tower crown of Torre del Mangia, designed by the painter Lippo Memmi, was completed in
1348 by Agostino di Giovanni just before the onset of the Black Plague. It was built to the same
height as the Cathedral of Siena, to make the point that the Church and State had equal power.

Below the first level of battlements, called Guelphic merlons because of their square shape
(as opposed to the Ghibelline merlons with swallow-tailed shape), are machicolations, which
are openings through which stones, boiling oil or water could be dropped on attackers. The
corners above the machicolations have buttressed gargoyles mounted. There are another set
of gargoyles below the false machicolations on the uppermost central tower where the bell is.

The Bell (campana maggiore) is the third one mounted. The original (1348) was replaced by a
bell which failed in 1634. This ‘new’ one was built in 1666, and weighs 6.76 tons (due to its bulk
it was installed above the tower). The clock was added in 1360 by Bartolomeo Guidi. It was
painted in 1428, then in 1776 was clad in stone and decorated with a fresco. When the clock
was restored in the early 20th c., the stone and fresco were removed. To the right of the clock
is one of the Sienese triple-mullioned (three arched) Gothic trifore windows, with the arches
supported by two columns and the Sienese crest above the arches. Trifore are on lower levels.

The top image shows the round disc in the center of the small tower in the palazzo. This round disc
has the copper monogram of Christ (called St. Bernard’s monogram) and was created in 1425 by
Battista di Niccolo and Turino di Sano to commemorate the fact that St. Bernardino of Siena used
to preach in the Piazza del Campo. To the left of the disc is one of the double-mullioned windows
of the upper level, a buttressed gargoyle on the corner, all below Guelphic merloned battlements.

Capella di Piazza

This marble loggia at the base of the
Torre del Mangia was added in 1352 as the
fulfillment of a vow to the Virgin by survivors
of the Black Plague which killed 80% of the
population of Siena in 1348. A very bad year.

The marble pilasters were rebuilt several
times, finally finished in 1376, and the statues
of apostles were created between 1378-82 by
Angelo de Romanelli & Bartolomeo di Tomme.
12 niches and statues were originally ordered
by the Council, but only six were completed.

The roof was originally wood, but a marble
vault was built to replace it in 1461-68 by
Antonio Federighi. Around the walls runs a
14th c. wrought iron railing made by di Betto.
Marble panels line the chapel balustrade,
built by Giacomo Cozzarelli in 1470 and
representing Arithmetic and Geometry.
The originals are on the Palazzo stairs.
 

(no linked image)

Siena Capella di Piazza di Tomme Sculptures 6146
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Detail of four of the six sculptures in the pilasters of the Capella di Piazza.
The somewhat crudely finished sculptures of Apostles were created between
1378 and 1382 by Angelo de Romanelli and Bartolomeo di Tomme.

Siena Palazzo Pubblico Torre del Mangia 6161
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

An oblique view of the Palazzo Pubblico showing the concave curve of the
building and a detail crop of the battlemented stone crown of the Torre del Mangia.

(in case you didn’t figure it out, Torre del Mangia means “Tower of the Eater”)

She-Wolf Romulus Remus 6207

Yet another She-Wolf on a pedestal... this one in stone. The original symbolic statue
(which legend says was brought to Siena from the Temple of Apollo in Rome by Senius)
can be seen on a column in front of the Cathedral of Siena in the series of images below.
 

The Cathedral of Siena
 

Siena Duomo 6009

Dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta (Holy Mary of the Assumption), the Siena Cathedral
was designed and completed between 1200 and 1263 on the site of a 9th century church,
which was itself built over a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva. The main structure
was complete enough in 1215 for daily services to begin, and work on the bell tower began in 1226.
In 1215, Nicola Pisano took over control of the construction, and his genius transformed the project.
The vaults and transept were built between 1259 and 1260, the dome between 1259 and 1264.
The dome was covered in lead sheet and topped by a sphere of gilded copper (‘apple’).
The current lantern, a 1667 design by GianLorenzo Bernini, replaced the original.

(no linked image)

The Romanesque marble bell tower rests atop a previously existing tower. It has
six orders of windows and is crowned with an octagonal pyramid and corner pinnacles.
The dome sits on a hexagonal base and becomes rounded above the supporting columns.

Siena Duomo 6018

Giovanni Pisano took over control of the project upon his father’s death,
and created the plans for and began  work on the Gothic-Romanesque facade in
1285, building the lower section until 1296 when he left Siena over creative differences
 with the Guild of Cathedral Masons (Opera del Duomo). In 1288, a stained-glass window
based on a design by Duccio di Buoninsegna was installed in the Rose Window. This was later
moved to the new east facade in 1366 and the Rose Window in the west facade was finally replaced
in 1549 with Pastorino de’Pastorini’s window “The Last Supper”. The lower part of the facade around
the Rose Window was finished by Camiano di Crescento when construction was resumed in 1299.
His work on the facade was completed in 1317. The Rose Window was not clad until the 1370s.

Pisano’s section of the facade extends to the line above the peaks of the pediments atop the
portal lunettes. All of the original statues of the west facade (many by Giovanni Pisano, depicting
Greek Philosophers, Saints, Prophets, and Sibyls, accompanied by animals both real and imaginary)
were moved to the Museum dell’Opera, replaced by replicas in the 1960s.  Giovanni Pisano is also
credited with the creation of the classically inspired frieze over the main door, depicting stories
of the Virgin Mary. The columns between the portals are decorated with foliage and acanthus
scrolls, putti and small angels, allegorical figures, biblical scenes, and various animals.

The work on the upper part of the facade resumed in 1376 under the direction
of Giovanni di Cecco, based on elaborate designs inspired by the new Cathedral
at Orvieto. The late-Gothic design altered the divisions created by Pisano. The central
spires surrounding the Rose Window do not continue over the columns beside the central
portal, as the central section was expanded to accommodate a larger Rose Window,
due to an expansion of the nave beyond the original designs. This forced a reduction
of the width of the two side-pinnacles and shifted them so they were not centered
over the two side-portals. Surrounding the Rose Window are the busts of
36 patriarchs and a statue of the Madonna and Child. Atop the
Rose Window and the two outer courses of arches
above the outer portals are three triangular
gables with inlaid golden mosaics.

The golden mosaics were created in 1878 by
Venetian artists based on drawings by the Sienese painters
Allesandro Franchi and Luigi Mussini. They depict the Crowning of the
Virgin Mary (center), the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (left), and the Nativity.

Mullioned Gothic Window 6185

An unique stacked double-mullioned window.

Note the size of the small round glass in
the windows. Glass was very expensive in
medieval times, and hard to create in larger
sizes. This 14th c. window is in an outdoor arch
leading to the south extension (see detail right).

14th C. Extension 6200
(the Facciatone)

In 1339, an enormous extension of the cathedral was planned to the south that would more than double the size, adding two aisles and a nave and turning the earlier structure into a transept. This was done in a spirit of competition with the new cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore being built in Florence. Construction was halted in 1348 due to the arrival of the Black Plague, and it was never resumed as errors were discovered in the construction. The outer walls are still present, and the floor of the nave is now used as a parking lot. The entrance to the Museum dell’Opera is located in this extension.

The construction of one wall was completed and still stands. The portal was created by Jacopo della Quercia and is topped by a lunette with sculptures. The columns from the three aisles are now in the Piazza Jacopo della Quercia in the city.

Siena Duomo 6025

The Busts of the Blessed in the portal pediments are 17th c., by Tommaso Reddi.

Below, I have provided a series of detail shots of sections of the facade which show the
incredibly ornate structure and the sculptures of philosophers, saints, prophets, apostles
and animals (both real and imaginary) as well as the gargoyles and spires of the facade.

Siena Cathedral Facade 6031

Siena Cathedral Facade 6032

A large (1307 x 1275) image of the facade
above the portals allowing inspection of the
design as a whole. Below are section shots.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6033

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6038

The left pinnacle and mosaic. The weight of
the pinnacle and spire were reduced by the
inclusion of Gothic arched openings supported
by acanthus-capped pillars. Note the winged cow
next to Giovanni Pisano’s statues of Evngelists.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6037

The central mosaic and one of the center spires.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6036

The mosaic is “Coronation of the Holy Virgin”.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6042

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6047c

The right pinnacle and spire. Notice that some of
the gargoyles are birds, winged sheep and dogs,
and that one of the dogs is leaping off the building
above the sculpture at the peak of the mosaic.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6051

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6051c1

The central lunette above the main portal.
The large copper sunburst with crest is topped
with an arch formed from the greenish-black and
off-white marble used to construct the cathedral.
A dove is mounted in the splayed arch above.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6051c2

In the pediment is a 17th c. sculpture by Tommaso Reddi.
Below the Rose Window is a row of bust sculptures of the Patriarchs.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6053

Some of Giovanni Pisano’s sculptures.

She-Wolf Temple of Apollo 6181

This is the She-Wolf sculpture that legend says
was brought to Siena by Senius and Ascanius.
They took it from the Temple of Apollo in Rome.
(a large detail crop of the She-Wolf is below)

She-Wolf Temple of Apollo 6181c

A detail crop of the original She-Wolf of Siena.

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6060

Siena Cathedral Facade Detail 6060c

The lunette above the left portal. Notice
the scary heads mounted on the spiral arch.

Facade Characters 1
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

Composites of some detail crops showing sculptures on the facade.

Facade Characters 2
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

Bronze door Siena Duomo 6204
 

Bronze door Siena Duomo 6205
 

Created by Enrico Manfrini (1958), the scenes represent the Glorification of the Virgin.

Siena She-Wolf 6211

The Sienese She-Wolf, a marble mosaic created in 1373 by an unknown artist, is
one of 56 slab floor mosaics created by numerous artists between 1369 and 1547.

Siena Cathedral Nave 6209

The central nave looking east towards the High Altar and the Duccio Oculus. Under the molding above the arches are a series of 172 busts of Popes to the 16th c. In the spandrels forming the corners of the arches are busts of Emperors. The vaulted ceiling and trompe l’oeil coffers were painted blue with golden stars in the late 15th c. Atop the columns under the dome are gilded stucco statues of Patron Saints of Siena sculpted by Ventura di Giuliano and Bastiano di Francesco in 1490. Directly above the gilded statues is the colonnade below the drum of the dome containing 42 painted images of prophets and patriarchs by Guidoccio Cozzarelli and Benvenuto di Giovanni, created in 1481. The detail crop below shows the colonnade and gilded statues.

(no linked image)

Wall Tomb Tommaso Piccolomini 6227, 6310
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

The wall tomb of Bishop Tommaso Piccolomini del Tessa was
created in 1483 by Nerocchio di Bartolomeo de Landi. It is mounted
above a small door leading to the bell tower. It is below the arch to the left
of the column supporting the sculpture of St. Catherine shown two images below.

Architectural Detail 6264c

Black and white are the colors of the coat of arms of Siena, thus the marble striped motif. The
horizontal molding contains 172 busts of popes. Spandrels of the arches below the molding house
busts of 36 emperors. St. Crescentius is at the top of the column (right), St. Catherine of Siena is
at the top of the column in the image below, right of the small stained-glass arched windows.

Architectural Detail Cathedral Siena 6266

St Catherine of Siena stands atop the column, right of the stained-glass windows.
Note the busts of the popes below the cornice molding, behind her statue.

Crucifixion Altar Siena Cathedral 6247, 6315
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

Dome Siena Cathedral 6332

The dome of the cathedral. The inset at the lower left shows
detail of the putti seated around the base of Bernini’s lantern.

Architectural Detail Cathedral Siena 6262
(High Altar and Vechietta’s Ciborium)

Beccafumi Fresco Siena Cathedral 6312

Domenico Beccafumi painted several of
the frescoes in the Cathedral, and directed
  the pavement of the mosaic floors for 27 years.

Transept with Fresco 6254

Siena Cathedral Transept Fresco 6317

Detail of the fresco in the transept (left).

Pinturicchio Pius III 6229

Bernardino di Betto (Pinturicchio) created several frescoes in the Cathedral.
This one is in the nave above the door to the Piccolomini Library. Besides this
fresco and others, in 1504 he also created the design for the marble floor panel
the Story of Fortuna, or the Hill of Virtue, executed in 1506 by Paolo Manucci.
His most noted work in the cathedral is the series of frescoes in the chapel of
St. John the Baptist, painted 1504 to 1505 (commissioned by A. Aringheri).

This is not the only time that Pinturicchio used a portrait of Raphael (below).
They worked together on frescoes in the Piccolomini Library in the Cathedral.

(no linked image)

Architectural Detail Cathedral Siena 6256, 6295
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

Detail of pillars and ribbed vaults in the Cathedral.

Gothic Architectural detail 6240

The detail crop above shows some of the busts of the Popes below the cornice,
angels in the arch spandrels below the popes, and detail around the Duccio Oculus.

Oculus Duccio Siena Duomo 6299

Processed for the mixed interior light.

Oculus Duccio Siena Duomo 6299b

This version was reprocessed for the exposure
and color of the light coming through the glass
to more accurately depict the stained glass.

Oculus Last Supper Siena Duomo 6305

This is the oculus mounted in the facade of the Cathedral.
Created in 1549 by Pastorino de’ Pastorini, it depicts the Last Supper.

High Altar Oculus 6241, 6297
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

The shot on the left is from just outside the drum under the dome. You can see the
columns with their gilded statues of Patron Saints of Siena, above which is the painted
colonnade with its 42 images of patriarchs and prophets. Above those are the coffers,
painted blue with gold stars. In the distance is the high altar below the Duccio Oculus.
The image to the right shows detail of the High Altar with Bronze Angels and Ciborium.

High Altar Presbytery Siena 6232

The bronze Ciborium on the Altar was originally created for the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala
(across the Piazza) by Lorenzo di Pietro (Vecchietta) c. 1467-72, but was moved to the Cathedral in
1506 to replace the Maesta altarpiece (by Duccio). The bronze angels on the altar are by Francesco
di Giorgio and Giovanni di Stefano, and the angels mounted to the columns are by Beccafumi, who
also created the frescoes in the apse, later reworked by Baldassare Peruzzi (who built the altar).

High Altar Presbytery Siena 6301
(composite will open in a 2nd window)

Detail of the altar, ciborium, angels, and frescoes in the apse. Above the arch of the apse
you can see in the left image the heads of popes running across the top, and the angels in
the spandrels. To the right is a detail crop showing the altar, bronze angels and ciborium.

Pisano Pulpit 6237

“Salvation and the Last Judgement”

Nicola Pisano is considered by many to be the father of modern sculpture.

Commissioned not long after his completion of the pulpit for the Pisa Cathedral, Nicola Pisano
and his son Giovanni (along with assistance by Arnolfo di Cambio and others) spent three years
carving an octagonal pulpit from Carrara Marble, combining Roman Classical and French Gothic
styles into a highly detailed depiction of the Life of Christ. The seven panels are jam-packed
with individualized figures, each with separate expressions, occupying every bit of space.

Pisano Pulpit 6235 detail

The cathedral’s earliest remaining work, it is supported by granite, porphyry and green
marble columns held up by lions and statues of the Seven Liberal Arts and Philosophy.
This pulpit is considered by many art historians to be Nicola Pisano’s masterpiece.

The large detail crop (1416 x 1215) shows the Northern Gothic statues representing the
Christian Virtues atop the columns (between the trefoil arches). In the spandrels (triangular
spaces between the arches and the statues) are carved statuettes of Sibyls, Prophets and
Evangelists announcing the salvation of Mankind. Below, detail from two column bases.

(no linked image)

The Piccolomini Altar

Created by the Lombard sculptor Andrea Bregno (from 1481), this marble altarpiece was originally
intended to be part of the tomb of Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (who died after only
18 days in office as Pope Pius III). It is most well-known for four sculptures (St. Peter, St. Gregory,
St. Pius and St. Paul) in the lower pillars on both sides of the central arch which were created by
the young Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504. These can all be seen in the image two rows
below (Piccolomini Altar 6217) from which I have created the detail crop shown below right.

In the image to the left, St. Peter is in the lower niche and St. Pius is in the upper niche. In image
6217 they are on the left... on the right are St. Gregory (above) and St. Paul (below). The image to
the left is large (819 x 2048), allowing detailed examination. Near the top of the altar is a sculpture
 of the Madonna and Child which is probably one of Jacopo della Quercia’s earliest works.

The other images are detail shots of successively smaller sections of the altar.

Piccolomini Altar Cathedral Siena 6289
(image will open in a second window)

(819 x 2048)

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Piccolomini Altar 6215

Piccolomini Altar 6217

Piccolomini Altar detail 6220

Piccolomini Altar detail 6219

Piccolomini Madonna 6225

Madonna del Voto 6272

(13th c., school of Guido da Siena)
— possibly Dietisalvi di Speme —

Located in the Chigi Chapel in the right transept,
the Madonna del Voto is in the addition designed
 by GianLorenzo Bernini, commissioned by the
Sienese Chigi Pope Alexander VII,  and built by
the German architect Johan Paul Schor.

Madonna del Voto 6285

The Madonna del Voto has saved the city of
Siena many times. Before the battle of Montaperti
in 1260, when the Florentines had the Sienese
greatly outnumbered, they dedicated their city
to the Madonna and won the battle. The most
recent time was in WWII when again they were
saved from both the Nazis and Allied bombs.

Mary Magdalene Bernini 6277

In my opinion, Bernini’s sculpture of
Mary Magdalene is the most beautiful
in the Chigi chapel, and in the Cathedral.

St. Bernardino Raggi 6283

One of Bernini’s pupils, Raggi was often
supplied with detailed models by Bernini, and
closely supervised. His sculptures often look like
they were created by Bernini. This sculpture of
Siena’s St. Bernardino was created c. 1660.

St. Catherine of Siena 6273
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Caterina Benincasa was born in Siena in 1347, the last of 25 children (!) of a wealthy wool-dyer.

She had her first vision at age six, and from then on followed a path of devotion. At age 15, she
became a Dominican Tertiary nun. She worked at the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala from
the age of 19, and received the stigmata from a cross in the Church of Santa Christina in Pisa.
She acted as a mediator for the Pope in her twenties, and on returning to Siena founded the
Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Castle Belcaro. The newly-elected Pope Urban VI
called upon her to mediate with princes, politicians and church members in the attempt
to legitimize his election in 1378, in hopes of staving off what would be later known
as the Great Schism. She died in 1380 at age 33. She was proclaimed Saint
in 1461 by Pope Pius II, and in 1939 was made Patron Saint of Italy.

In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Catherine
 to be the co-Patron Saint of Europe.

St. John the Baptist Donatello 6327
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by Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (Donatello), c. 1457-1460

Donatello rendered St. John the Baptist with an
emaciated body and somewhat lumpy, ragged robes.

Sculptures Chapel of St. John Siena 6323
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Two other sculptures in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist. The sculptures are
separated by some superb Pinturicchio frescoes, but the light was directed away
from the frescoes and it was so dark I didn’t shoot them. Too bad... they were beautiful.

Siena Cathedral at Sunset 6348

One more look at the facade just before sunset (two slightly different angles).
As the long rays of light hit the facade, it’s time to hit the road towards Rome.

Siena Cathedral at Sunset 6354

I could easily have spent two more days shooting inside the Cathedral.
There is just so much there... I didn’t even get to see the Piccolomini Library,
or the Baptistry. Maybe some other time I’ll get back and really do it justice.

Chiesa di San Niccolo 6363

The bell tower of the San Niccolo Church.
San Niccolo al Carmine is a Carmelite church
that dates mostly from the 14th c., altered in the
16th c. by Baldassare Peruzzi. The single nave
interior is intact from the 14th century. A small
rose window can be seen above the door.

Domenico Beccafumi did some painting here too.
One of the artworks he did here is a painting of
St. Michael Driving Out the Rebel Angels.

Chiesa di San Niccolo 6366

Palazzo del Vescovo 6365

Another facade, right next door to Chiesa di San Niccolo is the Bishop’s palazzo.
It was designed by Baldassare Peruzzi and built from 1527 to the 18th century.

Peruzzi worked in Rome under Bramante, Raphael, and Sangallo
during the construction of the new St. Peter’s Basilica. He returned to Siena
after the sack of Rome in 1527 and was employed as Architect to the Republic,
building fortifications for the city and designing the dam on the Bruna River. He was
the painter of a number of frescoes in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist in the Cathedral,
and is possibly most famous as the designer of Villa Chigi (now called Villa Farnesina) in
Rome. Especially notable in Villa Chigi is the Salon of Perspective, painted by Peruzzi,
 which (when seen from the left side of the room) gives the illusion of standing on an
open-air terrace lined by pillars, looking out over a continuous landscape.

Church of the Snail 6375
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Church of the Snail 6377

Church of the Snail
(Chiesa dell Chiocciola)

Built in the early to mid-1600s to replace a smaller church at the crossroads of Via della Diana and Via San Marco near the Southwest city gate, this small local church serves the Contrade Chiocciola (the District of the Snail), and is called “The Church of the Snail”.

The little plaque in front (“Casa del Cavallo”) refers to the Palio (the horse race through the streets of Siena — with few or no rules — that occurs twice a year). The Church was used as a “House of the Horse” (Casa del Cavallo) in 1962.

In front of the church is the well of San Marco, built in 1522. The painting in the niche was created by Francesco Feliciati in 1723 based on a design by Pietro Montini, and is called “Madonna of the Fork” (del Forcone).

Tuscan Dusk Scenery
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A two-shot panorama (2400 x 908) of the Tuscan scenery outside the Southwest City Gate.

She-Wolf Romulus Remus 6207c

That’s the end of the Siena Portfolio... it was just a four hour visit and
I missed an amazing amount of art and other sorts of scenery, but I also got
more out of this four hours than I ever could have imagined. Siena is a fabulous city.
 

There are three Galleries in the Siena Collection.

To further satisfy your wanderlust, click on a section of
the composite above to visit another Travel Portfolio.

(The Scenic section contains numerous Galleries and Portfolios)