Siena

Yes yes....we have been there but.....it is always nice to go back....and of course Kim and my plan was to try the pizza in Siena so that we can give our 50c for pizza in Siena. We drove the famous Chianti road from Greve in Chianti to Siena, of course we stopped in Rada in Chianti on the way, as last time the shops were closed and we ought they looked quite cute. We took a 30min stop and it really was nice just to stroll through it. We found some nice towels for the kitchen, so I was happy.....after that...time for Siena. One pic from Strada though....

Strada in Chianti

In Siena, its never so easy to find A parking....so we always follow city centre and for some funny reason we ended up at exactly the same parking lot.....and really funny bonus, at that parking lot you do not need to pay, so we were damn lucky when a car left and we found our parking.....

We walked into Siena and we did what Kim and i do best.....we strolled the streets....the weather was not too great, sometimes some light drizzle, but what can you do. The cathedral in Siena is also a beautiful one, this time we did not go inside though, we just looked at it from the outside. Let me share some pics....

View from the side of the Cathedral in Siena

View from the front

View of the bell-tower

Of course we also went to the famous Piazza del campo....let me give you some history on it....

The open site was a marketplace established before the thirteenth century on a sloping site near the meeting point of the three hillside communities that coalesced to form Siena: the Castellare, the San Martino and the Camollia. Siena may have had earlier Etruscan settlements, but it was not a considerable Roman settlement, and the campo does not lie on the site of a Roman forum, as is sometimes suggested. It was paved in 1349 in fishbone-patterned red brick with ten lines of travertine, which divide the piazza into nine sections, radiating from the mouth of the gavinone (the central water drain) in front of the Palazzo Pubblico. The number of divisions is held to be symbolic of the rule of The Nine (Noveschi) who laid out the campo and governed Siena at the height of its mediaeval splendour between 1292-1355. The Campo was and remains the focal point of public life in the City. From the piazza, eleven narrow shaded streets radiate into the city.

The history of Siena has been made on the Piazza del Campo, or better, 'il Campo', as the Sienese call it. Here the Sienese organised their spectacular and terrible 'games', later replaced by the Palio, where they celebrated and played games of risk (il Campo was the only place where the games were allowed). The market also used to take place here.

Piazza del Campo is a unique place in the whole of the world, starting with the very particular conformation of the ground, which turns the square into a big concave shell. The paving is made of red bricks arranged in fishbone style, divided into a sunburst pattern by nine strips of travertine (in memory of the Government of the Nine, who ruled over the city from 1292 to 1355).

The white marble of the Gaia Fountain stands out on the paving, it is the masterpiece of 1419 by Jacopo della Quercia, later replaced by a copy.

There is also the Palazzo Comunale (town hall), unusually built on the lowest part of the square, and also the tall, slender Mangia Tower (or Torre del Mangia) that stands out against the sky (it reaches 102 metres including the lightning conductor). At the base of the Palazzo is the Chapel of the Virgin, or Chapel of the Square, constructed and voted for by the Sienese, after the end of the terrible plague of 1348.

And surrounding the chapel are the elegant façades of the Palazzi Signorili, belonging to the wealthiest of families: the Sansedoni, the Piccolomini, and the Saracini.

The piazza took shape at the end of the 1200s, on a space that was for a long time used for fairs and markets and was situated at a crossroad of important streets. When it was built (the flooring dates back to the 1300s, it managed to hold the entire population of Siena, who gathered here to attend events, tournaments, and buffalo and bull races. Piazza del Campo has hosted almost all the important events in the history of the city, from the time of the Republic up until the Medici period, during which Siena come under the control of Florence of Cosimo I de'Medici.

Il Campo has always been the theatre of the most important citizens' events and the privileged meeting place of the Sienese. Today it also plays host to the most talked-about popular festival, famous throughout the world: The Palio of Siena.

This event which takes place twice a year, on the 2nd July and on the 16th August, is not a folkloric custom, the nostalgic recalling of the glorious past of the city. Rather it is an essential reoccurring event in the life of the community, that animates the heart of Siena, all 17 districts, and fills the square, balconies and windows with crowds, in an explosion of authentic passion

So now time to share some pics of this famous campo.....

Campo

Campo

It really is a beautiful campo...worth seeing definitely......we also bought some typical fooodies.....wildboar ragu and also a Siena cake....we chose the one with candied fruit (which is the base for all of them) and the flavour on top we chose marzipan. Then it was time to find a pizza place....and remember when Kim and I chose a place to eat...it takes some time and we try to chose well.....this time, we sat down at a restaurant on the piazza, and before we ordered we saw the neighbours pizza and decided, this is way too thick....so what did we do....yes, we actually got up and went to another one, I showed Kim the one I had been to before and where the pizza was yummie, also on the campo and we decided to settle there.....and guess what we ordered....pizza......and guess what....it was delicious....the quality and taste of the dough was so yummie, it was not thin thin, but rather a little thicker, but the dough is so good that we had absoloutely NO complaints at all.....yummie.....and yes, of course I have a pic...and I will share with you.....

Pizza in Siena...on the campo

The pizzeria is the one in the corner, when you look down into the campo, then it is on the far right.....after our delicious pizza of course it was time for ice cream.....what else but....pistaccio and amarena.....we got it just on the campo, at a place where it said artisan ice cream, it was actually just near our pizza place....and unfortunately the ice cream did not blow us away...it was nice...but definitely not spectacular....oh well.....it was good....but just nothing to rave about......after that....time to head back...it was not the nicest of days...so we thought...lets go back a little...enjoy the drive and countryside......so good day out in Siena....next blog will be a little bit about Greve in Chianti....the place we fell in love with...the place we love.....

 

 

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