Siena

So before I delve into the topic du jour, I want to note how the weather here is crazy. It isn't bad, just crazy. Tonight the low is a balmy 1º C, and by the time I am walking to school it will have hit all the way up to 3º. However, I will be wearing a t-shirt under my jacket and sweater, because by the time I'm walking home from school the temperature will have risen all the way up to 16º (60º F, if you're wondering). Oh, and weather for the upcoming weekend? Sunny and a high of 23º (73º F). And despite the low temperatures, mosquitoes are still eating me alive....

So yesterday I was eating lunch with my family, and they asked me if I had plans. I said none for the afternoon, but was thinking of going to a concert that night if any of them wanted to come with (or at least that's what I tried to say. I know they understood the part about me not having plans for the afternoon). They replied that for the afternoon they were going to go to Siena to see the Duomo there, and would I like to join them? (Jane got this one right) Yes!

On the way there my host mother complained about the roads. There were a few bumps, and she said that it was inexcusable for an Italian road--this was as bad as Africa! I laughed because in Chicago these roads would be praised for how smooth they were. She also asked if we have 10-lane highways in America.

This was a really beautiful duomo, and the first where I didn't have to spend the time staring up at the ceiling. While the ceiling was beautifully decorated with a star pattern, and the walls adorned in Siena's characteristic stripe, the most interesting parts of the duomo happened to be on the floor.

This was my favorite section of a floor image, pulled from a grand depiction of an intense battle. These guys are looking away from the fight, and there is something very intense about their eyes.

However it wasn't all floors. They also had a little "Library" which was not only full of illuminated manuscripts of gregorian chant, but had a beautifully decorated ceiling which absolutely made up for the lack of any other decorated ceiling in the building. I like this photo because you can see both bits of amazingness at once.

Siena was a beautiful city, it was lovely to feel included in the family, and I am so happy I went with them. Of course, after Bologna the day before I was very tired upon returning home, but at least I could keep this image in my head, of the wild pig with a sign around his neck saying "Porchetta Oggi" (Roast pork today)! (PS. More pictures in my blog album, link is at the bottom of my main page)