Siena

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Ciao! Today we spent the day in Siena which is Italy's best kept medieval city. We were lucky today when we found parking as they have an escalator which takes you up to the top of the city --- it was a nice break from all the climbing we have been doing! Once there we headed to the square which is quite large and was very busy. Next we made our way to the Duomo of Siena, a chuch dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, Queen and Patron of Siena. What an unbelievable building! It is made of marble, various colours, pinks, white, black, purple - breathtaking really. The floors are tremendous - all marble with inlays depicting various scenes and stories. The floors were started back in the 14th century and not completed until the 1800's. They keep the floors covered most of the year and only unveil them from mid August to the end of October. There are also amazing wood benches behind the alter, again with various scenes and inlay work. Within the church is a small library. There were numerous frescoes painted on the walls and ceililng, many of them outlined with gold. The visit at this Duomo was certainly a highlight for the day. We had lunch at a cafe in the square where we were entertained by a local comedian. After lunch we wandered through the town and did a bit of shopping. It was another great day in Tuscany!! Got to say, the longer I am here the more it feels like home - probably wishful thinking!!! Talk to you soon, M.

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Comments

[Leigha]

siena
Absolutely beautiful!! I love those columns ... they dont look like they really belong in a church though ... sunset looks nice too although im sure the photo doesnt give it justice ... have you got any pictures of your digs?? ciao :)