One
of my favorite trips was to Sienna, a city stuck in the middle ages. Its architecture and city grid is set up
around the central government building and Gothic-style Duomo. What makes this building noticeably Gothic is
the extensive use of gargoyles, and exotic animal and human heads as decoration
on the façade. The Renaissance artworks of Florence were followed by prosperity
after the economic decline of the middle ages.
However, this fortune was not shared with Sienna. In fact, before the plague, Sienna began
expanding its cathedral in order to house more attenders, but because of the
devastating plague and drastic economic drop, the expansion ceased and remains
unfinished today. The art present inside
of the main government building contains religious figures, but is more about
the town’s citizens, and less about faith.
It also has newer frescos depicting scenes of a unified Italy.
I really love the medieval and gothic look that Siena presents, and the small-town feel of the city. I'd talk much more on it, but it is definitely a city that should be saved for another topic of my blog.
We like gargoyles. ..
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