Sunday, January 6, 2008

Torre del Mangia e Museo Civico



We took the train to Siena today. We had both forgotten what a nice feel this town has, especially in contrast to Florence which doesn't have quite the same intimacy.

Of course being the frustrated, earth-bound creatures we are, we sought out the high spot: the tower. A combined ticket of 6 Euros each got us into the tower (Torre del Mangia) and the civic museum. The tower of course is fun to climb if you don’t mind heights. At the top you are rewarded with great views of the town and the country-side. There are a number of narrow steps and it can feel claustrophobic as you climb so beware.

The civic museum is part of the town hall (Palazzo Pubblico). We even caught a wedding party coming in for a ceremony. (Odd, the bridesmaids sang a song to the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” but with the lyric “Lei è brava ragazza….”? – she is a good girl.) The civic museum is notable for the frescoes its various rooms. The frescoes are unusual because they depict secular subjects rather than religious subjects. Some in particular that stood out was the Risorgimento frescoes.

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