BLACK ON WHITE, WHITE ON BLACK – Siena / Italy: Stone slabs, art and memories black death

In pure Gothic style, one of the few south of the Alps. Looking at the Cathedral of Siena, it is necessary for you some things images. Facts invisible to the eyes, they are documented visually from an unfinished nave, one that houses the Opera Metropolitana Museum. In 1136 it began the construction of the spectacular church, but after three years, the project could not be completed because one third of the arms – those carrying the big slabs of black and white stone – were no longer available. The plague had reached even in Siena, and the Black Death had gathered her meat ears. When you walk in Siena marble-floor of the Cathedral, observing the 56 that make up the floor, remember that distant massacre. When you observe the clustered pillars of the nave, the ones that support the vault of the church (with the alternation of their black and white marble bands), remember that they were the arms of the distant carnage to bring up to where you are now, what who came from nearby quarries. http://www.aboutsiena.com/tourist-offices-in-Siena.html

Do not forget to admire the marble bas-relief panels, those in the pulpit, that from 1266 illustrate scenes from the life of Christ. Many other things (not just the pulpit), you will need to keep in your eyes, as a precious souvenir of your trip: the Chapel of St. John the Baptist and the Piccolomini Library (with precious frescoes by Pinturicchio). Do not forget to visit the nearby Opera Metropolitana Museum. The ground floor of the unfinished nave, waiting for you a very special relief (the so-called Tondo di Donatello), along with many other sculptures that were removed from the outside, to protect them from the ferocity of the time. An unforgettable setting? Yes, perhaps the one painted around 1308 by Duccio da Boninsegna, in the first floor: the Majesty. Two more jewels of art (the Madonna and Child with Saint Paul Enthroned, respectively, of Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Beccafumi), before using a small spiral staircase, which can offer you the panorama of the city of Siena. http://www.operaduomo.siena.it/eng/index.htm

A square and a circle. Vitruvian Man – and all that it represents – is inside those two symbols, so it is important to add to the iconic shades of the Cathedral of Siena, even the smell and taste of a good restaurant in the town. The “Trattoria Papei”, for generations holds the assets acquired over many years culinary art. The family management made it possible to maintain the tradition of the Sienese cuisine is simple in its elaboration and full of secrets and tricks handed down over time. An intimate and relaxing, where you can taste the local dishes, combining the finest Tuscan wines. http://www.anticatrattoriapapei.com/en/