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No rain today, so it was back to Siena. By the time we got there the tourists had filled
up the parking lots and it took a while before we finally found a spot on a street well
away from the downtown. With more time than we had Saturday afternoon and no
other place on our itinerary, we could leisurely walk around and investigate the whole
city. We climbed the Torre del Mangia, the most prominent landmark on the skyline and
visible for miles. This needle-like tower, second tallest in Italy, rises 335 feet
above the Palazzo Pubblico and gives a great view of the Piazza del Campo. The tower was
named for a bellringer, Giovanni di Duccio. He was a fat, sleepy character who was kiddingly
called Mangiaguadagni ("eat the profits") or Mangia for short. Hence, Torre del Mangia.
We toured the 14th century Duomo, which has an amazingly detailed facade. Another unique
feature is its floor,
which consists of 56 marble panels which are intricately carved with mythological figures,
Old Testament scenes, and civic emblems. For two hundred years, beginning about 1370, more
than forty artists contributed to the work. The floor is covered for conservation purposes
eleven months of the year. Only in September do the covers come off so the public can view
the marvelous artistry. Even then, most are roped off so you can’t walk on them, but many
show extensive wear from earlier traffic. Some even have centuries-old graffiti carved
into them. Today is the first of October, so we were very fortunate that the floor was
still uncovered.
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