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by
Kelly Kent
Our driver, whose name we had forgotten, drove us to the quaint towns of Siena
and Cortona. This day of the trip was one 
of
the most memorable days! Marcie really wanted to work out and finally had her
opportunity!
Forgetio drove us two hours south of Florence before we reached Siena, a charming
medieval town. The gate surrounding this medieval town, located on a hill, read:
“Cor Magis Tibi Sena Pandit” which means “Siena opens her
heart out to you.” Forgetio dropped us off with our guide Viviana by the
gate because he was not permitted to drive within the town. While Viviana explained
how each household is only allowed to park one very small vehicle in the town,
we became inspired to buy matching scarves with Viviana. If you owned another
vehicle, you had to park it outside the town. We realized why Europeans are
so fit as we walked through the narrow cobblestone streets of the turtle district.
There are a total of 17 districts (all of which are named for animals) throughout
Siena. Viviana belonged to the turtle district where she shared an apartment
with her family. She lived on one floor while her parents lived on another floor.
Housing 
is
difficult to come by because apartments are passed from generation to generation.
While waiting for Siena’s Cathedral to open, we walked over to the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. Now a museum for which you must pay to enter, the hospital dates back to the 12th century and some even date it back to the ninth century. The hospital used dumb waiters to move things between the four floors. Before closing its doors in 1997, Viviana was among the many Sienese born there. A hospital outside of the area now services Siena. Adjacent to the Hospital, the Church of the SS Annunziata’s doors were open wide enough for us to briefly spy Sebastiano Conca’s massive fresco that was created in 1732.
The famous marble façade of the Cathedral was being scaffolded, and
it was covered with a cardboard cover that mirrored the real façade.
I was disappointed, but the fake façade was just as beautiful! Begun
in 1230, the Cathedral’s Gothic architecture was 
so
important that it became the model for other cathedrals throughout Italy.
The pirate decor (Byzantine) or the black and white marble stripes on the walls
and columns of the Cathedral match the colors of Siena’s coat of arms.
The beautiful interior of the dome is painted blue with gold stars. Many pieces
of art by Donatello, Bernini, and Michelangelo are found inside the Cathedral
as well as The Pulpit by Nicola Pisano. Completed sometime around 1266-1268,
the carousel shaped sculpture is supposed to 
be
famous, but I don't remember studying it in art history. The Piccolomini library
was covered with colorful frescoes painted by Umbrian Bernardino di betto. The
library, also contained illuminated choir books, was commissioned in 1492. The
whole of the Cathedral’s floor is made up of marble mosaics. Throughout
the 14th and 16th centuries, forty different artists used various sculpting
techniques to illustrate Biblical and allegorical stories. We chose the best
time of year to visit Siena because the marble panels are only uncovered during
September and October. The marble panels are only to be looked at, not walked
on and therefore they are roped off. A section of the walkway was being cleaned.
It was fascinating seeing them take little pieces of marble out of the floor,
clean them, and replace them.
At first it looked like there were steps down into Piazza del Campo, the square
in the center of town that is shaped like a shall, but, thankfully, it was not
surrounded with stairs. Located where three hills meet, Piazza del Campo is
divided into nine sections that represented the Committee of Nine, an oligarchy
of rich merchants and bankers. As well has being symbolic, the piazza’s
sections were used to regulate rainwater.
Every
year in July and August, a horse race (referred to as the Palio) is held within
Piazza del Campo. Each one of the 17 districts is represented during the three-lap
race. Professional jockeys ride bareback around the piazza where sand has been
placed over the cement. For this highly competitive race, thousands of spectators
fill the center of the square, spend 100-300 euros, and can't see any of the
race!
I gobbled down my margarita pizza while my mommies ate formaggio pizzas (a
four-cheese pizza) at Ristorante Il Bandierino in Piazza del Campo. I specifically
remember drinking the best Light-Cola here. It was probably because it was served
with ice. We were able to grasp
Siena’s
laid-back atmosphere while we ate outside in front of the restaurant. Before
sitting down to eat, we were approached by a begging mother with her baby. Following
Carla’s guidance, Marcie waved her on.
The only picture we have of Viviana, our guide, was in front of Palazzo Pubblico in Piazza del Campo. The ancient Sienese Republic met in this Gothic building. Construction began in 1250 and finished in 1310.
We're on the move…
Forgetio
drove us on bumpy streets surrounded with sunflower fields to Cortona, another
medieval hillside town. The town received recognition in the 2003 film Under
the Tuscan Sun starring Diane Lane. Lane’s character moves from San
Francisco to Cortona after a messy divorce. We were our own guide through the
extremely steep, cobblestone streets of Cortona. I knew of only one thing to
see in the town, and it was nowhere to be found. The eccentric friend of Lane’s
character walks around fully clothed in a fountain located in the main square.
After failing to find it, we asked a local in Spanish/Italian where the fountain
was located. She said the fountain was a fake creation of 
Hollywood.
Not knowing what to do, everyone capable of climbing stairs wandered through overpriced stores. We found fellow tourists from the U.S., who wanted to speak with anyone who spoke English, in the gelato store. My choice of strawberry and lemon gelato was the closest thing I had to a strawberry daiquiri! Ummmm, it was quite sapid!
Without realizing just how steep the streets and windy Cortona actually was, we began an insuperable journey in search of a local convent. As we walked up cobblestone streets comparable to the streets of San Francisco, I prayed that no one would fall. Jenny and Marcie kept resting and changing arms used for pushing and pulling my wheelchair. When we would finally reach the top of a hill, stairs would prevent us from continuing our journey, and we would have to slowly make our way back down the hill. Thank goodness for my chest strap!! All of my mommies were definitely sore!
We
gave up on finding the convent, and decided to wait for Forgetio in the town’s
meeting square, Palazzo Comunale. There must have been some miscommunication
between us because we sat near the Palazzo Comunale for awhile waiting for Forgetio
to pick us up. On the positive side, if Forgetio had arrived on time Marcie
wouldn’t have found some Italian boyfriends. Before we left, Marcie’s
husband reminded her not to find any boyfriends. Of course we were looking for
someone who looked like the hunk in Under the Tuscan Sun, but decided
that four elderly Italians sitting near us on a bench in the town square would
work. The more the merrier! At first, Marcie just stood behind them while Jenny
took a picture, but then Marcie managed enough courage to ask them for a picture.
They were more than willing to take a picture with Marcie. One man even made
room for Marcie to sit with them.
Capturing this balcony shot was very important to Marcie. Moments before this picture was taken, a man was talking on his cell phone on this balcony. Marcie motioned for him to move to one side, and then motioned for him to go inside! He smiled and went inside while she took the picture. When he returned, Marcie gave him a thumbs-up!
To be continued… The New Man in My Life!
©K. Kent Last Updated: January 7, 2008 Email Kelly Kent
