Europe Day 11: Living History

San Gimignano, pronounced San Jimmy-ahno (or something like that), is a town outside of Florence that chooses to remain as medievil as they can.  The most important building in the town is a church, high up on the hill.  The walls inside are covered with beautiful frescos. 

On the Old Testement side (churches are usually decorated with the Old Testement on one side and New Testement on the other) we could see the creation story, Noah and the ark, the Exodus story, and the story of Job.  The New Testement side had the nativity, miracles, and the crucifixtion.  According to Malcolm Miller, our British guide from Chartres cathedral, the stories on the different sides are commentaries on each other.  I haven't quite figured out what the origionally artists were trying to say, but I intend to keep considering it.

We wandered through the town a little, and found ourselves high up on the hill in a tower, looking out across the countryside.  I am still absolutely in love with the Tuscan countryside.  It is a patchwork quilt with the rich green of grass and vineyards, seperated by long lines of bushes and splattered with the red clay roofs of ranch houses.  Standing there, admiring the view, I was graced with the sweet scent of wisteria that grew all along the tower.  Could I possibly ask for better?

After lunch, we left for Sienna.  You know the color Burnt Sienna?  It is, in fact, according to our tour guide, name after the city of Sienna. I quite adored our tour guide.  Her name was Donnatella, and she was half a foot shorter than me, with bold hair and sparkling bracelets that covered her entire forearm.  As we stood in a half circle and she shouted at our group, people around the city would wave in her direction and shouted their greetings.  Although they could not see her, but they could hear her distinctive voice.  She must be a well liked woman!

It is a city full of shades of brown, white, and brick.  We visisted another chapel and wandered around the city.  Sienna has always been a city of bankers.  Begun in 1472, the oldest bank in operation stands along the main road.

Unlike most Roman town, Sienna was not built by a river. The only water access they had was caverns built under the city.  Because of this, none of the buildings have foundations, and only stand up because they lean on each other.  All over town there are bridges joining the buildings and buildings touching each other, so that they can all stand up.

In the 13th century, town squares were built small and houses of rich people constructed like fortresses.  Donnatella told us this was beacuse they feared revolution, and small gathering places and few windows made the expensive houses peasant proof.  The Town Hall, on the other hand, is constructed on the edge of a large square-that's really shaped like a rainbow-with lots of windows.  The leaders of the city decided to make the building a stand for peace.  Instead of coming to the "square" to fight, the people could feel free to come and play.  And play they do; that square is where the most dangerous horse race in the world takes place.  The rules are so complex that most people don't even think there are any!

This town hall also represents the beginning of the seperation of church and state.  Although it was built on lower ground than the great cathedral, the tower was made to be equally high. In this way, the people with power felt they could show respect to the church, but still set themselves as important figures in the community.  I really appreciated how this building had so many stories behind it; it is not just a government building, but a peice of history that can teach an eager listener things about the past.

At long last we came to the cathedral.  I'm tired and it is past my bed time, so I'll just tell you that the whole point of the Cathedral in Sienna, was to make it bigger, better, and bigger than the cathedral in Florence.  A ginormous area was marked out for the cross-shaped church, and the horizontal portion was finished, but then the black plauge hit.  Most people in Sienna died.  It wasn't until fifty years later that they began to even think about continuing construction.  Then they realized that the columns they had built were not standing straight, and therefore would not support a church for long, so thy decided to stick with what they had.  It really is an amazing place; there are 56 peices of artwork created by famous Italian painters decorating the floor, and 5 statues carved by Michealangelo.  Huge frescos cover the walls of the library, and they are still in perfect shape-despite being half a century old-because the room was cool and dark. 

Like Chartres, this Cathedral is still being built on and used, despite being origionally constructed in the thirteenth and fourteenth century.  I am so impressed that such an old structure is still standing and being used.  I love how,  here in Europe, history is not the past, but a continuing part of the present.  If only all that I loved was on this side of the Atlantic; I would probably stay forever!

One final note; after dinner I had a waffle with gelato on it.  Apparently, they are a big deal in Italy.  The waffle seemed to have chucks of sweet stuff in it, and as the man put it on the grill it was not a soupy batter, but more like a dough. I had "mars" candy gelato on top. I quickly ascertained that it would be a big mess, and I had chocolate on my nose, chin, and all over my fingers, but my white shirt was no less what from the process.  Even though I know most 20 year olds can handle eating ice cream, I was still felt I had accomplished something great.