Gothic Cathedral in Siena

The Duomo in Siena lies in a piazza above the Piazza del Campo, a great Gothic building filled with treasures by Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo as well as frescoes by Pinturicchio. The pavement is made up of 56 etched and inlaid marble panels designed by 40 of Siena’s leading artists between 1369 and 1547. Today, the mosaic panels in the nave and aisles are usually uncovered, but the most precious ones under the apse and in the transepts are protected by cardboard flooring and only uncovered in honor of the Palio (when admission to the cathedral is charged). The only floor panel usually visible in the Duomo’s center, in the left transept, is Matteo di Giovanni’s fantastic 1481 Massacre of the Innocents (a theme with which the painter was obsessed, leaving us disturbing paintings of it in the Palazzo Pubblico and Santa Maria dei Servi).

Opening hours for the Cathedral, including the Piccolomini Library

March 1 to May 31: Weekdays including Saturday: 10:30 am. – 7:30 p.m. Sundays and holidays: 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
June 1 to August 31: Weekdays including Saturday: 10:30 am. – 8:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays: 1:30 – 6:00 p.m.
September 1 to November 1: Weekdays including Saturday: 10:30 am. – 7:30 p.m.; Sundays and holidays. 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
November 2 to February 28: Weekdays and Saturdays: 10:30 am. – 6:30 p.m.; Sundays and holidays: 1:30 – 5:30 p.m

Keep in mind that there are special opening hours on holy days.

Florence all lit up for the celebration of Italy’ s 150 years of unification

Florence all lit up for the celebration of Italy’s 150 years of unification! Here you can see Palazzo Vecchio all lit up in green, white and red!

The tower had the Italian flag down its side, there were flags everywhere, lots of people in the square and music to accompany the festive air. Happy 150 years, Italy!

Rent a Villa in Tuscany – A Testimonial from a Sock Dog

My name is Otis the Sock Dog.  I recommend to you Villa al Boschglia.  I can tell you from personal experience why you should rent this spectacular villa.  I was warmly welcomed with my family while staying at Villa al Boschiglia.  It is a spectacular villa in the heart of Tuscany.  Here you can live out your dream of life in a luxury villa.  I am pleased to say that cats are not allowed in the villa, just sock dogs.

Why rent in Tuscany?  Tuscany epitomizes the birth of the Renaissance.  The region’s most prized art and historical relics reside in the larger cities, while hilltop medieval towns offer their own history.  Tuscany offers breathtaking views of the undulating countryside with its rustic vineyards and olive groves and the majestic Appiennes Mountains.  The blend of delicious foods and beautiful wine is classic Tuscany.  Whether you come in search of pure relaxation and rural charm or an experience packed with local culture and tradition – you will fall in love with Tuscany!  Why rent Villa al Boschiglia?  Besides having me to answer any questions at otis.sockdog@gmail.com, here are just 12 of the reasons to rent this villa in Tuscany!

Why rent in Tuscany?  Besides having me to answer your questions at otis.sockdog@gmail.com, here is the 1st of 12 reasons to rent Villa al Boschiglia!

Villa al Boschiglia1 –  Location, Location, Location!

In a beautiful corner of Tuscany, near the medieval town of Lucca, the magnificent Villa al Boschiglia is for rent.  Villa al Boschiglia rental was built in Tuscany in the middle of the 17th century.  This central location allows you to explore the numerous well-known sites of Tuscany such as Carrara, Chianti, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.  It is also the ideal location from which to visit the lesser known, but worthy of exploration, places such as Fiesole, Montecatini Alto, Pistoia, San Gimignano, San Miniato, Vinci, Vicopisano, and Volterra.

What to discover in Lucca

An entire wall of my dining room is rather pretentiously covered with paintings of religious subjects.

They belong to the XIX century and represent the poor popular art of that time. The figures were first printed and then painted with watercolours and represent male and female devotional saints with symbols referring to their iconography.

These pictures at the time were mainly hung in bedrooms on the wall behind the bed, and I am sure that those readers who may have bought an old house in the hills around Lucca may have found some of them still hanging there.

The subjects were meant to transmit a feeling of wellbeing and peace. Look for example at that of baby St. John Baptist embracing a sheep with a red ribbon. He is folding his arms around it so sweetly as if it were his cuddly toy.   “Guardate in alto, quando andate in giro per Lucca” that is “Look up when you are going around Lucca” my teacher kept saying. It’s a fact that if you go around Lucca with your nose in the air, you can spot here and there many of the most authentic popular and religious art-works of the town.

What you have to look for are the “edicole”. If you search for the word in your dictionary you will read that the word “edicola” in modern language means a newsagent.

But in the language of art, edicola, in English aedicule, means a framed space or niche housing a sacred image and positioned relatively high up on a building. Here in Lucca the subject is mainly the Madonna, the religious figure most loved by Christians.

Often however the Madonna is represented even in the aedicules in an unconventional manner.    For example have you seen the one in Via S. Nicolao ? The “Madonna del Soccorso” i.e. Madonna to the Rescue, is angrily represented with a cane in her hand threatening the devil, who finally runs away, so she can rescue the little baby who was just about to be kidnapped. In this case she does not transmit a sense of peace and wellbeing, but of fear and dread. This same picture can also be seen behind the altar in the Church at Montecarlo.

On the contrary in Via dell’Anfiteatro, in Piazza della Grotta we can see an aedicule with a beautiful and elegant Madonna. Hold your breath, she has a Gucci handbag! Of course I’m joking – what seems a bag is in fact a number of devotional necklaces of the time. Many of the aedicoles that you will see in streets in Lucca were done in the XVI century and happily some of them have been recently restored.

This is one of them.   In Via del Portico, also close to Via dell’Anfiteatro, there is another one that was meant to thank the Madonna for having saved a little girl, who lived nearby and fell from the fourth floor remaining unhurt. As it says on the plaque hanging at the side, 40 days of indulgence are assured (believe it or not) if you say a prayer next to it.

In Via dell’Angelo Custode, named after the Oratorio dell’ Angelo, there is another aedicule at No.6. The Guardian Angel cannot be clearly seen from the street because of the patina left on the painting by years of weather, but still meets the original religious intentions, if you ask the people living there.

The relationship between religion and popular art has always existed, and since ancestral times men have felt the necessity to use art as a bridge for the two entities to communicate, conveying ideas with the minimum of words and the maximum of impact.

Another characteristic of religious popular art was also to amaze people. But times are different now. Today’s permanent party mood in Lucca, attempting to make people crave just good food and material goods, can act like a mantra on our brain, leaving this hidden aspect of Lucca perhaps neglected. But hopefully to be discovered at least at the end of our visit.

Discovering Monterosso – Cinque Terre

Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso al Mare
Crystalline water, plentiful restaurants and small hotels and the area’s only sandy beach make Monterosso al Mare the most resort-oriented stop of the Cinque Terre. The last of the five villages along the Cinque Terre strip, Monterosso al Mare is the most visited, largely because it has the only sizable sand beach and the biggest hotels. Though it can get very crowded with tourists during the peak summer months, Monterosso is still delightful. The old town area, separated from the more modern resort area by the Aurora tower, is home to the ruins of a medieval castle and San Francesco church, which houses an important Van Dyck painting of the crucifixion. Day beds and umbrellas are available for rent on the crowded strand, popular with both tourists and locals, especially midsummer.