Yes, THAT Siena. The one in Italy! I recently went there (virtually) with Smithsonian Associates. Louisa went with me. We were only there a little over an hour, but it was a wonderful escape. The tour guide, Elaine Ruffolo, knows a lot about Italian history and so we learned a lot.
Siena was an Etruscan village and not too important until about 1000 AD. At that time, innovations in farming included how plows were used and oxen were yoked and those improvements led to agricultural surpluses. Those surpluses created opportunities for trade and for banking. The banks were successful enough that they even minted their own coins. It also was a stop on the famous pilgrimage trail Via Francigena going to Rome so there was commerce related to those travelers.
As Siena flourished, so did Florence and a rivalry developed between the two cities. Siena was aligned at that time with the Holy Roman Empire and Florence was then aligned with the Papal State. In 1260, there was a famous battle, Montaparte, between the two cities. Going into that battle, the citizens of Siena appealed to the Virgin Mary for support and left keys to the city on the altar of the church for her. They were at a disadvantage, but they won. According to our guide, citizens of the two cities still bristle at that rivalry today. The people of Sienna credited the Mary for their success and built a beautiful church in her honor, as shown in the photo above. The tower was built a little later and is very distinctive as it is striped in black and white, which are the colors of the Siena flag:
The colors of black and white date back to the legend that Siena was founded by two brothers who were sons of Remus (of the Remus and Romulus who are purported to have founded Rome). Part of the legend is that one brother rode in on a black horse and the other rode in on a white one.
Another important and interesting building in Siena is the Palazzo Publico which was the seat of government. I found it interesting that nine "good" men were selected by a drawing to serve two-month terms and were locked in during those terms. There is a very elaborate work of art in the Palazzo showing an allegory of good and bad management. Ms. Ruffolo had some good pictures of it, but I couldn't find any. It is just interesting that they received such "guidance."
The Bubonic Plague was devasating for Siena and they lost 40% of their population. Their commerce had been limited to banking, agriculture and support for pilgrims and was not very diverse. Florence, in comparison, had a broader base to their economy and so had a stronger recovery/
We also saw some film footage of the famous horse race, The Palio, which is a big attraction in Siena. It is in July and August and both races were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. I went on-line and saw that it is scheduled for July 2, 2021.
In a week, Louisa and I will take the companion trip to Florence with the same tour guide. I have actually been physically in Florence, though it was several years ago. I had never been to Siena, but now I hope to actually travel there.
