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Art Cities >> SIENA
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| Atmosphere of the past |
| The elegance of Siena |
| The Palio of Siena |
| Sienese pastries |
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 The
Cities is surrounded by a beautiful landscape, three hills covered
by wine-yards and olive trees, and farms, villages, castles
and parish churches plotted in the sweet Chianti region. Towards
Florence, to the north, you find the region of Il Chianti Classico,
to the south the valley Val d'Orcia and the hills called "Crete"
due to their moon landscape, and to the west you have the Sienese
Montagnola with its forests and Mediterranean vegetation. Siena
has always been an important cultural centre. The prestigious
University was founded 750 years ago, and international institutions
such as the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Accademia dei Fisiocritici,
the Accademia degli Intronati and the Università per
Stranieri have their headquarter here. Not to mention the traditions,
such as the Palio, known in the whole world but so deeply rooted
in the past of the Cities that they have become a landmark of
the identity of Siena.
SOME
HISTORY....
Of Etruscan origin, the Romans
established a military colony under August here and Siena's
name comes from Senio, who according to the legend founded the
Cities and brought the icon of the wolf feeding the twins, which
is still today the symbol of Siena and Rome. After the Carolingian
period, Siena was governed by the Bishops between the 10th and
the 11th century .
The Cities experienced a period of commercial wealth and its rivalry
with Florence, especially with the Guelfa fraction grew. In
1235 Siena lost against Florence, but got its revenge at Montaperti
in 1260, in the historical battle remembered by Dante Alegheri.
Siena lost its most important military leaders and abandoned
the Ghibelline fraction for a Guelph government called dei Nove
(Council of Nine) which governed until 1355. During this period
Siena reached its peak of decline, signed by a terrible famine
followed by the plague which reduced the population. The banks
went bankrupt, the wool factories closed as they could no longer
compete with the Florentine textile industry and the town fractions
were busy with internal fights. In 1355 a revolt against the
Guelph fraction broke out, and Caterina da Siena and Pope Piccolomini
promptly promised a spiritual and artistic renaissance of the
Cities. Siena definitely fell to Florence in 1555, and the treaty
of Caveau-Cambrésis four years later assigned the Cities
to the Medici family. Siena paid such high taxes that only during
the Lorena family the Cities experienced a economical recovery.
Siena adhered to the Risorgimento (period between 1815 and 1870
and the movement to unify Italy, translator's note), and was
among the first Tuscan Cities that was incorporated into the
Kingdom of Italy. |
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