The Sienese Traveler

The final week had arrived for me in Florence. My roommates and I were rapidly packing and gearing up for our long-dreaded departure.

With final exams also around the corner, I didn't have much to time do anything else but focus on school and figuring how I was going to get all my things back home in a non-hazardous manner.

I was able to schedule one afternoon to travel to Siena prior to leaving. Siena is only one train ride from Florence, and would definitely be doable. I figured if I didn't take this time to travel there now, I'd never get the chance.

Soon after school dismissed, I jetted to the train station once more. I hopped on the next train to Siena. Upon arriving, a million signs were directing me to the main piazza of the city, Piazza Del Campo. With many other travelers also wanting to arrive at the same destination, we all marched towards the main sight. You could sense Christmas was approaching...

Piazza Del Campo turned out to a surprisingly different square, designed in a quite intriguing way. It's shaped like a semi-circle.

The square used to be a local marketplace for Sienese citizens, but today plays host to a famous biannual horse racing event, the Palio.

 

The design of the piazza is incredibly imaginative, leading towards Palazzo Pubblico, the local town hall. The huge clock tower is humongously tall, making sure you always know the time of day.

I grabbed lunch at a local pizzeria within Piazza Del Campo and observed the local scene. It was a relatively pleasant afternoon for Siena.

Afterwards, I proceeded to visit Siena's central fort. The museum within houses many local antiquities and numerous paintings related to Sienese culture.

This tree was plated in glowing gold:

 

The figure below is actually carved entirely from wood. To think it actually started from a mere block of wood!

 

Imagine what ancient secrets lay within the confines of these locked treasures:

I spiraled to the top of the fort, which provided the best view of Siena. It was sublime.

 

The viewpoints of Italy never get old, they always seem to dazzle. There's something very natural and absorbing about the Tuscan landscape that's not apparent in any other region. It's a mixture of history, nature, and tranquility. I find it hard sometimes translating the exact impression. I guess one has to experience it themselves to properly understand what I mean.

I next visited the Cathedral of Siena, one the main attractions of the city. Built during the 13th century, Siena's Dumo is a classic example of Italian Medieval architecture.

When German composer Richard Wagner visited Siena in the summer of 1880, the effect of the Cathedral of Siena had quite impact on him. It brought him to tears, and thus subsequently utilized its design for the Grail Temple in his famed opera, "Parsifal."

Many interesting and fascinating works lay within, including sculptures by Donatello.

Reflecting on the interior of the cathedral, I'm finding trouble properly distinguishing its unique characteristics. Not necessarily because it's a bland locale, but since I visited so many churches throughout Italy, they all now seem like one gargantuan church to my fish memory.

Some the pictures I took re-captured my experience within:

Siena's sense of pace is quite serene. It doesn't run on the busy nature of bigger cities, but maintains a very quiet, yet eloquent atmosphere. I appreciate the flavor, but I'm not sure if could seriously live in Siena. At least not now, maybe when I grow a few more grey hairs.

The Naples Connection

With one last weekend free to travel, I decided to spend it by navigating to a further side of Italia, Napoli.

Known for its gangsters, architecture, and pizza, Napoli grasps a distinct and popular slice of Italian culture.

Napoli would be the longest ride I'd taken in Italy, requiring a whooping three hours to arrive in the Neapolitan area. I grabbed an awfully early train to Napoli Saturday morning (Dec.11), during which I caught up on some much needed sleep.

After trekking through the Tuscany and Lazio regions, we soon approached the Neapolitan view.

After arriving at the Napoli's central station, I stepped out into the jam packed center of Napoli. The amount of mad walkers, drivers, and loud noise was quite shocking. After getting used to the hustle and bustle madness of Napoli and I went in search to find the ultimate Neapolitan pizza.

One of the famous pizzerias in all of Italy, Da Michele, was what I was specifically looking for. Di Michele houses pictures of one of their most famous returning customers Maradona, who dined often here while playing for the local football club, Napoli. The pizzeria also featured in Julia Robert's travel-log feature, Eat Prey, Love.

I finally tracked down the place, hidden deep within the narrow neighborhoods of Napoli.

As I stepped in, I was welcomed into quintessential Italian pizzeria.

The cash-register was run by an elderly Italian owner, pictures of classic Italian film posters on the wall, with numerous pizza makers furiously formulating random dough into artful food.

It was positively awesome having a pizza bigger than the size of my head, split into two distinct styles.

As lunch time approached, the pizzeria got extremely busy, requiring everyone to sit right next to each other. My personal bubble was sooo invaded! 

After indulging in what must have been the greatest sauce of all time (secret recipe?), I caught the closet bus towards the distinguished Neapolitan art gallery, the Capodimonte.

Traveling through the core of Napoli was fascinating. It was far different from anything I'd seen in Italy. Endless lines of hanging clothes covered the heights of the Neapolitan neighborhood. Many parts of the city are built upon high hillsides, providing an incredibly wavy landscape.

There was also a lot of dust, sand, and dirt, with architecture built with brown rock and cerement. This all gave Napoli a very dusty atmosphere, totally opposite to the greenness found in the upper regions of Italia. It seemed a little grungy and dirty to be quite honest.

While traveling to the museum, I ventured into the one of the most popular churches in Napoli:

Also, do bear in mind that traveling through the transpiration in Napoli is far removed from anything in Florence, Milan, or Rome. It required utilizing my godlike Italian language skills and a drop of luck to emerge successfully at the front of gates of the Capodimonte.

The Capodimonte holds critical works by Raphael, as well as other paintings by renowned artists, such as Titian and Caravaggio.

They weren't very many people touring the museum during the time I visited. Regardless, I found the museum to be quite fascinating, full of the enchanting atmosphere found within a typical Italian art gallery. Since many prominent works of Raphael are housed here, I was able to properly focus on his work and get a true understanding of his art form. While Raphael's work may not contain the visceral nature of a Michelangelo piece, or the exquisite flavor found in a Da Vinci painting, they retain an intimate quality like no other.

The sense of compassion found within Raphael's drawn figures is phenomenal. The tender look of the Virgin Mary looking upon her beloved Jesus brings to life the love, affection, and bond between the figures. Raphael's paintings don't focus on the grandeur, but rather the chosen characters. Thoroughly absorbing.

After the Capodimonte, I headed for the Naples coastline. Upon arriving, I ventured into Castel Nuovo (New Castle). For centuries, this castle was run by the ancient royal family, and has since been become a true showcase of Naples Medieval history.

While in the castle, a few open rooms within were under heavy excavation:

The site was directly below, enabling me to travel across, thanks to a thick, but clear walk-way. I felt seriously disillusioned and a little terrified walking across a path that I could see clearly through. Heights are not my forte.

Ah, but I wonder what medieval wonders lay beneath my very feet!

I traveled to the higher reaches of Castel Nuovo and walked out to the balcony. The view was stunning! The entire Neapolitan seaport was before my very eyes.

 Beyond the seaport, through the misty clouds also lay Mount Vesuvius along with the mythical Pompeii.

It's was an engrossing and fabled view, putting into perspective the historical tragedy that turned Pompeii into a sea of dust by Mt. Vesuvius' volcanic eruptions, centuries ago.

After properly taking the tranquility of the classic coastline, I explored some of the more busier parts of Naples, where many people were shopping through the streets. Excluding the coastline, I didn't recall visiting any area in Naples that wasn't crowd or full of random noise.

I traveled past the Neapolitan Opera house:

With time rapidly dissolving, I pinpointed the correct auto-bus to take me back to train station. This bus ride was ridiculous. When I initially stepped onto the bus, it wasn't packed at all. Yet as we ventured on, each stop filled the bus with more travelers. It soon became absurdly packed, to a point where the bus-doors were having trouble closing. We were jam-packed like can of tuna, with numerous Italians shouting expletives far too advanced for my understanding. The accents were also far different from anything my ears were used to in the northern regions.

After what seemed like an hour in a furnace, filled with shouting, pushing, and odd bodily smells, the bus finally arrived at the front gates of the train station.

Naples is an interesting city, laced in mannerisms, styles, and an overall atmosphere far removed from anything I'd visited before in Italy. While I may not be as keen on Naples as Florence or Rome, it supplies Italy with a replenishing diversity. If you ever get tired of art in Florence, history in Rome, Fashion in Milan, or Water in Venice, remember there's always pizza in Naples.