Today’s schedule includes bus ride from Florence to Assisi, including a brief tour of Siena and its Duomo (cathedral) and round town square (“Campo”) on the way. The Duomo dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and represents a pioneering time in the transition from Gothic art to greater realism, especially in the sculpture by Pisano. The Duomo includes a fresco by Rafael and sculpture by Donatello. You never know how much art you’re going to find in some obscure part of Italy.
Siena is the home of the ascetic and mystic St. Catherine of Siena and her relics, which include some body part or other (her body parts are scattered in various places in Europe—a foot here, a hand there, a skull over there). I think Siena has the foot but I’m not totally sure. I was assuming I’d go for cremation when I pass, but now I’ve decided that this is how I want to be buried—piecemeal and cross-border, shared generously with the world.
One of the churches displays a notification of the birth of a baby girl (see photo). The floor of the Duomo has inlay dating from 1488 that portrays Hermes Trismegistus (also known as Thoth). This is surprising for a church, and indicates that this was the high point of Neoplatonism and the interest in, and tolerance of, the spirituality of pre-Christian antiquity.
We end up in the Campo, a sort of town square that’s round. We circle up and John counts us (see photos) so we can get back on the buses for Assisi. Assisi photos will come in a separate post.
