Siena

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This article is about the Italian city. For the Catholic Liberal Arts College in New York, see Siena College. For the economy car, see Fiat Siena.

Comune di Siena
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Siena (SI)
Mayor	Maurizio Cenni (since May 13, 2005)

Elevation	322 m
Area	118 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 25, 2004)	54,498
- Density	447/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	43°20′N 11°20′E
Gentilic	Senesi
Dialing code	0577
Postal code	53100, 53010
Frazioni	Costalpino, Isola d'Arbia, Taverne d'Arbia, San Miniato
Patron	St. Ansanus
- Day	December 1
Website: www.comune.siena.it

Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the provincial capital of Siena province.

The historic center of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Sports
- 3.1 Professional sports
- 3.2 Amateur sports
4 The Palio
5 Transport
6 External links

[edit] History

Siena, like many other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (c. 900 BC to 400 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called the Saina.

Panorama of Siena at dusk.

The Etruscans were an advanced people who changed the face of central Italy through their use of irrigation to reclaim previously unfarmable land, and their custom of building their settlements in heavily armoured hill-forts. It has been argued that their Pagan society which practiced matrilineal inheritance, and was devoted to their goddesses was one of the reasons why Roman Goddesses such as Diana and, with the arrival of Christianity, the Virgin Mary came to be of such importance to the people of the Italian peninsula. If this is true, it suggests that the Cult of the Virgin which is omnipresent in the fabric of Siena's ancient stones has an origin which is older still.

What we can say for certain is that the Romans founded a town called Saenna Julia on the site of a pre-existing Etruscan settlement, and from this has grown modern Siena. Siena may then have been under the control of invading Gaulish forces – who are known to have sacked Rome in 390 BC. Some archaeologists assert it was controlled for a period by a Gaulish tribe called the Saenones.

The Roman origin accounts for the town’s emblem – a she-wolf suckling the infants’ Romulus and Remus. According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus, who was in turn the brother of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Statues and other artwork depicting a she-wolf suckling the young twins Romulus and Remus can be seen all over the city of Siena. Other etymologies derive the name from the Etruscan family name "Saina", the Roman family name of the "Saenii", or the Latin word "senex" ("old") or the derived form "seneo", "to be old".

Siena did not prosper under Roman rule. It was not sited near any major roads and therefore missed out on the resulting opportunities for trade. Its insular status meant that Christianity did not penetrate until the Fourth Century AD, and it was not until the Lombards invaded Siena and the surrounding territory that it knew prosperity. Their occupation and the fact that the old Roman roads of Aurelia and the Cassia passed through areas exposed to Byzantine raids, caused the roads between the Lombards Northern possessions and Rome to be re-routed through Siena. The inevitable consequence of this was that Siena prospered as a trading post, and the constant streams of pilgrims passing to and from Rome were to prove a valuable source of income in the centuries to come.

The oldest aristocratic families in Siena date their line to the Lombards surrender in 774 to Charlemagne. At this point the city was inundated with a swarm of Frankish overseers who married into the existing Sienese nobility, and left a legacy that can be seen in the abbeys they founded throughout Sienese territory. Feudal power waned however, and by the death of Countess Matilda in 1115 the Mark of Tuscia which had been under the control of her family – the Canossa – broke up into several autonomous regions.

Siena prospered under the new arrangements, becoming a major centre of money lending and an important player in the wool trade. It was governed at first directly by its Bishop, but episcopal power declined during the 1100s. The bishop was forced to concede a greater say in the running of the city to the nobility in exchange for their help during a territorial dispute with Arezzo, and this started a process which culminated in 1167 when the commune of Siena declared its independence from episcopal control. By 1179, it had a written constitution.

This period was also crucial in shaping the Siena we know today. It was during the 1100s that the majority of the construction of the Duomo, Siena’s cathederal, was completed. It was also during this period that the Piazza del Campo, now regarded as one of the most beautiful civic spaces in Europe, grew in importance as the centre of secular life. New streets were constructed leading to it and it served as the site of the market, and the location of many sporting events (perhaps better thought of as riots, in the fashion of the Florentine football matches that are still practised to this day). A wall was constructed in 1194 at the current site of the Palazzo Pubblico to stop soil erosion, an indication of how important the area was becoming as a civic space.

Medieval coin from Siena (12th century).

In the early 12th century a self-governing commune replaced the earlier aristocratic government. The consuls who governed the republic slowly became more inclusive of the poblani, or common people, and the Commune increased its territory as the surrounding feudal nobles in their fortified castles submitted to the urban power. Siena's republic, struggling internally between nobles and the popular party, usually worked in political opposition to its great rival, Florence, and was in the 13th century predominantly Ghibelline in opposition to Florence's Guelph position (the backdrop for Dante's Commedia).

Church of San Domenico.

On September 4, 1260 The Senese Ghibellines, supported by the forces of King Manfred of Sicily, defeated the Florentine Guelphs at Montaperti. The Senese faced an overwhelming Florentine army. Prior to the battle, the entire city was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and entrusted to her possession – something which has been renewed several times since, most recently in 1944 to guard the city from the threat of Allied bombs. The man given command of Siena for the duration of the war, Bonaguida Lucari walked barefoot and bareheaded, a halter around his neck, to the Duomo. Leading a procession composed of all the city’s residents, he was met by all the clergy. Lucari and the Bishop embraced, to show the unity of church and state, then Luceri formally gave the city and contrade to the Virgin. Legend has it that a thick white cloud descended on the battlefield, giving the Senese cover and aiding their attack. They inflicted a crushing defeat and massacred the forces of their enemy, so crushing was the defeat that even today if the two cities meet in any sporting event, the Senese supporters are likely to exhort their Florentine counterparts to “Remember Montaperti!”.

Siena's university, founded in 1203 and famed for its faculties of law and medicine, is still among the most important Italian universities. Siena rivalled Florence in the arts through the 13th and 14th centuries: the important late medieval painter Duccio (1253–1319) was a Senese, but worked across the peninsula, and the mural of "Good Government" by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the Palazzo Pubblico, or town hall, is a magnificent example of late-Medieval/early Renaissance art as well as a representation of the utopia of urban society as conceived during that period. Siena was devastated by the Black Death of 1348 and never recovered its earlier glory, losing out to Florence in inter-urban rivalry.

Siena retained its independence in Tuscany until the 16th century. In 1554 Cosimo I de' Medici collected a large Florentine-Imperial army and laid siege to the city, which entrusted its defence to Piero Strozzi. When the latter was defeated at the Battle of Marciano (august 1554), any hope to relief was lost. After 18 months of resistance, it surrendered to Florence on April 17, 1555, marking the end of the Republic of Siena.

The picturesque city remains an important cultural centre, especially for humanist disciplines.

Siena's Duomo.

The Piazza Del Campo.

[edit] Main sights

Siena's cathedral, the Duomo, begun in the twelfth century, is one of the great examples of Italian romanesque architecture. Its main facade was completed in 1380. Its campanile and baptistry make a fine group. It is unique among Christian cathedrals in that its axis runs north-south. This is because it was originally intended to be the largest cathedral in existence, with a north-south transept and an east-west aisle, as is usual. After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall (which still exists and may be climbed by the public via an internal staircase) the money ran out and the rest of the cathedral was abandoned.

Inside is the famous Gothic octagonal pulpit by Nicola Pisano (1266–1268) supported on lions, and the labyrinth inlaid in the flooring, traversed by penitents on their knees. Within the Sacristy are some perfectly preserved renaissance frescos by Ghirlandaio Beneath the Duomo, in the baptistry is the marvelous baptismal font with bas-reliefs by Donatello, Ghiberti, Jacopo della Quercia and other 15th-century sculptors. The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo contains Duccio's famous Maestà (1308–1311) and various other works by Senese masters. More Senese paintings are to be found in the Pinacoteca.

The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the town square, which houses the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia, is another architectural treasure, and is famous for hosting the Palio. The Palazzo Pubblico, itself a great work of architecture, houses yet another important art museum. Included within the museum is Ambrogio Lorenzetti's series of frescos on the good government and the results of good and bad government, there are also some of the finest frescoes of Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti.

On the Piazza Salimbeni is the Palazzo Salimbeni, a notable building and also the medieval headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of the oldest banks in continuous existence and a major player in the Senese economy.

Housed in the beautiful Gothic Palazzo Chigi on Via di Città is the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena's conservatory of music.

The Medicean Fortress houses the Enoteca Italiana and the Siena Jazz School, with courses and concerts all the year long and a major festival during the International Siena Jazz Masterclasses. Over two weeks more than 30 concerts and jam sessions are held in the two major town squares, on the terrace in front of the Enoteca, in the gardens of the Contrade clubs, and in many historical towns and villages of the Siena province. Siena is also home of Sessione Senese per la Musica e l'arte (SSMA), a summer music program for musicians, is a fun/learning musical summer experience.

Il Campo from Torre del Mangia.

Façade of the Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall) during the Palio days.

[edit] Sports

Siena has enjoyed a long tradition in sports. Basketball and football are perhaps the most popular in Siena. However, other sports such as rugby and track-and-field are also widely practiced.

[edit] Professional sports

The Football Association of Siena was founded in 1904 and fully established in 1908. It has participated in the National Championship of Football in Series "A" (The highest level of the Italian football leagues) since the 2003-2004 season. The football club A.C. Siena plays its games at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

The premiere society of men's basketball in Siena is called "Mens Sana Basket." It is also the oldest sports society in Siena. Mens Sana Basket participates in the highest level of play in Italy, Series A1, and it won the national championship in the 2003-2004 season.

[edit] Amateur sports

As with most of Italy, football is very popular, and many amateur football teams have been formed. Tournaments for amateur football leagues are carried out during the winter. Contrary to the rest of Italy, Siena is home to many amateur basketball teams. These teams exist to "seed" the professional teams. In addition to Mens Sana Basket, other teams (amateur) exist including "l'Associazione Sportiva Costone Basket" and "La Virtus Siena." There exist many female University sports teams organized under the CUS (Centro Universitario Sportivo.) These include such sports as Volleyball and rugby.

[edit] The Palio

See Palio di Siena

The second of July and the Sixteenth of August are the dates in which the "Palio" is held. The Palio is a traditional horse race which is conducted over a set course throughout the city each year. This event is attended by many tourists, and is widely televised. This event is not without its controversy however, and recently, there have been many complaints about the treatment of the horses. The race is a very dangerous one, as there are often a great deal of horses and riders packed into narrow streets, and rider death is not unheard of. In order to better protect the horses, steps have been made to make veterinary care more easily available during the race.

[edit] Transport

The nearest international airport to Siena is that of Florence.

Siena can be reached by train from both Pisa and Florence, changing at Empoli. Siena's train station is located at the bottom of a long hill outside the city walls, and travellers with luggage should look for a taxi or bus (from the stop opposite the station).

Buses leave from Piazza Gramsci, located within the city walls. Busses are available direct to and from Florence, a one hour trip, as well as Rome (three hours), Milan (four and a half hours), and to various other towns in Tuscany and beyond.

Drivers should be aware that almost no traffic is permitted within the city centre. Several large carparks are located immediately outside the city walls. The "La Fortezza" car park is closest to the centre, and is free of charge. Commercial traffic is permitted within the city only in the morning hours, while in the afternoon pedestrians dominate.