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| Siena is a UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Via dei Malcontenti: (Street of Malcontents or Discontented)
Vicolo S. Salvatore divides into two streets: Via della Giustizia (The way of justice or righteousness) to the right, and Via dei Malcontenti (The way of the discontented or malcontent) to the left. Having recently passed by the Via dell'inferno in Bologna, the possibility of a story behind the street's name piqued my interest. I found my answer on a Siena guided walking tour website. Criminals sentenced to death walked along either of these streets on their way to Poggio delle Forche just outside the city. The website says that street derived its name from the fact that the evildoers were anything but happy about the way they were headed.
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Piazza del Mercato
Porta Romana (beow) is one of Siena's ten ports into the city. Eight of these ports, or gates, were fortified with battlements and bulwarks for defense. The Porta Camollia bears the inscription Cor Magis Tibi Siena Pandit translated Siena opens its heart to you wider than this gate, was written to pay homage to Ferdinando 1 the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
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| Porta Romana: One of the Siena's 10 gates |
Siena was a flourishing city in the 14th century. In competition with equally robust cities Siena had plans to expand its existng Duomo. However, due to the devastation brought on by the black plague (1346-1353), the structure below was never completed. Estimates vary, but it is said that 60% of the Florentine population died from the plague.
The Duomo di Siena (below) was built between 1215-1263. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture.
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| Il Duomo di Siena |
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