View Page: Siena

	Siena
	written by Sadie Dobrozsi / 07.04.2004

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Location

I visited Siena.

Connection to Research

The experience of actually visiting the site was very different from my previous research. The information available regarding Siena dealt mostly with the Palio and had very little to do with the actual city and we were not able to see the Palio.

Element of Interest

The fresco 'The Allegory of Good and Bad Government' was really interesting and gave a lot of insight into the history of Siena. I wasn't so much impressed by the actual artwork as I was by the message of the work. This was the first piece of art I have seen that shows concern for the welfare of all of the people and was very different from all of the religious art that is in Rome.

I didn't know about this from my previous research and wouldn't have thought that it was so interesting if Lisa hadn't been with us to teach us all about it. Her explanation gave the painting much more meaning than I would have taken away from it on my own.

Questions

How are the riders for the Palio chosen?

The riders are just local boys from the contrada, usually with no previous jockey experience. The first horse that crosses the finish line, with or without a rider, is the winner.

Image Analysis

Campo

Campo with stage in Siena

This is an image taken in the Campo of the Palazzo Pubblico and part of the opera stage. This picture captures the enormity of the operatic production that took place there as well as the size of the Campo. It covers up the front of the Palazzo Pubblico and takes away the open feeling of the Campo. (I have to take Shawn and Lisa's word for that because we never saw the Campo without the stage.)

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