blog 1

siena-

the dumo in siena is what one would typically think an ancient European church would look like, large white marble facade covered in intricate and extremely delicate carvings and statues. upon entering the structure ceilings rise immensely above ones head to feel as if they are over 100 feet above your head, the arches which support the immense weight of a stone roof give you the sense that what is above your head is feather weighted. the floors are carved marble of various colors inlaid with other darker stones with motifs depicting scenes from the bible, Romans seeking the head of baby Jesus murdering all the children and pregnant women. Something that would not go over well in American churches. The main or central dome of the building is massive in size rising nearly 200 feet above ones head and 8o feet across at the base its amazing that such a structure is standing as strong and sturdy as it is such a long time after its creation.

The time that possibly thousands of men and women dedicated their lives to creating such a massive and central point of Italian life is somewhat depressing. Yes its a very impressive work of art and one should appreciate it for what it is. Yet at the same time i feel for the craftspeople who may or may not have chosen to spend large periods of their lives creating works soly for the purpose of trying to build the most amazing dumo which at the time was a method of flexing a cities strength or power. That the men and women who created this amazing and timeless structure were prohibited from expressing themselves through creating their own personal works of art keeps us from truly understanding the feeling of life during the creation of the dumo. To me it merely suggests that siena was a strong powerful city full of skilled craftspeople.