MurmanGrandiGiorni: Siena

Siena Duomo - an art packed cathedral with mosaic floors and statues by Michelangelo and Bernini.

The legend of the origin of Siena says that in the 8th Century the sons of Remus ran away from Rome. When they left, they took the statue of the SHE-Wolf that had nursed the twins. They stopped at the Tressa River and some shepherds helped them build a castle.

Many frescos in this church. During the trip I bought a book titled: The Story of Painting. The Romans learned about painting from the Greeks. The painters used white plaster & smoothed it on a wall. They had to paint their designs quickly before the plaster dried.

Here we are in the church of San Domenico....Diane was on a mission to get here. It was a pilgrimage to find it:) Anyway, it is a huge church where St. Catherine's head and thumb are displayed. Where is the head? See the glow in the middle of this picture? We never did find the thumb!

See the V with a circle around it? This is where our villa is located.

We are staying at La Villetta in the Siena Region, Tuscany Italy.

Andre, the son of the caretaker, told us a bit about the property. It was built sometime around 1117 and was originally used for the queen's family from Florence. Later, it was used as a monastery and also as a refuge during WWI and WWII.