The Duomo ( Cathedral) of Siena 

Today we visited  Siena to see the amazing medieval Cathedral Church, which was originally dedicated as a Roman Catholic Marian church and now to Santa Maria Assunta (Most Holy Mary of Assumption)

As we are going to Pienza, the home and garden of Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini with a group on our garden tour on Wednesday 10th October – it seemed like a good idea to review the life of the man who became Pope Pius II.

In 1996, UNESCO declared Pienza a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d’Orcia, was included on the list of UNESCO‘s World Cultural Landscapes.

The artist chosen to fresco the library of the cathedral, featuring the life of Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini was  the Umbrian painter Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio.  Working between 1502 and 1507 he  may have utilised original designs by Raphael , whose portrait is featured with Pinturicchio, in some of the frescoes, including the one below.

Siena Cathedral also holds the tomb of Pope Pius and some lively sculptures of him and his nephew , who became Pope Pius III.

In 1502 as Cardinal Piccolomini, before his election to Pope , young Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini commisioned Pinturicchio to create the life story of his Uncle on the walls of the library – from humanist crusader, through diplomat to Cardinal and Pope Pius II – conveniently omitting the years when he supported the antipope Felix V.

We also wanted to see the floors of the cathedral before they were cordoned off for cleaning – a work due to start very shortly.

This marble intarsia work is truly amazing, as are all the stories – and some of the less pleasant episodes in Church history are spelt out across the floor of the Duomo.