In the 14th century, there was only one city on the Italian peninsula that had the courage to compete with Florence, and that was Siena.
Because Siena is also a self-governing urban republic.
At that time, its commerce was very developed, and its prosperity was almost ahead of Florence.
The buds of the Renaissance first bloomed in Siena, but the Black Death, which wiped out nearly two-thirds of Siena's population, has since collapsed.
There is a legend of the city of Rome, built by the brothers Romulus and Remus, who were raised by she-wolf. If you come to Siena, you will also find that there are also many statues of she-wolves feeding the two brothers, because in the story of Siena, the city was founded by Remus's son Seinius.
Entering the Old Town is a journey back to the Middle Ages, where long, deep alleys lead you to the heart of the city. Built at the confluence of three hills between two river valleys, the old city is a typical Italian mountain town, Siena's buildings are built according to the mountainous terrain, the streets are narrow and deep, the tall houses block the sun, the roads are undulating, crisscrossed like a labyrinth, wandering in between, there is a kind of taste of visiting the ancients.
Red brick buildings, tall arches, brown shutters and ancient street lamps are everywhere, although they have been somewhat mottled by the erosion of wind and rain, they still maintain an ancient appearance and fully show the medieval cityscape.
If it were not for the "Black Death", the size of this church might have been the largest in the world, and due to its impact, Siena's human and financial resources have been greatly reduced, so that the Siena Cathedral facing us today is only a miniature version of its original plan.
However, it cannot be called majestic in scale, and it is necessary to work on the details, and finally the Siena Cathedral has reached the extreme of beauty, and now, the high appearance of its appearance has thrown many of its kind out of the distance. The luxury of the interior and the richness of the collection have made people who have seen it praise: "This is the most exquisite and materialistic church I have ever seen"!
In the mid-14th century, the outbreak of the Black Death in the city took nearly two-thirds of the population and dealt a huge blow to the development of the city. After the disaster, survivors added a marble veranda to the tower in honor of the Virgin Mary.
Siena, which suffered heavy losses, also underwent great political changes, and the original Nova and their aristocratic supporters were driven out of the city. It wasn't until a hundred years later that the families who had supported Nova were allowed to return, and the descendants inherited the family's genes and soon regained control of Siena.
Siena is the embodiment of a medieval city whose inhabitants have successfully preserved the gothic urban landscape that the city has developed since the 12th and 15th centuries. If Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance, Siena itself was a fine work of art.
The shell-shaped field square, when viewed from above, is fan-shaped and resembles a necklace.
Under the sun, the square is like a black and white keyboard, flashing light and darkness.
So gallop, free-walking flowers.