Siena | Part 1 | Piazza del Duomo & People-watching | Foto Blog

siena duomo closeup

Il Duomo di Siena in primo piano. / Closeup of the Cathedral of Siena.

          Quest’estate nelle mie lezioni di conversazione italiana abbiamo letto un giallo ambientato a Siena e nel percorso per scroprire chi l’ha fatto, abbiamo anche scoperto parecchio sulla cultura e la storia senesi. Cosi` mi e` sembrata l’occasione perfetta per condividere una serie di immagini catturate a questa bella citta`. Dedico questa prima puntata della serie ai miei studenti. Venite con me ora ad ammirare le vedute dalla Piazza del Duomo di Siena!

     This summer in my Italian conversation classes we read a mystery novel set in Siena, and in the course of discovering ‘whodunnit’, we also learned a great deal about Siena culture and history. So, it seemed like the perfect occasion to share a series of images captured in this beautiful city. I dedicate this first installment to my students. Come with me now to admire the views from Siena’s Duomo Square!

duomo of siena, italy, with view of bell tower and cupola

Il Duomo di Siena e` tra le cattedrali in stile romanico-gotico piu` importanti in Italia. Fu disegnato e completato tra il 1215 e 1263, costruito nel luogo in cui anticamente si trovava un tempio dedicato alla divinita` romana Minerva. / The Duomo of Siena is among the most important Roman-gothic style cathedrals in Italy. It was designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on a location in which in ancient times stood a temple devoted to the Roman goddess Minerva.

Duomo steps- couple sitting - wm

Una giovane coppia contempla la vita dalle scale del Duomo. / A young couple contemplates life from the steps of the Duomo.
duomo of siena seen through an arch

Il campanile e la cupola del Duomo visti attraverso un portico. La facciata e` composta da righe alternate di marmo` bianco e nero verdastro in stile bizantino, essendo il bianco e il nero i colori simbolici di Siena. / The bell tower and the cupola of the Cathedral, seen through an arch. The facade is refinished in alternating white and greenish- black marble stripes in byzantine style, white and black being the symbolic colors of Siena.

an italian couple poses in piazza duomo

Una bella coppia italiana in visita da Livorno si mette in posa davanti al Duomo. / A nice Italian couple visiting from Leghorn poses in front of the Duomo.

duomo reflected in window

Il portone d’ingresso al Duomo e` riflesso in una finestra del palazzo davanti alla cattedrale. / The main door of the entrance to the Duomo is reflected in a window of the builiding opposite the cathedral.

lady walking a dog

Una compagna del nostro tour fa amicizia con un cagnolino senese in Piazza del Duomo. / One of our tour companions makes friends with a little Siena doggie in Duomo Square.

rear view of duomo with cupola lantern in sight

Una veduta dal lato anteriore del Duomo intravisto tra due palazzi. Da qui si vede un pezzetto del campanile e della lanterna della cupola – in stile barocco – che venne aggiunta da Bernini nel quindicesimo secolo.  / A view from a back side of the Duomo glimpsed between two buildings. From here you see a bit of the bell tower and the lantern of the cupola – in baroque style – that was added by Bernini in the fifteenth century.

nuns looking at souvenirs piazza duomo siena

Delle suore adocchiano una bancarella di ricordini in Piazza del Duomo ma non si fermano per comprare. / Some nuns eye a souvenir stand in Duomo Square, but they don’t stop to shop.

nuns walking into distance piazza del duomo siena

Le suore che se ne vanno. Ciao! / The nuns as they are walking away. Bye!

       Fine per ora. Ci vediamo alla prossima puntata… Rimanete sintonizzati per le migliori vedute panoramiche di Siena! / The end for now. See you for the next installment… Stay tuned for the best panoramic views of Siena!

Have you been to Siena? Which of these photos is your favorite?  Love your comments!

 [Grazie sentite ai miei assistenti di redazione Enzo e Giovanna ed alla mia assistente grafico Mimi!]

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10 Responses to Siena | Part 1 | Piazza del Duomo & People-watching | Foto Blog

  1. Dee Schaffer says:

    Funny… I was in the Siena train station this morning on my way to Torrita di Siena for a concert, and now I see your post.

  2. John Portela says:

    The pictures are beautiful!!! I especially like the photo of the couple contemplating life while the others were figuring out where to go next and the other admiring the architecture. I like the compostition.

    The other photo I liked was the Duomo being reflected in a window of the builiding opposite the cathedral. That was so cool!

  3. Fatima says:

    Ciao Jodina,
    Thank you for sharing. I was there three years ago and I would say Sienna is one of my
    favorites in Italy, we stayed in a very nice place lost in the cork oak forest : it was so
    romantic !
    Looking forward to reading more about your trip. All the best,
    Fatima

  4. Jodina says:

    Ciao John/Giovanni!
    Grazie for your complimenti. Always nice to hear from you 🙂

  5. Julia says:

    Hello Jodina:

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos AND both the Italian and English captions. Very cool.
    My favorite photos: The reflected Duomo in the window. Really stunning!
    And, the photo of the nuns walking away with the caption “Bye.”
    You have a great sense of humor!

    Muchas Gracias!

  6. Jodina says:

    Ciao Fatima,
    my pleasure! Siena really is a sweet little city.
    The cork oak forest sounds really cool. Note to self…
    Take care e a presto!

  7. Jodina says:

    Hi Dee!
    Great to hear from you! Che conicidenza / what a coincidence that you read my post as you were in the Siena area!
    Are you there for a Nomadi concert?

  8. Jodina says:

    Hola/Ciao Julia!
    Gracias y grazie for your cumplidos/complimenti! Glad you liked the fotos 🙂
    De nada/prego!
    Hasta pronto/A presto.

  9. June Gottleib says:

    Jodina – grazie molto per tutti questi meraviliosi informatzioni Italiani. Anche e terrifico di vederti a La Paloma per la cinima. Mi piace molto questa film scorso – molto interesante e creativito. H’ai qualcosa viaggi o interessante activitie che possero a presto? I miss you! xxGiunia/June

  10. Jodina says:

    Prego June/Giugna! E` bellissimo vederti ai film italiani. Anche a me e` piaciuto l’ultimo film, Mine vaganti — molte divertente ed anche significativo. Ad agosto vado in Panama e Costa Rica… e faro` dei blog mentre viaggio per condividere immagini ed esperienze.
    Anche tu mi manchi!
    A presto, Jodina

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