The Saints We Seek and Those Who Find Us

Musings

We’ve now visited about sixteen Italian cities and villages, covering the central half of the country. The history, culture, and personality of each community is distinct. Very distinct. Florence may have given Italy its common dialect, but individuals identify strongly with their city and region. There appears to be little mobility within the country – people seem to stay pretty close to where they grew up.

All of this adds up to interesting rivalries, going back centuries. For me, the backstory of Romeo and Juliet, how never made more sense. Though we will not be visiting Verona, I’m certain we would encounter people there with stories and probably some feelings echoing the infamous feud between the House of Capulet and the House of Montague. The city-states that comprised Italy battle each other for centuries before the country was finally unified.

Moving within the walled cities, one learns that the enemies were not only just across the valley but also within the city walls as powerful families vied for for wealth and control in their communities. Massive towers exist in many of the cities, remnants of an age when the rich and powerful families created fortresses within the cities to protect themselves from rivals as well as potential external invaders. Some of them are 100-200 feet tall – height likely being a reflection of power and prominence.

In the states, our closest parallel is our attachment to our sports teams and our political parties (which is actually a pretty similar dynamic, at least emotionally). However, the city states of Italy played for keeps, and to be conquered by a rival community had massive implications for freedom, prosperity, and culture. Though form and structure changed over the years, it is wild to realize that these battles ceased relatively recently with the unification of Italy into a kingdom in 1861 – and that was really only a step toward what is Italy today. Such fascinating history.

The Duomo of Siena

Yesterday, we headed to Siena and the story of another city-state. We met our guide, Camilla, at the Duomo di Siena, the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary. This Cathedral may be my favorite so far. Completed in 1263, the exterior is a blend of simpler Romanesque with an ornate Gothic facade, complete with an extensive statuary telling stories of the Bible. The Cathedral benefits from location in the sense that a variety of types of marble were readily available so it has white, yellow, green, black, and even some pink colors at various places outside and inside. The distinct striped pattern is rumored to reflect the simple coat of arms of Siena, white over black.

One big difference in this Cathedral from one like Santa Croce in Florence is that it feels firmly centered on worship. The incredibly ornate interior has side altars but they do not come across as the central focus as some others we’ve seen. A Michelangelo sculpture adorns one of the side altars, an interesting story of his early career as well as Sienese and Florentine competition for talent.

The Chapel of John the Baptist holds the last known sculpture of Donatello, who completed this bronze of the Saint when we was 80 years old. The Chapel was built to hold the actual remains of one of John the Baptist’s arms, brought here as a relic many centuries ago. It is still brought out for display each year on his Feast Day, June 24.

The interior is a tour-de-force of staggeringly beautiful artwork. The pulpit (shown above), designed and crafted by Nicola Pisano, is stunning in its detail and the inlaid marble floors, uncovered only two months out of the year, were so well-shaded and varied in coloring that the carvings looked like they were painted. Behind the main altar were choir chairs with inlaid images painstakingly formed from strips of wood of different colors and shades. Stunning.

Siena Contrade and the Palio

Camilla was fiercely Sienese. She spoke fluidly on the history of Siena, the struggles with nearby Florence (which eventually conquered the Republic of Siena in the mid-1500s), and the importance of the Contrade. Siena was a commercial powerhouse, banker to the Vatican, and major influence in the late middles ages up to the Plague which decimated the city, reducing its population of 50,000 to just 20,000 people.

The Contrade was a system of wards organizing the various areas of the city. This artifact of the Middle Ages continues to define the 17 zones of the city physically, but even more so socially. Each Contrade has its own coat of arms, home church, and traditions. When Siena was conquered by Florence, the Contrade became an invisible force holding the Sienese culture together as power and freedom were taken from residents.

A major centerpiece of the Contrade culture is the Palio, a medieval horse race ran around the central Piazza del Campo (shown above). Ten of the Contrade are randomly chosen to compete and horses are assigned. The race is run twice a year and the winning Contrade posts flags and the Palio, the trophy banner bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, around the streets of the Contrade until the next race. The current winner is Oca, the Goose, and their horse won riderless.

Siena is also home to the oldest bank in the world, the Monte dei Paschi Bank, which has gone through several boom and bust cycles from its start, including bankruptcy after funding the war of a King of England who lost (not sure who), recovery, and then on to the 2008 banking crisis which set off a series of moves that has put the bank in the hands of outside investors and remains a bur in the saddle for locals who feel the loss of this 400 year old institution.

Listening to Camilla’s history lesson, I was reminded once again that nothing has really changed. The economic cycles we still endure, our desire to maintain our local or regional autonomy against global competitive forces, and the complex nature of money and power still permeate all societies, east to west, north to south. I did appreciate her feisty defense of her beloved Siena and its culture.

St. Catherine of Siena

For us, a major draw to Siena was to learn more about St. Catherine of Siena and to see the relic of her skull and thumb, on display in the Basilica of San Domenico. Her body is laid to rest at Santa Maria sopra Minerva, near the Pantheon in Rome.

Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa, was born in 1347, shortly before the Black Death came upon Europe, and number 23 of 25 children. Catherine was reported to have had her first vision of Christ at the age of 5 and felt an intense call to follow her faith very early on. Catherine was a mystic, prone to visions and Divine inspiration, with particular devotion to the Eucharist.

Catherine joined the Dominican order as a Tertiary. Wikipedia summarizes her impact:

“Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of medieval Catholicism due to the strong influence she had in the history of the papacy and her extensive authorship. She was behind the return of the Pope from Avignon to Rome, and then carried out many missions entrusted to her by the pope, something quite rare for a woman in the Middle Ages. Her Dialogue, hundreds of letters, and dozens of prayers also give her a prominent place in the history of Italian literature.”

Catherine died in 1380 at the age of 33. She was Canonized in 1461 and in 1970, was the second woman to be named a “Doctor of the Church” for her extensive theological authorship. For us, Catherine is the middle name of our youngest daughter, Macy, and a special namesake within our family.

We wandered around a bit more in Siena as we prepared to leave. I liked Siena. The fierce sense of independence, the faith-centered focus in the Duomo and its streets, the vibe of the city, and the beauty of its architecture struck me in particular way. I am more curious about Catherine, fascinated by the social, economic, and historical dynamics that shaped it, and moved by its struggles in a special way. Thank you Siena, so very nice to meet you.

San Gimignano

On our way back, we made one final stop in another walled city atop a hill called San Gimignano. I thought it would be an easy, and quick tour…I thought wrong. The city was larger than I expected and quite crowded with visitors. We dropped my parents off at one of the main gates, then ended up parking at the opposite end of the city. We climbed into the city and eventually found each other in the main piazza. I wish we could have spent more time exploring.

San Gimignano contains some of the best remaining examples of the “tower houses” built by leading families to protect their interests. Our major success in the city was completing my father’s elusive quest for some new Italian shoes which we found in a great leather shop along the square. Remember Paolo Nutini’s song New Shoes? The look on his face said it all: “Hey, I put some new shoes on and suddenly, everything’s right.”

We enjoyed our last dinner at da Tiberio and our last night at Villa I Barronci. The sunset was outstanding and we are all a little sad to leave beautiful Tuscany. Listening to our server, Annalisa, who has been with us for a week: “For me, the relation with good people like you make it special. If I get to Indiana, I find you.” Thank you Annalisa, you have been a real treat.

On to Venice.