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=Siena is . . . the city of the blessed Virgins and the "Balzana";
black and white; decisive, just as its heraldic symbol; passionate and
contemplative; always climbing and descending; clear and at the same time
obscure; steep and narrow streets; the red of the Piazza del Campo appearing
blinding and suddenly. In the alleys, in the museums and oratories of the
Contrada, the spiritual songs of the Palio evoke very ancient rituals and modern
allegories, while during the evening the shuffling of soles on the deserted
pavement is in contrast with the peacefulness of the green valleys
providentially enclosed within the wall, which ancient administrators had
erected hundreds of years before it became common practice. Siena is also the
Cathedral and the extraordinary panorama from the Facciatone; the Sala del
Pellegrinaio in Santa Maria della Scala, the Libreria Piccolomini and the
prestigious Accademia Chigiana; the enormous Medicean fortress that on the
inside, at the Enoteca Italiana, harbors the most precious wines of Siena,
Tuscany and the peninsula; sweet-smelling Trattorias, sweet spices, the sounds
of the artisans and spouting fountains; Fontebrande and the mystery of the
Diana, a famous river underneath Siena; the alchemy geometry of the Piazza,
suggestively neo-Gothic and cathartic. And these are the reasons why "Siena
opens up its heart more than any other place," as the famous inscription
reads on the Porta di Camollia.
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