Day 17
Before leaving Florence for Rome, we had one more excursion. This one took us the the countryside city of Siena. Days started to get warmer and warmer. This city also gave us a change of pace in regards to scenery. In Florence we had mostly urban streets with some hills on the outskirts. Venice brought us a city on water. Sienna was a breath of a walled city in the hills. It was a tough day of sketching for me, but it was a great day overall. I appreciated the Gothic styles and brick masonry reminiscent of my experience in Verona.
The highlight of Siena for me was spending the warm afternoon in Il Campo, a grand open space, that changes in elevation. It was quite different from the flat piazzas in Florence that I had visited. The Cathedral of Sienna was also a crowning moment in my experience in the city. It contrasts the Duomo of Florence in many ways, most notably its High Gothic style with more spire-like forms. I will appreciate my time in Sienna as it added to the breadth of the landscapes I experienced in Italy.