Siena Duomo - Baptistery and Crypt

The Duomo's baptistery rests down a flight of stairs and adds structural support to the religious building. I was amazed and excited when I found out that I could take pictures there. The large room contains works by Ghiberti and Donatello and its baptismal font is its piece de resistance.

The entrance to the baptistery. The Duomo's entrance is all the way up the stairs and to the right. 

The baptistery's interior and baptismal font.

A close up of one of the panels.

Between the two, I think I enjoyed the crypt more than the Baptistery. Archeologically and artistically significant, the crypt is the excavated site of a 12th century Romanesque church. The area had been filled in to structurally support the Duomo that rests above it today. The frescoes in the interior are still rich in color and this is highlighted by the fact that you can still see their rich blues.

In various sections you could step over glass floor panels showing how deep the old structure actually goes. The arches and columns give a high sense of importance, history, and detail to the space.

A view from the interior of the Duomo that looks down into the crypt. 

When we exited the baptistery, there was a shop with a sign out front that said "see Siena when it was below sea level." Curious, we checked it out. You enter down a few stairs into a store selling ceramic dishes and platters. If you walk all the way to the back you enter a moss-covered cave where you can see the age and oceanic wear and tear of the stones. Pictures weren't allowed, but if you ever visit Siena, it's worth a look.