Siena - Duomo Museum

After absorbing all of the information we could in the Duomo, the Baptistery, and the Crypt, we hit information overload in the Duomo Museum. The museum was built to house the Duomo's art and contains Duccio's Stained Glass Rose Window. The window, created in 1288, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and shows scenes of the Assumption and her ascent to heaven. The room in which the window is housed gives off a sense of importance. It's dark and gray (the main light coming from behind the window) and the sides of the room are lined with statues that used to rest on the Duomo's exterior. 

Some of the other treasures that the museum contains are Donatello's Madonna and Child (I stared at it for quite a while as the guide book discussed the different sculptural elements that are important, including how Donatello created depth in the piece) and Alterpiece Pnels by Duccio di Buoninsegna that show scenes from the Passion of the Christ. 

The layout of the museum involves a series of rooms that are mainly divided by large staircases. Through the open windows the sounds of a violinist on the street could be heard as we climbed higher. Personally, my favorite piece in the entire museum was the Saint Clement reliquary. The reliquary is a golden masterpiece containing a skull and looks like something from a fairytale, an Alexander McQueen show, or Pirates of the Carribbean. While something being visually appealing and stimulating isn't the deepest reason to appreciate a museum piece, it is a valid one. 

As you enter the last room, you encounter the entrance to the Panorama del Facciatone. In order to access the spectacular view, you must climb the winding spiral staircase into the unfinished section of the Duomo (the wall that I showed in an earlier post). Once in it and up it, you can walk across it to encounter exquisite views of Siena. 

Greetings from the top looking out towards Il Campo!

Greetings from the top looking out at the Duomo! Please forgive my squinting, it was extremely sunny.