The Allegory of Good Government

Siena, Italy

October 27, 2022

Hello, there. I have been blogcrastinating very nicely, thank you. I had very bad jet lag for the first week of our trip, not to mention a very busy schedule in Florence, and I just couldn’t manage to find time to work on my blog. Now I am ready to start blog-producing.

Instead of starting at the beginning of our trip, I am going to try to keep this in real time, more or less. I will fill in the earlier installments when I get a chance.

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Siena is a beautiful Tuscan hill town. It is an ancient walled city full of yellow and tan and rust-colored (or “burnt sienna”) stone buildings. The cobbled streets are winding and confusing, chaotic and fascinating. There are alleys and tunnels and steep stairways and unexpected little piazzas with sculptures and fountains.

Today we followed the “Siena Walk” audio tour created by Rick Steves. We listened to the audio tour on earbuds and followed Rick’s directions as we moved from site to site. 

In the center of Siena is a large public square called Il Campo. It’s been the heart of Siena since the 12th century. 

City Hall towers over this space. As Siena was one of the earlier democracies, City Hall was one of Siena’s most important buildings. The magnificent tower at City Hall guaranteed that everyone knew how important Siena and the City Hall were.

Il Campo is also notable for the Palio, when horses race dangerously around the perimeter of Il Campo while thousands of fans cheer the contrades (rival Sienese neighborhoods). Check out the beginning of the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, for a good look at the Palio. 

We continued on the walk until we arrived at the gorgeous 13th-century Gothic cathedral - the Duomo. We stopped to tour the inside, and ran into our friends, Erica and Lynda. I am intrigued by how this immense, sophisticated, and durable structure could have been built with the very limited technology available at the time. 

We saw a number of other interesting sights, including several statues of a she-wolf nursing her cubs - the symbol of Siena. Why do we never hear of a “he-wolf”?

Later in the day we went back to the CIty Hall to tour the Civic Museum. Siena was a secular, self-governing, democratic republic. There were two frescoes in the City Hall that I especially wanted to see - The Allegory of Good Government, and The Allegory of Bad Government. I have a pretty good idea what constitutes good and bad government (I live in Anchorage, right), but I was very curious to see what a 14th-century artist thought it looked like. So it was really disappointing to climb all those stairs inside only to find out that these pieces of art were being restored. I did buy some postcards in the gift shop showing the frescoes, and I also found them on the internet.

The artist, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, painted scenes showing the effects of good and bad government, as well. It is believed the paintings were intended to remind the city magistrates of their responsibilities.

The Allegory of Good Government

It’s hard to see all the detail in this painting. It’s the size of a wall in real life. The man on the throne is surrounded by the six v

Virtues, including Peace, in a white dress, relaxing because peace has been achieved through good governance. Lady Justice is dressed in red on the left of the painting. In the lower right, wrongdoers have been rounded up by the authorities. Lorenzetti also painted frescoes depicting the effects of good and bad government.

Here is The Allegory of Bad Government. A devilish dictator has set the Vices loose, crime is everywhere, and the city is falling into ruin. Not to mention the fresco.

The Allegory of Bad Government

What would you include in a painting showing good or bad government?

In the evening we had tickets to Italian Opera in Siena. It was fun and well-done. It was performed by a soprano and a pianist in a small restored chapel. It was really nice to experience Italian culture without going to yet another museum - and without eating. It was great to have one final chance to chat with Erica and Lynda there before we parted ways.

Today’s color is:

Burnt Sienna