All over Siena are images of the She-wolf and Romulus and Remus
… in various iterations
After various antechambers, this was the next big room. The Sala del Mappamondo: the room of the map of the world, though the map is long gone. The map was actually of Siena and environs, so the name was a slight exaggeration. This room is the pride of Siena (one of them), with very valuable paintings of battles won, a Madonna with the patron saints of the city and other saints and angels (above, called a Maesta), and scenes of late medieval life. And hidden doors.
This goes under the staircase on the other side of the wall.
This goes into the thickness of the dividing wall to the neighboring chapel room, seen in the top of the picture.
Notice another wolf and twins on the side wall.
Siena was always fighting with Florence for area supremacy. Sometimes they won, and made paintings about those, but eventually they lost entirely and came under the rule of the Medici for the next several centuries, with all of Tuscany.
Siena’s Golden Age was in the 1200’s. They lost half their population to the Black Death in the 1300’s, and never fully recovered, though they did continue to expand for a while. By the 1900’s, the city was a poverty-stricken backwater, that didn’t recover until quite recently with tourism, industry, and banking.
A very poor photo, but this fellow is the hero of the room, and must be noted. This is Guidoriccio da Fogliano during the Siege of the Castle of Montemassi of 1328. Of the left is the besieged castle. He led the victory.
Then through another antechamber or hall, with a metal screen and more wolf and twins….
…..and a monumental St. Christopher fresco….
….. is a beautiful small chapel
……with exquisitely decorated seats inlaid and carved.
Chapel ceiling
To be continued….
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