05/27/2026
Our 2026 Maymester Science and Art History class braved a rainy day in Siena to visit some of the city’s most historically important and artistically brilliant sites. After years of being under restoration, Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s frescoes in Palazzo Pubblico are on view, and our class visited them to learn about their political (and astrological!) importance from Dr. Aurelia D’Antonio. Students also saw the cathedral, a masterpiece of gothic architecture which contains mosaics that Giorgio Vasari called “the most magnificent floors ever made,” as well as the dramatic early 16th-century frescoes in the church’s Piccolomini Library. As the sun came out in the afternoon, our dawgs walked to the Ospedale di Santa Maria Della Scala, and learned from Dr. D’Antonio about the frescoes of Domenico di Bartolo that depict the Sienese devotion to helping orphans and impoverished pilgrims. No visit to Siena would be complete without a visit to the city’s crowning achievement in painting: Duccio’s 1308 altarpiece, the Maestà. Standing in front of the glittering golden panels, the students learned about Siena’s deep devotion to the Virgin, who the city has claimed as their protectress since their miraculous defeat of Florence in the 1260 Battle of Monteperti. To this day, the Sienese shout “Monteperti!!” when they play Florence in football, an energy that Bulldog fans can certainly relate to!!
