Excusions

THE CITY OF SIENA:
Inhabited continuously for over a thousand years, Siena flourished in the Late Middle Ages when the merchant oligarchy known as "the Nine" spent vast sums in order to create the most beautiful and impressive city in Tuscany. The many churches, palaces and military fortifications which survive from this period bear witness to the magnificence and sophistication of Sienese civilization. EXPLORE SIENA is offering a full-day educational excursion on the history, art and culture of Siena as well as three full-day excursions on the history, art and culture of each of the three major regions surrounding the city: the Chianti, Crete and Maremma.
"SENATUS POPOLUSQUE SENARUM”, SIENA IN THE AGE OF THE REPUBLIC, 1125-1555: Full-day Seminar on the History, Art, and Culture of the City of Siena

Max Grossman will accompany you by foot through the streets of Siena and teach you the history of the city and the significance of her artworks and architectural monuments. You will visit not only the main attractions such as the Duomo and Palazzo Pubblico, but sites of interest along the beautiful and unfrequented side streets and alleyways. You may opt for a half-day or full-day lesson (the latter includes a break for lunch) which may be extended to two or more days upon request. Your excursion will not consist in a mere guided tour but will be an actual lesson on Sienese culture and art history, taught by a trained expert in the field. No prior knowledge will be necessary since our goal is to make the material accessible to all visitors. The only prerequisites are a healthy curiosity and vivid imagination! Max will accompany groups of one up to a maximum of ten people and will proceed at a pace which is comfortable for everyone. Larger groups of high school, undergraduate or graduate students are welcome. Our aim is that you return home with a knowledge of Siena which normally cannot be acquired outside a university setting or without consulting specialized texts or primary sources, and there will be no examination at the end of the day!
Your full-day educational excursion will begin at 9:30am at the panoramic viewpoint of the city on Viale XXV Aprile. As you enjoy the view Max will discuss the myth of the ancient Roman foundation of “Sena Julia”; the early-medieval origins of Siena as a stopping point on the main pilgrimage route to Rome and Jerusalem, the Via Francigena; the age of the bishop rulers and the bitter territorial dispute with Arezzo; the twelfth-century rise of the Sienese Republic and the construction of the city’s feudal towers; the invention of banking, economic explosion and Golden Age of the city; the Black Death of 1348 and its aftermath; the four-century conflict with Florence, culminating in the Medici-led siege and conquest of Siena in 1555; the great Florentine fortress of Santa Barbara and Siena’s loss of independence.

Next you will walk into the heart of the medieval city where Max will illustrate various topics and themes through the city’s art and architecture:
The Basilica of Saint Dominic (1226-1517): The world of the Mendicant preachers and their ideology of apostolic poverty; the revolutionary architecture of the Domenicans and the Early and High Renaissance paintings by Matteo and Benvenuto di Giovanni, Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Bernardino Fungai, and Sodoma.
Via della Sapienza to Via dei Montanini: The foundation of the Sienese “studium” (later university), first mentioned in 1240; the twelfth-century Montanini tower and the age of the warring clans; the Via Francigena and the expansion of the city to the north and south; the Romanesque church of Sant’Andrea.
Via della Stufasecca to Via Sallustio Bandini: Piazza dell’Abbadia and the twelfth-century Romanesque church of San Michele (now San Donato); Via Sallustio Bandini and the remains of the twelfth-century city walls and moats.
Via Cecco Angolieri to Piazza Tolomei: The Castellare of the Ugurgieri and the age of intra-city warfare; discussion of the Ghibellines, Guelfs, and the Battle of Montaperti on Sept. 4, 1260 (citations from the Sienese chronicles and Dante); the legendary home of thirteenth-century poet Cecco Angolieri (recitation of one of his poems, “La mia malinconia…”), Palazzo Rinuccini (ca. 1216), the Gothic palace of the Tolomei (1270-72) and the rise of the banking magnates.
Via Banchi di Sopra: The late-medieval architecture of Palazzo Cinughi de’ Pazzi (early fifteenth century); the Early Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Spannocchi (Giuliano da Maiano, ca. 1470); the High Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Bicchi-Ruspoli (ca. 1520); the Late Renaissance architecture of Palazzo Tantucci (Riccio, ca. 1548); Rocca Salimbeni and the world’s oldest bank, Monte dei Paschi (founded 1472).
Via dei Termini to Piazza dell’Independenza: Discussion of the administrative organization of the city into “terzi”, “popoli” and “contrade”; the tower of the Gallorani and Palazzo Ballati.
“Pro honore Comunis senensis et pulchritudine civitatis…”—Piazza del Campo and Palazzo Pubblico (discussion seated in an outdoor cafe in the piazza): The piazza as medieval marketplace, civic theater and symbolic space; the Palazzo Pubblico (1297-1344) and Torre del Mangia (“umbilicus urbis”); the origins, organization and function of the medieval government (the Signori Nove, Consiglio della Campana, Biccherna, Zecca, Gabella, Podestà and Sienese constitutions of 1262 and 1309-10); Fonte Gaia and the “bottino maestro” (1408-1419); the palaces of the piazza (Petroni, Ragnoni, Chigi-Zondadari, Sansedoni, Mercanzia, Scotti, Accarigi, Alessi d’Elci, Beringeri); the Palio yesterday and today.
Inside the Palazzo Pubblico and Museo Civico: The courtyard of the podestà (1325-44); the first bell of the Sienese commune (cast 1109); Spinello Aretino and the Sala di Balìa (1408); the Sala del Mappamondo and its frescoes: the “Maestà” (1315-21) and “Guidoricio da Fogliano” (1330) by Simone Martini, the Battle of Val di Chiana by Lippo Vanni (1363), paintings by Sano di Pietro, Lorenzo Vecchietta and Sodoma; the Taddeo di Bartolo cycles (1407-14); the Sala della Pace and Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Allegory of Good and Bad Government” (1339-40); the upper loggia and view of Val di Montone and Piazza del Mercato.
Siena of the Popes: Architects Bernardo Rossellino and Pietro Paolo Porrina and the palace, “piazzetta” and loggia of the Piccolomini; the Sienese popes Pius II (1458-64) and Pius III (1503).
Upon request: Discussion of the history of the Jews of Siena (documented in the city from 1221) and the Jewish Ghetto (1571-1848); exclusive visit to the oldest synagogue in Tuscany (1750-80).
At 1:30 you will have a lunch break of approximately 90 minutes. Max will make you a reservation according to your tastes and join you if you wish. The lesson will continue at 3:00 on the Via della Galluzza. The following topics and themes will be addressed:
Via della Galluzza to Fontebranda: The conventual complex surrounding the legendary home of Saint Catherine (1347-80, canonized 1461); discussion of her life, works and miracles as illustrated by the Cinquecento paintings of the Upper Oratory; the Vicolo del Tiratoio and the medieval wool industry; Fontebranda (1246) and the Sienese water system.
Via del Costone to the Baptistery: Vicolo delle Carrozze, one of the best preserved medieval streets in Tuscany; discussion of the realities of residential life in thirteenth-century Siena (home life, lighting, sewage, hygiene, diet, security); view of San Domenico from Via di Diacceto.
Baptistery (1317-1382) and Piazza San Giovanni Battista: The architecture of Camaino di Crescentino and Domenico di Agostino; the excavation of the piazza; the Sienese marble industry; architectural classicism and ecclesiastical ideology; the Early Renaissance baptismal font (1417-30) of Neroccio of Jacopo della Quercia, Pietro del Minella, Bastiano di Corso, Nanni di Luca, Donatello, Giovanni di Turino, Turino di Sano, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Goro di Neroccio.
Piazza Jacopo della Quercia: Discussion of the construction and architectural style of the Cathedral of the Assumption (1220-60); the cult of the Virgin Mary and her special relationship to Siena and the Sienese; the Duomo Nuovo (1327-1355), its architects Lando di Pietro and Giovanni d’Agostino, the contest between Siena and Florence to build the largest and most beautiful cathedral in Italy, and the ultimate failure of the project.
Piazza del Duomo: Piety, pilgrimage, and the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala (898-1998); Palazzo Reale (1570s) and Florentine domination of the city; the Palazzo Arcivescovile (1718-23) and the persistence of Sienese Gothic; Catholic theology: Giovanni Pisano, Camaino di Crescentino and the Duomo facade (1285-1355).
Cathedral interior: The architecture, stylistic origins and significance of the nave, aisles, choir and unique hexagonal crossing; the remains of the Sienese “carroccio” of 1260; Pope Alexander VII, Gianlorenzo Bernini and the Chapel of the Madonna del Voto (1660s); medieval classicism and the pulpit of Nicolas Pisano (1266-68); Giovanni di Stefano (1482-87), Donatello (1457) and the Chapel of San Giovanni Battista; the rhetorical language of Renaissance humanism: Francesco Todeschini, the Piccolomini Library (1495) and the frescoes of Pinturicchio (1502-09).
Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana: Panoramic view of Siena from atop the “Facciatone” of the Duomo Nuovo; iconic painting and the “Madonna degli Occhi Grossi”; the Sano di Pietro triptych of San Bernardino (1445); civic identity, political ideology and the Maestà of Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308-1311); Pietro Lorenzetti’s “Nativity of the Virgin” (1342); the science of optical refinement and Giovanni Pisano’s full-size statues for the Duomo facade (1285-96).
Via del Capitano to the Costarella dei Barbieri: the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo (late thirteenth century); the Piazza di Postierla, Siena’s first square; the battle of the towers: Forteguerri versus Accaragi; Via di Città and Palazzo Marsili (Luca di Bartolo Luponi, 1444), Palazzo Piccolomini “delle Papesse” (1460-95, Bernardo Rossellino, Antonio Federighi and Urbano da Cortona), and Palazzo Chigi-Saracini and its courtyard (thirteenth-fourteenth centuries). End of lesson at about 6:30 pm.

THE COUNTRYSIDE: CHIANTI, CRETE and MAREMMA:
No visit to Siena would be complete without making at least one excursion into the fabulous surrounding countryside. The Sienese “contado”, the subject territory of the mother city, once stretched from the Chianti Hills and Montagnola all the way to Monte Amiata and the Tyrrenian Sea. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance the Republic of Siena controlled several hundred castles, monasteries, villages, towns and cities, many of which survive perfectly intact. Visitors usually see only a small fraction of existing monuments and rarely venture off the main roads to discover the truly unspoiled areas of the region. In addition to places of historical or cultural interest, there is the splendid Tuscan landscape with its rolling hills, neat rows of vineyards and olive trees, and picturesque cypress-lined roads. Max is intimately familiar with even the remotest corners of the territory and will accompany you down some of the most scenic roads in all Italy as he explains the sites.

FROM ETRUSCAN TOMBS TO CIVIC TOWERS: Full-day Seminar on the History, Art and Culture of San Gimignano and the Chianti Region, from Ancient Etruria to Renaissance Grand Duchy
The lesson will begin at 9:30 am with a two-hour visit to San Gimignano. Hardly altered since the Black Death of 1348, San Gimignano, famous for its lofty twelfth and thirteenth-century towers, is the quintessential medieval Tuscan town. You will walk from the Porta San Giovanni to the Piazza della Cisterna, stopping at a number of medieval towers along the way. Max will explain how and why the towers were built and discuss the details of their construction. From there you will visit the Piazza del Duomo, seat of the medieval government, with its Palazzo del Podestà (1239), Palazzo del Popolo (1288) and Collegiate church, completely frescoed in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Inside the church Max will treat the artworks of Lippo Memmi (1330s), Bartolo di Fredi (1367), Taddeo di Bartolo (1393), Jacopo della Quercia (1421), Benozzo Gozzoli (1465), Giuliano and Benedetto di Maiano (1468-75) and Domenico Ghirlandaio (1475). Next you will enter the Palazzo del Popolo with its frescoed hall, the Sala del Dante, home to Lippo Memmi’s “Maestà” masterpiece (1317) and chivalrous depictions of hunting and jousting by the late-thirteenth century painter Azzo. Finally, you will ascend to the top of the Torre Grossa, the tallest tower of the city and symbol of the Republic of San Gimignano, for a breathtaking view of the city and surrounding hills.
From San Gimignano you will drive alongside the town of Colle di Val d’Elsa, one of the most beautiful and least visited in the region, and pass below the massive walls of the old city.
The next stop will be Abbadia a Isola, a tiny fortified village on the Via Francigena, the old pilgrimage route from Northern Europe to Rome, with an important medieval church. Max will take you inside the twelfth-century Romanesque interior, with its French-inspired architectural system and original fifteenth-century altarpiece by Sano di Pietro.
From there it is a five-minute drive to Monteriggioni (1213-16), the powerful Sienese fortress constructed on the northern border of the Republic in order to prevent a Florentine invasion. Its picture perfect walls and towers were described by Dante in the Divine Comedy: “Come in sulla cerchia tonda Monteriggioni di torri si corona”. Max will discuss the architecture and function of the fortress, its military equipment and socio-political context.
From Monteriggioni you will drive deep into the majestic Chianti Hills, home to some of the finest wines in the world, where you will enjoy a marvelous lunch in a family-run trattoria. After lunch the excursion will continue to Castellina and Radda, ancient stone towns perched high up in the hills. Max will tell the history of the Etruscan and Chianti peoples, who in the Middle Ages struggled to maintain their independence from both the Sienese and Florentines. After a long struggle they finally succumbed to the latter in the fourteenth century.
In the late afternoon you will descend towards the south and visit the great abbey of Pontignano (founded 1343) with its three Renaissance and Baroque cloisters and lovely gardens. Max will talk about monastic culture within the context of Siena’s political ambitions in the Chianti. From the terraced slope you will admire a spectacular view of Siena gleaming in the distance.
The educational excursion will end over a glass of wine in a small village cafe, where Max will make his concluding remarks.

FROM THE AGE OF PILGRIMAGE TO THE RISE OF HUMANISM: Full-day Seminar on the History, Art and Culture of the Sienese Crete
Known by many as “the Desert” in the Middle Ages, the Crete (pronounced “krày-tay”) is a vast and mysterious region south and east of Siena with gentle rolling hills, meandering valleys, cypress trees and picturesque stone farmhouses. Famed for its serene beauty, the Crete is home to many of the most significant and interesting monuments in Tuscany.
The lesson will begin at 9:30 am on the scenic road from Siena to Ville di Corsano, a stronghold of the Ardengheschi lords and one of the first areas to submit to Siena. From there you will turn east on the road to Radi, where you will visit the perfectly preserved parish church of Corsano, consecrated in 1189. Max will explain the ecclesiastical organization and administration of the Sienese “contado” and how the diocese of Siena was carved from the territories of five neighboring cities.
Next you will cross a fantastic landscape as you descend to the town of Monteroni d’Arbia, site of a fourteenth-century mill and hospital, built and run by the powerful Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala.
From there Max will accompany you down an original stretch of the Via Francigena, past small villages and country farm houses to the lovely town of Buonconvento, once the provincial capital of a Sienese territorial district. You will be shown one of the best surviving medieval government palaces in Italy, a miniature version of the government headquarters of Siena, the Palazzo Pubblico. The discussion will focus on the activity of Sienese architects and designers in the subject territory and their political and ideological strategies. Particular attention will be given to the town’s impressive walls and gates.
You may stop for a coffee or refreshment at the local bar on Buonconvento’s flower-lined main street before continuing to Montalcino, one of the most beautiful cities in South Tuscany. Unlike Buonconvento, Montalcino was rarely loyal to Siena and revolted against her authority numerous times. It was finally subdued in 1363 with the construction of the immense fortress, the “Rocca” of Montalcino. Max will explain how the art and architecture of the city have a very different character from that of loyal Buonconvento, as the Sienese desperately sought to make allies of a hostile people. The aspect of the “Rocca”, the local government headquarters (Palace of the Priors), civic loggia and adjoining square reveal much about Siena’s fragile political ties to the city.
Lunch can be had in a local trattoria or a restaurant in a neighboring village. You may wish to sample some of Montalcino’s wonderful pastries and famous Brunello wine before setting off for Sant’Antimo.
Boasting the best preserved and most beautiful Romanesque church in South Tuscany, the Benedictine abbey of Sant’Antimo was reputedly founded by Charlemagne in 781. By the time the basilica was rebuilt in the early-twelfth century the abbey possessed vast tracts of land within Sienese territory and controlled 38 churches as well as numerous castles. The rich fabric of the basilica, built entirely out of shimmering travertine and translucent onyx, testifies to the power once wielded by the abbots. Max will reconstruct the context of its construction and explain the structure’s many fine details, before accompanying you across the Asso Valley to Pienza.
Formerly an obscure little town called Corsignano, “Pienza” was named and redesigned in Early Renaissance style by its most famous native, Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, who reigned as Pope Pius II in 1458-64. The pope selected as his urban planner and architect the renowned Florentine architect Bernardo Rossellino, who had already worked extensively in his home city. To him we owe the elegantly designed piazza with its Duomo and surrounding palaces (1459-62), a veritable tour de force of Renaissance architecture. Max will discuss the humanist theories underlying the piazza’s form and take you inside the church to visit the fifteenth-century paintings by Giovanni di Paolo, Matteo di Giovanni, Lorenzo Vecchietta and Sano di Pietro. You will then walk along the town’s medieval ramparts and take in the astonishing view of 1738-meter Mount Amiata, which separated the Sienese Republic from the papal territories.
If there is still time a final stop will be made at the Abbey of Monte Olivetto Maggiore (founded 1313), whose Great Cloister was frescoed by Luca Signorelli (1497-98) and Sodoma (1505-06) with scenes from the life of Saint Benedict, the founder of institutional monasticism. The discussion will focus upon the transition from Early to High Renaissance painting as evidenced by the style of the two painters, who were Florentine and Sienese respectively. The educational excursion will conclude there.

SIENESE EXPANSION AND FEUDAL REBELLION: Full-day Seminar on the History, Art and Culture of the Tuscan Maremma
The Maremma is the largest and least visited of the three major regions surrounding Siena, extending from the hills just west and southwest of town all the way to the distant sea. It was here that the Sienese Republic met the most serious opposition to its political and territorial ambitions, as powerful feudal lords such as the Aldobrandeschi and Pannochieschi fought bitterly to maintain their independence in the face of the invading citizen armies. In 1303, in order to give landlocked Siena an outlet to the sea, the city purchased the port of Talamone and built a road to it clear across the hostile Maremma. However, the Republic struggled in vain to establish law and order along the road, as merchant convoys were often attacked by feudal troops or armed bandits. Even the construction of the great fortress of Castelfranco Paganico in 1293 failed to guarantee security in the area and the Republic’s authority was frequently disputed with violence.
The lesson will begin at 9:30 am with a visit to the Augustinian Hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago, hidden among the trees in the dense forest a few miles west of Siena. The splendid church, a peculiar mix between Romanesque and Gothic, was constructed in the fourteenth century and frescoed in 1360-70 by Lippo Vanni. Max will explain the architecture and frescoes and talk about the special political relationship which existed between the Augustinian hermits and the Republic.
From there you will travel southwest deep into the Maremma, past the town of Rosìa with its castle built by Frederick Barbarossa, the Ponte della Pia, one of the oldest bridges in South Tuscany, and the castle of Frosini, a Sienese stronghold
A few minutes by car beyond the Pian di Feccia is the Romanesque beehive-shaped church of Montesiepi, built on the hill where the knight Galgano Guidotti jammed his sword into a stone and donned the white habit of the Cistercians, one of the most ascetic monastic orders. After his canonization in 1185 a group of his followers constructed the striped round church, the chapel of which is decorated with Trecento frescoes by the Sienese master Ambrogio Lorenzetti. It was not long before the members of the order swelled in number and a larger church was needed in order to accommodate them. The great Cistercian basilica of San Galgano was constructed nearby between 1224 and 1288, now a hauntingly beautiful ruin in the middle of a field. Max will lead you through the roofless basilica, a wonderful meditative space which effectively expresses the spiritual aspirations of the Cistercians, and discuss the details of the most important Gothic structure in Sienese territory. Other fragments of the original monastery survive, including the impressive chapter room and a part of the cloister.
From San Galgano you will drive through the heart of the Maremma past Palazzetto and Prata to the hill town of Massa Marittima, perhaps the most under-visited major medieval site in Tuscany. Lunch may be had at a number of the town’s excellent trattorias.
Annexed to the Sienese state in 1335 after decades of warfare, Massa Marittima boasts a splendid piazza lined with numerous interesting palaces, including the main government buildings, the Palazzo Pretorio (ca. 1230) and Palazzo Comunale (ca. 1300). On the south side of the piazza stands the massive Duomo (early 1200s to 1304) with its Pisan-style facade and Duccio altarpiece (1316), the famous “Madonna delle Grazie”. High above the town you will visit the fourteenth-century Sienese fortress with its enormous barbican. There you may climb the stairs and ladders to the upper ramparts and enjoy a commanding view of the town, countryside and sea. Finally you will explore the “New Town”, founded and designed by Sienese urban planners. Max will explain the underlying concepts of Sienese urbanism and talk about the politics of Siena’s architectural projects in the Maremma. If there is time you will visit the church of Saint Augustine with its impressive Gothic apse, completed in 1348.
From Massa Marittima you will return to Siena on the main road through Grosseto. If there is sufficient time you will briefly visit the Sienese fortress town of Castelfranco Paganico (founded 1293) with its mighty fortifications. The excursion will terminate in Siena.

TUSCANY, UMBRIA, LAZIO and ROME:
In addition to Siena and its territory, Max offers on-site lessons and didactic excursions in other Central Italian cities, including Florence, Cortona, Arezzo, Pisa, Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, San Sepolcro, Viterbo and Rome. He has had much experience in Florence and Rome in particular and has prepared numerous interesting lessons on the two cities. Upon request he will also arrange for transportation, lunch and dinner.