On August 23, 1339, the “Gran Consiglio della Campana” of Siena decided to greatly enlarge the cathedral. The foundation stone was laid on February 2nd, 1335 and work continued rapidly until errors were discovered in the construction. The project was abandoned and it was decided to simply extend the old choir over the Baptistry.
What is left of the extension is the Facciatone…the unfinished facade of the cathedral. We climbed to the top of it yesterday for excellent views over the cathedral, the rooftops of Siena and the glorious Tuscan countryside.
It doesn’t look all that high in this photo until you look at the people at the top. You find the entrance to the Facciatone on the top floor of the Cathedral Museum, where are kept the original pieces from the Cathedral. Many of the sculptures seen on the facade are copies, as the originals face damage from the elements.
As usual there is a tiny spiral staircase leading to the first viewing point.
Looking across to the Campo.
And out into Tuscany.
Those rooftops.
Then it was up an even tinier spiral staircase to the top.
Being nosey, I like being able to peer into people’s houses.
There is a question mark in the title. That is because you can climb to the top of the tower in the Campo. Next time.