Saint Catherine of Siena
All you need to know about this Saint and her Wonderful Tuscan Town
Today, April 29, is the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena — Mystic and Patron Saint of Europe, Co-Patron of Italy (with Saint Francis), and of Nurses and Fire Prevention.
I adore her city in Tuscany, for so many reasons, including the most beautiful Duomo…
Here’s some Saint Catherine-centric travel advice for visiting this treasure…
The evening sky in Siena is a divine wonder to behold. Get a seat in the Piazza del Campo as the sun sets and you’re in for a show. Colors change from blue-pink-golden to a rich navy. Then out pop the stars. Whoever is doing the lighting here is brilliant.
Any time of day, Siena is one of the most pleasant cities to stroll around. You’ll be awed by the Gothic Duomo outside and in. There’s Duccio’s Maestà (Majesty) in the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana, where the BVM sits enthroned, holding a rose-robed baby Jesus, surrounded by twenty angels and nineteen saints. When this masterpiece was unveiled in 1311, the whole town came out with candles to ooh and aah over it as church bells rang.
