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Siena Saturday, November 04, 2000; posted by Lisa Our next stop was Siena. Ate well and saw the city by day and night. The cathedral of Siena in the Piazza del Duomo was begun in 1065 and completed in the 14th century. The restored façade of multi-colored marble is the work of Giovanni Pisano. The colors were magnificent in the setting sun. The striped marble is both beautiful and spooky... a little like something Tim Burton may have designed. More greenish black and white striped marble fills the inside of the cathedral in Siena. Unbelievably intricate work. It's no wonder that it took so long to complete. Put a couple of coins in a machine and you get some light in the cathedral for a few minutes. That is how Paris got this shot of the dome. The motif of gold stars in the center of dark blue squares was all over Italy. Paris and I in front of the cathedral in Siena. This is the famous Piazza del Campo, or simply Il Campo, in Siena where twice a year during the summer, the square is covered in sand and lined with barricades for one of the wildest horse races in the world. The race is between the various districts of the city, each represented by a horse. Riding bareback, the riders risk life and limb. The building here is the town hall/Palazzo Publico, built between 1288 and 1309. It is a lovely and peaceful piazza.