Shot of the Day – 25 – Siena Cathedral

22 May 1999

As long as we’re detailing our recent trip to Italy, it seems appropriate to bring back images and stories from the first time we were there…back in the days of film.

On this Saturday, we left Rome for Tuscany. We were headed for the small town of San Gimignano and the train dropped us off in Siena. The central square of the wonderfully preserved medieval town and UNESCO World Heritage site is the scene of the famous ‘Palio, a break-neck, bareback horse race with colorfully-dressed riders who represent the various wards in the city.

Also on that square is the magnificent Siena Cathedral. Alternating layers of white and almost-black, dark green marble give the building a distinctive appearance. Begun in 1196 and completed in 1263, the cathedral was undergoing a huge expansion when the ‘Black Death’ bubonic plague halted construction in 1348. 

In this pre-digital era, I was using outdoor, low-ISO film and the interior was not bright enough to hand-hold the camera for any satisfactory result. A longer exposure was required. Tripods are not allowed in places like this. I had to prop the camera facing up on a ledge or back of a pew, guess about where to point the lens, set the timer so the shutter would trip without me pressing it and hope for the best.

I like the shot and would love to return one day and do the place justice with today’s technology.