First we parked in an underground car park, which although expensive, meant that the car would be cool when we arrived back. Siena was not particularly hot as there was a breeze blowing, which again was to our advantage. Our first impression of the city was good and it just got better. There were lots of streets and alleyways to explore and having discovered the Baptistry, we decided to walk around and see the Duomo first, which was breathtaking! For the first time ever Graham agreed to stand in a queue to pay money to have a look round. Inside it was amazing looking as though it had been made of liquorice… well, all the columns were striped white and black which seemed an odd combination, but striking all the same. Although there were lots of things that you couldn’t do inside, you could take photos as long as you didn’t use a tripod or flash, which seemed very generous. We were just about to leave when I saw a room I hadn’t yet visited. Inside this bright room, the walls were lined with glass cases and inside the cases, laying opened were illuminated manuscripts from the 1500s, all looking as fresh as though they had been written yesterday. Many of the pages showed neumes (earliest know forms of written music) well for me, it was very much a ‘died and gone to heaven’ experience – the ceiling was a delight too!!
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