30.2.2 Meeting in Paris
I met Peter in Paris in early December, 1986, and together we travelled by train to Marseilles.
Click to enlarge:
30.2.3 Southern France with Peter
In Marseilles we were met by Douglas Cowling. We stayed with his family at Aix aux Provence. He was on a sabatical. I would later teach his son John, at Oakwood C. I. While in the area, I toured Le Corbusier's famous apartment block, the Unite d'Habitation. It was built in 1950 and is shown below left. The interesting cross-section is shown below right. Note the apartments have one part being double height and each apartment has both East and West sides allowing for cross ventilation.
Aux en Provence with Peter
30.2.4 Venice with Peter
Below is the Campanile and Palazzo Ducale seen from San Giorgio Maggiore.
30.2.5 Florence with Peter
The "duomo" cathedral in Florence was built 1430 to 1436. The great dome was completed by architect
30.2.6 Siena with Peter
The picture below shows Peter and I at the famous fountain, in Dante's poem.
Il Compo, Siena
Il Campo, Siena's central square, is the location of two "Palio" horse races every year, during which each "contrade" (competing neighbourhoods) put up one horse and rider to race around the oval. The idea is that all of the competitiveness between these city regions is focused in this race, and not on social conflict during the rest of the year.
Il Compo
An historical point worth noting about the
Il Compo is that it was one of the first instances of building regulations. For years, Siena had been plauged by internal conflicts between competing families, each controlling a part of the city.
Yet in 1297 a regulation was passed by government that all buildings facing the Il Compo must have the same type of window openings and facades. This produced a unified, well-ordered appearance --but how did they achieve such co-operation? The answer is in their form of government. In the 13th century the Sienese developed a remarkably democratic form of government.
Democracic Government in Siena
In the 13th century a form of democratic government was developed in Siena which promoted unity and co-operation. The four main elements of government were:
- the Nine;
- the Chief Magistrates;
- "the Podesta";
- the Great Council;
The Nine
Of these elements, the Nine, are the most interesting. The Nine were the governors who ran the city's public affairs, who were selected by the nine regions of the city. For the year that they were in office, they could not carry on any business affairs. They were obliged to work only for the common good of all of Siena. The was represented in 1327 by the paving of the Il Compo with stones in nine pie shapes all facing the Palazzo Publico.
The Palazzo Publico
The Palazzo Publico (public city hall) was built 1299-1310 as was the meeting place of the Nine and the centre of the city's political life. It is recognizable for its Tower of the Mangia (1338). To me a remarkable aspect of this building is the Chamber of the Council of the Nine, which represents in built form, the important aspects of the democratic system and goals of the Nine and the city.
The Chamber of the Council of the Nine
On the second floor is the room where the Nine met. One must imagine how it must have been for the Nine to meet there. The walls of the whole room are covered by frescos by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, together refered to as the "Allegory of Good and Bad Government" (1339). On the wall behind the large table where they would sit was a large fresco which depicted the values by which the Nine should govern (justice and wisdom). To their left was fresco showing the city if it were to be governed by these principles. Houses are in good repair, people are dancing, business is going well. To the right the wall shows the city poorly governed. Houses are in disrepair with cornices falling into the street below, people are being robbed in the street, and general chaos. What is remarkable, is that the two walls facing each other lead the eye to the fourth wall at the end of the room, where there is a window. The idea is that one can look out this window, see the present city of Siena, and perceive how it is being governed.
The Cathedral
One manifestation of the power and wealth of the growing city was that in the 14th century they started construction of what would have been (still today) the largest cathedral ever. Only one wing can be seen today, and the rest is only foundations with the floor being used as a parking lot. Construction was halted when the Black Death arrived in 1348.
The Black Death, 1348
The prosperity of Siena was greatly affected by two things. The competition with Florence, including wars, and the Black Death plague of 1438. This stopped work on the cathedral and the city itself never recovered.
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I also visited Hadrian's Villa at _________.
