The wonderful pavement of the Siena cathedral is for the most part visible, with short rails protecting it from the passage of feet (recent protection as you can tell it is worn down in many parts). The major scenes, however, are right in front of the altar and to the sides and these are covered for most of the year, protected from the pews sitting atop. You get the chance to see these parts only for a few months every year, but this year, Italy is hosting the World Expo in Milan!
As we wrote about recently, it isn’t just Milan that is preparing for the start of EXPO 2015 – all of Italy is. The Expo starts in 2 days and will run until the end of October. The theme for Expo is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” which makes it about sustainable food practices. As the home country of thousands of quality food products, including wine, extra virgin olive oil, cheeses, cold cuts and much more, every region of Italy will be present at Expo as well as hosting numerous events connected to the Expo’s theme.
In Siena, the cathedral has decided to participate by “revealing” its pavement for the entire month of July, in addition to the normal months when it will be uncovered this year (which is from August 18 – October 27). The main protagonist in this case will be the scene of “Moses who releases water from the rock”, created by Domenico Beccafumi and which sits right in front of the main altar in the cathedral. Water is a symbol of the source of life and thus connects to the Expo’s theme quite perfectly.
Will you be in Italy this year during Expo and planning to attend the world exhibition? Tuscany has many events planned in connection to Expo, we will keep highlighting them through the next several months.
About Lourdes Flores
An American living in Florence for over 10 years, Lourdes continues to explore and discover new places in Tuscany with the eyes of a tourist but with the experience of living in Italy. She shares her experiences on this blog and website, particularly offering lots of travel planning help on the Forum!
