The Duomo (cathedral) in Siena is one of the focal points of visiting the town and the tower stands high above the city so it can be seen for miles around. The facade of the Siena Duomo, once you get up close to it, you can see is really detailed and ornate and encompasses designs like this winged lion.
This Duomo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that it will be protected for many years to come as an important part of our heritage. It is located in the historic old town of Siena, which is the more tourist populated area, and it is the old town because the cathedral itself was built between 1215 and 1263.
It was in 1196 that city officials wanted a new church built on the place where a smaller less grand church already stood. ... continue below the picture...
... The facade was part of this new design for their church and black and white marble was brought in to help design the new grand church building. The facade was developed in two stages and took decades to complete.
The statues on the outside of the Duomo today are almost all copies of the originals, as they are kept in the 'Crypt of the Statues'. This is because if statues are exposed to the elements it can damage them and city officials do not want these historical irreplaceable statues to be damaged in any way.
Winged lion and details of the facade of the Siena Duomo (Cathedral) in the historic old town district in the City of Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Province of Siena, Region of Tuscany, Italy, Europe.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, aperture of f/6.3, exposure time of 1/60 sec. on ISO 100, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 200mm.