Introduction
Historical BackgroundThe symbol of the snail was used by the Etruscans to symbolize caution. Between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries a new protective wall was built around Siena, enlarging the urban area of the city. This resulted in more people moving into the city, and, consequently, a problem of overpopulation. Thus, a new section of protective wall was built between Porta Tufi and Porta San Marco, enclosing the area of the Chiocciola Contrada (Snail Contrada). In 1466, the people of the Saint Mark’s district gifted the Saint Martha Monastery (which is within the Snail’s territory) with some real estate properties, in exchange for the nuns’ promise to restore Saint Peter’s hospital, commit four beds for the poor, and have a weekly Mass in honor of Saint Peter and Saint Martha. Therefore, at that time the Snail Contrada already owned real estate and dealt with religious orders. Also, the Snail was the first contrada to be named in Siena in the fifteenth century (it was named by Gentile Sermini). Legend says that this symbol comes from an Etruscan tradition that gives the snail a religious value. Having identified themselves with the Snail, the inhabitants of the area constructed a snail out of wood and hid ten youth inside, walking about the city so that it seemed like the shell was walking by itself. The military companies of the area were those of San Quirico and San Marco, to which that of the Quercia was added. In 1482, the Snail and the Giraffe met in battle games with floats depicting their respective animals. That was the first time that two contradas were associated with an animal. Interestingly, the rivalry between the Snail and the Tortoise Contrade has had its ups and downs, with relationships of collaboration and friendship by the end of the 1600s, as well as periods of strict tension, as it is today.
#1 Porta San Marco
Stand at Porta San Marco, outside the protective walls of the city. This historic entrance to the city was built during the fourteenth century. These walls protected the city from enemy attack.Porta San Marco is part of the fifth wall (and most “recent,” though still very old) of Siena, built from 1326 and 1415. High on Saint Mark city gate is Saint Bernardino’s trigram, a sun disc with the letters JHS, Jesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus, Savior of men), which is visible over all Siena city gates and many house entrances.
#2 Via delle Sperandie
As you enter the city, take the street that heads off to your right, Via delle Sperandie.Walking up Via delle Sperandie, you may see painters and young artists painting the beautiful Sienese countryside. Stop here for a minute, enjoy the beautiful view, and take a few pictures.Walk to the corner of this street and at number 47, go through the doorway to take the little path ahead of you. You will come to an open greenspace; walk down the hill to find an ancient fountain that few people know about. The Fontana delle Monache(Nuns’ Fountain) name was a result of the nuns’ use of the fountain to wash their clothes. You may also want to visit a nearby chapel, another hidden treasure. Looking directly at the fountain, off to your right, you will find a small chapel that looks like a shed. It will likely be locked and closed, but if you peek through the grillwork on the door, you’ll see a beautiful 18th century altar hidden within. Erected in 1697, this chapel was the cemetery chapel of the convent.
#3 Via di San Marco
Retrace your steps back toward Porta San Marco. As you approach the city gate, turn right and head up Via di San Marco. This is the main street of the contrada. Many of the interesting sites of the Snail Contrada are located on this street.As you move up Via di San Marco, you will arrive at a fork in the road where you will see a beautiful building right in the middle. This is the Cappella della Madonna del Rosario (the Chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary). This place, commonly known only as Il Bivio (the fork [in the road]), served as the church for the Snail Contrada for many years. Before the construction of the church in 1655–56, the contrada held its meetings in a nearby house. The positioning of their church was advantageous both technically and economically; building onto an already existing building lowered the cost and the construction time. This church was restored in the eighteenth century with a baroque façade in Borromini style, using funds won at the Palio.In 1373, Iacopo del Pellicciaro painted the image of the Madonna of the Rosary, originally housed in this church. (Or as it is commonly called by the Sienese, the Madonna del Forcone literally meaning Madonna of the Big Fork). An interesting story follows the donation of the image of the Madonna of the Rosary. Tradition states that the Madonna was donated by a local woman, who accidentally left the painting above the fireplace when moving to a new house. Returning to get some other things she had accidentally left behind, the image in the painting spoke to the woman as she was about to leave, saying, “Oh! Are you going to leave me here? Why won’t you take me with you?” At this, the frightened woman turned to see the painting above the fireplace and ran to recount her tale to her neighbors.After this church was deconsecrated, the Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo (The Church of Saints Peter and Paul) became the official church of the contrada in 1814, and the Bivio became the Casa del Cavallo (House of the Horse) soon after, where the Snail horse is kept before the Palio.Right in front of the Chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary is the Pozzo di San Marco (the Well of Saint Mark). The members of the Snail Contrada threw a statue of Sant’Antonio (Saint Anthony), the patron saint of the Tortoise Contrada (their adversary), into this well. From that event, the nickname Affogasanti (literally, Saint Drowners) was given to this contrada and is still associated with it.
#4 Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
Take the right fork, and continue heading up Via di San Marco. As you reach number 37, you will definitely want to stop and take pictures of the Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo (Church of Saints Peter and Paul). The exterior and interior are both quite amazing.You may want to stop and take a look at the fontana della contrada outside the church. Fulvio Corsini created the sculpture of the child riding a snail, first placed here in 1947. Inscribed on the base is the good omen Quando alla Chiocciola vittoria arriderà questa fontana buon vino getterà (When victory smiles on us, this fountain will pour good wine).Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo originally had its entrance on Via delle Sperandie, but thanks to Flaminio del Turco, this church was built up and over Via dell Sperandie using a cavalcavia (overpass), so that the entrance is now found in Via di San Marco. To overcome the difference in height between the two streets, a new area was built underneath the church, which is now the crypt. The church is built in a Greek cross plan (or after the shape of a Greek cross), with a central square mass area and four extended arms of equal length. The façade is in brick, the dome over an octagonal drum, and the lantern tower (allowing light to come down onto the junction of the four arms or cruciform or cross shape) was built in 1818. Many works of art are housed in this church, most importantly the Incoronazione della Vergine (Coronation of the Virgin) by the brothers Andrea and Raffaello Piccinelli (called the Brescianini). On the altar to your left is a depiction of the La Caduta di San Paolo (Fall of Saint Paul) by Astolfo Petrazzi, while the altar to your right has a small painting of the Madonna of the Rosary, venerated in the Chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary (which you have already visited). If you look back behind you, toward the entrance of the church, you will see the beautiful organ (constructed by Giacinto Guarda) by the choir seats above the entrance.
#5 Museo della Contrada Chiocciola
Head back toward the entrance to the church and look for a door to your left (by the entrance) that will lead you down into the museo della Contrada Chiocciola.The church may be closed, but if you are able to visit the museum, your first stop will be in the Sala delle Vittorie (the Room of Victories). This room houses the banners from the wins over centuries, together with other objects, with the goal of recreating the ambience of the times. The most prized object of the room is a book of parchment that contains the 1663 constitution of the contrada, the oldest of its kind. A very rare 1712 engraving illustrates the festivities of the victory of the Palio of that year; in fact, the proceeds from the Palio victory paid for the façade of the oratory at the Bivio (which you have already seen). There is also a ceramic figure of Saint Anthony, reminding the viewer of the 1896 event when the statue of Saint Anthony was thrown in the well outside the old oratory of the contrada, the Affogasanti spoken of in tour stop 3.Now look for the Museo degli Arredi Sacri (Museum of the Sacred Vestments). As you enter into the first small room, there are objects representing the three principal elements of life as a member of the Snail: building projects of the oratory, religious festivals, and worship. From here you enter into the main room where these three themes are presented through numerous objects accumulated by the contrada over centuries, and often decorated with its the symbols and colors. A particularly precious piece is a chasuble (a sleeveless outer priest’s vestment) made of golden cloth on red silk, left by Pope Pius VI, who fled to and was living in Siena after being driven out of Rome by Napoleon’s troops. In the center of the room sits a reading desk made of gold-plated wood with the symbols of the four evangelists and the symbol of the Snail. Look up and see the many symbols decorating the ceiling.
#6 La Vecchia Osteria
You may exit the museum from this lower level out onto Via delle Sperandie.If you walk a bit up or down the road and look back to where you came from, you will see the overpass, built to allow the church entrance to reside in Via di San Marco. If you are not visiting the church or museum at this time, return to the front of the church on Via di San Marco. Facing the front of the church, turn left and continue up the street.At number 8, you will find the La Vecchia Osteria. Here you may taste traditional Sienese cuisine, simple yet tasty recipes on a menu that changes daily, according to what was available at the market that day. Chef Marco likes to fish and hunt, and he often prepares what he has caught the day before. Our BYU interns have often worked in this osteria and have enjoyed it. Prices are very reasonable. Dante Alighieri School staff and faculty, and BYU faculty, all love this place, and it's highly recommended for the food as a cultural experience.
#7 Chiesa di San Niccolò del Carmine
As you exit the osteria, turn left, and you will arrive at Pian dei Mantellini, where you will turn left again. Before you start on this street, look up on the corner of the building to your left and you should see what the contradaioli (people from this contrada) consider a tabernacolo or tabernacle, a little religious image on the wall, surrounded by a frame. It is one of many throughout the area. Keep an eye out for them.Continue down Pian dei Mantellini near number 25 (about halfway down the street), and you will see the bell tower of the Chiesa di San Niccolò del Carmine (the Church of Saint Nicholas of the Carmine). This church rests on the border between the Snail and the Panther Contrade and is now used by the Panther as its oratory, but, since you are here, it is definitely worth a stop.You may want to take a moment for pictures of the marvelous bell tower. The Carmelitesbuilt the Chiesa di San Niccolò del Carmine and its convent during the thirteenth century. If you get a chance to go inside, you will see works of art from various periods, most notably the big table with San Michele che scaccia gli angeli ribelli (Saint Michael dispelling the rebellious angels), masterpiece of Domenico Beccafumi. In addition, there are many paintings by Pietro Lorenzetti, such as the Madonna del Carmine (The Madonna of the Carmine). The altars and paintings are truly magnificent; don’t pass up this stop!Around the corner from the church, on Via della Diana 4, is a beautiful hotel around a cloister, Il Chiostro del Carmine. Feel free to enter the hotel to see the medieval church chiostro (cloister), which serves as the hotel courtyard.Concerning Via della Diana, Dante mentions a hidden river named “La Diana,” for which the Sienese have continually been searching (Purgatory, Canto XIII, v. 53). The town spent a lot of money on this quest, even though most of the funds were redirected to the building of the Bottini, the underground waterworks. The Sienese were convinced that Siena, like any other Roman city, must have had a river nearby. Nowadays, it’s said that if you listen carefully, you will hear a hidden river. In fact, some say that one of the homeowners living along this street has a manhole in his yard. If you lift the cover, you’ll see the river running underground. Let us know if you find it!Back to the Piano di mantellini, and across from the Chiesa del Carmine at numbers 39–41, lies the Palazzo Pollini (Pollini Palace). The palazzo was previously called Palazzo del Vescovo (The Bishop’s Palace), and later Palazzo Celsi-Pollini. Founded in 1527, the building is attributed to the genius of Baldassare Peruzzi. If you can go in, there are frescoes—a wall awash with fresh wet plaster which is painted and then allowed to dry, thereby setting the paint into the plaster—in the first-floor rooms by the Riccio studio. These frescoes have moral themes: Lapidazione dei Vecchioni accusatori della casta Susanna (The Chaste Susannah being Stoned and Accused by the Elders) and Clemenza di Scipione che restituisce la sposa a Allucio (Mercy of Scipione returning Allucio’s bride to him).
#8 Chiesa delle Carceri di Sant’Ansano
To the right of the Palazzo Pollini is a small and steep street, Via di San Quirico. Head up this street, along the side of the Palazzo Pollini. On your right, Via Tommaso Pendola starts.The façade of the Palazzo Pollini ends in a small church, Chiesa delle Carceri di Sant’Ansano (The Church of the Prisons of Saint Ansanus), at the end of Via Tommaso Pendola, where the Dante Alighieri School is located. Inside are various frescoes depicting Madonna col Bambino tra i santi Ansano e Caterina da Siena (Saint Ansanus and Saint Catherine with the Madonna and Child,) the Processo e martirio di sant’Ansano (Trial and Martyrdom of Saint Ansanus,) and various others done by Francesco Rustici. Saint Ansano was the first patron saint of Siena and is depicted by Duccio in his Maestà right by the Madonna’s throne. Born into a noble Roman family, he was condemned to be burned at the stake (or placed in a pot of boiling oil, depending on which legend you choose to believe) for his Christian beliefs but was miraculously saved and escaped north on the Cassian way (now Via Cassia) up to Siena. Tradition has it that Saint Ansano, who brought Christianity to Siena, was imprisoned in Chiesa delle Carceri before suffering martyrdom by decapitation. Notice the medieval stone tower built into the church façade.
#9 Chiesa di Santi Niccolò e Lucia
Now retrace your steps back down Via di San Quirico to Pian dei Mantellini and take a left onto it. Take this back past Via di San Marco, until you reach the intersection of Pian dei Mantellini and Via delle Sperandie. As you reach this intersection, turn to your left and look up to see another of the tabernacles of the contrada on a house wall. If you turn back to your right, you will see the façade of the Chiesa di Santi Niccolò e Lucia (Church of Saint Niccolò and Lucy) at the intersection.The Chiesa di Santi Niccolò e Lucia was built on a preexisting medieval edifice during the later half of the fourteenth century. The façade of this church is typical of the late Sienese Renaissance style, including a large tympanum with a fresco by Ventura Salimbeni. The interior contains a notable quantity of paintings by Sienese artists, including frescoes by Sebastiano Folli—Il Trionfo di Santa Lucia (The Triumph of Saint Lucy); Francesco Vanni—Il Martirio di Santa Lucia (The Martyrdom of Saint Lucy); statues by Giacomo Cozzarelli and Giovanni di Stefano; and other paintings by Simondio Salimbeni, among which is La Crocifissione (The Crucifixion).You may be more familiar with the story of Saint Niccoló, whom we know as Saint Nicolas, and less so with that of Santa Lucia. Tradition varies as to whether Saint Lucy gouged out her eyes or they were taken out as punishment and persecution of her faith; there are many versions of this story that you may want to research for yourself. You will find a great image of Lucy holding her eyes on a platter at the Pinacoteca Nationale (National Museum) in Siena. However, if you look closely at the fresco over the door, you’ll see Santa Lucia holding a large knife in one hand, while her eyes lay on the platter held in the other.
#10 The End: Arco di Santa Lucia
Your final sight to see is behind you. It is the Arco di Santa Lucia (The Arch of Saint Lucy), which leads away from the Snail into Via Tito Sarrocchi. If you look to the left of the arch, you will see one last tabernacle of the contrada.Feel free to return to any area of the contrada, hit any streets you may have wanted to get a look at that were not on the tour, and stop to get something to eat.
