Introduction
The Caterpillar Contrada is part of the Terzo di Camollia (the upper third of the city). It has been an area of economic change. Historically, the area was the place of the silk and wool workers. They became gifted in their craft and their merchandise created an economic boom, which pulled their section out of poverty. That is why they are named after the silkworm (or caterpillar) and have its image on their banner. Today there are still those who practice the same art in that part of the city.After the Black Plague hit Siena in 1348 and wiped out half of the population, people fled the city and formed societies outside of town. When the plague ceased, those societies came back but remained separate. Today, they are the modern contrade of Siena. The Caterpillar had its own gate in and out of the city, which facilitated trade. It became famous for a weekly open market, where members of the contrada would set up stands outside of the city walls to sell their fabrics.It is a “noble” contrada because of a man called Francesco d’Agnolo, nicknamed “Barbicone.” D’Agnolo led the armed forces of the Caterpillar into battle and defeated Emperor Charles IV of Bohemia in 1369. He also led an uprising in 1371, which brought more political power for the common people. Because of that, the city of Siena was grateful and awarded the contrada with the dignitary status of nobility. Since then, the Caterpillar Contrada, notwithstanding its small size, has proved a valiant defender of the city and a formidable competitor in the Palio, reaching its first victory on 2 July 1653. It also won several buffalo races before the Palio, the first one on 16 August 1605.
#1 Palazzo Salimbeni
Before you begin your walk from Piazza Salimbeni, stop for a while and admire the three beautiful buildings that surround it.The most important of the three buildings surrounding the square is at number 3, the Palazzo Salimbeni, originally owned by the powerful and noble Salimbeni family of Siena. Now the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, considered the oldest operating bank in continuous existence (since 1472) and a major player in the Sienese economy. This institution began as a pious association to help poor citizens. However, in the following two centuries, it became more like a bank, also overseeing legislature governing agriculture and grasslands, or paschi (pastures), in the Maremma region, which was under Siena’s jurisdiction. In the early 1900s, the bank extended beyond Tuscany into other Italian regions, and today it is the third biggest Italian banking group in the country. The palace structure was expanded in the fourteenth century, probably from a previous building dated to the 1200s and restored several times since. Inside the bank is a rich collection of paintings and works of art, which may be seen by appointment.In the center of the square, there is a statue by Tito Sarocchi depicting Sallustio Bandini (1677–1760), a Sienese politician, theologian, and economist. Bandini graduated in jurisprudence and philosophy at the University of Siena, where he was a lecturer in canon law. He also held important ecclesiastical offices. He was very fond of education and collected a great library with many books and manuscripts that he donated to the city of Siena.
#2 Libreria Feltrinelli
Leaving the Piazza Salimbeni, turn left on Via Banchi di Sopra. (The left of this stretch of road belongs to the Caterpillar, the right side, to the Dragon Contrada).At numbers 64–66, you will find the La Feltrinelli. If you like books, this is the right place to stop. They have books in many languages and for all tastes, including several different travel guidebooks and maps of Italy that may be useful to you.
#3 Gelateria Kopakabana
Around the corner from the bookstore, take a hard left under the Gothic archway on Via dei Rossi.On the right side, across the street a little further down, at number 52 (in the Giraffe Contrada), you will see Gelateria Kopakabana, the favorite of BYU students and professors. Celiac sufferers will also find the right flavors for them. Fabio, the master gelato chef, is our friend, and creates new flavors every day. He has made more than two hundred flavors, rotating them according to the season.
#4 L’Osteria
Return to the Caterpillar Contrada across the street; as you can see from the colors of the contrada lights, the Giraffe Contrada is on your right as you go down the hill. At the number 79, you will find another interesting restaurant.L’Osteria offers traditional regional cuisine. An appetizer with local cold cuts and cheeses is excellent, pasta and soups are hearty home-style cuisine, and their desserts are to die for. Many locals come to this place—a good sign—and the ambiance is quite comfortable.
#5 Basilica di San Francesco and Oratorio di San Bernardino
Follow Via dei Rossi downhill until the road comes to a Y, and stay right onto Piazza di San Francesco.In front of you, there is the Basilica di San Francesco (Saint Francis Basilica), to the right is Oratorio di San Bernardino (Saint Bernardino Oratory). Both the Caterpillar and the Giraffe contrade claim these sites.The Basilica di San Francesco was erected between 1228 and 1255. It was enlarged during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when the original Romanesque edifice was turned into a large Gothic structure. The basilica is built in an Egyptian cross plan, with a nave covered by spans and a transept, according to a type favored by the mendicant orders, which needed spaces capable to house large crowds of the faithful. Until 1460, this church stood outside the city walls, but Pope Pius II Piccolomini had it included inside the city, because his parents’ tombs rested there.The neo-Gothic façade, flanked by the 1765 campanile, dates to the early twentieth century. The medieval marble decoration and the fifteenth-century portal were removed at that time. The restored adjoining convent and cloister now accommodate university facilities for the school of law. There is also a nice park to the left of the basilica.The current interior looks rather sober after a fire in 1655 and the restoration of 1885–92, when many baroque altars were demolished. Frescos by Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti decorate the interior. A modern chapel holds Siena’s Eucharistic miracle, two hundred consecrated hosts stolen in 1730 and later found in the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Provenzano; you can see these still fresh and intact wafers displayed in a beautiful and precious ostensory.Leaving the church, look at the tall brick façade. Do you notice the symbols of the four evangelists (Winged Ox = St. Luke, Eagle = St. John, Winged Lion = St. Mark, Holy Man = St. Matthew)?Look at the doorway immediately to the right of the church. Go through this door (with the Italian and European flag) to enter the old cloister of the Franciscian monastery, now home to Universty of Siena offices and study space. There are study rooms you can use here with access to free wifi and free local newspapers. For now, walk immediately in front of you to the Tolomei Stairs in the next corner. According to tradition, here, beneath the stairs, lies the unmarked grave of eighteen members of the prominent medieval Tolomei family. As the story goes, their rivals, the Salimbeni family, wanting to call a truce to ongoing contentions, invited the Tolomei family to a grand picnic in this cloister. It was actually a trap, and soon the lavender-scented lunch linens were soaked red from the slaughter. Since then, this courtyard has been known as the Malamerenda (the evil meal). Look for the eighteen crests carved on the stairs, one for each member of the family. It is, however, unlikely that they were buried here, being from such a prominent family, but the story makes a great scandal, doesn’t it?The Oratorio di San Bernadino was built in the 1400s on the exact spot where Santo Bernardino preached to the people of Siena. It is made of two buildings, one on top of the other. Today it is a museum, and the top section holds some frescoes of Domenico Beccafumi and Sodoma. On the bottom floor, there are two terracotta statues of Saint Bernardino and Saint Catherine dating to the 1500s. Saint Bernardino was born in 1380 in Massa Marittima, and he dedicated his life to assisting the sick in the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala(Saint Mary of the Ladder Hospital). In 1402, he became a Franciscan monk and later started his activity as a preacher. He died in L’Aquila in 1444.
#6 Fontanina della Contrada Bruco
Returning the way you came, walk back up Via dei Rossi (under the arch), and where the street opens at your next right, turn down this street on Via del Comune. Look for the fontanina (little fountain) of the contrada. It's on a little arch underneath the street where the street goes down to Via di Mezzo and Via degli Orti to Porta Ovile. Ask a local if you are having trouble finding it.This fountain has two names: Fonte dei Frati Minori (minor Friars’ fountain) or Fonte di San Francesco (Saint Francis’ fountain), and is affectionately known as La Fontanina (the Little Fountain). Created in 1513 (with minor restorations in 1978 by Lorenzo Borgogni), this old fountain was essential to the inhabitants of the contrada during medieval life, providing water to the Caterpillar and Giraffe contrade even during a drought. There are two “coats of arms” of the fountain, which represent a union between the once-rival contrade. The revolutionary figure of Barbicone emerges from the water. He is raising his sword to the sky as if reciting the motto of the Caterpillar contrada, Come rivoluzion suona il mio nome! (My name sounds like a revolution). On the wall is a large depiction of the Caterpillar. Legend states Saint Bernardino once drank from this fountain during his preaching. They traditionally perform contrada lay baptisms here once a year on Easter Sunday.Right across from the fountain, on the opposite wall, you will see someone staring at you. It's just a statue, but she's peeping through a window of the Bruco contrada.
#7 L’Oratorio del Santissimo Nome di Gesù
Facing the sculpture in the window, turn right, and continue on Via del Commune. It will make a hard left, follow it. Keep walking on Via del Comune. This is the main road of the contrada. During Palio times, it is highly decorated and beautifully lighted at night. As you continue, do not pass up the seat, the museum, and the church of the contrada, L’Oratorio del Santissimo Nome di Gesù (The Oratory of the Most Holy Name of Jesus), in Via del Comune, just left of number 40. The museum is located at number 44.L’Oratorio del Santissimo Nome di Gesù is a very small church. The history behind it is ambiguous, but historians know that it was in use by 1680. An uncertain legend has it that the Goose Contrada contributed bricks to help erect this oratory. The architecture is in baroque style. The artists in charge of the wall paintings were Dionisio Montorselli (who painted the Circumcision of Jesus and an Adoration of the Magi), and Giuseppe Nicola Nasini (Saint Catherine and Saint Bernardino). Above the altar, there is a painting, Mary with Baby Jesus, by Luca di Tommè.The museo della Nobile Contrada del Bruco is home to ancient artifacts as well as recent trophies won during the Palio. There are items from the 1600s, among which you may find sacred relics, flags throughout the ages, jockeys’ uniforms, and ancient prizes from the Palio. Created in 1967 and later restored, you can visit this museo, but you'll need to make a reservation.
#8 Piazzetta d’Ovile
As you continue walking on Via del Comune, seeing Porta Ovile to your right. This belongs to the Lupa contrada so we will visit is on another walk. Turn left, then immediately left again onto Via di Mezzo However, on your right, you will see the Porta Ovile, which belongs to the Lupa Contrada. Turn left, then immediately left again onto Via di Mezzo.You are standing in a small and ordinary piazza. A smaller piazza is known as a piazzetta. Now a simple parking lot, this open space is Piazzetta d’Ovile. It was once home to the oratory of San Biagio, built in 1502. During that time, this neighborhood was home to many wool weavers, and this church would have been a major gathering place for members of the Bruco contrada. Imagine a small belltower with two bells, the interior of the church graced with three altars. By 1785 the building was deconsecrated, sold to carpenters, and repurposed as stables. In 1815 is was demolished and reduced to a vegetable garden.
#9 Via di Vallerozzi
Cross the piazzetta to the opposite side (where there is a blue traffic arrow sign on the wall). Follow the arrow to the right to leave the piazzetta. Turn left and continue straight up Via di Vallerozzi. Everything on the left belongs to the Caterpillar Contrada and on the right, to the Lupa ContradaOn Via di Vallerozzi there are some bas relief sculptures on the building walls. Pause and look at these as you walk uphill, particularly at number 48, above the door, where you’ll see an image of the Annunciation. Likewise, above the door at number 46, there’s a monogram of the name of Christ.
#10 Chiesa di San Donato ai Montanini
Turn left on Via dell’Abbadia and walk to Piazza dell’Abbadia. The last church in our route today stands at the end of this piazza.The Chiesa di San Donato ai Montanini is a small but beautiful church known for its simple yet elegant façade. The medieval architecture is in quintessential Gothic style. The bottom of the facade is a stone wall with brickwork on the top and a nice marble rose window. The Latin cross plan allows for charming windows. The interior contains fragments of frescoes from the late 1200s and several paintings from the 1600s and the 1700s. This church is right behind the Salimbeni Palace, where we started our walk. If you sit on the church steps to enjoy the small piazza, you will be looking at the hulking back of Rocca Salimbeni. The church is open for mass on Sundays.
The End
Continue walking on Via dell’Abbadia, turn right into Via dei Rossi, then right again on Via Banchi di Sopra, and walk up to Piazza Salimbeni. You just arrived back where you started from—the perfect ending to the perfect paseggiata.
