My wife and I just returned from a very hectic but enjoyable trip to Italy.   One of the towns we visited was Siena, in the country’s Tuscany region.

Siena is drenched in history and is known for its Piazza del Campo, an incredible "town square" that dates from the 13th century.  The Piazza del Campo is also the site of a famous horse race that occurs twice each summer.  The other highlight of the "Campo" is Palazzo Pubblico, Siena’s ancient and impressive town hall.

Inside the Palazzo Pubblico is a massive fresco called "The Allegory of The Good and Bad Government".  It’s regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance and is one of the few pieces of art from the 14th century that’s does not have a purely theological theme.

I’ll blog about a less "artsy" topic in my next entry but in the meantime I hope you’ll check out the links I’ve posted and agree with my feeling that It’s nice to know that the importance of good governance was a topic of discussion almost seven centuries ago.

Ciao!