Class this morning was followed by our first group event on Tuesdays, a weekly thing that we will do throughout the seminar. Today at 2:00, when the rest of Siena was sleeping in the stifling heat, we visited the Museo Civico inside the Palazzo Pubblico, the large building that stands adjacent to the tower. All of the horses are kept in the courtyard of the Palazzo before the Palio, and apparently many great paintings are kept here as well (though inside and separate from the horses!)

The major works we saw here included some amazing frescoes that, because of their location in the meeting place of the town's Council of Nine, had a very specific purpose in being there. Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted the frescoes in 1338, the title of which is "Allegory of Good and Bad Government and Its Effect on the Town and Countryside." It surrounds the room, acting as a powerful reminder of the power of the government to do good or ill.