"Siena - il duomo"

gelatin silver print

stamp verso

Photograph from a collection of tourism photographs from the first half of the 20^th century, issued by Italian tourism boards. High-quality works by renowned studios, such as the Alinari brothers, were frequently used to promote Italy as a travel destination. With the West German Economic Miracle (Wirtschaftswunder) of the 1950s, these idealized images of longing became a reality: rising prosperity and increased leisure time transformed vacations into a status symbol. Italy – particularly the Riviera and the Adriatic coast – became the number one destination of choice. By the mid-1950s, 4.5 million Germans were already traveling across the Alps, marking the beginning of modern mass tourism.¹

The Duomo di Siena is one of the most significant masterpieces of Gothic architecture in Italy. Built in the 13^th century on the foundations of an older church and completed in the 14^th century, the structure is striking for its monumental, polychrome facade made of white, green, and red marble. An absolute highlight of the three-aisled basilica is the distinctive striping of the exterior walls and the nearly 77-meter-high, Romanesque-style campanile. In its magnificent execution, the monumental complex embodies the former wealth and artistic ambition of the Tuscan city republic at the height of its power.
(Christoph Fuchs)

Note

1
"Geteiltes Deutschland: Modernisierung. Bundesrepublik im Wandel. Tourismus", Lebendiges Museum online, Deutsches Historisches Museum, https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/geteiltes-deutschland-modernisierung/bundesrepublik-im-wandel/tourismus.html (accessed 26.6.2026)