What is she looking at?

Notes from our recent Italy trip.

I posted earlier about this surprising bit of statuary on a wall of a building in Siena. Here is why I think she is there.

To understand this, though, I think you need to understand the Contrades of Siena. Contrada means district in Italian, but in Siena it has an especially long and deep meaning, dating from the twelfth century. They were originally organized for defensive purposes. There are currently seventeen contrades in Siena. Each has a coat of arms, a patron saint, a museum, a fountain, and a very long tradition. The contrades are the participants in the famous Palio de Siena, a twice annual horse race in the campo (civic square).

The contrada for the neighborhood, in question is Bruco or the Caterpillar. You can see that from an emblem on the same wall:
Across the street, though, is a fountain. It is a curious site, actually built under a street, within a brick arch. It has a statue of this guy brandishing a sword. So this is who the topless you lady in the frieze is looking at. I am not sure what it means. The fountain is likely the fountain of a contrada. The statue in the fountain is likely a hero of the contrada. But, I don't know whether these are the Bruco contrada or a neighboring contrada. I don't know whether the young lady in the frieze is making fun of, or honoring the hero under the road.

- J