An alley, a man, a story
In the Third of San Martino, between Banchi di Sopra and Via dei Termini, there is an alley named after a man that Siena has never stopped remembering. The Alley of Blessed Pier Pettinaio is named after Pietro Tecelano, known as Pier Pettinaio: a craftsman, a Franciscan, a just man whom Dante Alighieri himself chose to mention in the Divine Comedy.
The current naming dates back to 1871, but the memory of this figure is much older, rooted in the spirituality and civic life of Siena since the Thirteenth Century.
The honest craftsman
Pier Pettinaio was born in the first half of the Thirteenth Century in Campi, in Chianti, the son of craftsmen. He moved to Siena early on, learning and practicing throughout his life the trade of comb maker: the manufacturer of combs made of bone and horn, one of the many small trades that kept the medieval city alive.
But what distinguished him was not technical skill, but something rarer: absolute honesty. Tradition tells that he was so scrupulous that he would discard defective combs, refusing to sell imperfect or misleading items to customers. The unsuitable pieces, it is said, were thrown into the waters of the Arno during his frequent trips to Pisa, an important medieval commercial center. A concrete gesture, almost symbolic: better to lose than to deceive.
The spiritual journey
From the workshop to the convent
Alongside his artisan life, Pier Pettinaio undertook a deep spiritual journey: he joined the Third Order of St. Francis and lived according to ideals of prayer, poverty, and charity. After becoming a widower, he took a radical step: he distributed all his possessions to the poor and retired to the convent of the Friars Minor of Siena, dedicating himself completely to religious life.
Tradition attributes to him spiritual gifts, prophecies, miracles, healings, and conversions that contributed to his fame of holiness. He died in 1289, and his memory spread rapidly, well beyond the city's borders.
Dante and Purgatory
The most extraordinary sign of his fame came from the Divine Comedy. In Purgatory, Dante mentions Pier Pettinaio as a figure whose intercession helps the soul of Sapìa to attain salvation: a role of spiritual mediator that speaks volumes about this man's reputation. Being remembered by Dante was no small matter: it meant that his holiness was recognized far beyond Siena.
Come walk it
Walking along the Alley of Blessed Pier Pettinaio means traversing the memory of a city where work, faith, and daily life were deeply intertwined. A craftsman who discarded defective combs, a Franciscan who distributed his goods to the poor, a man whom Dante immortalized in verses.
Seek it out, walk it, think about it. Certain alleys do not tell of monuments: they tell of people.
Between Banchi di Sopra and Via dei Termini, Third of San Martino, Siena.
