Day 4 Note - September 18, 2007

Hi all.
I am going to use this blog as notes on our trip, so there is likely going to be more in here than you want to read, so feel free to just skip most of it if you like.

For the first 5 days we are staying in the Park Hotel Chianti in Tavernelle which is about 4 hours north of Rome. It is a relatively new place on the outskirts of Tavernelle, so we have yet to see the town of Tavernelle. We are now at day 5, our last day/night here. Time to pack up and move on to Assisi tomorrow, where we will stay for 4 days, for a visit with St. Francis.

On day 4 we went to the city of Volterra situated on a high plateau, about 1800 feet above sea level. That doesn’t seem very high considering Calgary at 3000 plus feet but it certainly seems high when looking out over the terrain around the city.

In this area of Tuscany and Umbria, the terrain is in fact extremely “hilly”. Streams running for centuries north and south have carved valley after valley between the higher elevations. As a consequence travelling east or west means very winding narrow roads which descend into the valleys then immediately begin climbing to the next plateau - then back down again. This makes traveling even relatively short distances more time consuming but provides beautiful vistas on route.

Volterra is another walled city of medieval architecture - wonderful narrow winding and unpredictable streets. This city was one of 12 major centres of the Etruscan civilization in what is now Tuscany and Umbria. The Etruscans were well established as early as the 8th century BC and by around 600 BC were the dominant political group in the area. They were a loose organization of city states of which Volterra was one. The area was a major source of alum, which was essential for the wool trade, and alabaster. Volterra is still a major source of alabaster which is a transluscent “stone” used for scultpture, lampshades, dishes, ornaments, and, at one time, for windows before availability of glass.

There is a large, and apparently one of Italy’s most extensive, collection of Etruscan art and artefacts in museums in this city.

Following the Roman take over in 300 BC and then the fall of the western part of the Roman empire around 460 AD the ongoing battles for territory between the “Papists” in Florence and the aristocracy in Siena saw the seemingly impregnable town, change hands many times The influence of these changes in the ruling group are very apparent (once it is pointed out by Mary, our guide) in the architecture and the art in this city.

Volterra was also another city of towers though few remain. We visited the Piazza dei Priori (the plaza) and its 13th century Palazza dei Priori (the hall of city government) and the cathedral (Piazza del Giovanni), built in the 12th and 13th centuries and the nearby hexagonal baptistery.

There is also a restored Roman theatre just outside the walled city and an active archeological dig for Etruscan artifacts both of which we visited.

The photos at the right were taken in the Palazza del Priori council chambers (you can see Ruth sitting on one of the public benches) with its beautiful front wall and ceiling. There are also two photos of the city hall tower from different locations as well as two of the restored Roman theatre.

More tomorrow after we get settled in our new home.at the Hotel Umbra in Assis.

Dad/Rich/Grandpa