Walk Like an Etruscan

We spent our day yesterday in the little Tuscan town of Volterra. Though only about 35 kilometers from Certaldo, Terry pointed out that he is surprised at how different each little part of the region looks.

Volterra, like many of the towns in Tuscany, sits on top of a hill. However, instead of overlooking fields of grape vines, you look at fields of wheat and hay. The shades of brown and green look like a patchwork quilt.

Because Volterra is on top of a hill, the drive took longer than we expected. The road was very narrow and curving, something we have come to expect. But we got there just in time for lunch.

Neither Bill nor I really knew anything about Volterra. Bec had read about it in her guidebook, and because she has a strong interest in archeology, the fact that there was a large collection of Etruscan ruins interested her. So TR was our guide for the day. And he led us to a nice restaurant in the town center that offered a wonderful selection of pastas and pizzas. Bill and TR each had a calzone and Bec and I each had pasta with duck sauce.

After lunch and our obligatory gelato, TR led us to the Etruscan Museum, which had an astoundingly large selection of ruins excavated from the area around Volterra. The Etruscans lived in the 4th Century BC, so these are some old artifacts. It was fascinating to see how well-preserved these pieces are.

In addition its Etruscan ruins, Volterra also is well-known for the alabaster that is mined around the area. There are many stores offering the beautiful stone pieces as vases, jewelry, statues, and various other items. So, before getting back into our car for the ride home, we stopped at one of the stores. We all picked up some pretty pieces that we will now have to figure out how to get home without breaking.

Our original plan was to go up to Certaldo Alto to attend the medieval festival that is being held up there this weekend. The problem is that it doesn’t begin each night until 9 o’clock. We were all pretty pooped from two days of lots of walking, so in the end, we decided not to venture out. Instead, we enjoyed a picnic dinner of Tuscan meats and cheeses, with some fruit and olives. It hit the spot. Bec and TR went for a walk after dinner, and then we all sat outside for a bit while we drank some wine and Bill and Terry enjoyed a couple of cigars.