Volterra: Italian for Vol-Earth

(Note:  Obviously the title to this blog is incorrect.  But we had nothing witty to say.  Maybe that should be Shaffer's epigraph:  "Nothing witty to say.")

We know we said we'd be out of touch for 3 days, but we stumbled upon a great enoteca: wine bar, with free wi-fi, so you lucked out!

In Cortona, at a enoteca with internet

Our agriturismo, Podere Marcampo, was a veritable oasis in the middle of the tuscan countryside.  Perhaps Oasis in the wrong word.  It was an oasis in that it was an awesome, refreshing hideaway, in the middle of more awesomeness.  On our approach, we were absolutely speechless.  We checked in with a lithe, shirtless Italian man wearing far too short of shorts.  He looked like a minor villain in a James Bond movie.  He greeted us by saying:  "Herr Claridge...with the luggage...or rather..." and at this point he smiled broadly "...without the luggage."  We wonder how long he had prepared and practiced that joke.  I also wonder why he thought that I was German, and why that thought persisted after he had seen me.  In any event, he showed us to our room, where our long lost luggage was waiting for us. 

A beautiful sight.....and the Italian countryside behind her.

These terse, unpoetic words cannot describe the sheer joy we felt at being reunited with our clothes.  We seriously had to fight the urge to rifle through our bags and briefly put on each of our outfits in succession.  While we had been having a very good time in Sorrento, the sweaty clothes, and concern over our bags had dampened our spirits slightly:  We were often in our room either showering, or waiting for a promised phone call from the airport that never came.  The new clothes went a long way towards rejuvenating us, and it felt like it was finally time to truly start our vacation. 

Also, the trip from Sorrento up to Tuscany similarly changed our outlook.  The south reminded us very much of Mexico:  We mean that as a compliment both to Southern Italy and to Mexico.  It was vibrant, youthful, energetic, and alive.  Vibrant street vendors lined the narrow strade (streets) leading down to the harbor with its brilliant blue water.  It was exciting, but also a bit exhausting.  We spent the perfect amount of time down there, but felt a much different vibe when we got into Tuscany:  The land was ancient, serene, slower, more stoic.  In a word, Tuscany was relaxing. 

View from the Agriturismo

We spent a bit of time surveying our agriturismo.  Wine was available to purchase by the bottle, and the owner of the establishment was also a restauranteur with a place in Volterra, and a wine-maker.  There were several rows of vines on the premises, but Shaffer thinks them to few to produce wine in any meaningful quantity.  However, as Amy reminds him, Shaffer knows absolutely nothing about the production of wine.

Entrance to our room

Fresh clothes and grapes at the Agriturismo

Our room was simple, yet divine.  A closet to put all of the clothes we were so recently reacquainted with in, and a lovely bathroom.  The bathroom came complete with a state-of-the-art shower, with an adjustable head, jacuzzi jets on the walls (that we never really figured out how to use) and even a shower bench.  (Mind out of the gutter, Jennifer Zec Reed).  Of course, like any Italian bathroom, it came complete with a Bidet.

The agriturismo also had a very nice swimming pool, with very cold water:  Refreshing given the intense and humid heat here.  Amy suggested (very wisely) that we spend some time at the pool before going to explore Volterra.  We laid by the edge, reading our Kindles, and gazing at the rolling Tuscan hills.  Our view was truly spectacular:  A rolling countryside painted with reds, greens, and golds.  The occasional villa or agriturismo rising gently out of the background.  Standing at the edge, gazing out over this vast dominion, one felt a connection to the past:  You could imagine yourself as the ancient Roman Praetor Guadagnoli looking out over her vassals.  (Don't worry Lorin, more shout outs on the way.  Especially if some Italian parks his car too close to our driver's side door).

The dominion of Lorin Guadagnoli- and the view from our Agriturismo

We took a brief dip in the pool.  Everything is so very peaceful, so very serene that any sound seems a great cacophony:  We took care to make no splash as we got in the pool.  Every ripple seemed offensive to the tranquility, so we dared not swim:  We merely floated.  In the background, our host argued with a visiting Spaniard over soccer.

For Dr. Ryan Smith's eyes only.

Eventually, we left for Volterra.  Volterra is an ancient Etruscan city, with roots stretching as far back as the 8th century B.C.  Massive walls surround the city, and its hilltop perch gave it an excellent means of defense.  Defense was sorely needed.  Between incursions from Rome, various medieval factions, Florence, the French, and later the Allied Forces in World War II, the city has seen much war.  Oh, and werewolves, or whoever else the vampires in Twilight care about.  E-mail Jen Costa for a definitive answer.

Typical street in Volterra.

Stoic Volterra

Arriving in Volterra, we intended only to get the lay of the land, and eat some dinner.  We first climbed a steep alley to a beautiful park presided over by a great castle.  We later learned that this was a Fortrezza di Medici:  A fortress of the Medici family who for so long ruled Florence.  Today it is a maximum security prison, housing criminals mainly from Sicily, so as to keep them removed from their well-developed connections. 

We ate at a quaint Trattoria on a quiet side-street.  The fare in Tuscany is a bit heavier than in the south:  Amy had a Lasagna which was quite tasty, but very little resembled conventional lasagna.  Shaffer had a bistecchina:  A small, thin steak marinated with olive oil, pink peppers, and rosemary.  It was quite tasty, and especially tender.  After dinner, we enjoyed some gelato, and took in some of the city.  On our way back to Lucia (who was conveniently parked in an underground garage, flirting with the FIATs), we stopped and bought some fresh salami, three bottles of wine (for only 12 Euro) and were given free bread.  Then it was back to the agriturismo, where we enjoyed perhaps the first truly restful sleep of the entire vacation. 

Gelato!!

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the agriturismo, consisting of bread, home-made salami, cheese, fresh fruit, and for Amy her first Italian Cappuccino.  The Cappuccino was made by our host Guenino and, in Amy's opinion, was the best that she has ever had.  (With all due respects to Bob and Jody Claridge).  As we finished with breakfast, Amy noticed a distinctively Italian cat poking around the premises.  (If you are confused as to how a cat could be distinctively Italian then you OBVIOUSLY have never been to Italy).  She watched it as it climbed onto a large, terracotta pot, peeked in, and then vanished inside.  Fearing that it might get stuck, we hurried over to investigate.  Inside was the cat...nursing a litter of 6 or 7 new born kittens!  The night earlier, we had noticed a similarly colored cat (who we assume to be the father) sneaking off into the vineyard.  Shaffer assumes it was to smoke a cigar.  Amy assumed (more accurately) that it was probably to smoke a mouse.  We snapped a couple of pictures before Mommy-Cat chased us away, hissing and biting all the way.  Thus these pictures came at great personal risk; many Bothan spies died to bring you this information.

Cute baby cats and an angry momma.

Il colazione: breakfast Italian style

Cappuccino!

After breakfast, we returned to Volterra, with an agenda.  We walked the length of virtually the entire town, stopping at shrines, churches, ancient Medici palaces, and various places.  Most charged an entry fee, and we are on a bit of a budget, so there is much that will just have to wait for our return trip.  Highlights of what we did see included two very distinctive fountains, as seen below.  We were not sure whether they were at one time used for drinking water, or perhaps baths.  Signs today indicate clearly that the water is not potable.  As if the presence of fish, bird feathers, bird droppings, a million actual birds, and various aquatic fauna did not already tell us that.  Perhaps they were always purely ornamental.  We also saw an old Etruscan arch.  The sides of the arch are made of alabaster, and date as far back as the 5th century B.C., with renovations made first in the 2nd century B.C. and the vault of the arch restored in medieval times.  As the Nazis retreated from the town in World War II, they wanted to destroy the arch to halt the allied advance.  Instead, citizens of the town tore up the stones of the road in front of the town, showing that the arch need not be destroyed.  Though it frustrated the Allied war effort, the incident saved this breathtaking marvel of ancient construction. 

Fountain in Volterra

Etruscan Arch: Some of it almost 3000 years old

The main product of the town is alabaster, and has been for centuries.  Much of the town is composed of alabaster, and merchants throughout sell various trinkets, ranging from jewelery, to chess sets, to busts, to full statutes even.  One museum displays a large (maybe 10 feet tall) replica of the Tower of Pisa, meticulously crafted and all in alabaster.  (Because of course the Italians have enough time to meticulously reproduce a scaled statute of a monument that is only 20 miles away...and then let people see it for free).  Amy bought a beautiful alabaster rose pendant from a merchant who must have been in his 90s and moved very, very carefully.

There were two museums that we thought about seeing:  An Etruscan museum and a Torture museum.  We decided that we would see the Etruscan museum in Cortona (described in a later post) and were on the threshold of entering the torture museum before losing our nerve.  As a scholar of the Spanish Inquisition, Shaffer understands the purposes and philosophy of medieval torture, and while not condoning its use today, holds no ethnocentric judgments about its use in the past.  However, the lobby alone turned our stomachs a bit, and we just decided to retreat to live to view another museum.

Entrance to the Torture Museum: Shaffer looks nervous already

On our way out of town we purchased fresh nectarines, cherries, white wine, and mozzarella di buffalo:  Mozzarella from the water buffalo.  (Aren't you glad that I translated mozzarella for you guys?)  It seems to be very common here.  Or maybe they just try to make tourists think that.  Then it was back to Marcampo for some more time by the pool, and then a gorgeous light lunch with the bread and meat from the day before, and the goods that we bought.  And two bottles of wine.  Yep, two.  For lunch.

Beautiful Italian lunch at the Agriturismo.

Our last night in Volterra we ate at another smaller ristorante.  Amy had tagliatelle:  A broad type of noodle, which was served with clams, mussels, shrimp tomatoes and some various herbs.  It was delicious, and Shaffer wishes he would have got it too.  Amy only gave him two bites.  Instead, he had frutti di Mare fritti:  Fried shrimp and calamari.  It was good, but a bit over priced.  Also, the shrimp had their entire shells still on, making eating them a bit of an adventure.  For dessert, we had tiramisu with bubbling, warm espresso in the center.  Che Bella!

Tagliatelle with sea food

Volterra was a step back in time:  Walled with cobblestone streets, fountains, and beautiful parks and gardens.  The scale of it was overwhelming:  The walls had to be at least 40 feet high, and felt impenetrable, despite their ancient construction.  The town was more reserved, and slower than Sorrento, but in a way much more friendly.  Down south, we would try to order in our (admittedly elementary) Italian.  "Vorrei gli gnocchi..."  (I would like gnocchi).  And our waiters would answer back in perfect, accented English.  "Yes, gnocchi, what to drink?"  In Volterra, most of our conversations were carried out in Italian, with a few words of English offered when things got confusing.  People seemed genuinely happy that we were speaking Italian, or at least trying.  It was a very good, welcoming feeling.

Our time in Volterra and at our agriturismo ended too quickly:  We would have liked to spend a full week.  It is a feeling that we expect to have at each of our destinations in this beautiful country.  There is much more that could be said about Volterra, but we're about out of wine at the wine bar, and Linda Cathey is probably bored by now.  So we will leave you, dear friends. (Special thanks to our #1 reader, and Shaffer's favorite cousin, Betsy Friedland- Love you Bets!)

Up Next:  Shorter vignettes on gelato, vino and restaurants in Italy.  All to whet your appetite for a longer blog on beautiful Cortona!  Also, more shout outs!

Arrivederci