Volterra Crossbow Tournament

So we have traveled all over France and the UK of GB and all sorts of other places one associates with crossbows--usually wielded by the bad guys--and never yet have we seen a live crossbow tournament. Not until Volterra, that is. And with all the pageantry and pomp and circumstance and history and color that should accompany such an event. I wish I could say "and in English, too," but knowing what was going on probably would have ruined it for us.

Attending the crossbow tournament was Vicki's idea. She's always interested in "folk" things. Well, anything involving costumes. I don't know how many times I have been asked to photograph some poor innocent in a costume, usually a child cruelly forced by parents to engage in some civic pageantry. But here I sensed an opportunity for amusement, even mirth. Nor was I disappointed.

Always comforting to know the Cruce Rosso and EMTs are

present at such events; we arrived early and took seats well

behind the firing line

Local press covered the event; although every 
non-widowed woman in Italy wears tights, this 
is the only male I have seen so dressed; notice 
that I am not the only one shooting in his 
direction...

Arrival of Hizzoner the Lord High Mayor and escorts; all this

taking place in the Piazza dei Priori

The MC, who was apparently very funny, although

we got none of the humor

Arrival of the nobility supporting the event

Arrival of more nobility supporting the event

Each house announces its sponsored entries; at great length;

the microphone gal was the busiest of all the participants; I'll

spare you the other seven

More pomp

And finally, "Play ball!"

Entry of contestants; they shoot in flights of two and three;

note the size of the crossbows; all the ones I have seen in the

movies apparently have been carbines; these are howitzers

"Ready, aim..."

The result: pretty impressive accuracy

It takes a micrometer to establish...

A winner

More flights ensue; more losers,  more winners

You get the picture; at this point, the pomp and circumstance

and costumery are over, and Vicki announces she thinks
watching paint dry might be more interesting...

Members of the cast are drifting away, and

so do we; I'll get the results from the ESPN

website tonight

Volterra 2

Every town has its dark side, and Volterra seems to be some

sort of center for Mormon vampirism; but the locals seem

to be taking it good-naturedly

And the old Medici fortress has been converted to a small

prison, holding forty-some elite Mafia prisoners (we read)

The views are nice though

Ruins of Roman amphitheatre, baths, forum, et cetera

Etruscan Gate; what, your town doesn't have an

Etruscan Gate?!

Alabaster is very big here; has been for

a couple millennia; an artisan's

workshop

The Fonti di Docciola, which opened onto...

The (free) camper-stop

Volterra 1

Volterra is one of the older Tuscan hill towns, a member of the Etruscan League, with plenty of Roman remains as well. It has its share of tourists, but mostly independent travelers like us. We liked it sufficiently well to stay a couple days and nights.

Volterra main piazza and Palazzo dei Priori,

said to be the oldest public administration

building in Tuscany; setting up for a crossbow

tournament to be covered in a subsequent post

12th century duomo

Very dark inside and no Divine Illumination

Machine

The main reason we came to Volterra (other

than to see another nice, untrammeled
Tuscan hill town, one that seems to be 
coping gracefully with its fame): Rosso 
Fiorentino's Deposition from the Cross, 
widely regarded as the beginning of 
Mannerism (think Michaelangelo and pals); 
in the Pinacoteca

Closer up

Also Ghirlandaio's Christ in Glory, with its

two adoring Etruscan goddesses

In the fine little Etruscan museum

Etruscan gold work

Me and mini-me

1,000 Days Since Embarcation

So we drove on, eventually landing at a rare Italian lay-by, with a view even

Next morning we drove up to our next stop, Volterra

Looking at our website, as we do every few months, we noticed this (Saturday) 
was our 1,000th day since embarcation, according to the counter gadget there 
installed

So we hiked up the stairs from Volterra's (free) camper-stop, 
took in a bit of the beautiful old town (more later) and

And enjoyed a memorable lunch, wine and bruschetta with tomatoes, and

Sausage pizza for Vicki and wild boar in sausage, olive and 
onion sauce with little polenta cakes for me; reflecting on 
our 1,000 days of travel since September of 2008, and the

next 1,000 days...

Sans Jimmie-Johnny

I should explain that our pronunciation of San Gimignano derives from our years in Texas. (Rickie Stevie is derived, however, from Will Ferrell's Rickie Bobbie). We have visited San Jimmie-Johnny two or three times, and, speaking for myself, have found it a place that does not grow on you. Further, there is no camper parking except a couple miles from the town, a camper-stop where, for 22 euros (32U$D), you can park and take the free shuttle bus to town; when it runs; or, still further out, a parking lot where for 1 euro an hour you can park and take the regional bus back to Jimmie-Johnnie; whenever it runs. I don't mind paying reasonably for something worth seeing. I do mind being gouged for something that is vastly over-rated and that I have seen before. We drove on, probably never to see Jimmie-Johnnie again. So be it.

San Jimmie-Johnny at dusk

Something not in the tourist literature: about a mile from San

Gimignano is one of Italy's largest prisons; do not pick up

hitch-hikers...

But Wait! There's More! Siena Duomo Museum and Baptistry

In the 14th century, the Sienese planned to expand the duomo, making its current nave into the transept, thus creating what would have been (still) by far the largest church in Christendom. But they didn't. (Something about a plague). Anyhow, where the new entrance would have been is (roughly) now the cathedral museum, which contains the treasury, relics, and items removed for preservation.

The original humongous 13th century stained glass window from the east side

Statues, now somewhat weathered, of assorted saints, apostles,demi-gods, et aliud

And another quick and clandestine shot, of probably the most famous painting in 
Siena, Duccio's 1311 Maesta; there are many Maestas in the Christian art world; 
this is the Maesta

Us on the roof of the duomo museum

Looking back to the Piazza del Campo and Palazzo Pubblico

And at the duomo and its great campanile; note that the campanile has an 
increasing number of bays on each floor, ingeniously lightening the load on up...

Meanwhile, back in the museo, an interesting coat of arms 
(nyuk, nyuk,nyuk)

A particularly cheerful display in the reliquary

In the Baptistry, the font by della Quercia

With bronzes by Ghiberti (who bested Brunelleschi for the contract to do the 
doors of the Florence duomo bapistry)

And Donatello