volterra.

Before my family dropped me off in Rome, we took a lovely tour of Tuscany. We wound our ways through the country side as my dad re learned how to drive a stick shift and I saw my life pass before my eyes with every S curve turn that we took up the hills. It seems that every city in Italy was built to ward off the unavoidable Roman invasion. They each have their own set of high walls that can withstand cannons and numerous towers within the city walls where the ruling family could run and hide if any outsider did manage to find a way in. Volterra was one of these cities that we toured.

We climbed the first of what would be many towers to get a better view of the city. Note to anyone who visits and decides to partake in the tower climbs: wear shorts. In almost all the towers in Italy there is only one very narrow staircase, which is used to go both up and down. This means that after you have climbed up and marvelled at the view you must wait your turn to climb back down. So when your turn finally comes and you begin your descent, all the people who are waiting to walk up stand at the bottom and watch as you saunter towards them with a clear view up your dress/skirt/kilt if that's what you choose to wear for the day.

Unbeknownst to us, the Volterra A.D. 1398 festival was in full swing on the day we visited. It is a Renaissance type festival with people dressed in medieval clothes peddling meat on sticks and swords. Walking around made me feel like I was in a living Monty Python movie. It was fun and lively, but filled up the already small city to the point of bursting.