Monday had been another holiday in Italy, known as “Worker’s Day”, somewhat similar to the U.S. Labor Day, so we had to wait until Tuesday to pick up our rental car as Hertz was closed.
We adapted our plans for Tuesday, opting to pick up the car earlier in the day and drive to Volterra, an ancient Etruscan town in Tuscany about an hour away – according to Google Maps. We remembered that driving took longer than indicated because of the unfamiliar, curvy, hilly roads, and jaw-dropping scenery that makes you look for a place to pull over and soak it all in.
Looking for a place to pull over isn’t only due to the scenery. It is a regular part of the driving experience, as many Italian drivers are very aggressive and have little patience for foreigners who want to drive the speed limit, negotiate multiple hair-pin turns on four wheels instead of two, or just look at the beauty instead of the pavement ahead. They seem to drive regularly with two wheels across the line, a practice that is wholly disconcerting when coming toward you. When they are behind you and do that they are indicating they want to pass, and even though you are in a place where passing seems taboo, you are supposed to hug the right side of your lane as an indicator that they can go around. I doubt if that is in the driving laws, but it is definitely the practice.
The roads vary from autostradas that are like our highways to unmarked two lanes that feel only big enough for one. There is often a drop-off of close to a foot or more with no shoulder for cushion, so when cars are coming I pull over as far as I dare and after we pass realize I was holding my breath with both hands gripping the wheel and my shoulders hunched while leaning to the left. Then I tell Genny to breathe and act like there was never any concern. From the sounds coming from her side of the car I think she knows better.
When we picked up our car at Hertz there was a bit of a kerfuffle as a young man named Abdel incorrectly entered some info and nearly doubled the price of the rental. He told me he couldn’t fix it but it would be fine and when I turned it in (in another town) it would all straighten out. I told him that was great but I’d need that in writing so there was no misunderstanding on the other end and he got on the phone with someone to figure it out.
Eventually we were set, and he walked us out to our car. We went past several vehicles, always thinking “the next one must be it” until it seemed we were nearly out of cars. Finally, on the end, so short that we could not see it until we got to it, was our dark blue (teal in the sun), 2-door with a hatch, 6 speed manual transmission, Fiat 500. It is cute, but so little! The good news is you can park it almost anywhere and it gets great gas mileage.
We used Google maps on my phone connected to the central screen in the car to find our way and headed for Volterra, a not-so-touristy town northwest of Siena. It is another of Tuscany’s medieval walled towns built on hilltops. But Volterra has two walls, one from the 4th and 5th centuries BC built by the Etruscans, and one from the 13th century AD. It is known for its Etruscan origins and for its alabaster.
The great thing about Volterra is that you can drive to a car park that puts you right at the old city. When you pop out at the top of the stairs there is an Alabaster and local meat and cheese products shop on your right. Based on our ramblings through other streets, they had the nicest variety and prices for us. Wild boar and Pecorino cheese made from sheep’s milk are two local products that show up everywhere. We have had the cheese several times and it is wonderful!
We walked the old stone streets and stopped at a small cafe/bar and shared a sandwich of meat and cheese and eggplant. I know that sounds weird, but it was delicious. We also picked out a few cookies.
The wind was cold and blowing fiercely, especially high up on the hilltop. Afterwards we popped into shops to get out of the wind and look at even more alabaster as we made our way to the top and the “Ecomuseo dell ‘Alabastro” or Alabaster Museum. I’ll upload pictures because they really speak better than I can.
But I will tell you that the word Alabaster comes from ancient Egypt, likely from the town of Alabastron where amphorae or jars were made to store expensive perfumes. Remember the episode in Matthew where the woman brought a jar made of alabaster containing pure nard and poured it on Jesus’s head? Nard is an essential oil that comes from a flowering plant that grows in the Himalayas. It has been used for thousands of years as a perfume, a medicine, and in religious ceremonies. Jesus said that her costly gift and act of love would always be remembered wherever the gospel was preached. I cannot think of alabaster without thinking of the gift of this woman in anointing Jesus for what was to come, His death and burial, for us.
After the museum we began walking back downhill toward the original shop and parking. We bought a few small items and returned to the car, ready to head back toward Siena. What Google Maps said would take an hour took us much longer, but we were early enough to return well before dark which isn’t until after 8:00.
Eating has been a bit weird for us because our sightseeing does not always correspond to local mealtimes, and local mealtimes do not correspond to ours. It seems that many Italians grab a croissant and espresso for breakfast and eat standing at the bar of a Bar or Cafe. There is a cover charge to sit at a table. Lunch is sometime around 1:00-2:00, and most restaurants then close down until 7:00 or 8:00. We like to try local foods so want to eat out some, and try to adjust times and amounts throughout the day. Sometimes you just have to grab something when you can and hope for a salad later. Did someone say gelato??
Most menus offer a “starter”, “first course” of pasta, “second course” of meat, sides, and dessert. Sometimes we just shared one pasta or meat dish, sometimes one of each or some other combination. We haven’t yet had all four courses! The hotel restaurant opened at 7:30 so one night we shared a pasta dish of risotto infused with beet juice and a meat that I can’t remember – but it was delicious, and the next night we shared a hamburger made from local Chianina beef. The Chianina cow is a white, VERY large cow that is possibly the oldest breed of cattle known. The burger was exceptional!
Back to our room where the a/c continued to blow uncooled air, we planned for the next day when we would taxi into the old town of Siena. Driving into these old towns is just not an option as most have limited traffic zones, narrow streets, and signs are all in Italian! Imagine that! We got stuck in a narrow alleyway last trip and I learned my lesson as we backed out with people looking at us as if we were from Mars. Not wanting to repeat that.
And so we leave you, still a few days behind but happily rambling through Tuscany and Umbria, grateful for the opportunity and grateful to share it with you.
