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22 October 1883 — Volterra | |
Monday. 22nd October [1883]. Breakfasted at 9 & then we went out to take a look at the Piazza which has very fine buildings & then went to the Museum where we spent all the morng it being most interesting & beautifully arranged. There was a very intelligent custode who explained everything to us in a quiet unobtrusive manner. We went to the Cathedral a fine building where is the tomb of Maffei the Bishop. We saw in the oratory of St Carlo a Luca Signorelli & 2 old Sienese altar pieces. We returned to the hotel and got our lunch at 12.30—excellent tordi. It rained heavily afterwards & there was a hail storm but it soon cleared & at 1.30 we took a guide & sallied forth to see the town. We first went to the old Gate called the porta dell’arco outside of wh are 3 colossal heads. Henry was talking to our old guide about them & he said that some people believed them to be lions heads but that “Il Dennis e il Layard” had told him that they did not believe it. At this Henry said that he was “il Layard” and the old man’s delight was great. He said he had been the guide at Volterra for many years & that his uncle Callai had kept the inn in former days & now his uncle was dead & very few people ever came to Volterra. He was delighted to see Henry again & to have to guide him once more & he remembered Lord & Lady Somers & Mrs Barr & Mrs & Mrs Sloane & was sad when he heard that Lord Somers was just dead. He took us down to the Convent of San Francesco outside the walls to show us the della Robbia bas reliefs wh are in 2 chapels outside– The weather looked dark & threatening but happily the rain kept off & then we went on to visit the two Etruscan tombs wh are on the property of the Inghirami family & where all the urns still remain in their original places. The vaults had been broken open & plundered in the time of the Romans but all had been put in order & was well kept & it was most interesting & impressive. We got back to the town by citadel gate & got back to the inn just as the rain began again. Henry told me he remembered that years ago he stayed at the inn when kept by Callai and that when he asked for his bill Callai said “Io la devo grazie” and am proud of having had you in my house. I know you are a friend to Italy & that you have spoken several times for us in the House of Commons & I could not think of letting you pay for your lodging here.” When our old guide heard Henry tell this he said “Cosi era mio zio” he did the same once to Mr Pentland & would take no money either from him. | |
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