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23 October 1883 — Volterra | |
Tuesday. 23rd October [1883]. Got up rather early & went out at 8.30 to walk to de Balze which is the part of the town which is being washed away by the rain & action of the springs in the cliff. It was abt ¾ walk & we saw the remains of the old Etruscan walls and at last arrived at a disused convent which is almost on the edge of the cliff. Callai said that he remembered the time when there was a good carriage road in front of the convent which road has now completely disappeared & in its place is an awful precipice. The water, rain—springs & the torrent is slowly undermining that part of the hill & will continue until it is all swept away. We walked back all uphill & visited one of the alabaster establishments. It appears that everybody at Volterra man, woman & child work at this trade. The stone is very soft & easily worked & the vases go to all parts of the world & the people of Volterra are all well to do. We did not meet with a single beggar. We went into the church of S. Francesco to see the frescoes in the chapel of Sta Croce by Cenni. They are in a bad condition but the chapel was most complete & the costumes in the frescoes interesting. Returned to our hotel & lunched at 11 and at ½ past got away from Volterra. We had a very good carriage & a pair of strong horses. It was fine but rather cold & we were glad to put on warm coats. The country was dreary till we past Laiatico where we came again to vines & more cultivation. We stopped at an inn called the Sterza to refresh the horses & Henry & I walked on some way & the carriage caught us up on the road. We passed some fine villas—one belonging to the Corsini family & one to the Camigliano family & a fine one to the Orsini. We came down into the Val d’Era & at 4 reached Pontedera & went straight to the station to deposit our things. We paid 30 fcs as arranged for our carriage– Went out in search of a place to get some coffee. We could not find one for some time & at last got some in a sort of artisan’s place—good coffee & biscuits. We found that the Dragheria was the usual place for coffee & the general lounge. Refreshed we walked back to the station & waited for the train. We left abt 6 and had an hour’s journey to Siena where we got out & found the “Diavalino” waiting with his little carriage to drive us up to Castagnolo. It was a chilly evening but fine. We were received by Mr & Mrs Ross & Marchesa della Stufa & we quickly unpacked & dressed for dinner & dined at 7.30. We found our letters amongst them one from Giovanni offering to remain another 3 months but ultimately wishing to leave. | |
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