Audrey soon warmed up to her guests in the crowded back seat, but then dozed off in her own car seat, while the adults admired the beauty of the passing Tuscan countryside during a slow drive in bright sunlight from a cloudless sky along a ridge on a minor untraveled road until it began to climb to Volterra itself. The ascent was reminiscent of similar climbs to hill-top hamlets in the Portuguese Algarve, but Volterra seemed formidably impregnable by comparison, with an imposing walled fortress commanding the height above tranquil countryside below. It had not always been tranquil, though, as its defences imply: enemies abounded in medieval times, of course, but long before that as well. In the 4th century B.C. Volterra was an Etruscan fort housing some 20,000 souls, as evidence from its famous Porto all’ Arco arch at its entrance suggests. Eventually, the Romans subdued it and its environs, and went on to provide the world with their mission of civilizing barbaric tribes in Britain, much of Europe and the Middle East until the Empire collapsed in the fifth century A.D. from a combination of internal rot and unpreparedness, and external invaders from the north-east.
Audrey walked hand-in-hand with grandad and Ta-maman Louise until she found a playground on the way to an Etruscan museum, at which point the walk was abandoned. On our return we were passed by a cavalcade of young people dressed in medieval costume accompanied by flag-bearers and beating drums, all on their way to a re-enactment of an archery competition in the town centre beneath an ancient clock tower beside the Palazzo dei Priori. We watched part of it from the back of the crowd until Audrey squirmed enough for us to head back home.
The Borgo–the word today is taken to mean a settlement outside city walls– had an unheated swimming pool glittering with promise, but I was the only one to take advantage of it. Audrey happily occupied herself with a children’s playhouse nearby, while Louise watched her and Mum perused her portfolio we had brought her from Ottawa, and Dad went shopping for supper. As the sun began to decline, we ate al fresco our chef’s supper of steak and green beans accompanied by an excellent local red wine. Audrey ate ravenously, and was put to bed after Mum announced the good news Louise had suspected for some time: she was expecting, and was 11 weeks pregnant. The parents then left us to the sunset to go to watch the European Cup final on TV between two English teams, Spurs and Liverpool. Lizards scurried restlessly about while a taciturn groundskeeper attended to the pool, and a cultivator at work in the vineyard below ceased its monotonous chatter, leaving the Borgo’s well-tended property to nocturnal peace and tranquility. It was a happy end to a memorable day. In November 2020, Mum was delivered of Owen, a baby brother for Audrey, and a blessing to us all.
