Return to Tuscan. Sonoran
There are cities, hitting which you instantly understand that your heart remains irrevocable here and forever, there are such that they leave a kind of aftertaste in the shower, but the desire does not arise in them, but there are such things that are sitting and attracting their mysterious appearance but stepping on the stones of his pavement, suddenly you understand that in the heart well, nothing worried about. So I happened to me from Sarano, another old town, picturesquely soaring over the deep gorge of the Tuscan outskirts. Although I admit that we just turned out to be here in the wrong time. We got into Sarano closer closer to twelve days, and did not plan to linger for a long time, because I waited ahead Pitigallian. Yes, and the weather was amazingly changeable, it became gloomy, as in front of a thunderstorm, then anxious twelve sun joked, but one thing was invariably – a squallive incessant wind, I didn’t even know that italy had such winds – 🙂
We loved the sideways (42.681223, 11.711984) for some time, and rooted in the city to hide from the wind. The car could not be left on the square at the entrance to the center, everything was employed, so they parked just below (42.680958,11.710835), well, at least for free. Before the entrance to the old town is 5 minutes walk.
Soro appeared on top of this cliff, also thanks to Etruscs for several hundred years before.NS., and evidence of their activities and in the city itself and in the surrounding mountains a lot. Everywhere you can watch the slopes destroyed by the ancient caves, some of them the locals adapted to use for their needs, organizing warehouses, cellars and even garages.
In a soft tuming breed, it was not difficult to dig moves, therefore, as in many such settlements of the region, a whole network of vintage caves is hidden under the city, and houses and streets were erected from the tuff stone blocks, and it seems that the city seems to grow out of the tuff rocks as if fancy mushroom on a giant stone stump. For a long time, it was selected part of the possessions of a very influential family of Aldobrandests, and then switched to the genus Orsini, from the time of the board of which the medieval castle was preserved.
Once behind the gates of the city, we slowly burers along the old houses, some of which were clearly put into order, fresh plaster and recently painted shutters pleased the eyes. Part of the houses looked extremely launched, with sealing outflowing walls and seeded doors. How sorry to see abandoned houses in such an interesting place!
We very quickly reached the facade of the church of San Niccolò (La Collegiata di San Niccolò) of the construction of the 14th century, dedicated to a very revered in Russia Nikolay Wonderworker. On the Internet I read that Saint Nikolai patronizes travelers, so we went inside. Saint Nikolai devoted his whole life to the service of God and people, and, though he was from a wealthy family, after the death of his parents distributed all his inheritance to the poor, and he himself continued the ministry of the church. He was very loved by people, he was a responsive good man, fair and generous. Many miracles became famous for many miracles, once helped to protect the whole city from hunger, another time by the power of prayer saved from the death of sinking sailors. Therefore, it is worshiped as the patron saint of all the wandering. They say such saints are especially honored for miracles that occur on prayers to them. After the death of his relics were imperishable, some of them are stored in Bari, and many of our compatriots go there to worship the saint.
Walking on Sarano, for ourselves noted that the beauty of this city is restrained, there are no bright colors, a riot of flowers or coupling architectural frills. Only the kingdom of gray-brown peter and a little greens.
And it would be just fine, but at the same time it was not in him and some kind of breath of life, as if the soul left this place, leaving us to admire an unforgettable profile on the mountain range. However, perhaps we spent too little time. After all, I have long already noticed to feel the pulse of the place, it is necessary to spend the night in it – admire the view at sunset, wander through the aged night streets, and then in the sleepy city, when he only wakes up, meet the dawn, wipe the morning market and drink in silence the first A cup of coffee with a view of the sun-flooded sun has not yet a crowded area, in a word, feel this place when there is no curtain of a noisy crowd, distorting any audio-visual picture, which means an idea of the city.
But we did not give an oldly so-old such a chance, and even the strongest spirit rose to the highest landmark of the city. The wind was so strong that it seemed to me that my ears would fall off, and I stayed downstairs (in-oh, I’m there such a tiny ant crawling through the nearest streets of the old city).
And in secret, I envy the bold, descended despite the wind, on the highest and open point of this city, which is Masso Leopoldino – an interesting example of the Renaissance military architecture. The location of Sorao, of course, created him an advantage in sieges, making it enough impregnable. But the fortress here was not always, but there was a high tuming rock, which eventually collapsed and collapsed. Therefore, the masters of the city to prevent the big troubles, cut it with the top, and the walls were rising and strengthened, thus turning a former natural observational defensive point in a real fortress. Upstairs arranged a large terrace and a clock turret.
Leaving Sarano, we were still rewarded by a bell tape finally, it’s a little scratched my ambiguous impression of him, because for me the voice of the city says a lot, and I have long been collecting bell tall chimes of Italian churches. Each of them is unique and recognizable, the heart of this place is laid in it.
And we, a little rebuilding local delicacy "Sfratty" – Baking in the form of rolls of fine fragile dough with filling from walnuts, honey, orange crusts and nutmeg.
And their origin has an interesting story, which goes deep into the 18th century. When the police came evicted from the house of the poor man who did not pay the rent on time, they pounded in the door with a stick, which was then nicknamed – "Sfrattare" in Italian means to evict. In the neighboring, the Great Community of Jews (this is a separate story, having a relationship to Pitillano), they came up with such a treat, reminding the beater-extermination, and gave him a memorable name.
And we, along the way to Pitigalliano, wanted to visit another remarkable place – a panoramic platform on the other side of the gorge, it can be seen from Sarano, if you look closely, it is limited to wooden railing.
From there, you can get to another Etrusport Road Via Cave di San Rocco. A few minutes on the way, and we stopped in a small parking lot (42.684902, 11.709156), from it to the panoramic platform for 10 minutes a little bit in a slide (42.684320,11.710550).
There are indexes on the Etruscan Road. We passed on it quite a bit, judging by the stories on the web, she descends quite cool down at the bottom of the gorge, it became necessary to climb up, and today it was not included in the plans.
On the way to the panoramic platform, they came across the "acquaintances", which were already seen in the photos of other tourists on the Internet. Stone persons who have crumbled moss, as if looking out straight from under the ground, and remained a mystery to me. What they mean? When appeared here? Whose joke or really an ancient image of some gods? Maybe even not very good? I came across the English-language version of the origin of the word "SOAPO". Allegedly it comes on behalf of the Etruscan God evil Sonaunus, God of Mountains and Wolves. The owner of the underground kingdom of death. In this perspective, this place ceases to be so cozy – 🙂
A few more steps, and we are on the panoramic point, the view from here is really wonderful.
It was possible to go further to the long platform, as well as to the old caves, which were used in distant times for housing, but we did not have to get into Pitigallian, because after Fiasco in sunsets-dawn near Civita Bagnayzho, dreamed of catching up at least there. But about this a little later.
