under the tuscan sun

under the tuscan sun
This month's Guest Author is Cherie King, from THE TRAVELBEE. I met Cherie recently via Travel Blog Exchange and dropped by 'THE TRAVELBEE'. Since then, we’ve become friends. I am now a regular visitor to her blog. Cherie is deaf and adores travelling. She has encountered many difficulties as a Deaf Traveller and set out to start a blog to help other Deaf and Hearing travellers.

This is Cherie's Volterra:

Twilight is approaching, as I steadily climb the winding roads leading up to Volterra, Italy. Perched high up on a hill, in the Tuscan countryside lies a medieval fortress, a sleepy little town. Winding roads, tall pear shaped trees lining up to the city, the smell of summer wafting in. Once at the top, you can peer over the cobblestone fences, and scan the entire Tuscan countryside through your eyes. The sight is astonishingly beautiful, rustic, timeless, and simply breathtaking.

Volterra, is known for their Alabaster Stones, they turn out the most beautiful Alabaster statues and rightly so, they are famous for it. Making my way to the De Rossi Alabaster Stone factory, where I was to take a tour with my People to People group. My foot hit the cobblestone pavements, walking through the inner city, small alleyways, and shops that will make you wish you had all the time in the world to wander in. Away from the bustling streets of Florence, and Pisa I was glad to be in a small town, the small towns really show the real down to earth Italy. Italians, walking around the streets engaging in their everyday chores makes for a real small town experience. Being here is almost being in a dreamlike state, but it is very much real.

The factory itself was surprising, you wouldn't notice it until you see the De Rossi sign carved by the door. Just like any other buildings in Volterra, this happens to be the towns staple, the towns pride and glory. I stepped inside, and alabaster dust everywhere. On the floors, windows, tables, it is easy not to get dusty in here. Halfway in, I was marked with alabaster dust on my shirt, my pants, "Oh great" I thought to myself as I walked. However the statues were remarkable, precise, and of course, pure white. I soon learned that not all Alabaster stones are white, they implement special dyes, the stone easily absorbs the dye. As a short, stocky man entered the large room, he muttered something in Italian, the owner of the factory stood by, luckily for us, he knew English, and translated for us. Apparently, the short stocky man would demonstrate how they work at the factory, by carving a stone. A whining sound pierced the silence, as we looked on eagerly, the machine was turned on, and he began the demonstration. What was a small block of Alabaster stone, slowly turned into a work of art. Amazed, intrigued we stared, "what is he making?" we all wondered.

It was a secret, only to be revealed at the end of the demonstration. He took the carving, polished it in a towel, then dipped it in a small bucket full of dye, making sure that we didn't see the finished product. Lo and behold! He held out the product, and it was a small hot pink vase. It took us by surprise, oohs and ahhs filled the room followed by a round of applause. I was not expecting a miniature vase, perhaps a mini statue, or a trinket box, or something of that sort. But I must admit, making a vase out of a small alabaster stone block using only a metal machine is pretty remarkable. All in the short time of 20 minutes, the finished product was proudly on display. The group headed on into another room, it was the factory's shop. Beautiful alabaster statues, small trinkets, mini vases were for sale. I found the one that the man had made not 20 minutes before, and purchased it. All in all, I grabbed a one of a kind trinket, and I was pretty proud of myself for grabbing it before anyone else could.

My trip to Volterra was coming to an end, I didn't want to leave, it was so beautiful here. Alas, I couldn't stay behind and tell the group, "I'll catch up with you.... eventually". Unwillingly, I climbed aboard the bus, sat in my chair and vowed myself that I would come back to this small town. Now, Stephanie Meyer made Volterra wildly popular by making Volterra one of the settings in the popular Twilight Series. For you twilight fans, Volterra is real, beautiful, and a must see for any twilight, and travel addicts.

Drop by Cherie's blog @ THE TRAVEL BEE, or catch Cherie on Twitter.

Source: casadolcetto.blogspot.com