Saturday, February 20, 2010

La Vecchia

There are the obligatory cats too, wherever we go... we shall assemble photos of some of them.

I have just returned from my afternoon walk around Soriano in sunshine between storms and came upon this remarkable statue. We will have to seek explanation, the sign below reads "To the Little Piazza and Statue of the Old Woman of the Carnaiolo" The name of a wine, but there must be some greater meaning.


Ian McBride, whose apartment we are renting here at Soriano, writes to say:

Ciao Helen and Dennis
La Vecchia is very famous in Soriano as during the times of the Borgias the Lord of Vignanello got himself invited to stay the night by the Castellano of Soriano in the castle. The Castellano was Spanish and was popular with the locals. After all had retired the visitors awoke and murdered the castellano in his bed. They then went to the battlements to wave a light to tell the Vignanellesi that they would open the castle doors. The Vecchia saw the light (What she was doing up at that time of night has never been told) and warned the garrison. They rushed out and defeated the Vignanellisi at the battle of the Buonincontro. The garrison then returned to Soriano and threw the Lord of Vignanello over the battlements. This fact is celebrated and re-enacted every year at chestnut festival time.


May we just add, in case you think that the Vignanellesi are a Germanic tribe from far away that googleearth indicates a crow flight distance between Soriano and Vignanello of 4.5km.


1 comment:

  1. Ciao Helen and Dennis
    La Vecchia is very famous in Soriano as during the times of the Borgias the Lord of Vignanello got himself invited to stay the night by the Castellano of Soriano in the castle. The Castellano was Spanish and was popular with the locals. After all had retired the visitors awoke and murdered the castellano in his bed. They then went to the battlements to wave a light to tell the Vignanellesi that they would open the castle doors. The Vecchia saw the light (What she was doing up at that time of night has never been told) and warned the garrison. They rushed out and defeated the Vignanellisi at the battle of the Buonincontro. The garrison then returned to Soriano and threw the Lord of Vignanello over the battlements. This fact is celebrated and re-enacted every year at chestnut festival time.

    Ian McBride

    ReplyDelete