Thursday Doors, July 14

I don’t know if it’s just me, but sometimes doors find me where I’d expect anything but.

To set the scene. It’s April, my hiking – not to say mountaineering – friends are visiting, so I choose an easy, two-hour walk between Pitigliano and Sovana, two exceptional towns that I’ve visited often, just never walked from one to the other. It should take about two hours.

The path leads through something called Via Cava, tunnels carved into the earth, a legacy from Etruscans. We are deep into the Etruscan territory and by the sight of it they were all that they were rumoured to be. For example, it has still not been determined what these tunnels were for: defence, transport or something other?

The only problem, beside slippery and steep stepping stones, is the fact that this country is criss-crossed with these tunnels, and in accordance with well-known Italian organisational skills (not) you never really know where you are. Except it helps if you start at the right bridge and the right Via Cava.

Which we didn’t.

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

We had a good time, despite the fact that we were only hopping around Pitigliano and had to call amore to the rescue and he took us to Sovana by car. But I think the path I hoped to take, if seen correctly afterwards, was closed, at least officially. More investigations are in order.

This was our trek. In the captions the story as it unfolded.

Pitigliano, another town of doors, was made from volcanic ash. Their cellars must be cold.

I was very happy that you took control of bestia, J.!

It went up and down in such a lovely way for a while.

And we were observed.

Then it started to rain and the red door came to the rescue!

This door had a better roof. Friends even thought of bringing sandwiches and they shared too.

This Via Cava looked promising…

It didn’t lead to Sovana but to more doors in the hill.

Some were have-been.

Some were airy.

Looking out, or is it in?

Not that this was already like this when Etruscans were around.

Or was it?

Anyway, it made me happy.

Doors are where you find them.

Cantina is where drinks are served in Slovenia. Bartender?

No matter that Sovana was not any closer, we had a lovely and surprisingly door-filled hike.

Photo: a © signature mmm production

For Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors challenge.