Once upon a time… it was a very windy and cold day. Two people hopped onto a carriage, warm and cozy. The carriage drove up a cartway, a long winding road ahead. Slowly they approached a hill with high walls and a little town within. Would there be some shelter?
The carriage stopped just in front of two towers and a huge entrance. Once there were a wooden draw bridge, now it was a cobbled ramp. Getting out of the cozy carriage the air was so chilly that both didn’t know if they would do it into the city walls. But full of courage in their heart and hoping to find a warm nice place they entered the high walls. Just in seconds they felt a little better being protected from the ice cold wind, listening to voices of people in houses along the small road and seeing some smoke coming out of chimneys.
One road leaded into the center of the walled city, a few others so narrow they were almost pathways. When they arrived in the piazza, the main place, they saw a church. But it was closed. No escape from the cold fingers of the ice queen. They had a short look from the walls down on the hilly landscape. It was so beautiful, wide, the sea could be seen easily. But the lady couldn’t even move her fingers so freezing cold it was in the land of snow.
The knight knew he should do something to get her some comfort. But looking for a warm place where to get some hot wine or maybe also a meal was without hope in this little 13th century town once ruled by the church.
“The convent is too far to arrive walking, my Lady.” the knight said to the young woman. She hardly smiled, turned away and mumbled “Let’s leave, please, my Lord!”
So the two left Mombaroccio. No one saw them coming, no one saw them leaving. They got into the carriage still waiting out of the walls and went away. The knight was so sorry for the discomfort of the lady and that he could not offer her a warm place. And he was hungry! “Is there no McDonald’s here?” he thought while looking a last time on the high walls of Mombaroccio.
Mombaroccio, Le Marche/Italy:
For further information:
Mombaroccio website (in Italian)
