Montalcino 31 December 2007
The above belvedere (beautiful view) shows part of the town and surrounding landscape of Montalcino. Note the natural tinting of the background landscape as it recedes into the distance. This is, of course, a consequence of light being diffused by the air molecules between the camera and the distant landscape. Artists would struggle in the Renaissance to create the illusion of three dimensional space on a two dimensional canvas. The depicting this "Atmospheric Perspective" accurately would greatly help create the illusion of distance. Incidentally, Montalcino is the region in which Brunello, one of the world's finest red wines, is bottled. More on that later.
The above image depicts the curtain wall of the Castello di Montalcino (the castle of Montalcino). The castello served as a defensive space within the town (which is, itself, fairly defensible, as it is high atop a hill). The high curtain walls were designed to withstand a direct attack from Medieval military technology (catapults, trebuchets, ballistas, etc.). An attacker would need to find another way to get to the chewy center of the castle...
Indeed, even getting close to the curtain wall would be difficult. An attacker would need to either scale tall terraced walls, or travel along the winding access road. The latter option would expose the attacker to defensive firepower.
Approaching he wall with the intention of busting through would have been potentially deadly to the Medieval attacker. The protrusion of the towers allowed defenders a stright shot down the length of the wall at potential enemies. They would be sitting ducks for archers.
Incidentally, the castle courtyard affords a glorious vista of the town church. I insisted on walking up to the church, insisting that it was of architectural significance. Sadly, I had mistaken Montalcino for Montecassino. The above church was quite boring, somewhat gaudy, and clearly decorated in the late 19th century. Laaaaaaaame!
If attackers manage to get all the way to the main gate, they face the "Murder Hole." From these slots above, defenders can dump all manner of damaging stuff down on attackers. By "damaging stuff," I mean boiling oil, molten lead, arrows, spit, what have you.
Where's a vat of molten lead when you need it?
The view from the other (non-gate, non-church facing) side of the castle was upon the scenic Tuscan landscape: Vineyards as far as the eye could see. The primary grape grown in this area is the Sangiovese varietal, which produces Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello. The next wing of our journey will involve our efforts to acquire some of that.
The above belvedere (beautiful view) shows part of the town and surrounding landscape of Montalcino. Note the natural tinting of the background landscape as it recedes into the distance. This is, of course, a consequence of light being diffused by the air molecules between the camera and the distant landscape. Artists would struggle in the Renaissance to create the illusion of three dimensional space on a two dimensional canvas. The depicting this "Atmospheric Perspective" accurately would greatly help create the illusion of distance. Incidentally, Montalcino is the region in which Brunello, one of the world's finest red wines, is bottled. More on that later.
The above image depicts the curtain wall of the Castello di Montalcino (the castle of Montalcino). The castello served as a defensive space within the town (which is, itself, fairly defensible, as it is high atop a hill). The high curtain walls were designed to withstand a direct attack from Medieval military technology (catapults, trebuchets, ballistas, etc.). An attacker would need to find another way to get to the chewy center of the castle...
Indeed, even getting close to the curtain wall would be difficult. An attacker would need to either scale tall terraced walls, or travel along the winding access road. The latter option would expose the attacker to defensive firepower.
Approaching he wall with the intention of busting through would have been potentially deadly to the Medieval attacker. The protrusion of the towers allowed defenders a stright shot down the length of the wall at potential enemies. They would be sitting ducks for archers.
Incidentally, the castle courtyard affords a glorious vista of the town church. I insisted on walking up to the church, insisting that it was of architectural significance. Sadly, I had mistaken Montalcino for Montecassino. The above church was quite boring, somewhat gaudy, and clearly decorated in the late 19th century. Laaaaaaaame!
If attackers manage to get all the way to the main gate, they face the "Murder Hole." From these slots above, defenders can dump all manner of damaging stuff down on attackers. By "damaging stuff," I mean boiling oil, molten lead, arrows, spit, what have you.
Where's a vat of molten lead when you need it?
The view from the other (non-gate, non-church facing) side of the castle was upon the scenic Tuscan landscape: Vineyards as far as the eye could see. The primary grape grown in this area is the Sangiovese varietal, which produces Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello. The next wing of our journey will involve our efforts to acquire some of that.
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