Although the air was chill and the lights were flickering, the thick stone walls shielded us from the whipping winds and sheets of rain as they have been for millennia. Not only was wall shielding us from elements, their stony presence protected us as they protected the inhabitants from those who wished to harm them in the days of old.

In the last two days we saw two castles. The ruins of the Castle of Romena was situated on the top of a hill. It was humbling to be in the place where Dante had known sadness. As we hiked to the top, the only sadness I was feeling was for my calves, which felt like they were burning in Dante’s Sixth Circle of Hell, although I do not know what heresy my legs had committed. I saw the foundations of the crumbling walls and damaged buildings; they reminded me that this castle served its purpose in protecting those who were wealthy enough to reside within. It made me sad that it was privately owned—a castle so old and historic ought to belong to the people and the country. But I digress.

The Castle of Poppi, the most intact castle I’ve ever visited, enveloped us in its protective walls and gave us the chance to express our awe at something so ancient and complete. Not only was the castle protecting us humans from the elements, but it shielded history from those that would harm the volumes inside. The music book was the object of my awe; the manuscript full of ancient music notation, latin lyrics, and beautiful illuminations stopped my heart and brought tears to my eyes. There were illuminations and pages cut out of the book, stolen and lost forever because the keeper of the gates were unable to help the walls do their job.

The storm. Oh the storm. The wild winds and lashing rain and lightning—it calmed my heart to be in the castle. I felt safe and secure. I can only imagine how it would be to sit in front of the fire in one of the bedrooms we saw and hear the wind and rain just as we did today. The same walls were doing the same job against the elements longer than living memory can trace. 1200’s AD. Now that’s what I call ancient.