Spring is flying by. The empty winter streets of Volterra are a thing of the past. Every year it takes some getting used to being around people again, when visitors descend on the town and we locals end our winter hibernation. Every now and again, on totally random days, the town is packed full of tourists. Usually the next day the town is half-empty again. I’ve never been able to figure out how to predict this seemingly random phenomenon. There must be some law of tourism nature, like poor old Murphy’s law… maybe we can call it “Rick’s law”.

After the initial adjustment period, having Volterra filled with people is wonderful. It really does feel like coming out of hibernation. Life resumes. For us, but also for the town, as if it were an animate being.