2737 x 4106 px | 23,2 x 34,8 cm | 9,1 x 13,7 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
16. Juli 2010
Ort:
Monteriggioni, Tuscany, Italy
Weitere Informationen:
Dieses Bild kann kleinere Mängel aufweisen, da es sich um ein historisches Bild oder ein Reportagebild handel
Monteriggioni, Tuscany, Italy: the wellhead in Piazza Roma, before the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, hides a ghostly guilty secret, a tunnel said to be haunted by the remorseful spirit of a notorious traitor. According to legend, a tunnel leading off the well shaft runs southeast to Siena, which built Monteriggioni in the early 1200s amid fierce fighting with Florence, its rival for Tuscan supremacy. The town, protected by a wall and watchtowers, proved to be near-impregnable - but was finally surrendered to Florence in 1554, almost without a fight. Treacherous Sienese commander, Giovannino Zeti, handed the town keys to enemy forces in return for pledges of his own safety and rights. Zeti claimed he had little choice than to surrender after Florentine cannon fire hit the well, cutting the garrison's water supply. But while his men vowed to fight to their deaths, Zeti slipped out at night in disguise to negotiate with the Florentines camped beyond the walls. Enemy officers offered to restore his Florentine citizenship and the properties he had lost when he switched sides to Siena. He accepted the deal - and is said to have led enemy soldiers into the fortress, where they seized control, forcing the garrison to surrender. Zeti was condemned as a treasonous turncoat and was disowned by Siena. He is said to have spent the rest of his life in torment, haunted by the fact that his selfish behaviour led to people from Monteriggioni being carried off to Florence as slaves. After Zeti's death, his ghost was often sighted wandering Monteriggioni's streets, pleading aloud for compassion and forgiveness. He was also heard moaning and crying out for peace in the tunnel to Siena, doomed to the eternal captivity of his own guilt. D0625.A7475
