Rievocazione di un antico pellegrinaggio in onore della Madonna del Molino

One of the things which strikes visitors to the city once they have been here for a short time, is precisely that -  time.  It seems to move at a different speed to where they have come from.  There is probably always a difference between the sensation of time passing in a large city as opposed to time spent in a small place especially  if you happen to be on holiday but some for visitors  that difference is so large and so complete it stops them in their tracks and leaves them openmouthed and wondering how is it possible that  things have remained unchanged for so long and yet still remain viable, workable  and above all liveable.

Visitors from other parts of Europe are generally used to the idea that the first stones for the construction of the Duomo which towers above Barga Vecchia were laid more than 1000 years ago (the walls of the office where this article is being written today was first constructed 500 years ago) Large numbers and an incredible amount of time passing.  A generation is generally thought of as 20 years so anybody out there good at maths want to work out just how many generations ago  work started on the Duomo?

It has to be said that it is generally visitors from the USA  that have  the most difficulty getting their heads around some of those numbers and figures as dates from their own country started only after 1492 and the arrival of Columbus.

So why this long introduction about the passing of time?