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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Rockin' the Rocca - story/caption contest

The Rocca Maggiore, Assisi

This week I am in the mood to be entertained.  To that end, I'm going to provide four pictures of an exhibition within the magnificent castle pictured above, and I'm asking you, my clever and creative readers, to use them to create a story.  Or, if that doesn't appeal, I'd like you to assign captions to these pictures.  I will write something along these lines myself, and whatever you send me, whether privately or in the comments, will then appear along with my version in my next blog post.

If I select your entry as the best, your reward will be to have your work featured here for the admiration and adulation of your peers.  I may also come up with a prize, but so far I haven't thought of anything, so no guarantees there.

The Rocca on its hill

 Perched high on a hill, this formidable structure glowers down at the town of Assisi.  It's been doing this for quite a while; this version has been in place since the late 14th century, but an earlier castle, built by 1174, was torn down by a mob of townspeople which might have included the then-teenager Francis of Assisi.

Inside this castle we saw a curious exhibition:  faceless mannequins, dressed in the sorts of medieval costumes the people of Assisi love to wear for their Calendimaggio celebrations.   Click here to see a slideshow of this colorful spectacle; here to watch a short video. 

 
Calendimaggio


Calendimaggio

The mannequins were arranged in various poses around a hall.  Presumably they are meant to represent some of the people who would have lived and worked in this castle, long ago.  They might have walked on this floor, or one very much like it:


Perhaps they went up and down these stairs:


And maybe they looked out this window:



But we don't really know anything about who they were, or what they did.  So, next I'll show you the four pictures we're using in this contest.  If you wish to write a (very short) story, here are the rules:
  • You may place the pictures in any order you wish (but do specify).
  • You may write one paragraph about each picture.
  • Or, if you prefer, you may offer a caption for any or all of the pictures.
 The pictures:

Picture A

Picture B

Picture C

Picture D

There.  That's all there is to it.  Tell us what these silent, faceless people were all about - entertain us, amuse us, edify us.  You have about a week; I'll look forward to seeing what people come up with.  Enjoy!

Images in this post are my husband's photos and he holds copyright, with the exception of the two Calendimaggio pictures, which the photographer has placed in the public domain.






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