We climbed through the tiny hilltop village of Bajardo, making our way up the steep, ancient stone stairways and narrow pathways. as I climbed up I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was yet again wearing the wrong attire- my Mary Jane heels. I gotta start wearing the proper shoes for the occasion. They’re incredibly comfortable, but let’s be real… walking on old stone steps in heels is just an accident waiting to happen. And in a dress, a dress, no less. I really should have been more prepared for all those stone steps. My thoughts continued- I didn’t know we were gonna be hiking through old villages, even though we were headed in that direction. Ding dong…
When we reached the top and learned the history of the old church and the devastating 1887 earthquake, we were completely taken by surprise. It turned what was a charming village had a longer history.
What made it even more remarkable was learning that this hill has been a place of worship and importance for more than 2,000 years, with each civilization building upon the last. Before Christianity, it was believed to have been a sacred site used by the Druids. Later came a Roman temple, then a medieval castle, and then a church whose tragic collapse claimed over 200 lives during the 1887 earthquake.
So when we reached the top, we weren’t just looking at the ruins of an old church—we were standing on a hill that has been considered sacred from prehistoric times, through the Roman era, the Middle Ages, and into the present. Somehow, knowing that made me click my heels in gratitude that I had went up to the top of the village,
It was one of those moments where the beauty of a place and the weight of its history come together and leave me feeling that sometimes places ask a little more of me before they reveal themselves.
Perhaps because I arrived expecting to see, when what was required was to listen.
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