john hawkwood – The Wargaming Erratic

Castles in the Air – Basque ing in the sun

Every year I get a smattering of castles in my house courtesy of GCN+ and pro cycling coverage of racing.

With helicopter views of the peleton weaving its way through the land the cameramen get bored and snap the odd castle.

These castles to my mind look different to those I visit and if nothing else, for the modeller in me, show the variety of designs that were built. Of course a lot of these differences are due to a few hundred years of subsequent occupancy but even so you can see that the location often dictated the floor plan and levels.

Here are some previous years efforts even including Hussars in Hungary!

2021 Giro in Tuscany – Bianchi Roads

https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2610

2021 Le Tour – France north to south

https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/3056

Hungary kicks off Giro 2022 Hussars and all

https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/4860

Giro 2022 including Hawkwoods territory

https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/5104

Basque Region Tour 2023

Now I have often missed this race and also its less castellated imagery.

Just one castle this year and an obligatory monument to modern design – a modern “castle” equivalent in its impact.

Intermission 22f

The Giro offered up some interesting castles this year. And as usual Italy is replete with historical narrative.

Hawkwood fighting for the Pope oversaw a massacre by his condottieri here in 1376

Next up Julius Ceasar would have to queue these days to cross his famous river

Crossing the Rubicon – its a bit busier these days……

Another city in the “Romagnol” also has fine surviving medieval fortress

Forlimpopoli suffered in medieval times – it was a battleground for Papal control of the area.

Forli another city on the Via Emilia where in medieval times the Ordelaffi family fought the Popes for its control, finally being dominated after it was siezed by Cesare Borgia.