Excerpt of What We Buried by Robert Rotenberg

THE STONES OF GUBBIO

The locals will tell you that the stones that built this Italian hill town come from the ruins of the Roman amphitheater down in the valley below.

But the stones, upon which so many unknowing tourists now tread, what can they tell us?

That they created one of the richest towns in Umbria? That they have seen a thousand archers march off to fight in the crusades? Have witnessed the joyous summer festivals for the last five hundred years? Have felt the crush of soldiers’ boots marching through their narrow alleyways? Heard the howls of innocents dragged from their homes? Smelled the blood of death?

These stones, secured in place for centuries, smoothed by a thousand hands and feet, yet knowing. What secrets do they hold? Can we ever know?

These stones will outlast us all, forever bearing witness to the fine line between justice and revenge.