One of my hosts told me about a statue of Jupiter that stood in a nearby forest and offered to show it to me. So, we took some pairs of snowshoes and set out.
The first thing we encountered was an ancient, iron gate with a menacing 'do not enter' sign. It seemed to lead nowhere; on the other side was an embankment and old trees. If there ever had been a path, it was long overgrown.
On top of each of the gate's stone pillars was an iron box. My host explained that these once contained fires, so anyone approaching the house at night would be met with a blaze of light.
We moved around the gate and made our way up into the woods. Even with the snowshoes each step sank a few inches into the fresh powder as we made our way to Jupiter's clearing. He stood about two meters tall and had a mantle of snow draped around his neck.
As I moved towards him, I passed the stone foundation of some long-vanished building. My host explained that the property had not been inhabited for at least 40 years. She did not know how long Jupiter had been standing in those woods.
The sculptor had carved the sculpture with strong features, a mane of curls and a happy smile. Time and the elements had carved a crack down its center.
The statue faced a pathway that had been bordered with two straight lines of pine trees. While there were no human footprints around the statue, my host pointed out where the deer had made a regular path. They liked to stand near the statue, probably because of the view from Jupiter's hill.
We traveled down this path, towards the main part of property. The path lead us to a wide clearing, which had once been a garden. The ground was completely snowed over so I couldn't see any clear markings or borders. But, we did find several amphorae, each about 3' tall.
Continuing through the garden, we eventually caught sight of the main house. It was a low, red building with boarded up windows. We kept our distance and headed down the driveway towards the main gate. A pair of fu-dogs stood guard and watched us as we made our way out.
