The sword in the stone exists and is located in Italy

There is a story that we all know, that we have read and seen at the cinema. It is the story of one sword set in a rock that no one can extract. Only one person can do it and that is destined to become the king of all England. But it is not a man, but a child.

The sword in the stone is the animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel of the same name by TH White. We tell you about it today because we know very well that all the events related to King Arthur still exert a certain fascination on adults and children, to the point that there are many people who travel every year in the footsteps of the leader to reach all those places suspended between myth and legend.

What you may not know yet, however, is that the legendary sword in the stone really exists. But it is not located in the kingdom of Avalon, as everyone imagines, but in Italyinside the Hermitage of Montesiepi.

Tuscany: the mystery of the sword in the stone

If we talk about the legendary sword in the stone, inevitably, our imagination refers us to childhood adventures of King Arthur. But the story of the one stuck in theHermitage of Montesiepiin reality, has different roots, albeit extremely fascinating and suggestive.

To discover the history of this mysterious weapon we must move into the Merse valleya place of spirituality that preserves the ruins of theSan Galgano Abbey and the Hermitage of Montesiepi. According to history, it was in this building that the Saint lived in 1170, retiring to a hermit’s life.

Inside the Hermitage there is a blade, set in the rock, which tells ancient stories that inevitably refer to legends, myths and knights, but also to spirituality and popular beliefs. Over the years many people have tried to extract it or steal it without success. Indeed, the very impossibility of doing so has given rise to new and suggestive stories.

It is said, in fact, that one of the thieves who tried to take away the sword was mauled by wolves. To avoid further theft attempts, it was decided to keep the weapon in a case that still protects it today.

The sword of San Galgano

But what does it have to do with it the myth of King Arthur with Tuscany? And why is the sword in the stone in the hermitage where San Galgano lived? These are the questions that have kept open the debate among scholars For years. For many, in fact, the myth of the sword would have been born in our country, a hypothesis that has also led to think that the Saint and the knight of the round table Galvano were the same person.

According to the most accredited thesis, the sword which today is stuck in the rock inside the building of Montesiepi belonged to the knight Galgano Guidotti. After leading a dissolute life, the man came to the territory of Montesiepi where he radically changed his life. Once he retired to the building, he thrust his sword into the rock to create a cross in front of which to pray every day.

This same thesis, however, has been questioned for years by many scholars who have hypothesized that the weapon was a fake. Most of the research done over time, however, has confirmed that the making of the sword dates back to 1100.

And King Arthur? The sword that would have drawn the king when he was just a child, actually, it was never found fueling even more the mystery of a story that fascinates today, just like yesterday.

The sword in the stone exists and is located in Italy