noon
Friar Volpe was a fair-skinned man with a sharp nose , large lips , and round brown eyes . His thick reddish-brown hair fell over his forehead and ears , growing luxuriantly everywhere except for the tonsure on top , where it was just a red stubble . `` Benevento , '' he said when Simon told him about the battle , and glanced up at the sun . `` We could arrive in the valley of Benevento well before noon . There is a high ridge along the east side of the valley . Benevento is a crossroads town . The roads meet at the south end of the valley . ''