Day: March 31, 2019

So we travelled to Abruzzo via the geographic heart of Italy, staying a night en route in Terni, which is near Narni. Narni is apparently the inspiration for the Chronicles of Narnia , there being a whole underground world there.

That night we chose a hotel on spec and whilst it was clean and comfortable enough there was no facility to get a hot drink anywhere in the hotel. How I hate that, and particularly then as I was taking the antihistamines and still had hay fever so was dry and in need of lots of hot drinks……………….. the things you don’t realise when you are travelling!!

We went to a very curious restaurant for dinner that night which was walking distance from the hotel. We were the only people there and it was clearly a restaurant in their front room, they being a man and his wife and their teenage son who did not like having to leave the room as he was watching TV there.

They spoke no English, which was surprising really, as they are near a big tourist attraction, a popular waterfall. Anyway, they were very pleased to have us there and we played it safe with the menu having their recommendation of grilled trout, which was OK.

We hightailed it out the next morning heading into the Appenines , our destination Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, a previously abandoned walled village on a hill top. There is a huge project here to revitalise the whole village and many of the houses and apartments are now holiday houses. We are staying in a hotel which has a commitment to authenticity in its restoration. So we are staying in a dark, cave like room with roughly plastered walls, massive roof beams and an original ancient fireplace. There are new en suite bathrooms in each room and the flavour is most definitely rustic.

Unfortunately many things just don’t work properly and we had to swap rooms as the water was just tepid and no amount of adjustment improved it.

I don’t think the hotel really works but the location is brilliant and it is good to stay in one of the walled villages and really get a feel for it. This one took some damage in the 2006 earthquake and there is a lot of work being done here by the government, as well as the private renovations.

It is within the Gran Sasso National Park and we have walked the meadows, surrounded by snow capped mountain peaks. There is still snow on the ground and the grass in dull and brown , but it is stunning. The ground must be jam packed full of moles as their mounds and tracks are just everywhere.

Flowers are blooming, among them the saffron crocus. There are swathes of them. Beautiful. They are used in local cooking, as you can imagine.

We have seen some different birds here at long last , disturbing some ground nest builders on our walks.

After a long walk yesterday we dropped in to a hotel in the small village outside the walls for a drink, We felt like celebrating as we had reached the peak we were aiming for and also Jock had not lost his phone and wallet, as appeared might be the case. They were in fact in the car all along (travel brain). So we also felt like celebrating.

We asked if we could take our Prosecco outside and the man insisted on finding us a sunny spot on the other side of the house. When you buy a drink here you always receive some food with them, either from a collection on the bar, if you stand there, or brought to your table. He brought us warm bread drizzled with olive oil, some large green olives and some hard tasty cheese. HEAVEN.

We so liked the place and the people , again a family , that we went back for dinner and were not disappointed. I had home made ravioli filled with ricotta and herbs and served with a cream and saffron sauce. It really was divine. Jock had a lamb sauce on home made pasta, which he also found excellent.

We haven’t been having a lot of desserts but thought we should try theirs, and had a tiramisu and tart di limone, also both very good. The room was warm and inviting, the music good, the people charming. The Dad just kept talking away in Italian . His son spoke pretty good English. So the Mum and son do the cooking and they had a local young woman waitressing. We were so keen we decided to go back for lunch today after a last walk in the hills.

We had the special of the day, pasta with mushrooms and once again it was just delicious. We followed it with a local fried cheese, something like haloumi , but from goats milk and served with grilled vegetables, zucchini and eggplant of course.

They had asked us to come at 1pm to beat the crowd, and sure enough, it was packed. I asked the son where they all come from and he said they are all Italian and are from everywhere as they “come to make walk”. It was a gorgeous sunny day and maybe the first time since winter that they have been able to get up to the park?

Anyway, we could not talk much today as they were too busy but I told the son that it was the best restaurant experience we have had so far in Italy. He said he was happy for this and to tell all my Australian friends to come and visit, so, now you have an invitation. It is called Locanda Il Palazzo. They have rooms as well, come and stay!

We have seen lots of dogs here and nearly all of them are mostly Maremma , which is the guardian dog used for sheep and cattle. This is shepherd and Maremma country here. The Maremma dogs round the village are mostly old , all overweight, and all given to lying in the sun , sound asleep, even if it is on the road.

If you get up close they will, to a dog, raise their paw for you to pat their belly, but they won’t move. Being a dog tragic I have enjoyed them a lot.

Tomorrow we head for the coast in Epuglia, to friends of our musician friend Salvatore. It’s a long drive and we might try a motorway for the first time. We have been sticking to back roads, but the time might have come. Wish us luck.

Prosecco in the sun.

We travelled to Umbria from Tuscany, to a hill top castle in Montegiove, that has been there since round about the 13th century. It was very imposing with huge walls rising from the very top of the hill , fortress like.

Turns out that we were the first visitors for this season (many accomodation venues and restaurants close over the winter) so our hosts were very fresh and enthusiastic and we think, glad of a little company.

They were Lorenzo and Rikke, blue haired and blonde eyed Danes who live in the castle with their two teenage daughters. Lorenzo has an Italian parent and a Danish parent and grew up in Denmark, knowing that he would inherit the castle, which has been in his family for centuries. As well as the accomodation side of things they grow grapes and make wine and olive oil, keep cattle, and manage their forests.

Lorenzo took us round the estate in his work vehicle and he and Jock talked trees to their hearts content. They have only three varieties, two types of oak and the Cyprus pine and none of them tall. They keep a few cattle and have a wild boar problem, we could see their diggings everywhere. In fact Lorenzo shot one while we there and brought it over in the back of the vehicle to show us. He was taking it straight to the butcher.

They also showed us through the wine cellar and the interior of the castle itself which was pretty amazing. Cold and vast with many paintings and wall hangings from centuries ago. Strange way to live…………..

Our little cottage was in the numerous outhouses and was beautifully fitted out, though not everything worked, which we are finding to be a common thing here. Looks and style are more commonplace than function! But we were very comfortable and enjoyed the whole experience. At night we could hear an owl hooting and we were just above the village church where the bells struck every half hour (though thankfully stopped overnight)!

We explored the local area and one day did a longish round trip to another hill top walled village called Deruta, which is famous for its ceramics. It was very quiet as its so early in the season but we did find enough open ceramics workshops and I bought myself one of the wine jugs I have been admiring everywhere . Most restaurants use ceramic jugs to decant the wine into , many purely functional, some beautiful, and each area has its own style apparently. Mine is fancy more than rustic, as I wanted to buy one made by the woman we saw working that day. The ceramics are really another whole art form, and exquisite. I could quite happily collect them I think.

We went to the next town along from Montegiove for Sunday lunch and enjoyed seeing families getting together, sharing large tables.

We went to the village lookout most evenings to watch the sun go down. It was a tiny village , immaculately clean and well kept. We are finding lots of villages and towns like this in the country.

While there I suffered terrible hay fever, which was a surprise as I only ever have the slightest hint of it at home. But the Cyprus pines were shedding their pollen en masse and it was windy, so I think that caused it. We went to the local pharmacy where you line up to speak to the pharmacist. She then chooses a box from behind her counter and hands it to you. No reading of the box or browsing the shelves here , but I did double check with her that it was an antihistamine!

So we had a quiet day resting before heading to Ubruzzo. Onwards!