Back to Roma

Well, it is now Tuesday night, and we are back in Rome, where I finally was able to catch up on blog posts.  One thing we take for granted in the U.S. is a good internet connection, not always so good in Italy.  But that’s OK, more time to enjoy the moments.

Today was a ‘moving day’ for us, as we had a long train ride from Lecce to Rome.  The smooth 5 hour ride allowed me to organize the blog.  In the evening, the cousins and wives enjoyed our final evening together, as tomorrow, Bill & Paula head up to Tuscany for a couple of days while we return home to Philly.

There may be more posts to discuss our post-trip experiences (I’ve promised people some recipes for example), but I will say now that it was great having my cousin come with us to Italy and Bovino, to make a connection with the people and the hometown of our grandfather Salvatore.  And Bill’s spontaneous outlook was a great complement to my plodding personality!  Grazie mille cugino and Paula, for making the trip even more fun!

For anyone who has always wanted to go to Italy, I say DO IT as soon as possible! It is a magical place that, as Paula’s mother says, will always draw you back!

Stile of the Salento

Buon Pomeriggio! It’s Tuesday afternoon and we’re on our way back to Rome after our last day in the sunny south of Italy.  What a wonderful and different place!

On Monday, we had a ‘self-catered’ breakfast in the courtyard of Ana’s B&B, L’Orangerie d’Epoque (don’t ask me to pronounce it!).  What a great setting, hidden away in an old palazzo in the middle of Lecce, very elegant.

Our host Ana told us from Lecce, you can be in blue water on white sand or rocky beaches of the Adriatic, or green water beaches of the Ionian Sea, all in less than an hour.  We chose the Adriatic, getting there in no time, where we saw incredible views of cliffs dropping straight into the sea at Roca Vecchio and Torre dell’Orso.  At Torre dell’Orso, we descended steps to the beach there, where we joined the pre-holiday season Italians for a bit of sun and some of the clearest blue water I have ever seen.  We followed that with another nice lunch just off the beach, then it was back to Lecce to get ready for cooking class.

Stile Mediterraneo is located in another old palazzo in Squinzano, a small town just north of Lecce.  A bit tricky to find but once there, we were warmly greeted by owners and sisters Cinzia and Marika Rascazzo.  They have renovated part of the old palazzo owned by their family, and it is a lovely setting, with a great kitchen and a terrace to enjoy the product of our efforts.  We joined one other class participant, Carolyn (dubbed Carolina by the sisters) from North Carolina.  By the way, since Sharon is a hard name for Italians to say (Sharrrrrrr-ron), she was renamed Louisa for the evening! Her middle name is Louise after all!

Cinzia and Marika both spoke excellent English, making our lives easier.  Cinzia is a Harvard grad and an ex-investment banker who is working hard to promote southern Italy’s wine, olive oils and other products to the rest of the world, while Marika’s “day job” is a cardiologist in Lecce.  Both share a passion for carrying on the traditions found in the great food of the region, and we learned a tremendous amount from them in a short period of time, not just about food and wine, but about the way of life in this part of the world.

But back to the food (by now no doubt you have noticed that we kind of like to talk about and eat the fabulous food here).  For the evening, we donned aprons and were given hands-on instruction to make several traditional dishes of the region, including a pizza appetizer, a primi piatti (first course) of agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and parma ham, a secondi piatti of lamb with fresh green peas and radicchio and Marika’s fresh pear jam crostata (tart) for dessert.  Of course, everything was made from scratch, including the crostata, pizza and pasta dough, all made from different types of flour. 

The pizza included a heart-shaped thin crust pizza and a thicker (think deep dish) pizza topped with eggplant and mozzarella. The agnolotti (a kind of half moon ravioli) was so much fun to make, especially the pasta dough.  And the lamb dish was unlike anything we’ve ever seen, where a ‘butter’ of peas, cheese, eggs and one or two secret ingredients are mixed with the cooked and diced lamb then put in a loaf pan lined with radicchio and baked to form a loaf.  Very different and incredibly good! The crostata was made with Marika’s homemade pear jam, using pears from their parent’s trees. Every course was complemented with a wonderful wine native to southern Italy.  Between making dinner and eating at a relaxed pace, I didn’t feel like I over-ate or over-drank.  A perfect dinner in a perfect setting among friends old and new.  Bravo Cinzia and Marika!! 

This was our final evening in Lecce and southern Italy, for this trip at least, and I must say the region leaves one wanting more.  Friendly people, great weather, great scenery, great food and wine.  Wow!

Tripping Through the Heel

Ciao again!  After a full, scenic day of exploring the Gargano, on Sunday, we were off to explore the south of Puglia on yet another beautiful morning! First, however, we attended church at the Chiesa of San Antonio, located at the end of Bovino’s beautiful town park.  At 7am every morning, the church plays religious music through loudspeakers, sort of a wakeup call for the town. We rushed down to church, thinking la messa (the mass) started at 7:30. OK, it really started at 8, but I guess a little more time in church doesn’t hurt, eh?  The mass, being in Italian, made it hard to follow the words, but we understood what was happening.  Other than us young folks (haha), most of the parishioners were senior citizens, mostly women, some of whom seemed quite interested in our attendance.  It was Pentecost Sunday, and they had laid a huge basket of sliced bread on the altar, which had been blessed, and after mass, everyone went to the front of the church to get a slice, us included.  Very nice.

A short walk got us to the Snack Bar, our final breakfast there.  On Sundays, Celestino makes an amazing assortment of pastries, which we each enjoyed greatly with our cappuccino.  We said our goodbyes to Celestino and son Rocco, then back to check out of the Castello and say our goodbyes to Michele, our host at the castel who doubled as our guide to Bovino. It was a great visit to our grandfather’s hometown, the people was wonderfully welcoming, and I hope to return, armed with better Italian language skills next time!

We were on to southern Puglia from there.  Actually, our first stop was Matera, just across the border in the province of Basilicata, to see the ancient cave city.  The drive there looked easy enough on the map, but for much of the ride, somehow our GPS had us on washed out country roads that doubled as goat paths. We eventually made it to Matera, deciding not to trust the GPS any more (dontcha hate it when the GPS lady says to make a U-turn, then starts getting snippy with you?  But I digress…).

Matera was…interesting.  Not a very attractive town, big and kind of run down.  The cave dwellings were fascinating in a spooky kind of way.  They date back 7,000 years and were inhabited until the 1950s, when the Italian government forced a relocation due to severe poverty and subhuman living conditions.  Dwellings and churches built into the hillsides in a very barren area, this is where Mel Gibson filmed the Passion of Christ.  Worth seeing, but checked it off the bucket list.

From there we were back to Puglia, to Trulli country in and around Alberobello.  Trulli are houses with conical roofs made of cut stone laid in place without mortar, and they are everyhere in the countryside, with a huge town full of them in Alberobello.  Their beginnings are mysterious, as they don’t appear elsewhere in Italy or across the Mediterranean. One theory is they were built without mortar so they could be taken apart to avoid a property tax levy, some ancient tax planning perhaps? They look like something out of a fairy tale, in a very pleasant way.  Many of the trulli in town have been converted to gift shops and rentals, and there were some gorgeous Trulli properties outside of town.  A fun place to see, very scenic! 

From Alberobello, we had a quick and easy ride to Lecce, close to the tip of the southern heel of Italy.  It is a modern city with a diverse population, with an old walled city at its core.  Lots of Baroque architecture and huge churches, with a Spanish influence from their time of rule of southern Italy.  We had a tough time finding our B&B, which was an old palazzo hidden inside a courtyard behind a solid door on a busy street.  But once inside, our host Ana showed as a beautiful suite in a mini-estate which has been in her family for about 200 years.  Very cool.

On Monday we headed to the beach for the morning then on to cooking school in Squinzano, just north of Lecce. 

A piu tardi! See you later!

Ciao!  

Scenic Gargano

Buongiorno from Lecce, near the southern tip of the heel of Italy.  It’s am writing this on Monday morning, and will catch up with posts covering Saturday and Sunday, if I can remember everything we’ve seen over the last 2 whirlwind days, where we’ve covered over 400 miles of Puglia!

Where to start…ok, on Saturday, we had our standard breakfast of cappuccino and a ‘cake’ (pastry) at the The Snack Bar, just down the hill from the Castello, where every morning we are warmly greeted by the owner, Celestino Giannotti.  About all we can say is ‘Come sta?’ (How are you?), but lots of smiles and handshakes make things easy.

From there we were off to explore the Gargano Peninsula, a geographic accident, where millions of years ago, a forested part of the northern Adriatic was attached to the Italy.  It is different in that it is heavily forested, which we can now personally attest to.  First we headed to San Giovanni Rotondo, most famous as the shrine of Padre Pio di Petralcina, who lived and become a saint in the 20^th century.  The monastery, the old church, the newer church and the gigantic newest church are all on the same property on the side of the mountain, as is a huge hospital constructed there in honor of Padre Pio and his works. It is the second most visited Catholic shrine in the world.  The churches and the area are beautiful and we enjoyed touring the grounds and learning more about Padre Pio.

From there, we drove literally over the mountains and through the deep, dark woods, to Peschici on the northern side of the Gargano.  The forest we passed through on that drive was very different than anything I’ve seen in Italy, with huge trees creating almost a cave-like experience as we negotiated the hundreds of hair-pin curves.  I was accused of trying to be Mario Andretti at times, even though I don’t think I ever got above 30 mph (or was that KM?).

Our arrival into Peschici (Pes-key-chee) was greeted with amazing views of the coastline. Instead of going straight to the beach, we went up into Peschici, which sits on the cliffs above the beach, for a great seafood lunch at Piccolo Paradiso, at a table on a terrace overlooking the sea.  Cousin Bill had the seafood grill (check out the pic), which required a bit more work than what we’re used to, haha, but it was quite tasty, and the local pasta, cheeses and bruschetta were very good.

Next it was on to try the beach at Vieste, another pretty seaside town further out on the coast.  There, we kicked off our shoes and snoozed for a bit on beach chairs right on the sea…nice way to recover from the white-knuckle drive and a big lunch. 

Fueled by a great power nap, it was time to head back to Bovino on the Tavoliere. Did I mention that Vieste is about as far out on this forested peninsula as you can get?  That means we had to decide whether to run the twisting beach road along the coast or the twisting road back through the forest.  We decided to take the route along the beach…or so we thought.  At this point, Bill became the driver and me the GPS-aided navigator, which didn’t seem to help, as we were soon back in the forest. Luckily, it was a different and incredibly scenic route, and as we approached Mattinata on the southern side of the Gargano, we were given unbelievable views of the coastline, with what seemed like millions of olive trees all the way down to the sea, along with a surreal view of Mattinata, a whitewashed town just off the beach. My words and our pictures can’t do it justice…you really have to see it in person to believe it. Bellissimo!

Our drive got easier from there, and we were back in farm country of the Tavoliere in no time, where we stopped in the flats just below Bovino for dinner at Tenuta Capaccio.  This agristurismo (farm hotel) is owned by Vito and Anachiara, who we were referred to by Jason Capps, who owns Bela Sera restaurant in Pittsburgh and who is a member of the Greco family from Bovino.  The property was just gorgeous, and our dinner consisted of the most over-the-top antipasti selection I’ve ever seen.  They brought so many local cheeses (the homemade ricotta is to die for), prosciuttos, peppers, eggplant, bruschetta, cinghiale, pizzette…more than I can remember, let alone eat!  They had to wheel an extra table over to hold all the dishes!  By the time we had gorged ourselves on the antipasti and a litre of local vino rosso, there was no way any other courses could be fit.  We got to meet and (kind of) chat with Vito and Ana, who were very welcoming, especially after knowing we were Bovinese and that we knew Jason.  Ana insisted that we take bottles of the wine they make on the property.  Very nice folks.

Back up the mountain to Bovino, where the townsfolk were still out and about.  We were bushed from the day, so we retired to the Castello for some shut-eye, before heading to southern Puglia. 

Whew, I’ll stop there…the attached pix won’t do it justice, but enjoy!

Family Ties

Buongiorno from high in the hills at Bovino.  Yesterday, Friday, was an interesting day for us.  Our first night at the castello went well, with new comfortable rooms.  Two things you notice when staying there – you are near the top of the mountain, so it is pretty breezy, and there are lots of birds living at the castle, who are quite talkative.

On Friday morning, we met with Giovanni Anzivino, keeper of the Diocesan Library in Bovino.  In addition to a stunning collection of 10,000 books, manuscripts and other ancient documents dating back to the 1100’s, the library contains all of the birth, marriage and death records of the Bovinese belonging to the Cattedrale’s (Cathedral’s) parish.  Our grandfather’s family was a member of that parish, so this was the place to be!

Giovanni is an extremely cordial and gracious man, who knew enough English to be of great help to us, aided at times with Michele’s (our unofficial guide from the Castello, a nice young man) iphone translator app.

When we first met Giovanni, he said he had received our letter and that we had no family in Bovino, a bit disheartening start to our visit.  Giovanni’s initial research before we got there told us that Salvatore Pici was born 1/13/1882 to parents Giuseppe (Josephy) Pici and Maria Giuseppa Panza Pici, that Salvatore married his first wife, Letizia Fabrizio on 4/11/1904 in Bovino when he was 22 and she was 23.  Giovanni also knew that Salvatore married his second wife, Margherita Buccino, on 1/12/1920 in Bovino, when he was 37.

We wanted to find out more of course, so Giovanni, along with Michele and Maurizio, proceeded to work with us, pulling out book after book of the cattedrale’s records.  We were able to expand the family tree, determining that Salvatore had a brother (Savino 1874) and 5 sisters (Carolina, born and died 1875, another Carolina 1876, Savina 1878, Maria Grazia 1880 and Paulina 1884).  We also found out the Salvatore’s grandfather’s name was Angelo Pici.  We would have needed weeks to trace the family tree forward, so we could not establish any clear links to Pici family members closer to today.  Pici is a frequent name in Bovino, and a number of the townspeople have been interested in meeting us and in trying to communicate.  It would take more time than we have to find current relatives, however.  In any event, it was rewarding and fun to find out more about our grandfather’s family in Bovino.

The rest of our day was spent in Bovino, where was had a wonderful antipasti lunch at La Taverna Del Duca.  While at lunch, we encountered Assunta Pici, a 79 year old firecracker of a lady, who heard we were in town and came in to talk to us, in rapid fire Bovinese dialect no less, for about 15 minutes.  None of us could respond in an intelligent way, and she eventually went on her way, but it was hilarious!

After lunch we strolled town, then were given a tour of the Castello’s museum by Michele, who then walked us around through the old town, showing us all the old churches and the best views of town and of the valleys below.  Bravo, Michele!

In the evening, we joined the rest of town for the evening walk.  That might have been the best part of being here, it’s so amazing to see everyone out, young and old, kids playing everywhere in Bovino’s stunningly pretty, tree-lined park.  Such a nice difference from the impersonal rat race so many of us live in the U.S.  These small Italian towns really come to life in the evenings, in such a good way.

Well, Saturday we explore the Gargano Peninsula, and will report back soon!

Ciao ciao!

Beautiful Bovino

We said arrividerci to Rome Thursday afternoon and boarded a train for Foggia.  That was a learning experience, as getting our luggage on the train and out of other passengers’ way was a challenge.  We got it figured out, and had a smooth 3 hour ride to Foggia.   We picked up our rental car and somehow made it out of Foggia, a town of about 60,000, without hitting anyone or anything, which is way harder than it sounds in Italian traffic while driving a stick shift.  Foggia is in the heart of the Tavoliere, the breadbasket of Italy, very flat farmland.  Bovino is about 20 miles west of Foggia. The first 10 miles or so were completely flat, then we started to climb.  And climb.  And climb some more.  Lots of hairpin curves.  To say that Bovino is a hill town is an understatement, it is on top of a very large hill/small mountain.  The views from town are breathtaking!

Once we reached town, we kept going up to the very top of town to the old castle, where we are staying.  We couldn’t seem to find an entrance to anything looking like a B&B and were getting a little worried, when out of nowhere appeared Francesco, the manager of the Residenza Ducale.  He found us and, and though he spoke no English and we speak little Italian, we were able to get checked in and into our rooms, which appear to be recently completed.  We threw our bags into our rooms, and Francesco and his two aides, Michele and Maurizio, walked us down into town through narrow cobblestone streets, to a snack bar (which serves everything from breakfast to gelato to beers) for a drink.

Well, that was tip of the iceberg, as it seems half the people in town were alerted to our arrival.  We were immediately introduced to several townpeople who may be related to us.  Thank god one of them, Fernando D’allesio, spoke some English and was able to help us translate.  We also met Salvadore Cornacchio, whose grandmother was a Pici.  They all were super interested in knowing about our families and in trying to piece together our links.  From what we could understand, some of the people who got our letter sent it to others in town, and a meeting has been set up for us to meet people tomorrow, stay tuned on that.

After much talk (and smiles and arm waving), we were taken across the street to Saverio Marseglia’s restaurant for dinner, through streams of people out arm-in-arm for their evening stroll (passegiata).  We were his only customers, and he treated us to an amazing typical Bovinese Sunday dinner.  By the way, Saverio, who appears to be in his late 30s, was dressed in coat and tie, and his restaurant consisted of a hand written menu and about 10 tables, which was open to his kitchen, like eating in your kitchen at home.  For starters, he brought us a large pitcher of his homemade red wine, which we had no trouble finishing.  For antipasti, he brought us courses of cheeses (including unbelievably good homemade ricotta and goat cheese), funghi, hams and prosciutto, lard, pickled onions, asparagus and several breads.  That course alone would have been a full dinner.  But for the primi piatti (first course) he served us Cavadille, the small rolled pasta Aunt Josephine made.  It was fantastic!  That’s when he also gave us a rule of the Bovinese table (rigola di tavola bovinese)…tutto finito…eat it all!  We had no problem sticking to that rule with the Cavadille.  OK, that was followed by the secondo piatti, two large meat dishes, a salsicce (sausage) made of Cinghiale (Saverio called it black pig, I think it is boar), which tasted like braciole, and another fabulous pork dish which was his grandmother’s recipe, a typical Bovinese dish used to make peace with other towns.  By that point, it was harder to stick to Saverio’s rule of tutto finito, but we were able to do it.  Whew!  For dessert, he gave us fresh cherries, a tort, some turrelles and biscotti that his wife made.  So much food we couldn’t even fit a small gelato, but soooo good!  Molto bene.  Bravo Saverio!

We took a short walk around the center of town and their beautiful town park, which by that time had be re-populated with well-behaved young people, also great to see.  

Needless to say, we are all excited and grateful to our parents, grandparents and ancestors for the chance to be here and hopefully reconnect with our family here!

Stay tuned….Buonanotte!

Roaming in Roma

Buongiorno again, now from Roma.  Boy, talk about a change in scenery!  From the gorgeous beach and hill towns to the hustle and bustle of Rome, along with what seems like millions of tourists (who all sound German to me).

I got to Rome late morning Tuesday, and was joined shortly thereafter by Shari and my cousin Billy Fisher and wife Paulo (Guglielmo e Paola, haha).  To keep them from crashing early after their overnight flight, we checked into our hotel, the Albergo Cesari, then took a walk to see the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, some lunch then on to tour the Colisseum.  Why was I the one worn out after all that? Guess I was so used to being on a bike, the walking wore me out, haha.  In any event, after a short break at the Cesari, we were back out among the throngs to throw coins at the Trevi Fountain, visit the Spanish Steps, then some dinner at a nice small restaurant, Osteria Allegro Pachino, before heading to a special treat for us Pittsburghers.  Jason Capps, who owns and runs Bela Sera, an excellent Italian restaurant in Market Square in Pittburgh (and whose family is Bovinese like us), referred us to La Boticella, a bar owned and run by Gionvanni Poggi.  It is the only Steeler / Western PA bar in Rome, and is decked out with Steeler stuff and with pennants primarily from universities in Pennsylvania, including my alma mater Clarion!  Awesome!  We talked to Giovanni for a good while, he was extremely hospitable.  Nice finish to the evening!

On Wednesday, we walked to Campo de Fiori (Flower Camp), a square with fresh fruit and vendors of many other things.  We picked up some fruit, salami and bread for an informal lunch, and a hat for Bill. After lunch, we met our guide Sabina for a 4 hour tour of the Vatican, which was fascinating.  The artwork and statues alone were incredible, let alone the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.

After that, we made it an evening of bar-hopping in Rome, including another long stop at La Botticella, Giovanni Poggi’s bar, where we talked with Giovanni, who I think knows more about Pittsburgh than I do, and a lot of the patrons, including some professors with a group of Duquesne students.  I must admit, in hindsight, I think we had a bit too much birra and vino and too little food, which I paid for the next morning.  But it was fun.

Well, that’s enough of Rome’s craziness for now, as we are on to Puglia. 

Ciao!

A la mare (To the sea)

Buongiorno from Rome on Wednesday, June 8.  I’ve been a bit delayed on my posts due to technical difficulties…well, OK, maybe it was user error, I don’t know!

On the afternoon of Monday, June 6, our BAI group made it to Porto Ercole on the Mediterranean Sea, after a 100K (60 mile) ride. 

On Monday morning, the riders split into two groups immediately upon leaving Sovano; one going past Pitigliano, a beautiful hill town established by one of popes for people of the Jewish faith. The other group, of which I was part, went the opposite direction out of Sovano for a bit longer route and more climbing. 

Our first official stop was in San Martino sul Fiora, a small town with commanding views far above the countryside. On our way there however, we were stopped by a herd of sheep crossing the road.  It was really cool to watch.  First, 2 sheepdogs leading the herd came out on the road and barked at us to keep us away from the sheep. The sheep were right behind them, looked like a herd of 100 or so, followed by 2 more sheep dogs.  The lead set of dogs walked the sheep into the field on the other side of the road, while the back set of dogs kept us at bay.  Never saw anything like that before!

After a short water/picture stop in San Martino sul Fiora, we had a really fun downhill spin, leading us to the sulphur springs near Manciano.  A very different sight, with these hot sulphur springs feeding tiered pools filled with people taking their morning dips.  While it didn’t smell so good, the very warm water is said to have medicinal benefits…it would definitely loosen you up, a natural hot tub.

Another great climb into Manciano led to a soft descent to our lunch stop at Bar L’Estrusca, where many of us had great homemade pasta, bruschetta, fagioli and other things.  It’s amazing how much food one can pack away during these long rides, without gaining weight (I seem to still fit into my clothes at the end of the day…).

The weather woes that plagued us the last few afternoons were not an issue today, and we had great riding conditions after lunch.  Our ride into Porto Ercole was fairly flat and easy, except for an uphill through an upscale neighborhood just before we reached the sea.  Porto Ercole is like an island, but is connected by 3 natural bridges to the mainland.  We crossed over to it on one of those bridges, which is a national park, and we had no traffic to contend with…a very nice way to enter this beautiful seaside town.  

We all regrouped at a bar at the port, where our guides bought us beers to celebrate the completion of our sea to sea journey. 

Dinner was at the Hotel Don Pedro where we are staying.  A huge seafood feast, with lots of great wine to complement the meal, ending with limoncello.  Delizioso!!

Salute to all my riding mates and grazie di tutto to our wonderful guides Dana and Frank!

This has been a trip I will never forget, and I would do another Ciclismo Classico ride with Dana and Frank in a heartbeat! 

My friends from Philly stayed in Porto Ercole before heading to Rome then home Thursday, while Jeff’s family arrives in Florence from Pittsburgh on Wednesday then on to the Cinque Terre and northern Italy.  For me, it’s onward to Rome then to Puglia…stay tuned! 

Showers and Flowers

Buongiorno again, today is Sunday (Domenica) and we are in Sovana in Tuscany.

It has been a very interesting overnight and day.  I say overnight because, at around 2am, Orvieto got pounded, and I do mean pounded, by one of the most intense thunderstorms I have ever experienced.  The storm lasted about 20 minutes but seemed to last much longer, with direct lightning strikes that seemed to have our hotel zeroed in, along with a hail storm.  Whew, scary!  But we all survived to ride another day.

The day had good news and bad news.  The bad news was that most of us had to cut our ride short due to more rain and storms.  But the good news was really good, considering what we got to experience, as follows.

We descended from lofty Orvieto and had a great spin to a caffe’ stop at a small hill town called Lubriano.  To our pleasant surprise, they were having their Infiorata, which celebrates Madonna del poggio (Madonna of the hill).  It is a sister celebration to the larger one I mentioned a few days ago in Spello, only this time, it was happening as we got to town! The townspeople were putting the finishing touches on the street art, a continuous tapestry of colorful religious messages made of flower petals, leaves and colored sand.  It was amazing to see the beautiful results of all the planning and love put into the event.  The town is only 900 people (thanks Bepe for looking that up) and it appeared everyone had a part to play, whether to lay down the gorgeous designs, play in the marching band or walk with the priest in the procession.  Check out the pictures – we were so lucky to catch this glimpse of small town life in Italy!  By the way, I also had fun buying chestnuts (castagne) and candied hazelnuts (nocciola) from the local fruit and nut vendor, who, along with his old paesani, quickly identified me as a ‘Yankee’ but were very friendly and happy to know that our family is from Puglia.

From Lubriano, we finished our morning with a pleasant bit of climbing, then a beautiful, sweeping descent to Bolsena, a very pretty resort town on Lake Bolsena, an ancient volcano which became a lake.  We had lunch at a Sycamore tree and Hydrangea filled park on the shore of the lake, along with lots of Italians out enjoying the day.  From there, we climbed back out of the volcano/lake valley, and made it about 10K before the skies opened on us again.  Our guides, Franco and Dana, kept us safe, not without some stress to them, and a van ride got us safely to our destination, the Sovana Hotel and Resort in the small town of Sovana.  It is a beautiful little boutique hotel with lots of Roman and Etruscan ruins and great views of the Tuscan countryside.

We had dinner in Sovana, which was great as usual, chased by a taste of grappa.  We all helped Terry and Pat Delaney (part of the PA 6) celebrate their wedding anniversary, congratulations to them!

Tomorrow is the last leg of our journey across Italy.  We end at Porto Ercole (EHR-co-lay) on the Mediterranean Sea.  We’ve all had a great time and have made new friends from all over the US and the world (or at least Australia, thanks Peter and Deb).  And our guides, Dana Geraghty and Franco Yantorno, have been spectacular from the moment we met them, and have made the trip something really special.  Molte Grazie to them!

A domani! See you tomorrow!

Onward and upward (especially upward) to Orvieto

Hi again all. Trying to catch up on blog posts…internet access in the hotels in Todi and Orvieto have been sketchy at best, so I’m sitting in a bar with wifi access across from the duomo in Orvieto.

The day started with a surreal view from the hotel room of the Todi valley, totally fogged in.  It lifted quickly, and we were on our way down the hill from town on time.  After a fair amount of climbing, we stopped in a small medieval-looking hamlet called Prodo for cappucinos at an old school bar (a small combination grocery store/snack bar/coffee shop/bar) run by the 80-something owner and his son. From there, we continued to climb to Monte Pedlia, where we had another amazing view of the Umbrian countryside looking east, with the Appenine Mountain range behind that.  Italy seems to be one great scene after the other!  From there, we made an extremely fast descent, with a number of sharp hairpin curves, to the bottom of the valley, then on to Orvieto, an ancient Etruscan and Roman town perched on top of sheer rock cliffs.  Of course, the town is on top of the rocks (aren’t they all?), and we had to negotiate a long winding climb into town to finish off our ride.  The town was quite busy, as this is a holiday weekend of sorts, and lots of folks from Rome come to towns like this for the weekend.  Once in town, I was leading 3 of us to the ‘otel, which of course I did poorly and got us lost.  Oh, we found the hotel ok, we just had to walk our bikes through a wedding procession outside a church to get there….oops!

Our hotel is right across from the Cathedral, which probably has the most beautiful exterior in Italy (see the picture with the post).  After some much-needed refueling and a shower, we met the group for a tour of the cathedral, where our guides Franco and Dana explained its amazing history and artistry.  This was followed by a fascinating tour of some of the caves in Orvieto, a series of around 1,000 man-made caves the Etruscans cut into the soft volcanic tufo rock, and expanded on by later inhabitants.  The tunnels were used for places to keep animals, to store water and to hide when needed.

From there, we went to a hands-on mini pasta-making class with Chef Maurizio, who has a cooking show on Italian TV, followed by a tour of the caves under his restaurant and a wonderful dinner (which included the pasta we made!).  After that, the group dispersed for the best gelato on the ride (guide Franco says that in every town we go to) and to rest up for our ride to Sovana in Tuscany tomorrow.

Ciao ciao and Buonanotte!  Enjoy the pictures!