My Saturday morning walk was a poetry of colours. We’ve just stepped into May, so its only going to get better.
On Saturday afternoon, we got our second visit (this year) from Jehovah’s witnesses. The first visit surprised me, and I certainly never expected a second one. Who would imagine there would be Jehovah’s Witnesses in Italy. Not an easy job I’m sure. Hubby talked to them today, and politely sent them on their way. There aren’t many houses along our road, so I can’t imagine they converted anyone. Just as they left the church bells rang. I’m sure they must have felt defeated.
Sunday was beautiful. After some morning chores we decided to try a different cafe/bar for Aperitivo. I’ve glimpsed Bar Duerre Di Mariani many times as I’ve driven through Folignano. It’s just off the main road, and always looks lively. I’m glad we tried it out. Such a lively, happy, friendly place. We sat in the sun and enjoyed a couple of Proseccos, which of course came with salami, and bread slathered in olive oil. Hubby enjoyed it too. Another bar to put on our long list of places to re-visit. So many now, and all within ten minutes of home. I don’t think we’ve ever lived in such a lively area.
After lunch was cleared away I put my feet up after another full day. We always have something to do, even though we’re retired, but this is the way we like it. I can’t imagine sitting around all day doing nothing. Had we still been in Colorado I think we’d have been bored…or maybe I’d have spent more time on my orange Kubota…I do miss cutting those acres.
Friday morning was beautiful. Villa Lempa market was buzzing with conversation and laughter from both stall holders and shoppers. The locals hug me now and give me the double cheek kiss when they see me. It’s a good feeling. I didn’t think the double kiss would ever return after covid.
I always stop on the veggie stall, and the gentleman who serves me is quite the joker. When I asked him if his bunches of peppers were hot he looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said, “Sì, signora, per favore, provane uno.” (Yes, would you like to try one) I wasn’t going to of course, knowing he wanted to laugh at me when my mouth caught fire, but before I had chance to reply, his other customers reacted on my behalf. “NO! Non mangiarne uno, fa troppo caldo!” (No, don’t eat one, they are too hot) We all laughed. I bought a couple of bunches and made four small jars of hot sauce when I got home.
On Saturday, after a busy morning, we decided head down to Ascoli Piceno and chill. It was very hot, but it felt good. Hubby had a gelato at the best gelataria in town “Qui Si Gode”, which translates as “You can enjoy it here”, and enjoy it he did. We wandered a little, and then sat in Piazza Arringo, where I sipped a Prosecco, and watched the world go by.
Looking forward to Summer and long days on the beach, just hanging out, reading, and dipping my toes in the beautiful blue Adriatic…it won’t be long now.
Tuesday was a tough day. Our wonderful painters were almost finished, and our anticipation of putting the room straight again, was driving us crazy. The tired, nondescript creamy coloured walls have been covered with a beautiful bright shade of light grey. The room looks so much better, even furnished only with step ladders and scaffolding. I can’t wait to see my new light fittings on the freshly painted walls. I’m looking forward to hanging my artwork again. I long to relax on the sofa surrounded by my home comforts. Only 24 hours to go.
To make Tuesday a little better we went to Cubanito Bailon for lunch. For €15 we feasted on bread toasted with olive oil and served with ham, followed by spaghetti with a wild boar ragu, and finally a delicious veal steak, with side dishes of salad and fries. Oh, and of course half a litre of house wine, and a bottle of sparkling water is included. Such a good price for a wonderful meal.
Back home to make coffee for Mauro, our trustee painter. His son’s don’t drink coffee, but they do enjoy the dolce (desserts) that go with it. Today it was millionaire’s shortbread…try translating that into Italian. After several attempts, I settled on Biscotto dei milionari (Millionaire’s Biscuit).
On Saturday we decided to explore Marche a little more. Such a beautiful province. I picked Amandola, which is approximately an hours drive from our home on the Abruzzo Marche border. The town was a little bigger, and busier than we expected, but pretty. The mountain views from Amandola were stunning, and reminded me of Vail.
When you don’t know a town, especially in Italy, its always difficult to find somewhere to stop for pranzo (lunch). The restaurant we’d picked out was closed. Another two were were no longer there…oh dear! Thank heavens for smart phones. We jumped into the car, and headed to a restaurant just outside town called La Gorbe è L’ua. The directions took us to a Petrol Station. “This can’t be right.” hubby said as we pulled in. “It could be,” I replied, “We’ve eaten in a couple of good restaurants in Chieti province that were run by petrol stations. Remember that on in Fara San Martino?” I got out of the car to look a little more closely. There was a bar, but no restaurant. Then I saw a very faded sign pointing to my left. “We missed the turn, its down there,” I pointed to a huge parking lot, with buildings on either side. None of them looked like a restaurant, but at the very far end, we found was a quaint old gate covered in vines, and a sign for “La Gorbe è L’ua.”
The restaurant was a little off the beaten track, and obviously a favourite with the locals, just the sort of place we love. Because it was such a beautiful warm day, we were able to sit outside on their covered patio. Wonderful! I started with tortellini, cooked with mushrooms (funghi porchini), and hubby had spaghetti with bacon in a white sauce. Next my choice was porchetta (stuffed roasted pork), and hubby had stinco di miale (slow roasted pork shank). They came with rosemary roasted potatoes and bieta (chard). Everything was cooked to perfection. Not fancy, just good, local, Italian home cooking.
Hubby had two (or three) glasses of wine with his meal, so I stuck to water and drove home. We managed (thanks to Google) to take the scenic route. It took us twice as long, but the views were worth it. Marche and Abruzzo are vastly different when it comes to landscape. Abruzzo’s beauty is rugged, while Marche reminds me of Tuscany. The rolling hills are smooth and covered with vines and olive trees. It was a lovely drive.
What did I do when I got home? Rearranged the downstairs rooms, moving furniture. Why? Because thats the way I roll. I get an idea in my head and have to go with it.
Finally, at 5:30, I sat down in front of the fire and enjoyed a glass of Montepulciano. It had been a very full day.
This was our view while we ate our delicious, and very cheap, lunch.
Movies I loved and hated from the nineties… Groundhog Day – Loved Titanic – Hated with a vengeance The Shawshank Redemption – Brilliant! Edward Scissorhands – OMG, cried like a baby, but loved The Matrix – Like it more now than I did then Fargo – Brilliant Goodfella’s – Loved Notice I only listed one movie that I hated. There were also a few I was just indifferent about too. I really wanted to like Titanic, because I loved the haunting theme song by Celine Dione, but that movie just made me angry. I mean seriously, there was plenty of room for two people on that floating board.
Our neighbours always complain about February telling me it’s the coldest month of the year. The ten day forecast shows lots of sunshine. Of course its much colder at night, but I rarely venture out after dark in the winter. It has to be something pretty special to tempt my from the fire when its cold.
The first day of February was bright, beautiful, and cold. The month got off to a great start with some nice, uplifting comments from new friends, which helped blow away my January blues.
What is celebrated here in February? Saint Valentines Day of course, and then Carnevale! Martedi Grasso (Mardi Gras), commonly known as Shrove Tuesday is a huge celebration here, with lavish festivities, food, and lots of costumes. It marks the last day of Carnivale, and precedes Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday. I’m looking forward to being part of the celebration this year. I’ll keep you posted.
Of course today is Groundhog Day!!! I have not seen the crazy animal’s predictions this year, but I do remember the film.
Friday started out warm and breezy with lots of sunshine. I didn’t need a coat for my weekly trip to Villa Lempa market. The market is smaller in January, I think some stall holders take the month off. I bought local Veggies and then stopped at the porchetta van. (Un mezzo kilo) Half a kilo of porchetta, with crusty bread bought from my favourite bakery, made for a delicious lunch. Our local porchetta van is excellent, and in my opinion, the best in Abruzzo. Early in the afternoon, the sun disappeared behind an army of clouds. The horizon looked dark and ominous. Could we be getting some snow?
Saturday morning revealed a snow line just above our house. It looked like a sprinkling of fairy dust. Cold temperatures were predicted with a high of 2 degrees and an overnight low of minus 3. A day to sit by the fire.
The third photo above WAS NOT taken on Saturday, but sent to us by our friend Enzo. It was taken on January 17, 2017! Glad we missed it and we hope it doesn’t happen again!
The afternoon temperature climbed to a staggering 9 degrees. How could I not walk? Wearing my wooly hat with the big bobble on the top, I walked without feeling the cold. The locals always toot their horn, and wave as they drive past me, nice to be part of the community.
Pasta è Fagoli, the very best soup for the winter. I made enough for two days!
The look on this cat’s face says it all. I weighed myself on Tuesday morning, and of course, I’d put on a couple of pounds over Christmas. I ate far too much on Christmas day. Who doesn’t? The problem lies with the week after Christmas, when the house is full of treats I wouldn’t normally buy. Once I start eating those naughty things, I just can’t stop! Woe is me. It’s the same every year. By mid-January I always feel wobbly around the middle, and have to readjust my eating habits.
A couple of days ago, I took down my Christmas tree. Shame on me, it’s supposed to stay put until January 6th (epiphany). I do love my tree, but I love the Italian countryside even more, and wanted my view back. Once again I can see the villages nestling on the side of the mountain (with their Christmas lights still flickering). January 6th is more important than Christmas here in Italy. It is to celebrate the baptism of Christ.
Friday dawned with a beautiful glow. I made the most of it because I believe winter is about to hit us. What will I do with myself? I’ll be imprisoned in the house. Help! I’m awful to live with when I’m trapped indoors, but I can work on my book. It’s a strange thing, I love writing, but… afraid to finish my book. During the writing process my book becomes my best friend. When it’s finished I feel like I’m losing someone. Lets hope I’m not losing a friend, but sharing one with the world.
My other books are on Amazon waiting for company….Dead of July, Ghosts on the sand, and Princess Tess were all my practice books, the next book is the main event. Stand by for the title and release date. If you are a friend, I’ll be contacting you to ask if I can use your real name.
What a year! 2023 definitely had its ups and downs. Hubby and I worked hard. We built things, fixed things, replaced things and turned a rather neglected house into a beautiful home. It was a challenge, but one we enjoyed. Neighbours soon became friends, and stopped by to talk to us as we worked.
“You are bringing this house back to life.” They told us. That meant a lot to us. It made us feel accepted.
The house is warming to us, literally! Last winter we struggled with the big log fire and back boiler, but got used to it and now it works perfectly. It heats the whole house.
The area fits us like a glove. Its beautiful old towns, villages, and beach resorts are fun to explore. We’re settled and feel part of the local community. On her recent visit, our daughter was amazed at the diversity of the area, and friendliness of the locals. She can’t wait to come back.
This year I worked on the downstairs rooms, with a view to renting them out as an Airbnb! Then, when I’d finished, and saw how lovely they looked, I decided against it. The rooms are homely and inviting, and just the sort of place to welcome friends and family.
On Sunday December 31st I woke up feeling achy and tired…it seems hubby shared his cold/flu with me. I’m not coughing or sneezing, just achy. For lunch I cooked a hearty beef stew with lentils (Lenticchie). In Italy, eating lentils on New Years Eve is a tradition, and believed to bring good luck for the coming year. A little good luck never hurt anyone.
The last day of 2023 dawned beautiful and bright! What will next year bring? We’ll have to wait and see.
This has certainly been a week. I’ve fought with the devil (bad infection plus antibiotics), and won. For a couple of days I didn’t feel well enough to do much, but I didn’t waste time wallowing in misery. Instead I finished my Airbnb listing for Villa Joanna. It wasn’t easy to pick the right photos, and words, but I did my best. I’ll add a couple more photos when our magnificent painters are finished. When we bought this house last year, starting a b&b was not in our plans, but it seems like such a shame not to take advantage of the unused rooms. Its such a lovely home, why not share it. Hubby will still be able to use his office/gym on the ground floor, but the other three rooms (bedroom/bathroom/living room) will now be part of the B&B. I’m quite excited, and hope to meet lots of new people. I’m also looking forward to creating some new breakfast treats…who’d of thought I’d be looking a a new endeavour at my age…old gal, new tricks.
Our last year has been incredibly busy. We’ve explored new areas, made new friends and worked on making our new house a home. Hubby built his wood storage shed, which the locals have christened The Bat Cave. We see bats swooping past the window every night, but don’t know if they’ve made a home in the bat boxes yet. Our home is in the process of being painted. What a contrast! The colour at the top is the new colour, and the light colour below, is the one being replaced. I love it.
Now I need to focus on my other projects.
My writing! I work on my book for at least thirty minutes every day. It’s a lovely way to remember all the great things that have happened since we moved to Abruzzo. I’ve already written over 230 pages, and probably have 230 more to write…quite the novel. In 2020/2021 I was busy writing a silly dog story called “Princess Tess and her Mess”, so didn’t start on my “Italy” book until last year. This made the first 100 or so pages quite difficult because I had to remember the order in which things happened. I dug deep into my memory banks to make sure I didn’t miss anything! The people we made friends with in Colledimezzo, our first home in Italy, will be in my heart forever. Some, sadly, are no longer with us.
B&B Villa Joanna! I also need to focus on Villa Joanna again and complete the posting on Air B&B. I hope to open to guests in May next year.
Moving to a new area is daunting when you’re older. I was sixty three when we moved to Colledimezzo. That was three years ago. We never expected to move again, but here we are, starting afresh. My sixties have been fun, exciting years. I know lots of people who are having just as much fun in their seventies…oh and one or two in their eighties.
Travel Tales and Mishaps 