I’ve been blaming my aches and pains on growing old. Past x-rays on my neck have shown osteoarthritis, so I blame a lot on that too. Lately the pain has worsened in my hips and legs, especially at night, making it difficult to sleep. Finally, on Friday, I decided to visit the doctor, just in case there was something else going on. My doctor is a very accomplished older gentleman, and always has a twinkle in his eye. “Good Morning,” he said when I entered his surgery. He likes to practice his English. “Buongiorno,” I replied…I like to practice my Italian We managed to talk, mainly in Italian today, smattered with a little English. After examining my back he wrote me prescription for pain medication…but only to be taken three times. “Stasera, domani sera e dopodomani!” (tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after tomorrow) It reminded me of the three antibiotic powders I got for my kidney infection earlier in the year. I had been dubious that three powders would work, but they blew that infection right out of the water. He also wrote me a prescription for and x-ray. As I left I wished him a “Buon fine settimana.” (Have a good weekend.) He responded in English, “You too!” Then he stood up and made a shape with his arms and shoulders like a strong man and said… “And your strong friend, I hope he has a nice weekend too!” I laughed all the way to the car. I suppose “my strong friend” is hubby. Hubby has only visited this doctor once, for his annual physical exam, and the doctor told him he told him he was like a fish. We never did find out what that meant, but I think it was a compliment! After my doctor’s visit, hubby and I went shopping to Gran Sasso Shopping Center. I needed a couple of things for the breakfast room in our Airbnb, and had seen them on line in a sale at “Casa” one of my favourite home stores. It was a quick, but successful trip. We ate “poke” for lunch…a first for hubby, but he really enjoyed it.
I’m becoming more and more impressed with Italian healthcare. On Friday night, I took the first pill as instructed, and for the first time in months I slept without pain! The pills are a combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol, never heard of them before, but they’re effective. What a difference a good night’s sleep makes.
A few things have been updated in our Airbnb. We’re still don’t intend open to guests until May 2024, but things are taking shape.
I though my sleep pattern was back to normal…wrong! On Tuesday morning I woke abruptly up to the sound of banging. What the heck is hubby up to now? Has he started early on another project? It was still dark! I picked up my phone to see what time it was. 7:20 am! Pretty late for me to be still sleeping. The banging was hubby emptying the coffee grounds after making my cappuccino. Bleary eyed, I got out of bed! I don’t like sleeping past seven, and normally it doesn’t happen. I guess my sleep pattern is changing, or I’m still jet lagged! All I could think of was: Wake up you sleepy head Put on some clothes, shake up your bed Put another log on the fire for me I’ve made some breakfast and coffee (Oh You Pretty Things, David Bowie, Hunky Dory) I can hardly be referred to as “a pretty thing”, but I was definitely a sleepy head on Tuesday morning. I went for a walk to wake myself up, only three kilometres, but it worked. I walked through the little village of Collevirtù, passing the old laundry plaza on the way. Of course everyone has washing machines now, but back in the day, the villagers gathered in the plaza to wash their clothes. As I walked by the old building, I could imagine the lively chatter as they worked. I love how history remains here.
On Tuesday evening, we lit the fire for the first time since our new boiler and controller was fitted, and something was not working right! Or maybe we didn’t understand how to control the thermostat. We have a huge wood burning fireplace, which also heats the radiators. The boiler, behind the fireplace, kept overheating and sounding an alarm. UGH! Pierro, our trusty plumber and local genius, is visiting us at 8 am tomorrow morning. Lets hope it is a simple fix.
Tomorrow is another day…as one beautiful actress used to say!!!! Let it be a better one.
I just finished reading an article about slow travel, and it made me smile. The concept is not to rush around and see as many things as you can while on vacation, but to take time to smell the roses.
This is exactly what hubby and I have always done. It helped us fall in love with Italy. We’d eat in the same restaurant as often as possible, sometimes taking extra long lunches, (easy to do in Italy), and just watch the world go by. The article got me thinking about my Bed and Breakfast idea. We aren’t in the middle of a town, or village, but very close to many. I could put together a list of local attractions and restaurants that serve traditional cuisine, and help tourists find a happy balance of sightseeing and relaxing, but all in the same area. Ascoli Piceno and Civitella del Tronto are very close, as are countless mountain villages with hiking trails. San Giacomo and Monte Piselli, the ski resort, hiking area is located on the mountain behind us. Hilltop villages abound. The coastline along the Adriatic boasts of beautiful towns such as San Benedetto del Tronto, Tortoreto, Giulianova, Martinsicuro and Grottamare.
I’m already working on making our outside space beautiful…well more beautiful, with our views its already gorgeous. I need to add some outdoor furniture, and maybe a grill for people to use. It is a wonderful spot to get away from the world. I’d only host one couple at a time, so they would have the garden to themselves, where they could ponder the world with a glass of wine and listen to the sound of goat bells jingling as the shepherd passes by with his flock.
If you’re not on the very southern tip, Italy can get cold in the winter. Here at higher elevations, on the Abruzzo/Le Marche border, January and February are decidedly chilly.
Our Kitchen, dining and living area are all in one big room, which is perfect because it means more together time instead of being in different rooms. It also means only one area to heat…but it is a huge area.
We have an enormous wood burning fire place, which heats the water and radiators, but there is one area of the room that is always cold and seems to suck the warmth from the rest of the room. I’m certain it would be warm enough for most people, but we aren’t most people, we feel the cold.
For thirty years, in Colorado, we had the warmest home I’ve ever lived in. Most of that heat came from a single, cast iron, wood burning stove, which was set in the corner of our open plan living area. When it was burning, the heat radiated up to the master bedroom too, keeping the whole house toasty. I’m sure it would be too warm for most people, but for us it was perfect. We’ve never found another home quite so warm.
Every one is different, and for us, a warm house is very important. Yes, we could keep the radiators on longer, but that would mean feeding logs to the big fireplace all day. Keeping the big fireplace burning all day is just overkill. The other alternative is to let the gas boiler do the work, but at the moment, gas is too expensive to use for any length of time. We’ve been using a bottled gas stove in the “cold corner” for a couple of weeks, and it warms the area up a treat, making the rest of the room comfortable too. It was an experiment…and a successful one.
On Wednesday morning we made a trip to Progetto Fuocco in Cepagatti (just outside Pescara). It is a store that specialises in heating solutions, and was recommended to us by Vincenzo Porfilio, the “Engineer” of Colledimezzo. Such a smart man, who always has a solution. We first visited the store in Winter 2021 when we were thinking of putting an insert insert into one of the fireplaces in our Colledimezzo house. The people who own this store are experts, and very professional. On both visits we were helped by an English gentleman, who has lived in Italy much longer than we have. I think he’s the technician, and doesn’t normally get involved with sales, but because our Italian is not yet fluent, he jumped in. Lovely man!
We looked at one or two stoves, not wanting anything too big or too fancy, and managed to find the perfect solution. A medium sized, free standing, wood burning, cast iron stove. Not sure when we’ll get it fitted, but I’m looking forward to it, a nice little stove will make the room cosy all day when we’re home.
Cost? We buy firewood anyway, so no difference there. Cost to buy and install? Two winters should make up for what we spent. Now we can light it on a chilly morning, let it smoulder all day, and then use the big fire in the evening to heat up the radiators.
January 30th, only one more day to go and I’m free of this wretched month (Sorry January).
Despite the bright sunshine, it was a little on the chilly side first thing, but I can tolerate chilly if the sun is shining. We decided to start the week with a drive to Teramo. I needed to get January out of my head and a smile on my face.
Unless you know Teramo well, parking isn’t easy, and the town is always busy. We managed to find underground parking, ugh I’m claustrophobic, felt like I was being buried alive. Hubby always parks in such a way that that there is little to no chance of anyone door dinging him, or scratching the car…he’s worse than me, if thats even possible. I’m well known as a fussy parker. Finally, he approved a parking spot and we arose from our underground dungeon. I breathed the fresh air and got ready to explore, then hubby started back down the steps again… “I’m just going to check where we pay.” “We got a ticket when we came in.” I said. “Yes, but I want to make sure we know how to get out.” He is a very methodical man. After five minutes or so he returned with an exit plan. “There’s a machine, and also a cashier, we can pay at either.” I proceeded to follow him around lovely cobbled streets of Teramo. We set off together, but I often stop to take photos, very often, so pretty soon he was way ahead of me. There are occasions when I look up and hubby is nowhere to be found, so now I snap a photo of him to see in which direction he’s heading (see above for the pic with the dark figure striding away from me). Racing around the streets of Teramo gave us an appetite, so we stopped for lunch, a burger of all things. Haven’t had one of those since I left the US.
We sat in the sun soaked piazza, enjoying a juicy burger, while being dive bombed by hungry pigeons. Many people were out and about, enjoying the sunshine, and each others company. Lots of chatter and laughter. If only it were March, and not January!
When we got home I could feel those burger calories sitting on my stomach, so I went for another walk, minus my quick stepping tour guide.
Gorgeous afternoon.
If you’re old enough to remember the sixties…you’ll swoon at Robert Redford playing the Sundance Kid. Those were the days. Have a happy week everyone…spring is on the way.
I woke up on Monday morning with a bang. Literally! What was that? It was still dark! Must be the middle of the night. No, wrong kind of dark. Misty and white. Ugh! I thought the snow was over. No such luck. There was a blizzard blowing outside. Not a blizzard by Colorado standards, but a blizzard none the less. Hubby was already in the kitchen making coffee. “I closed the shutters because they were banging.” he said when he saw me. That must have been what woke me up.
There was nowhere we needed to be, so hubby set up the fire ready to light. I messaged my friend Gabriella to ask her if this is normal weather for winter in this area…or if this winter is special. “È normale, passerà.” (It is normal, it will pass). She replied.
Moment of panic!!! The power went off! Came back within thirty seconds, thank heavens. We were sometimes without power for days in rural Colorado. I was preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best!
Hubby braved the elements to bring in some logs. We keep them outside covered with a tarp. Rather him than me, he’s my hero this morning. We stocked up with with wood during the summer, mainly because as we saw everyone else was doing the same. We just followed suit, and are glad we did. The main source of heating locally is provided by wood burning stoves and log fires. In many cases, like ours, the wood burners also heat the hot water and radiators. Cheaper than gas.
The blizzard has blown itself out now, leaving a few remaining clouds. I can see the Adriatic from my terrace again. Didn’t last long I’m pleased to say. I ventured out for a walk, it was beautiful!
I still walk every day, not just because the doctor told me you must walk, but because I enjoy it so much. Each day, even on the same route, my view is a little different. The fresh air and exercise helps to soothe my poor troubled mind. Why is it troubled? Because my dreaded Birthday is almost here again. Why do I do hate my Birthday? Many reasons, and try as I might to wake up in good humour, I can’t. I know, in my previous blog I said I’d celebrate, but it is difficult. I choose to celebrate life instead, and maybe on different day.
The chimney sweep arrived on Thursday morning. We had arranged to meet him at the bar along the road at 11:30, but he arrived at our house bright and early at 9:30 instead. I’d just stepped out of the shower. Thank heavens hubby was around. He was a lovely young chappie, and seemed to do a thorough job. Time will tell.
On Friday (the thirteenth), I drove down to Ascoli Piceno to do my weekly grocery shopping…and got pulled over by the Carabinieri. I wondered if I was in trouble for speeding because I came under a bridge and around the corner like a bat out of hell. I have a lead foot, which gets heavier as I get older. Anyway, the young officer held out his “lollipop” indicating he wanted me to stop. This is the third time I’ve been pulled over since we moved to Italy, and second time in less than a year. I handed over my drivers license, insurance and registration and waited for a speeding ticket. No ticket, it was just a document check. When I was pulled over by the police in the US, I was a nervous wreck because it would always end in a hefty fine for something, or a visit to court. The nice young gentleman who pulled me over on Friday morning returned my documents, smiled, and wished me a bel pomeriggio (nice afternoon). It was all over in a jiffy. No, the uniformed gentleman above is not the officer who pulled me over, but…you can see why it is quite a pleasant experience can’t you!
On Saturday we wandered around the Antiques Market in Ascoli Piceno. It was very busy. The market was actually a little disappointing, but the sun shone down on us, and we explored parts of the town we hadn’t visited before. There really is a lot to see. After wandering around some neighbourhoods, we found a nice restaurant, off the beaten track. “How about lunch?” I said to hubby. “Sounds like an excellent idea,” he replied, “we can celebrate your birthday early.” The entrance to the restaurant was off the street in a little alleyway, and it looked closed. The door was open, but when we went inside, other than an an old gentleman polishing the cutlery, there was no one to be seen. “Allora.” he kept shouting, trying to get the attention of someone else in the restaurant. A waitress appeared and seated us. Glad we were the first to arrived because the restaurant soon filled up. Our lunch was delicious. Fresh, well cooked, and made even better by a couple of excellent glasses of Pecorino. We relaxed, people watched, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. The test of every meal for hubby, is how good the panna cotta tastes. La Torre passed the test with flying colours. I’m sure we’ll be back.
We strolled back through town and made our way to the car. Now we’re home, the fire is lit and we’ll have a nice relaxing afternoon, which may be interrupted by the occasional sound of a rifle being fired. The wild boar hunters are out today. Cinghiale (wild boar) are quite a problem in this area and every weekend the hunters are out trying to keep the population down. The joys of country living.
Have a lovely weekend everyone. Make someone’s day with a smile.
No, its not summer, just another beautiful day in Abruzzo. First two photos were taken at Tortoreto Lido, and the third is the Sunday morning view from our home. January is being kind to us.
We didn’t plan to go anywhere on Friday, but it was a holiday here in Italy (Epiphany), so we decided to treat it like one and took a drive to Tortoreto, a seaside town on the Teramo coast. Hubby drove the backroads, and the surrounding countryside along the way was breathtaking. So green it didn’t look real. We were surrounded by grapevines and olive groves. I wish I’d taken photos!
The seafront at Tortoreto Lido was dotted with people enjoying a walk by the sea under the cloudless blue skies. Next time we’ll take our bikes. The Adriatic coastline in northern Abruzzo and southern Le Marche is my favourite place to be. One beautiful town spills into the next. We haven’t visited them all yet, but intend to. So far Grottammare, San Benedetto del Tronto and Tortoreto have not disappointed. I don’t need to take long flights to visit beautiful places anymore, I’m already here. Now the only flights I need to take, are to visit my daughter in Denver. We lived south of Denver for almost thirty years, enjoying great views of the Rocky Mountains.
After our walk we stopped for coffee and dolce before heading home to cook a late lunch. I’m practicing some new dishes because we have our first little soiree in a couple of weeks. Hubby invited our friends Helga and Enzo to have lunch with us. Not only are they Italian, so food is important, but Helga is also a talented chef by profession. No pressure on me right! I love to cook, so it will be OK!
Saturday’s sunlight was filtered through mists, but it wasn’t cold. The stores in Ascoli Piceno were still full of bargain hunters, but we braved them (yes hubby came too), and we found one or two bargains ourselves. On the way home we stopped off at McDream Cafe in Villa Lempa for aperitivo, which was fulfilling enough to be lunch. Wine and food for two people, all for six euro…how can that even be possible? It gave me the energy I needed to do a little more landscaping in the garden when I got home. I know, I never stop do I? It will all be worth it when its finished. My final paradise? If the electricity and gas costs keep rising it may be paradise lost! We’re extremely careful with the use of both, but at the moment, it seems to make no difference! Do we thank Putin for this or is it just a case of utility company greed?
Utilities are costing more than food right now! Smile folks, we’re alive.
Gloomy days help us appreciate the good ones. On Saturday we were blanketed in mist and it rained for most of the day. I hate been stuck indoors, but no point being miserable. I wandered around the house looking at things we’ve done, and planning things we still need to do.
The garden looks dismal in the mist, but its groomed and free of weeds. When we moved here the pretty stone retaining walls weren’t even visible. I can’t wait to plant more flowers and bushes. We replaced three dark nasty hallway lights with these bright cheerful creations, which cast a lovely pattern over the ceiling and walls.
And on another note…for those of. you who watched France beat England on Saturday…please join me in sending positive thoughts to Morocco for Wednesday. I want them to humiliate France and beat them badly. Not just because France were the victors over England, but because of their attitude during the game. I really didn’t like it. OK, I know they are probably the best team in the world right now, but I didn’t like their arrogance. Olivier Giroud was a gentleman, but the rest of them were petulant and annoying. Let the final be between either Croatia or Argentina, and Morocco. I’m not one of the multitude of people who has a grudge agains the French, generally I like them a lot, but I didn’t like their attitude on Saturday. Lets have a World Cup Final without them. I don’t know why I watch football, it always gets me all wound up!
Sunday morning rose from the mists and became a bright and beautiful day. We drove to a Christmas market in Sant’egidio Val Vibrata. Big disappointment! After a quick walk around the stalls we headed to the town of Teramo, just to explore. We were pleasantly surprised by a wonderful Christmas Market in the town centre, complete with ice rink and music. I enjoyed the town tremendously. It reminded me of Munich, but a much smaller version of course. We are so lucky to have so many picturesque towns within a short driving distance. Now I can add Teramo to my list of favourite places.
We had a tasty lunch in a restaurant called Pesciolillo https://www.pesciolillo.it/ before driving home. Pesciolillo is a new restaurant which serves a variety of delicious seafood sandwiches, and poke dishes. Lester went for a sandwich, (wish I’d taken a photo), and I had a sashimi poke. It made a change from Italian food.
I’m trying to spread the Christmas Spirit because it seems many are having trouble finding it this year. The last two years have been brutal, may the next one dance in with a smile.
Wouldn’t you think with all of this beauty around me I’d be able to relax? I wish! Only exhaustion slows me down. Walking, riding my bike and now tending to my garden help tire me out, but if my brain is still on overdrive after all of that activity…I write. This old brain is always full of words and ideas bursting to be released. If I didn’t write, my head would explode.
Speaking of writing, the first fifty pages of my new book are written, read, re-read and edited…now it’s time to do the same with the next fifty. Winter should be a good time to write. Unfortunately it’s also a good time to get things done indoors, like painting! Ahhh, like I said, I can’t relax.
This morning I spent a couple of hours wandering around the market and shops of Ascoli Piceno. Hubby had other things to do, so I went on my own. When I arrived I did the Italian thing of standing at the bar drinking a coffee to set myself up for my walk around town. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The market is spread out through the whole of Ascoli, and there is a new and different stall around every corner. Today it was very busy, and of course, the Christmas goods are on display. It was lovely. Markets weren’t a big think in the US, so having two so close (Ascoli Piceno and Villa Lempa), is a real novelty to me.
I visited a couple of art shops too, there are plenty to choose from, and found this colourful painting of Freddie Mercury. It was painted on burlap and very eye catching. No, I didn’t buy it, pensioners have to be careful how they spend their money…but I was tempted.
Travel Tales and Mishaps 