My husband comes with many talents and home renovation is definitely high on that list. Recently, his skills in painting and tiling have factored into the updating of our master bathroom, entrance hall and kitchen. We discussed our ideas for the new look and he is was full steam ahead. Yes, Tim Allen (The Tool Man) is one of his heroes.
We’ve been pushing hard on updates, as we have decided to sell our home here in Roccaspinalveti and move closer to the Adriatic Sea, in turn being closer to my San Salvo cousins. It’s been a tough decision but one we knew would eventually come, just not so soon. Four years ago, when we were looking for a house to buy in Abruzzo, our intention was to downsize from our chalet-style home in Virginia and find a country house primarily for just the two of us with one or two guest rooms. Finding this home here in the Frentani Mountains of Abruzzo, didn’t actually scream ‘downsize’. It was much larger than we needed and it came with two apartments and a large backyard. But the deal was too good to pass up, the views outstanding and the house was move-in ready. The lower apartment, we successfully rented out short term through Airbnb and Booking.com. During this time, I found out that I had cousins from my mother’s family living in San Salvo. What a wonderful discovery. The desire to move closer to them naturally evolved and it has certainly intensified these past two years with COVID restrictions. Now the goals for updating our home here in Rocca are a sweet response to us finding family!
As the house is about 45 years old, there was some cosmetic updating to be done along with a few major additions, such as adding a new boiler and double-glazed windows to our living space. After we stripped the old wallpaper and gave all the walls fresh paint, John was ready for some major tiling work.
To give the house more flow from one room to the next, we decided to over-tile the kitchen, entrance hall all the way into the bathroom. As original tile had been placed into concrete, there was no easy way to remove it. We opted to tile over the old, which is a very common method here. Our go-to source for tile at a reasonable price delivered was Edilizia Del Gesso srl in nearby Gissi, a great family-run builders supply company. John was able to get not only the tile off the lot, but the proper primer, adhesive and grout to insure a successful installation.
Before – We actually loved our original kitchen tile, but it was way too soft to stand up to heavy traffic. As you can see, each space had a different tile as do all the rooms on this main floor. We felt that the kitchen space, hallways and eventually the master bathroom should all flow with one tile.
Work in progress and completion – John primed the old tile in order to prepare for the new tile to adhere. The edges of the new tiles were beveled where they met rooms with original tiles.
Once John completed the hall & kitchen tiling project, he was ready to renovate our master bathroom. This bathroom was originally all pink, a color very popular years ago. We decided a more tranquil color scheme would work for us and future owners. Pink toilet and bidet were replaced with a white toilet and bidet wand. We purchased special epoxy tile paint (online from Leroy Merlin supplies) to cover the pink & brown flowered tiles with a cream color, while other original tiles where covered with a stunning faux stone porcelain purchased from same building supply in Gissi. Floor tiles would be a continuation of the hall project. The two cabinets were spray painted a cream color very similar to the painted tile and plaster walls were painted a calming sand/mocha color.
The bathroom consists of two rooms joined by a very narrow opening. The front room features the sink, medicine cabinet and toilet, with the second room containing a small accordion-style shower. This I wanted to replace with a deep soaking bathtub and shower combo. We were able to buy the perfect tub online from Manomano as well as the duel-head shower system. John opened up the narrow doorway between these two rooms with an archway for an elegant look. You’ll see in the pictures below where he added a step for us to enter the deeper style tub/shower combo. An old window that connected a hallway to the bathroom had to be removed and the opening blocked in and tiled over. John finished the renovation with a glass enclosure (Amazon.it), towel warmer and floor tile. I am very spoiled with my own personal Tool Man!
As this was John’s last major project inside, he went to tackle the outside house painting. He is fearless on long ladders, both when he built our home in Virginia as well as painting here. I did give a huge sigh of relief when his ladder work was finished.
House is now freshly painted, flowers are happily blooming with all the recent rain and we are out hiking again. The house is on the market with the wonderful agency out of San Salvo – Abruzzo Rural Property. Our dear friend and agent Monia di Guilmi helped us find our home here in Roccaspinalveti and now she will be showing it to perspective buyers and handling its sale. The listing is lovely with great pictures! Take a peek😀
We will keep you posted as things progress with our next exciting adventure. Roccaspinalveti has been an amazing place to live. It has truly been our home for these past 4 years and we will miss so much about it; friends made, mountains hiked, enjoying the views from our home, and just the pure essence of living in this mountain town in Abruzzo. We will be certain to return for many a visit!
Four great dogs… my friends, my confidants, my fuzzy children.. unforgettable. My search dogs, now all gone from this earth, but not from our hearts. My last, dear Romeo, was the best of my best. His love and devotion reached deep into our hearts and souls, making the journey from here over the Rainbow Bridge a difficult but precious one during his last few weeks.
But not only having to say goodbye to our dear boy, but also a final goodbye to a way of life for close to 30 years. I may have not been active in search and rescue for the past 4- 1/2 years living here in Italy, but with Romeo by my side, we never truly left that life. Now that chapter is finished and we have turned the page, as sad as it may seem to be at this very moment.
So why, apart from missing my 4 great dogs, would this be important enough to write about? What was the Search and Rescue that gave substance to my life for so many years?
It began with the woods and dogs, both which I were very comfortable with. When I was young, I would camp out in the backyard. I’m sure some of you have done that. Dad must have seen something of himself in me so when I was a preteen, he took me on my first hike up a mountain. I didn’t do a lot of mountain hiking until I was an adult, but the hook had been set. Mom wasn’t big on us having pets, so once I got married, all bets were off. I’ve had dogs all my adult life.
Let me take you back to the early 90’s. I had been actively looking for a volunteer group to join, to give back to the community where I was living in central Virginia. Being more of an outdoors person, nothing offered at my church seemed to call to me. At some point during that period, a friend of mine asked me if I had ever heard of searching for lost people with dogs. I was clueless. I went to a local training held by Dogs East SAR group in northern Virginia. It was a night training. Many of the callouts for searches are at night, as usually the family looks for their missing person during the day, then when unable to locate their family member, they call the local sheriff’s office by the evening. This makes night training essential for the teams.
After watching a handler and her dog locate a volunteer ( the subject) hiding in the woods, seeing the dog return to the handler, indicate the ‘find’ with a jump, and returning to the subject with the hander, I was totally onboard. No going back for me. My first search dog was an adoption from a work partner; a washed-out gun dog, a sweet, somewhat confused Labrador named Buck. We became candidates for Dogs East SAR group, but after a few months we moved to K9 Alert SAR Dogs located closer to my home near Richmond. This group then became my family for the next 26 years, with a brief absence with my third dog, Orso. I will explain that decision in a bit. Buck and I, after two years (this is about normal) became an operational team for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, as eventually my second and fourth dogs, Luce & Romeo.
So it began all about woods and dogs but it morphs into so much more! Little did I envision how much more it would mean to me and what it would require of me! Take land navigation.. when I first was introduce to all its complexities, I was certain I was hearing a foreign language. I felt out of my league immediately. I knew how to have a dog as a pet, but to train it to search and locate lost people, a new world opened up to me. There was search strategy & scent theory, First Aid, dog obedience, multiple search tests for both my dog and I, radio comms, evac strategies and techniques, the list goes on and on. Throughout my 27 years of active service, I never stopped learning.
K9 Alert SAR Dogs – early 1990s & 2000s
Level of commitment was high. We were required to train with the group 50% per month and training was every Saturday night or Sunday day. Location for training could be 20 minutes up to 3 hours from my home. Searches could be anywhere in the state of Virginia. Volunteer work is not for the faint of heart or for those with a family of small children. Just many hours on call and lots of driving ahead. For me, with my daughter already grown and my husband a busy chef, I was able to balance training commitments, searches with my career & family life. Not always easy, though.
About 18 years into my membership with K9 Alert SAR Dogs, my husband and I were building our home in Nelson County, Virginia. Literally we were building it with a few helpers, and it was a large home on a mountainside. Training with the group, traveling long distance, the time commitment and doing statewide searches had to be put on hold for about 5 years. I was in the midst of training my third dog, Orso, a monster-sized Labrador. I shifted gears, got certified with a police dog association and became a Special K9 Officer (strictly volunteer) for the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. During this time with NCSO, with Mike Hull, a world renowned Man Tracker and Massie Saunders, local search manager, we formed the local search group, F.I.R.S.T., Fast Initial Response Search Team. We assisted the local sheriff’s office as well as responded to a few regional searches.
Nelson County Sheriff Office
With fourth and final search dog, Romeo, and our house completed, I returned to K9 Alert for my final active years in SAR.
Training
Then there were the solid bonds built between me and the people of SAR, whether in my group or throughout the state. When you spend so many hours together, whether training or at searches, it’s inevitable that you come to view your group members as your extended family. There are also the friendships made from people you’ve seen throughout your travels in the SAR community. All these individuals become part of your support network and many lifetime friends. Searching for lost individuals can be very taxing on the mind and body, and it is important to have strong trusting relationships in the field.
Friends Made…for Life
But truly the strongest and incomparable bond I had was with each of my amazing dogs. Each one so different from the other, with their own talents, strengths and personalities. They so love to work when their rewards are food, toys and praise… Training with them was always the best part of SAR for me, and their devotion to me and their work unfathomable. I am sure all handlers feel the same about their dogs and rightly so. We are a team, my dog and I.
My Guys & Gal
The chapter may have closed but it doesn’t end my friendships and I will certainly not forget my dogs. Nor will my husband, John. With his support and sacrifice for so many years, I was able to commit long hours to my dogs and SAR, many of those hours away from home. Our dogs will always be a part of us. I am thankful that I was able to serve the community of Virginia and very thankful for the gift of my four great dogs.
Sadly, Romeo crossed the Rainbow Bridge January 15, 2022, but we know that he is happy and running pain free with his litter mates, Isla and Buddy, and most certainly with our Orso, Luce and Buck.
A little over three years ago, we purchased our lovely home here in Roccaspinalveti, but in actuality it took us 4 years prior to our purchase to actually find it.
While we were in the process of retiring from out careers in Virginia, selling our chalet home in the mountains with thoughts of downsizing in Abruzzo, I had been already cruising some excellent home sites and creating our top 20 home list. A few houses kept coming up on that list over time and a few I should have crossed off as way too big for just two old retired folks! .
So we moved to Abruzzo, rented a farmhouse and started to look at houses with a few realtors and ended up, happily, here in Roccaspinalveti with a house of two complete apartments! What can I say… we couldn’t resist the view, great condition of this more modern house (built in mid’70s), the price (which I had followed for three years as it slowly came into our budget), good size yard, private parking area, etc. We were hooked. Now what should we do with the apartment below us?
Certainly, family and friends would come to visit us here in wild Abruzzo! They could stay with us and have their own apartment with privacy and the dynamite view. Good thought but it didn’t look like a lot of takers from the get-go. Friends dream but reality of a busy life in the US prevented them from coming over. We planned to visit the US and family planned to come to see us but then COVID hit and plans were crushed. As we are very avid promoters of this area, we then decided to offer the apartment on Airbnb & Booking.com. And we did! And it was a grand success! Why?
John and I both have strong hospitality backgrounds, with John as a professional chef and I had worked at a B&B as well as Customer Service/Tour guide at Virginia Distillery. Both of us have OC tendencies so offering a sparkling clean accommodation with numerous amenities was just something we fell into naturally. We gave the apartment a name: Case Serre Holiday Apartment; Serre being the neighborhood that we lived in. It offers its own private entrance and parking area, long balcony looking out over the mountains and hills of southern Abruzzo… our backyard. Here are a few pictures of the apartment and view.
The perks were many: meeting wonderful folks, promoting the area and artists, offering a relaxing and comfortable accommodation where only one B&B existed in town, and having extra income to help with our upgrades in our home. Most of our bookings were from the US, UK and Italy, with a few other countries mixed in. We had guests who came to relax and hardly leave the property. Others went hiking, headed to the beach for the day, went house hunting, and others came to work in the area. The list was varied with such lasting experiences they enjoyed as well as for us, meeting and hosting them.
John and I divided the labor. I did all the social media & website, handled the bookings, laundry, making up beds, restocking. John did all the refurbishing, maintenance, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, vacuumed. We realized, after the first season, we had to set a minimum of 2 nights for a booking. It just took too long to clean, and then turn the apartment around to be rebooked after just one night. We had space to accommodate 6 guests, but changed the setup to only allow up to 4 guests the following season. Again, a lot of work with not much return when you consider that I was doing all the laundry.
Even during COVID, we stayed open. We added self-checkin with a lockbox for the keys. Guests had instructions sent to them prior to arrival and also instructions in the apartment. We’d greet our guests across the courtyard, but we all maintained our distance. So we had three great years, with exceptional ratings by Airbnb & Booking.com. Our guests couldn’t have been kinder with their reviews!
So, why did we close after just three years if things were going so great? Apart from the stringent COVID cleaning regulations, which most days left me exhausted, there was the lack of privacy. As the apartment was part of our home, we felt it essential to maintain a level of quietness on our part in order to ensure our guests were not disturbed. Also, our immediate backyard was basically off limits to us as it was part of the package for our guests. Outside management may be worth considering for those thinking of doing this type of rental. It takes the pressure off of you and you have your freedom to travel. We just couldn’t work that into our pricing during COVID, but it is definitely one way to manage a holiday apartment.
Then there were the minor damages, breakage, staining, and theft. The majorities of these were never brought to our attention and only found after the guests checked out. Did we use our insurance to cover? Not worth it was it because it was never large enough but certainly annoying enough. I think if we had done this fulltime while we were younger, it may not have been so taxing. But at our age… retirement…we just didn’t need the hassle. Now these guests were not the norm and we had many wonderful guests, but it was just time for us to move on to another adventure. I have to proudly say that we did this rental well. We had many positive reviews and high scores with both Booking.com and Airbnb. So we felt it was time to close on a high note and we are very grateful and thankful to the wonderful guests we were able to host.
Roccaspinalveti now has a couple more rentals and B&Bs and we are happy to see this trend in our town. There is just so much to see and experience and we hope folks will continue to make their way to this part of Abruzzo.
The winter is now upon us and we are working on a few more upgrade projects in our home. We’ll keep you posted of our next adventure here. Until then have a blessed Christmas and Holiday Season!
A tribe is a group of people, or a community with similar values or interests, a group with a common ancestor, or a common leader.
K9 Alert SAR Dogs 2015,.. A tribe of mine for many years in the United States
A clan is a group of people of common descent; family.
My father’s family, Giordano, mid 1900’s Brooklyn
During this scorching, record-breaking, hot, dry summer, we simmered under our ceiling fans day and night. Any thoughts of writing a post for this blog were clouded by the mind-fogging weather. Finally we got a break with cooler Fall temperatures arriving. We are functioning again.
With the isolation from both the earlier COVID restrictions and just surviving this latest heat wave (of three months), I had plenty of time to reflect. What I came to realize is that I don’t like being cut off from humanity, even though I do enjoy my solitary walks. I’m sure most people felt the same about isolation. But now that we are able to go out and be with friends and family, I found that I was experiencing a huge disconnect with my Italian friends with my rusty language skills. That’s all changing now, as as I meet up with my Italian speaking friends, whether we’re out hiking or meeting at one of our local bars. But what is more important than learning the language is that I am feeling part of the human race once more!
During this summer, I continued my studies with Italy Made Easy Academy online lessons. Manu, the teaching coach encourages us to add daily immersion at home. Whether it’s having Italian radio or TV on in the background, listening to YouTube and TedTalks, comprehension will improve. Now we are watching more Italian TV programs without subtitles. Our current favorites are Alessandro Borghese’s – 4 Ristoranti and Bruno Barbieri’s – 4 hotel. Doesn’t mean I understand all the words as they speedily talk along, but I understand the gist of what is being said. Loads of fun and I encourage you to watch if you enjoy beautiful places to stay and food porn!
Valle del Treste Inauguration Hike, Rocca Vecchia
Once again hiking with local groups!
Also, we can happily say we can now meet again with my entire family of cousins, living 40 minutes from us. What a blessing! I had so missed them all. We had a recent meal together, something we had not been able to do for over a 1 1/2 years! It was wonderful to catch up with everyone and my language skills got a good workout. True that some of my younger cousins do speak some English and they wanted to practice their language skills, but most of the day was in Italian. Sure I stumble a lot but with more and more practice it will start to improve. I most likely will never become fluent at my age, but will be able to contribute to the conversation. All of this ties me closer to my family.
My Cousins!
So what does all of this have to do with “Build A Tribe”?
For those of you thinking of moving to rural Italy, and in my limited experience, to Abruzzo, you may need to have a tribe. Family is paramount in the hill towns where ancestors defended their lands that surrounded these strongholds. The Italian language had not emerged nationally yet and the inhabitants of these lofty towns developed their own, as still heard today in the dialects of each individual town. Family names became tied to these individual locations and their descendants are still prominent in certain towns. It is true that many of the younger folks have left these rural towns for the larger cities along the Adriatic coast, but the ties to family are strong and gatherings bring everyone together once again.
If you move to one of these stunning and very friendly towns, you will be welcomed with open arms. The inhabitants go to great lengths to reach out to you as you settle in, inviting you to a lunch or coffee. They will stop by from time to time to check in on you and there is always a friendly wave or honk if they pass you along the street or in town. The people of Abruzzo are just wonderfully friendly people.
What you will find, though, if you Italian is limited or if they only speak a dialect, your conversation will inevitably hit a wall at some point. If you can build your language skills quickly, depending on your age or gift for languages, you will not be stuck at this wall for long. But you will find that a tribe of like speakers (in our case, English) may be necessary for you to develop a social group in your area. You may have to go to other towns to find a like speaker depending on the expat residents in your village. And just because you speak the same language, you may find that you don’t share similar interests and it is hard to include them in your tribe. It takes a bit of effort to build your tribe.
So to reconnect and add joy to my life, I’m building a tribe of English and Italian speaking friends. It doesn’t have to be a large tribe, but one that gives meaning to my day, my existence here in Italy. And truth be told, much of my tribe are animal or outdoor lovers, active and love to hike or walk. And it’s important to keep your connection to friends in your original homeland. I not only video chat with my daughter, but catch up with work and my close friends from my tribes there… all important to my well being and happiness.
You may find that local families are very tight and there may be some exclusion to you being invited to family events, unless you are directly related or have been close friends for years. These events are for the family and we get that now. Think of the clans, groups of related people protecting and fighting for their loved ones. We saw it in the mountains of Virginia, where we both lived for a number of years. So come prepared to accept this, especially if you are choosing to live in rural Abruzzo. Build that tribe!
I have to say that I am one of the lucky ones. I found some of my clan (now a part of my tribe)… my mother’s family. You also may have your clan here in Italy waiting for you. But whether or not you do, take it slowly, build your network of close friends both in your native language and locals, and enjoy this walk that you have begun in this amazing country.
Technically, we did a walk in the Parco Nazionale della Majella. But truthfully it was one of these most challenging, tiring but exhilarating experiences of my adult life. Six stages that allowed us to visit 2 abbeys and 7 hermitages, retracing the steps of Petro Angeleri the hermit who was elected Pope in 1294.
See my previous post ‘Preparation‘ for background information on this cammino, and how the three of us got ready for a week in the mountains of Abruzzo.
This trip was not for the faint of heart or a casual hiker. John, Alex and I carried all of our necessary supplies for the week apart from breakfast and dinner. We also chose to stay at B&Bs and hotels instead of camping. For those younger than us, we would grant the week would not have been as daunting, but as we three are all in our 60s, with me a few months from 70, it was an eye-opener. Deep ravines, canyons, tumbling waters, alpine meadows, precarious ledges were all a part of our week. But don’t get me wrong! It was amazing. To have completed it and to have seen and experienced what we experienced, unforgettable….
Pre-cammino
As we had a lot of running around to do even before starting the cammino , we decided to go up the day before our start and just relax in Sulmona that evening. We did drop off our pets at the kennel, met up with Alex to ride-share from end town (Serramonacesca) and parked our car for the week. We chose the B&B La Dimora, not far from the lovely historic center and the huge imposing Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi. The accommodations were lovely with our gracious host, Oscar. The location gave us plenty of excellent choices for dinner, time to visit the historic center and a good launching point for tomorrow’s first stage (tappa). We previously had visited Sulmona a few years back, but never took the time required to truly appreciate this city. We really must return someday soon..
Tappa 1
Sulmona – Badia Morronese – S. Onofrio Al Morrone – Pacentro
Our first day started out with clear skies and a bit warmer than we expected for the first of June. As we decided to leave our car in Sulmona for the week, we added 3 miles to our day by hiking from the B&B to the Abbey Badia Morronese, the beginning of the cammino. The Parco Nazionale della Majella office is situated inside the Abbey, where we received our first stamps, pin and patch, etc. for our backpacks. We were excited! Even a bit nervous. We knew these 6 days would be a challenge, but oh so rewarding. Our first hermitage San Onofrio Al Morrone was just a short hike up the trail from the Abbey where it clings precariously to the side of the mountain over looking Badia, Sulmona and the Valle Peligna. As we found out, most of the hermitages are only open on the weekends, especially so early in the cammino season, so we enjoyed the expansive views, a short respite, before we continued back down and onward to Pacentro. We arrived at our first day’s destination in the blazing afternoon sun, happy with our day’s accomplishment. This evening’s stop, the B&B in Centro a Pacentro, was just what we needed: quiet, lovely views, center of town, gracious hosts. Alberto gave us a most interesting tour of the ‘family museum rooms’ of the B&B, with a long generational history in Pacentro. We had an evening walk around town and then enjoyed a delicious meal before a very sound night’s sleep.
Tappa 2
Pacentro – Passo San Leonardo – Roccacaramanico – Caramanico Terme
Heading up to Passo Leonardo
Finishing a lavish breakfast, situated on the terrace with a stunning view of the town, we gave our appreciation to Alberto and started up the trail to Passo Leonardo. After a steep climb, we entered the lovely meadows you see in the photo above. This would be one of my favorite days as the views are long and wide and very green this time of year. We stopped at the pass for our lunch and sat back to enjoy the majesty of the mountains. A note about lunches, every day we packed ‘Il pranzo al sacco’, whether a pizza, panino or some other bar type food. First couple of days, we purchased lunch at a bar before we started out. The last few days, we were able to buy lunches at our accommodations. Lunch plus our granola & powerbars, electrolyte gels kept us going until we reached a local bar at the end of each day.
After lunch we headed down from the pass in the direction of Caramanico Terme (a famous town here in Abruzzo for their thermal baths). We stopped at a small lovely hamlet; Roccacaramanico, that is slowly repopulating. Onward to our destination, we passed many free-ranging horses enjoying the mountain pastures. We made a point to stop at a refreshing fountain in the hamlet of San Vittorino, as again, the weather we would find this week, warmer than normal.
We arrived at Caramanico Terme, found Hotel Viola to check-in to our rooms, walked around a bit and had dinner back at the hotel. All the food we ate during this week of cammino was excellent. Some of the accommodations I chose for this week were a bit more basic than others, but all facilities were clean, food always great, and hosts helpful and gracious. I did notice that the hosts were glad to see tourists returning after a long and painful year of Covid.
Tappe 3
Caramanico Terme – S. Onofrio All’Orfento – Decontra
Our third day tested us… our endurance, strength, and for me, a bit of courage needed. I’m not good with ledges – edges of cliffs with too many feet between me and the ground below. But undaunted, we entered this evocative and challenging valley. It is called La Valle Dell’Orfento. We Americans might think of this more of a canyon or gorge! Not sure of the exact terminology but it was definitely a deep fissure in the landscape.
To enter this valley, you are asked to register at the park office at the edge of town. Once we completed that, we headed out onto the trail, skimming the edge of the valley as we worked our way down to the river. The trail undulated through lovely forests, across footbridges, always taking us towards the top of the valley. The sound of the running water tempted us to enter, but we left the water behind for our first challenge of the cammino – Piscia Giumenta: a 100 foot long ledge equipped with a steel rope. The drop-off gave me enough pause to make my palms sweat, but I hung my hiking poles onto my pack and just hand over hand made my way. Phew… challenge accomplished and we continued on. One more river crossing before the hermitage and some slippery rocks took Alex down into the water. Thankfully just wet boots and socks, no major bumps and we climbed a short steep path to the remnants of the hermitage ‘San Onofrio All’Orfento‘. After a short visit, we returned to the valley trail then picked up a route to take us out of the valley to the hamlet of Decontra. It was an intensely hot climb to the hamlet and cold drinks awaited us and cool rooms to relax at Agri Pietrantica. Our lovely host, Marisa, bubbles with enthusiasm for the love of local foods, the heritage of the area, and the opportunity to chat with guests. We had a delicious meal of local traditional foods, but we were so intent on refueling, after our hike, that I forgot to take pictures!
Tappa 4
Decontra – S. Giovanni All’Orfento – Fonte Tettone (Mammarosa)
Today’s tappa was a day for wide open spaces and spectacular views. Today we would have our greatest elevation gain, approximately 3400 ft. We did our best to get an early start to have the toughest part of the climb done during the cooler morning hours. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it and the morning stretched on hot under the clear skies until we reached the most beautiful beech forest. The air cooled, we gave a sigh of relief and caught our breath.
The climb moderated and we came to the side trail that would take us down to the hermitage San Giovanni all’Orfento. If you follow any Facebook Abruzzo nature sites, this is the famous hermitage where a belly crawl along a narrow ledge is required to enter the hermitage. John opted to watch our packs, as he and I both started this cammino with compromised knees due to recent injuries. At this point in the trail, a series of narrow steps were carved out of the rock heading down. Alex and I scrambled down and approached the hermitage.
… an exposed passage on an overhanging ledge and a staircase carved onto the rock which, even being the both really short, must be considered as EE difficulty passages (Expert Hikers). The entrance into the hermitage of San Giovanni is via a staircase and then through a narrow horizontal ledge that in the final part must be done belly on the ground. The stretch, sited several meters above the ground and about 40 cm wide ( 16 inches), is not protected, therefore, the entrance is only recommended to people who are adequately equipped and trained.
Parco Nazionale della Majella
Alex did an amazing job skimming along the narrow trail on her belly and entering the small hermitage. Then a shimmy back out to the staircase and great accomplishment goes to her! We all headed back up to the main trail and onward to Rifugio Di Marco and the meadows of the Majelletta. Views to Blockhaus, the Adriatic Sea, the Gran Sasso filled this day. Just too amazing for words….We arrived at Hotel Mammarosa for a relaxing evening and more great food. Good thing I’m hiking a lot as our daily calorie intake is astonishing! The hotel is family run and set up as a ski lodge, but I am sure as COVID restrictions are disappearing, many guests will return also for the local hiking trails.
Tappa 5
Fonte Tettone (Mammarosa) – Eremo San Spirito A Maiella – Eremo San Bartolomeo in Legio – Roccamorice
A day for another well-known and stunningly beautiful hermitage – Eremo San Spirito A Maiella. We began with the trail winding through rocky slopes to eventually enter a peaceful beech forest. The pathway was quiet and soft under foot and eventually we started to lose altitude to arrive at the hermitage. This particular hermitage can also be reached by a hard surface road so, along with it being beautiful to see, it is very accessible. The setting is impressive, set against a rock cliff, this extensive hermitage is a work of art in itself. There is a park kiosk here where we were able to get our cammino passport stamped as well as obtain tickets for a self guided tour.
We entered the church, then worked our way through the complex of rooms & staircases, climbing higher against the cliffside. After exploring and John taking a well deserved ice cream break, we got back on the trail. Along the way, not very far from San Spirito, a man was working with his 6 horses and mules to bring firewood out of the forest. These majestic animals were bred for this work and they truly looked in their element, well fed and handled all by voice commands. We passed on by and continued our trek with the forest opening up to spacious meadows and views of the Gran Sasso.
The access point to our next hermitage, San Bartolomeo in Legio, was via a narrow steep descent into a canyon. There we headed back up to this amazing structure in the cliffside. A chance to cool off, marvel in the construction, share in its beauty with other hikers and families before we started our climb out of the canyon. Our destination this afternoon was a bit further than expected as we had booked a B&B in the town of Roccamorice. Our host there is a very talented sculptor, along with being an excellent restaurateur. The B&B Belvedere was cool and tranquil and our meal excellent. We would be ready for our last stage tomorrow.
Tappa 6
Roccamorice – Eremo San Michele Di Lettomanoppello – Eremo San Onofrio Di Serramonacesca – Abbazi Di San Liberatore
Day 6 has come upon us. Though we are worn out physically and possibly a bit mentally and emotionally as well, we approach the finale with lifted spirits. And it is such a day to experience. An enormous Italian breakfast awaits us, but we are ready to get started. As I had added an additional 3 miles on to yesterday to get to the B&B Roccamorice, we get a lift to the start of the trail. There are two hermitages to see today along our route: San Michele Di Lettomanoppello & San Onofrio Di Serramonacesca. To be able to experience all these many hermitages within a 6 day span has truly been mind boggling. I hope that some of you reading this posting will consider either doing the cammino in its entirety or parts. Never to be forgotten.
One of the biggest surprises of today, which absolutely “wowed’ the three of us, was walking through the expansive area of shepherd huts ( le capanne in pietra a secco) and pasture enclosures of dry stone, hundreds and hundreds of acres. To think of the number of sheep that passed through this area years ago, is extraordinary.
Interesting note about the hermitage San Onofrio De Serramonacesca: the rendition of the saint is clothed only in his long hair. I wish I had room in this post to go into all the spiritual nuances of the hermitages, but I leave that to the professionals on the many sites that can be found on the internet! Just know that there is much not said in this post… but experienced. After a long, precarious, rocky descent, we reached our final destination of the cammino: Abbazia Di San Liberatore in Serramonacesca. Admittedly, we were exhausted at this point.. the 6 days rushing up to us as we toured the cathedral. We had run out of steam and wanted our cammino passports stamped and to receive our certificate ‘Testimonium’. We did get all our stamps required, but our certificate would be mailed to us. We had done it – 6 days chock full of sights and wonders!
Post Cammino
In Serramonacesca, we piled into Alex’s car and headed the hour back to Sulmona. All three of us were way too tired to even think about driving home, so we spent the night at our starting bed and breakfast, B&B La Dimora. Once again, Oscar, our host, gave us a wonderful recommendation for dinner. This time it was for Cantina di Biffi Vineria con Cucinajust a short walk from our rooms. Nice change of pace and menu; traditional dishes with a twist. Not to be missed. We will return there most definitely. Monday morning we picked up our pets at the kennel and headed home for a long week of rest and naps 🙂
Thoughts…
Would I do this again… not at my age all within 6 days. There are definitely parts that I would love to revisit and slow down the pace. We didn’t have much time to visit the hamlets and towns as we were averaging 11 tough miles a day with stops. I got us off course a few times, nothing too drastic and we were able to jump back on after a short detour. The weather was definitely hotter than the posted averages, and with John and I not being happy hot weather hikers, it was tough at times. Also the brochure must have been written for a younger age group in regards to difficulties. I lost two toenails as I didn’t continue to check my boot lacings throughout the days with steep descents. A few trails listed as easy would have been treacherous if it had rained. But again, 20 years ago I may have viewed these as less of a challenge. Thankfully, with our few stumbles along the routes and a water slip, we all were able to smile and keep hiking.
What I truly want to share with you is how proud I am of us three and what utterly amazing experiences we had every single day. As you know, if you follow my blog, living here in Abruzzo is a treasured time in our lives. I wanted you, my reader, to have glimpse into this unforgettable week, so you could also feel a part of this, and maybe someday step out on these trails. The depth and width of the beauty of the Majella is not done justice here. It lives in my heart and I encourage you to visit this breathtaking area of Abruzzo.
Having hope for better times keeps us going when we’re living through lockdowns. We can dream and make plans in the hope that restrictions will eventually be lifted. The good news, after many months, is that we can now move throughout our region as well as Italy and beyond. Making plans is a concrete way to exhibit hope, and so I made some…
John and I along with our good friend, Alex, are getting ready to hike the Cammino di Celestino in a few weeks. The plan came together this past winter, always being the optimist that COVID restrictions would be lifted. I thought I’d share some of what we have been doing to prepare for this “chock full of hermitages, amazing scenery, medieval villages, deep valleys, jaw-dropping mountains and of course great food” 90 km 6 day ‘walk’ in the Parco Nazionale della Majella.
Last year, John and I did a week cammino (Cammino dei Briganti, 100 km), also here in Abruzzo, with an outstanding guide, Ercole Wild. It was our first cammino and we thoroughly enjoyed it. And I highly recommend any guided hike with Ercole! He is the type of mountain guide you can trust with you life, but also a fun guy who shares his wealth of knowledge and absolute love of the mountains with you. As this cammino was a group and John and I are more comfortable on vacations with just the two of us, we decided that I would organize a cammino and invite our close friend Alex. Without a professional guide, I took on the responsibility to put this all together. With my search and rescue background and many hours in the woods on trails as well as off trail, I felt confident that I could manage all the details. So in this post, I wish to share some of the different facets of preparation; physical fitness, safety, gear, reservations, etc.
Celestino V and Abruzzo. It is undeniable that the figure of the poor hermit Pietro da Morrone who, at the end of 1200 became Pope with the name of Celestino V, belongs, with all his human and religious life, to the identity heritage of the Abruzzo people. The fresh recognition by UNESCO of Celestinian Forgiveness as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity further increases our responsibility in worthily cultivating the memory of this great person who distinguished himself in life for difficult and often innovative choices for the dictates of the Church of the time …. The Way is 90 km long. divided into 6 stages…It is entirely covered on foot on the Official Path Network of the Park, following the paths that, in all probability, Pietro used to move from one hermitage to another, from one valley to another…The departure takes place at the Badia Celestiniana in Sulmona and after touching Pacentro, Roccacaramanico, Caramanico Terme, Roccamorice and Lettomanoppello it ends at the Abbey of S. Liberatore a Maiella in the municipality of Serramonacesca…For travelers who undertake the Way, the Charta Peregrini (or Pilgrim’s Credential) is available which can be stamped in the Park Information Centers along the route and which, once completed, entitles you to receive the Celestine Cross, the Testimonium which certifies the entire journey of the stages.
A few factors led us to choose this particular cammino, apart from the breathtaking scenery and history. It’s close to our house, just a few hours to the start town of Sulmona, right here in our region of Abruzzo. Though it is not a circular route, and car transporting is necessary, it’s such a spectacular cammino, how could we not do it! The length is good for us, just 90 km, so Romeo and Miss Kitty do not have to stay in the kennel too long. We just miss our animals so much that it’s difficult to stay away for more than a week. Another reason we liked this particular cammino, apart from the obvious, is that every evening we would finish in a small village or town where we can book accommodations at a B&B or agriturismo. The list is long on why we are doing this one and it may be something you will consider for the future or maybe you have already done it.
I take good care to have all the information and supplies we will need to make sure we’re safe and not lost: maps, GPS with tracks loaded , potable water locations noted, understanding daily expectations of a section (tappa) length and elevation changes, electrolytes, light source (flashlight or headlamp) etc. There are important things to consider before going into the mountains for 6 days, even thought these can be considered day hikes all strung together. I carry a compass, GPS, as well as printed maps. I also have an app on my phone (View Ranger) for addition location backup. The cammino is well marked, but I always err on the side of being prepared.
In regards to backpacks, we are all going with ultralight ones. It’s important, when walking a cammino with your week’s worth of clothes, etc. on your back, that you keep the weight to a minimum. The gauge is that your pack, with all your stuff apart from food and water, should be about 10% of your body weight. This is so very different from years ago, when backpackers would go out with huge packs containing way too much heavy gear. Times and technology have given us the freedom to go light and I’m loving it. I nailed the 10% after packing and repacking but also I got a bit OC. A number of ultralight hikers do a spreadsheet with everything broken down in grams to lbs and I just love spreadsheets! My categories are Pack (and bag/tent if I was carrying those), Clothes Worn, Clothes Packed, Consumables (Water & Food), Misc, Toiletries, Electronics, Personal ID/cards/cash. John and Alex just go by end weight and shake their heads at me, but I reveled in it! The image below is one page of 4 of my spreadsheet. Weights are in grams per line item and at the very top of the image you can see my weights converted from grams to pounds.
Our packs all range in size around 40L. Alex has an Osprey Eja 38L, John a Quechua Forclaz 40 Air+ and I have an Osprey Tempest 40L. I love my pack and have fiddled with it until I have the straps just right for this load of stuff I’ll be carrying. Boots (Salomon X Ultra 3 Mid GORE-TEX) are now well broken in and they are a dream. Socks that I’ve found work best for my feet are Smartwool and Darn Sock. All my clothes can be washed with me in the shower and dry in a matter of a few hours tops. I’m experimenting with summer weight wool tops, which do not retain odor as other fabrics. I guess my hiking buddies will let me know if this is true. And with these size packs and the expected terrain, it’s always a smart idea to have hiking sticks. They assist you with the weight of the pack, give you stability, protect your knees on long, steep descents and give you the feel of having 4 legs instead of 2 when you head upwards.
Another item I got on board with this time is using dry bags to organize my stuff. They are water resistant and by giving categories to each bag, I can quickly remove what I need with out having to search and repack. All three of us have embraced this great concept. There is much more inside our packs to talk about but it would be a really long post. 🙂
So apart from gear, maps, route preparation, there are room and dinner reservations to be made and sack lunches to reserve (il pranzo al sacco). Of course, you can do this cammino with a tent, but we just needed a vacation with a bit of comfort and pampering. It’s been a long year with restrictions and we are way overdue for a break. Our accommodations range from B&Bs, hotels and an agriturismo, and I used various sites and apps to make reservations. Most of these places have social media presence, and their current postings express the excitement of receiving guests again. The most recent COVID regulations allowed takeway or outside seating. But as of June 1, it appears that COVID restrictions on inside eating will be lifted. Very exciting news. Below are some of the towns & areas we will be staying in.
So it is said that hiking longer hikes and more often doesn’t actually get you in shape for hiking. I think other workouts are needed to make you stronger and flexible, for sure. During this past winter, I set my bike on a training platform and cycled in our dining room. We weren’t allowed have anyone over for dinner so it was a perfect solution for my bike. I wouldn’t say I got a balanced workout (even though I did try with some hand weights) but cycling definitely improved my lower body muscle strength with the added benefit of a good cardio push.
And of course we have been hiking, whether a road trek, some trails around Roccaspinalveti or now back out in other areas. It’s been a few weeks now that I have been hiking with my full pack, adjusting, adding, subtracting. I am as ready as I can be but I know the elevation gains and descents on a few of the sections are going to be tough. A friend of mine in search and rescue had a motto and she also had her license plate saying something like this: It’s Only Walking. And it has always stuck in my mind. This motto will be my mantra when I hit the tougher sections, slow myself down, take smaller strides and just enjoy being out in the mountains with John and Alex. We will have some great stories to share!
Until then wish us safe journey and a spirit of gratitude to enjoy this newly restored freedom.
In January 2021, the project called “Terra delle Radici‘ (the Land of Roots) was presented to the public with the aim of organizing and promoting tourism in the Alto Vastese area. I was approached by Alessio Massari (mountain guide, environmentalist and good friend) to write a testimonial telling my story of rediscovering my Italian roots, from New York to Roccaspinalveti via San Salvo. Below is that story. You can also find my story at this link in both Italian and English. I encourage you to browse the various pages of this site to better understand the objective of the project, which involves the Alto Vastese and Valle del Trigno Study Center (altovastese.it). The communities involved in this project include: Carunchio, Castelguidone, Castiglione Messer Marino, Celenza sul Trigno, Fraine, Montazzoli, Municipality of Roccaspinalveti, Schiavi Di Abruzzo, Torrebruna, as well as the Proloco San Giovanni Lipioni. The project will continue to grow and I am excited to see what it will bring to our area and also how we might all contribute.
My name is Helene Rosalie Jordan. You could not tell that I am Italian by heritage with such a name, except possibly for the “Rosalie”. I am 100% Italian, Italian/American that is, with dual citizenship with the United States and Italy. It was my pride of being an Italian and the love of Italy that spurred me on to apply for recognition as an Italian citizen by blood (Jus Sanguinis). But first let me back up a bit and give you some history of my family. My mom and dad were both born in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1900’s. My father’s family was from Naples (Giordano Americanized to Jordan) and my mother’s family was from Abruzzo. In fact, my mother’s father, Carlo De Felice, was born in San Salvo, only 40 minutes from where I live now in Italy. He emigrated from Italy in 1910 on a ship leaving the port of Naples, arriving at Ellis Island, New York. My mother always told me the story that he came over by himself at the age of 13, but I found out later that his entire immediate family came over with him when he was 17 years old. I did not pay a lot of attention to the conversations when I was young, as Grandpa would speak in dialect and Mom would answer him in the same. If either my sister or I were nearby, she would answer him in English. As children, we were not allowed to learn or speak Italian. We were Americans! I missed all the amazing stories Grandpa Carlo had to share, and now it is too late, sadly to say.
I can remember fondly all the daylong meals the entire family would have, whether in New Jersey, where I was born and raised, or in Brooklyn, NY. Family was everything and my mom had 4 siblings, although my dad was an only child. Still, we all gathered most weekends to enjoy the cooking competitions between the siblings. How I miss those times, as we all grew older, moved further apart, and our grandfathers and grandmothers passed away.
During my adult years, a desire to visit my family’s homeland grew stronger. The times I mentioned this to my mother, she would discount the notion, saying that Italy was dirty and poor, even though she had never visited it herself. I believe now that she said this as it was engrained in her to not look back at the ‘old country’ but to embrace America. But this did not dissuade me, so my husband and I made our first trip in 2011. We were determined to visit the quieter towns to truly experience ‘Italy’, and not the regular tourist stops. It all started with a trip to the medieval village of Scanno in the mountains of Abruzzo. We were enchanted. We continued our vacation to other parts of Abruzzo, Marche, and Tuscany. We added a few more visits to other regions over the past years, but we always made time to visit a small village for a few days in Abruzzo. At some point during those years, I found out that I could apply for my Italian citizenship. That got us thinking that we would like to live in Italy a few months out of the year after we retired. It was my husband, John, who came to me with the proposal that we should seriously consider moving to Italy full-time. I was extremely nervous as how could I leave our adult children and elderly mothers behind in the USA. Did I really want to leave my friends and the mountains of Virginia for a foreign country? My daughter solved the problem by saying to me ‘Mom, go live your dream”. The decision was made. After my dual citizenship was recognized, with Italian passport in hand, selling most of our belongings and loading our two huge dogs on a plane, we headed to Abruzzo to start our lives in Italy.
Receiving my Italian birth certificate in San Salvo
We first rented a farmhouse in a small town about 15 minutes from the Adriatic Sea just north of Pescara. We became accustomed to living a new life as we looked for a house to buy in Abruzzo. Finally, after a year renting, we purchased our home in Roccaspinalveti located in the Frentani Mountains of Abruzzo. It was a perfect match for us. The weather, rural setting, friendly folks, and the mountains reminded us of our home in Virginia, but of course, we were in Italy. The views are always captivating and beautiful, the food amazing, the people of the villages friendly and helpful, and every day we are so thankful to be here. We know we are truly home.
Roccaspinalveti
Both John and I worked in the hospitality industry when we lived in the United States. John had been a professional chef for many years, and I worked in customer service and hospitality at a whisky distillery. Since the house we purchased has two apartments, with us living upstairs, we turned the lower apartment into Casa Serre Holiday Apartment. We invite guests from all over the world to visit us to experience Roccaspinalveti and the surrounding region. This successful venture not only gives us some additional income but allows us to share the love we have for this region with others. Here there is so much beauty with the surrounding mountains and hilltop villages, local artists and artisans, welcoming citizens, and pristine beaches a short drive away. As John and I are avid trekkers and hikers, we share our excursions with others in the hope that they also will experience the amazing natural gifts of the area.
As we settled into life in Roccaspinalveti, I decided to reach out to find if I had any living relatives in Abruzzo. Since my grandfather, Carlo De Felice, had lived in San Salvo, a nearby city on the Adriatic Sea, I hoped that a few relatives remained in the area. But I would need some help to do this. There are several companies here in Italy that will help you locate your relatives. I chose ‘Touring Abruzzo’ and with the wonderful help of Luciana and Alberto, the De Felice tree was fleshed out all the way back to the early 1800s. And Alberto located a few of my cousins alive and well in San Salvo! The next step was a bit precarious and sensitive. How do I approach my living relatives in a manner that was not threatening and once I explained how I was related, would they be interested in getting to know me?
‘Touring Abruzzo’ was able to give me a contact name and number of one of my cousins (more like a fifth cousin). When I finally reached him by phone, he was very hesitant for me to meet his grandfather Michele De Felice, my third cousin who is in his late 80s. The sad outcome of the phone call was that a meeting was not immediately arranged. I did not know what to do next. Do I enlist an Italian friend to come with me to interpret or just take the chance on my own? In the meantime, I located the home where my grandfather Carlo and his brothers and sisters grew up in, located in the historic district of San Salvo. It was a very emotional day, as this helped to solidify the reality of my mother’s family here in Abruzzo.
Carlo De Felice’s home, San Salvo
What next ensued was serendipitous and I honestly believe I was pointed in the right direction at the right time. John and I decided to stroll past my cousin Michele’s house in the historic district of San Salvo. Being unsure of what we might accomplish, we had to try. As we sat across from Michele’s house, two ladies approached the front door and knocked. While they were standing there, I mustered up some nerve and asked them if they knew Michele. They said they did and that they were his daughters! Unbelievable! I was looking at two of my cousins. A dream realized. I believed both Angela and Paola were equally as excited. Paola located her dad, and we had a few wondrous minutes chatting away. Unfortunately, another appointment in town pulled us away, as we left with promises of being reunited soon.
Meeting my cousins for the first time!
While I waited to hear back from my cousins, I worked on our family tree. I wanted to bring this, along with some of my family pictures, to our next visit. I used all the information that Alberto collected along with Familysearch.org, Ancestry.co, Ancestry.it, and antenati.san.beniculturali.it for my research. As the tree grew in unbelievable proportions, I cut and taped until I had both De Felice lines spread out to show Michele. I felt I had to substantiate my claim as a De Felice. Not that they asked to see this, but I just felt it was a reassuring measure for them to see the actual family connection. You may gather that I was excited when Angela set a date for coffee at her father’s house. It was a grand gathering with six of my cousins! How amazing is that! We talked about the family, compared pictures, saw strong family resemblances between our ancestors and enjoyed coffee and sweets.
There is so much more work I want to do on my family tree, but mostly I just want to enjoy being a part of my Italian family. We are all looking forward to being together over a meal or coffee again soon, both here in Roccaspinalveti as well as in San Salvo. No, I have not forgotten my father’s side of that family. The information that I got from my father, was that they were from Naples. I have a lot of researching to do on the Giordano family and hope to start on that soon. And during this search for my family, John received his Italian citizenship by being married to me (“Jure Matrimonii“). We both have fully embraced our lives here.
I encourage anyone seeking their Italian relatives to gather all information needed and not give up. I almost backed out of trying to reach out to them. Would they genuinely want to know me, to take the time even though my understanding of the Italian language is still somewhat basic? Why would a distant cousin, such as I, be important to them? We are family… we are blood… we are Italian together. It does make a difference, so do not give up on your dream.
My grandfather, Carlo De Felice, and his wife, my grandmother Maria Laura Paciello, Brooklyn, NY
De Felice Family Business, Blacksmiths, San Salvo
Filippo De Felice, father to Michele De Felice, San Salvo
Michele De Felice & Adalgisa Maccarone on their wedding day, San Salvo
Raffaele De Felice, 1st cousin to my grandfather, Carlo, and grandfather to Michele, San Salvo
We are in a lockdown now, just a softer one. Our range of movement went from the whole of Italy and beyond down to just our town. But our town, or municipality, is relatively large, with mountains, forests, rivers; lots of places to exercise, relax and not see another person. So truly our world, even right now, isn’t that small, but rather large and grand.
Movement is allowed around our municipality for necessities and health reasons, exercise being one of those reasons. Bars and restaurants are closed, only allowing takeout (or takeaway as it is called here). John continues to do the shopping in our village and I’m sticking close to home. But let me back up a bit prior to this new lockdown.
Through the months of September and October, John and I enjoyed at least one or two hikes together per week. We kept them within 1- 1/2 hr driving distance from home. After such a hot, dry summer, with treks and hikes difficult by mid-day, I’m in a hiking frenzy. I want to pack in as many experiences as possible before the ice and snow arrive later this year. So I did my research and made a list of some village to village treks as well as some mountain trails. John is a willing partner, but he takes a more relaxed view. If I had my way, we’d hike every day!
We did spend an October day hiking with the group Majexperience, as always a great time. This time we were a bit challenged as it rained all day and the trails and fields turned into a mud bath with footing a bit precarious. But it still was another amazing hike to remember. The leaves were just changing and the temperatures were cool with the rain. The forests were mystical with fog and I hoped that we would see a wolf or fox. We had a break in the weather for a little while and we’re able to eat lunch without getting soaked. Our goal was Il Laghetto di Pietra Cernaia, a small lake at the foot of a monstrous rock outcropping. The day closed with us returning through pastures in the cold rain as evening approached. Definitely a tough day, but invigorating and satisfying.
As October marched on and the numbers of positive cases escalated, we decided it was a safer bet to hike just with each other. Also, I truly hate hiking with a mask on, so hiking with only John was the answer. We found some great places to hike only 1/2 hr from the house; our favorite just outside of Castiglione Messer Marino in the area of Oasi Naturale Abetina di Selva Grande. The views are stunning, the wind turbines enormous, and a beautiful valley to complete the loop.
And just before this new lockdown came into force, I got in two separate hikes, one with girlfriends and the other with John, to Monte Pallano with its daunting Megalithic Wall and breathtaking views of the Majella. Both days had perfect weather, far-reaching views to the Majella and Adriatic, and stirring remains of civilizations and inhabitants long gone.
Now that I think about it, it was a big deal for me to hike with lady friends. I’m either alone, hiking with John, or sometimes in a larger group, most likely strangers with a guide. But hiking with Alex and Maria was a relaxing time; time for those conversations and observations that come naturally with friends. I hope for many more trails with these ladies. 🙂
So what else have we been doing besides hiking? We did have our rental apartment, Casa Serre, to take care of as we actually had guests this summer and fall. We opened the apartment, after the spring lockdown and had guests in July and August, to our surprise. We added Self Check-in as well as got onboard with Airbnb’s Enhanced Clean program. But after the month of August, when European holidays end, it got quiet for us. We did have some lovely guests from Belgium in October, just before we closed for the season. We will be ready to reopen in April, hoping that 2021 will be a safer and healthier year.
John had a few projects, one being a retaining wall between us and our neighbor’s field. The wall had been cracking substantially due to moving water. My tool man, as always, had a plan and the wall is now stable after a lot of cement work. We also decided to open a doorway between our two small bedrooms in our home, creating a suite. John will be adding French doors between the two, so if we have family or friends visiting, we have extra room for them if needed.
And Fall is of course harvest time here, whether it’s tomatoes, peppers, corn, olives, grapes…. the list is long. I love seeing all our neighbors enjoying each others company as they collectively work together. It’s been a tough time for everyone, especially when large gatherings amongst family and friends are on hold now. It will be an amazing day when we can all get back to having fun with our neighbors, friends and family!
One final hike to share with you today and I thank you for your indulgence. I am always so blown away by the land we live in. It is everchanging depending on the weather and lighting and I just cant’ get enough. This hike was just before lockdown and we were ‘legal’. We were in our municipality and felt like we were on another adventure, locating trails that all the local hunters already know about. But for us, it was a new discovery 🙂 We started (and ended) at SAN PIETRO DEGLI ALPINI A ROCCASPINALVETI, the small chiesetta (church) on the mountain. Up the mountain, along farm roads and fields below the wind towers, down to the hamlet of Olmi, through the woods to return up the mountain to the church. The hike was filled with long views, stunning fall colors, discoveries of ancient farmsteads and homes and the development of the Valle del Treste trail network. We plan to head back to this area to discover more.
As always, we wish you all good health, a time to find blessings even during these unsettling months, hope for some normality in the New Year, a visit to Abruzzo and maybe even to Roccaspinalveti in 2021. I leave you with a sweet, heart-tugging picture of Romeo, our dear boy, now 9 years old. He can no longer handle the long hikes, but we do get him out for neighborhood walks and sometimes a short one up the mountain. Here he is greeting us upon our return from one of our hikes. Until next time….
Do you ever wish that you had tried something much earlier in life? It comes to mind more often now that we are older and we’re slower to recover from certain physical activities. But maybe this is the time of our lives when we should start. It jumbles around in my brain. The outcome was that our first cammino left me wanting more! An accomplishment and an experience to always remember, it has given me the desire to continue searching out the many paths here in Italy.
Probably the most famous cammino (the Italian spelling for ‘the way’) is The Camino de Santiago, Spain (the Way of St. James), with its many alternate routes. [The most popular route (which gets very crowded in mid-summer) is the Camino Francés which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago, Spain.The Pilgrimage Routes to Santiago de Compostela] Do you know the film ‘The Way‘ (Starring: Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez)? John and I have seen it at least 10x. We became hooked on the essence of the movie as well as the concept of travelling on foot from town to town, being able to experience the beauty of the trails and roads with a final destination in mind. As the average time to complete this cammino is about 35+ days, it would mean being apart from our dear dog, Romeo, much too long a time for all of us. We decided to look closer to our area of Italy for a cammino (or partial one) that we could accomplish in about 6-8 days.
Here in Abruzzo, there are a number of cammini traversing this mountainous region, such as Cammino dei Briganti (100 km, the one we just completed), Cammino di San Tommaso (316 km) , Cammino della Pace (470 km) and others. The Cammino dei Briganti is a ring course of 7 stages or tappe that traverses the mountainous regional boundary of Abruzzo and Lazio. The Cammino di San Tommaso starts in Rome (Lazio) and ends in Ortona (Abruzzo), on the Adriatic Sea. The Cammino Della Pace starts in L’Aquila (capital of Abruzzo ) and ends on the Gargano Peninsula (the spur of the boot of Italy) of the Puglia region. Hiking any parts of these are all on my radar. Some cammini are about a spiritual trek, others historical or cultural. The one we choose this year would follow the routes that the Briganti travelled in this region.
The brigands lived on the border (Lazio and Abruzzo) to move from one side to the other depending on the threat. The brigands were not criminals, as they were more like partisans. They fought against the invasion of the Savoy, who had forced the people to join the army. They were free spirits, who did not want to submit to the new masters, and for this they had gone underground. A story also made up of kidnappings, ransoms, and lots of violence. A story from 150 years ago.
John and I agreed our first cammino would be with a guide and group. Not ever doing one on our own, we wanted to see what the planning entailed, not only for each stage, but sleeping accommodations, meals, etc. Spending 7 days with a group hiking, touring and eating together was going to be a new experience for John and I. When we take vacations, it’s normally just the two of us heading out to locations not frequently travelled by many tourists. We were going to be hiking with about 8 others. 🙂 What would the week hold for us?
There are a number of mountain guides here in Abruzzo and, after a couple of years following a few of them on Facebook, I knew that I wanted Ercole Wild (Marchionni) to be our guide. Ercole has become one of those legendary guides and you can find him at these sites: Facebook Montagne Selvagge, website Montagne Selvagge. He would be hiking his 12th Cammino dei Briganti, if I’m not mistaken. 🙂
Ercole and Appennino Slow tour group partnered for our cammino. Appennino Slow handled the booking of accommodations, luggage transport and collection of all fees. Ercole did all the day-to- day detail work as well as guide us, inform us, teach us, share his prose, plan meals… making the week an experience to remember always. You may be thinking at this point…’luggage transport’? This cammino we did not carry all our total needs, just our daily items in our backpacks. Each person was allowed one small duffle or piece of luggage that was transported to each accommodation daily. A bit of a luxury for us but certainly lightens the backpack a little. 😉 Next cammino we plan on backpacking everything we need for the entire trip.
We begin at the village of Sante Marie. Everyone has their passports to be stamped along the way.
Basically 100 km starting and ending in the village of Sante Marie.
This amazing week was chock full of wonders; breathtaking scenery, challenging trails and scenic roads, quaint villages, lovely accommodations and delicious food. The list is long. John and I hike well together; we are matched for stamina and style and we enjoy our time together on the trail or relaxing off. Ercole was inspiring and fun to get to know. He is friends with many people in this area, as he lives not very far from the route. This opened the door to meeting locals along the way that added a special flavor to the experience. I highly recommend that you hike with him someday!
And what about us hiking with a group? Truth be told, at the onset, it was a struggle for John and I. But as the week unfolded and we got to know the others a bit better, we could enjoy the diversity. John ended up being the only male hiker along with Ercole, but he dove in and had fun. Apart from us and Ercole, everyone else had met on another cammino in northern Italy a year ago. Italian was the predominate language spoken for the week, but most everyone knew a smattering of English. Each hiker had his or her individual strengths and experience, but also there were challenges we all had to meet. Whether hiking 22 km in hot humid weather, ascending or descending a trail outside one’s comfort zone, we all took pleasure from our accomplishments together.
Would I do another group cammino in the future with strangers, spending every meal and all my trail time together? In support , there was a strong sense of the daily accomplishments as a group…. To cheer one on when the going got tough ..To take the time to get to know someone and who they are off the trail. And to laugh at the end of the day over amazing food…..we all could smile at that. But on the flip side, for me as well as John, we would like to take more time in the villages that we passed through and to spend more quiet moments as we hiked. So, for us, future walks will be with each other and a few close friends.
With 2021 in our sights, I’m already researching other cammini (or partial ones) here in Abruzzo. John is just shaking his head…. he’s not ready to plan that far in advance. And how did we fare after we returned home? Believe me, the desire to do anything wasn’t very overwhelming. There weren’t aches or pains, but there was a serious lack of energy in both of us for about a week or so…. So a well deserved rest and on to other trails and projects.
Oh and let’s not forget the Briganti that ambushed us on the trail and forced us into servitude!
The finale…. receiving our certificates of completion back at Sante Marie and a photo op with Ercole.. Just a grand week! We hope that you will also enjoy such an experience someday soon here in Abruzzo if not Italy!
Another hot and dry summer has overtaken us. When the heat is blasting outside, we relax in a darkened, cool house. Then the weather relents a bit and we’re out hiking or working in our yard. No masks needed on the trail or social distancing when it’s just John and I. 😉
John – Monte Porrara 2137 m / 7011 ft
As I mentioned last summer, most houses are not air-conditioned here. Walls are thick (stone, brick or block) and windows have shutters (rolldown or hinged). We roll down our shutters just at dawn and they stay down until the sun has progressed low in the evening sky. It’s a bit claustrophobic in such a darkened house but definitely much cooler and how we manage 90+F days. We nap, binge Netflix and Prime, look at social media and eat very lightly. There’s this scene in the movie ‘Hidalgo’ where the actor Omar Sharif, playing a Bedouin sheikh, commands his servants to lift the sides of his tent and let in the light at the end of the day. I feel like I’m in this movie every evening, when we lift the shutters. It somehow makes that daily event even more anticipated and a bit thrilling. 🙂
This year, John put in a small garden out back and it’s gone ballistic. Just a few varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and onions, but we are happily overwhelmed. I am very proud of him and love the warm tomatoes I can grab at anytime. He uses the lawnmower clippings for mulch, an organic fertilizer that we use for the olive trees, and a soaker hose when watering is absolutely necessary. The plants are now about 9 feet tall and producing all the way to the tops!
There is a memory my mother shared with me when I was old enough to understand. One day, when I was a very young toddler, she and my dad couldn’t find me. Pretty scary I am sure for them. They searched inside and outside the house. Dad had a vegetable garden out back then and there I was found with tomato smeared all over my face and body. I was a very happy baby and the love story, for tomatoes handpicked and warm, continues to this day.
Our tomatoes came in early as the garden was in a very protected and sunny location. Many of our neighbors got to enjoy our abundance until theirs where ready. Now we’re eating, eating, eating…freezing some and eating more and more…
John’s tomato jungle!
Since lockdown, which ended on May 4th, we’ve been hiking or trekking a few times every week, temperatures permitting. It’s just not fun when it gets over 31C/ 88F, so we pick and choose our days. When we hike with a group, it is usually Majexperience. We really like their guides and tours located in the Majella National Park, with most of their hikes within 1- 1/2 hours from home. This hike below was to the summit of Monte Porrara (2137 m/7011 ft). It was an amazing hike!! It was challenging but oh so very worth it! A must when you visit the Majella mountains… medium+ level hike.
Another tour/hike with Majexperience. A recently reopened Gole di Fara San Marino with the Abbey ‘L’Abbazia Benedettina di San Martino in Valle’. Mysterious and very moving… some others have done this in the evening after sunset where lighting is provided… Just beautiful. Ours was a day hike, about 6 miles out and back. A popular area so plan your hike during the week or early in the morning if a weekend. Very family friendly!
Apart from these group hikes, John and I have been heading out to new towns in southern Abruzzo and northern Molise. Three Abruzzesse towns we trekked between recently were Casalbordino, Pollutri & Scerni (about 50 minutes from our house and a bit closer to the sea.) The architecture is lovely, with each town having a medieval historic center, and the verdant valleys boast endless vineyards and olive groves. We will definitely return to this area in cooler fall weather to better appreciate the endless beauty.
Of the three towns, I like the atmosphere of Pollutri the best. It’s relatively small with about 2200 inhabitants, narrow streets lined with historic townhouses, ancient palaces and churches, beautiful valley and mountain views, friendly people around a couple of large piazzas and some inviting restaurants we’d like to try out.
The other two towns were equally interesting with the much larger town of Casalbordino, 6000 inhabitants and Scerni, about 3600. These two towns also have great views of the Adriatic Sea and the Majella mountains. I’ll give them more of my time in the fall, as we missed some special places, such as the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Miracoli in Casalbordino and the Chiesa di San Panfilo in Scerni.
There are many more hikes and treks we have taken so far this summer, but we have an ultimate goal coming up next week… Cammino dei Briganti. We will be sure to share some experiences, most likely when we return home. I’m going to do my best to stay off social media and only use my cellphone for those unforgettable images. Sometimes I need to remember to stay in the present and enjoy the experience, without being behind my camera!
But always, I like to leave you with an image from here in Abruzzo. This one was taken about a 5 minute walk from our house here in the neighborhood Serre . Until next time…..
Navigating Life in Abruzzo 