Tough to admit. John and I are slowing down. Not a crazy amount, but yes, our bodies are telling us we are actually closer to our age than we want to admit. We are still very active but the mountains have gotten a bit higher lately without changing their elevation.
Since I was about 11 years old, I have been hiking thanks to my dad who got me hooked. Our first hike together was on the trails of Bear Mountain in New York. I looked up to him and my love for the outdoors became a given. Years in Search and Rescue in Virginia solidified my desire to be in the woods as much as possible, no matter the terrain’s difficulty. About 9 years ago, I realized that search and rescue was not something I could do well any longer. Carrying my search pack and my dog’s water (search dogs do not carry their food or water at a search!) were just overtaking my stamina. It was a sad realization but our upcoming move to Italy tempered that decision.
Now age is telling us that camminos in the upper ranges of medium into the high categories are most likely going to be out of our reach. Our bodies are reacting to the strain and we have to step back to reorganize our future endeavors. Tougher than I really want to admit. No more can we hike the more difficult trails when they aren’t structured for easier passage, depending on the level of trail construction and maintenance. The desire is still there those high ‘notes’, but our physical selves are dictating our limits. We found this all out in this year’s trek, which you can read about below.
Just recently, we headed up to Le Marche to the city of Ascoli Piceno. We were excited to participate in a mid-range 7-day circuit cammino. Usually we plan a few days before or after our camminos to visit the ‘home’ city of that particular route. So prior to one, we spent a few nights in the lovely town of Ascoli Piceno. Amazing architecture, ancient beginnings, museums and of course great food. Folks were very friendly and helpful.
The historic center, built almost entirely of travertine, is among the most monumental in Italy[6] and in it is located the Renaissance Piazza del Popolo. [7][8][9] In medieval times it was characterized by the presence of about two hundred towers, whose erection began immediately after the year 1000. According to tradition, Frederick II had ninety-one of them destroyed in 1242 and their reduction continued in the following centuries. Even today it preserves several examples of noble towers and bell towers and is known as the City of a Hundred Towers. [10]Wikipedia
We had booked for two nights a comfortable suite (Suite Atelier Arringo) situated on a quiet, lush garden, just off Piazza Arringo. The suite included the most sleep-inducing bed, a breakfast room, a large modern bathroom, and a great view of the garden. A breakfast was delivered (very quietly at an agreed time) to our door, chock full of savory and sweet choices. Our kind and responsive hostess, Fiona, was readily available to check us in and easy to reach by Whatsapp. We would definitely return to this lodging in the future.
The Grande Anello dei Borghi Ascolani is a combination of nature, history, breathtaking landscapes and ancient flavors. A 100 km long journey through the magnificent hilltop villages at the foot of the Ceresa and Monti Gemelli mountain ranges, included in the municipalities of Ascoli Piceno, Venarotta, Roccafluvione and Acquasanta Terme. In the timeless silence of medieval villages, among the ruins of ancient castles and solitary hermitages, the walk becomes an all-round experience to discover one of the most fascinating places in the Marche.
Then the disclaimer: Attention: we warn you that this is a medium/high difficulty hiking route – level E of the CAI scale, i.e. a route on a mixed surface (roads, mule tracks, paths and stony ground) that takes place on sections of steep slopes or on short stretches on rock that are not exposed, not particularly tiring or demanding (differences in height not exceeding 1000 m for each stage), but who still require adequate physical preparation, a minimum sense of direction and experience of hiking in mountain environments and above all footwear and equipment suitable for this type of excursion.
So this was my ‘bad’, not reading the above disclaimer a bit more thoroughly, overestimating what we could do at this point in our lives, and mixed with those steep sections with hidden and exposed rock…Firm Stop! John had twisted and reinjured his ankle that he had sprained in February. I was abnormally winded, to find out later that my thyroid meds were off balance. So we only did one day of this cammino, had a midnight bed discussion and for our health and safety, returned home the next day. But we did capture a couple great views along the way on that one day.
Heading home – should have been our second day on the trail, but level heads prevailed. A bit sad about not completing this cammino. That was a first for us. But with this realization, comes acceptance.
That doesn’t mean that we will stop camminos completely! There are so many camminos offered here in Italy for all levels of capability. We will just adjust our choices by our recalibrated focus; less elevation gains each day with the added bonus of taking our time, really getting to know the area we are passing through and definitely stop to see what the local culture, history and cuisine are for that particular cammino. More to see and more to experience. We will be ready!
Italy is filled with an almost endless array of camminos. Depending on the type of experience you wish to have, and your level of fitness, you can find a path here in Italia. Some may last for months, traveling the length of the country, and even going up into the rest of Europe, while others may just be for a few days, circling within one small area. The two sites below will give you a strong base of options to choose from.
This would be our fifth cammino, all five of them taking place here in Italy. As we were in Lombardia last year for La via Francisca del Lucomagno, we thought, that this year, we would go south to Pulgia for Cammino del Salento. There are two slightly different routes to choose from. The first choice is La Via dei Borghi , rich in art and culture passing through towns with Greek heritage, then on to the sea. The other option is all about the sea. We chose that one; La Via del Mare. Our walk would start in the city of Lecce, a baroque architectural gem and finish at the end of the heel of Italy, Santa Maria di Leuca.
We arrived in Lecce to start our cammino mid-October. Its a 5 day, 115 km/71 m cammino that we are going to do slowly over the next 9 days… our slow cammino. We’ve decided to slow it down so we could enjoy the history and scenery at a more leisurely pace and also save our knees and feet from destruction. As last year’s cammino in Lombardia had too many days on pavement, we wanted to be kinder to our slightly older’ bodies going forward. Learning from that experience, I have been researching walks with a more favorable percent of dirt trails and country tracks to a lesser percent of tarmac. This cammino in Puglia was well balanced in that regard.
Lecce, well-known as the ‘Florence of the South’ due to its stunning architecture, will be our starting point. It is our second visit to this lovely city, but we never seem to have enough time to just relax there for a few days. We arrived late in the afternoon to enjoy the breathtaking night time views of the Cattedrale di Maria Santissima Assunta, Campanile del Duomo, Palazzo Arcivescovile in the Piazza del Duomo.
The next morning we begin a walk that will be amazing, beautiful, challenging at times, and so perfectly wonderful.
TAPPA 1 Lecce to San Foca. 25km/15.5m. Our starting point was Porto Napoli in Lecce historic center, walking out into the countryside, through villages and towns to the fortified town of Acaya. As we approached the sea on our second day, the farmland turned into protected marshes until we reached the black sand beaches in this area of the Adriatic. The weather was warm, we tanned and totally relaxed along the shoreline, with our second day completing Tappa 1 in the seaside town, San Foca. We had a quick takeaway dinner and slept well in our Airbnb. Most of the places we stayed on our walk were booked through Booking.com, Airbnb, or directly with establishment. All were pretty darn wonderful!
Throughout much of our walk over the next 9 days, we would see many dry-stack stone structures. We learned from our server, the first night at local restaurant, that these rounded structures, Pajare, were built for the workers in the field to rest protected from the hot sun or inclement weather. Many have been restored and some actually used as attachments to residences. Other structures we would encounter would be the coastal watchtowers, built along the Salento peninsula to warn the inhabitants of impending Saracen attacks.
TAPPA 2 San Foca to Otranto. 24.6km /15.2m. The most beautiful rock formations in the gorgeous blue sea. We would experience the beauty of La Grotta della Poesia, Le Due Sorelle and Faraglioni di Torre Sant’Andrea, all stunning rock formations in this section of the trail. Group those with deep, cool pine forests, historic towers, stone fenced pastures, and many more grottos, we’re loving our slow cammino. We arrive in the fortified town of Otranto on our fourth day.
The port town of Otranto is worthy of a longer visit that just one night. We did have the opportunity to visit here a few years back for a long weekend, enjoying the historic town, churches and castle. The town can become quite busy during the warmer months, with tourists abound, but Otranto is definitely worth the visit.
TAPPA 3 Otranto to Santa Cesarea Terme. 22.6km/14m. one of our favorite two days. The weather has changed from blue skies to overcast, with lots of rain in the forecast.
We trekked passed more signal towers, a bauxite quarry, World War II bunkers which were John’s favorite. We came upon lighthouse ‘Faro di Punta Palascia’, the furthest most eastern point of Italy. The coastline continued to be rugged, with rough seas but gorgeous surf. The views were wide as we moved on south to Porto Badsico. A note here: as it was off season for this coastline, most restaurants were closed in the smaller villages as well as lodging was limited. Thankfully, there were great bars with delicious food available and still some very nice apartments to rent.
Our final destination for Tappa 3 (our day 6 on the trail) was the evocative town of Santa Cesarea Terme, known for its thermal baths. We did not partake but did stay in a lovely villa for the night. When we looked at a few weather apps before we left home, all we saw was gorgeous weather for our 9 days of walking. We always pack a raincoat, but this time we decided to leave our rain pants at home. Thankfully, we made it to Santa Cesarea Terme just as the clouds opened up with a 3 hour soaking rain. We hung out at a bar for the duration, waiting to check into the villa. Drenching avoided. Going forward, I will always pack my rain pants no matter what the weather forecast says.
TAPPA 4 Santa Cesarea Terme to Marina Serra. 24km/14.9m . Today, we walked the entire tappa, as I could not find a halfway point for an overnight stay. The weather was crazy windy today, some rain early and serious surf again. There is something very thrilling about big surf, especially when you can experience it from a safe distance, such as these waves of the Adriatic crashing on the rocky shoreline. We passed through the historic center of Castro to view its castle, then came upon a well attended mountain bike race. Some of the trail that we hiked earlier in the day was to be part of their course. We pushed on to our destination for the day, the tiny hamlet of Marina Serra, known for its Piscina Naturale (Natural Pool). We stayed at a relaxing agriturismo and enjoyed a delicious meal.
TAPPA 5 Marina Serra to Santa Maria di Leuca. 22.3km/13.8m This tappa we split into 2 days. The first half was 14.5km/9m, starting along the boardwalk of Marina Serra then on to roughest, toughest day of our cammino. The trail climbed up out of the marina to connect to the rockiest trail that went on and on and on. We really had to watch our footing as we both chose to wear trail runners for this cammino. The trail markers were few and far between and at one point we missed a turn and almost flew off a cliff. BUT the day was beautiful. We crossed the Ponte Ciolo and headed inland to our destination town, Gagliano del Capo. Once again, a delicious dinner at a local restaurant and a quiet night at a lovely apartment.
OUR FINAL DAY WALKING, rest of TAPPA 5 – only 7.8km/4.8m. Gagliano del Capo to Santa Maria di Leuca, the end of the heel of Italy. It seemed like a short walk this final section of the cammino, until we got to 280+ steps up to Santuario di Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae. The view of the city from the Santa Maria di Leuca Belvedere was gorgeous. There was much to see from the Piazza Giovanni XXIII; the Santurario, the lighthouse ‘Faro di Capo Santa Maria di Leuca, Colonna Mariana, Statua Benedetto XVI. We were hoping to see Albania, but the horizon was too cloudy. Here, also, occurs the meeting of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas! Such an amazing place to visit…
At the Santuario, we would receive our “testimonium”, a diploma of sorts for completion of all the daily stages. We would show our stamped passports, confirming all the stops along the way, and the secretary would carefully enter the day and our names. Unfortunately, the secretary wasn’t available that afternoon, so we returned then next day (our relax day) to obtain our testimoniums. Our slow cammino of 9 days had come to a successful end. We would rest for a full day in town before heading home.
Our relax day really got started after our second 280+ steps climb to get our diplomas. We returned to walk along the harbor, view the many beautifully restored villas, then headed to the Punta Ristola Leuca. This rocky outcrop and seafront lookout, is the southernmost point of Italy’s heel, with rock sculptures and caves. Taking a boat trip to many of the caves and to swim among them would have to wait until a summer visit. We spent the rest of our day being lazy at another great apartment rental and just enjoying our adventure and how much we accomplished. And to top this all off, we ended with a great pizza dinner!
An equipment note: as we carry all our needs, we have worked diligently to keep the weight of our full packs to the barest minimum. All our clothes can be handwashed if a washer isn’t available. We only pack technical clothes that wick moisture, are lightweight but warm if need be. No cotton in our backpacks. As we found on our last cammino, hiking boots, even low hikers, can really hurt our feet and legs on hard pavement, so we have switched to trail runners. They really made a different for both of us. The downside is that they aren’t as supportive as hikers, whether we are using low or mids. We just recently purchased some updated Salomon low hikers that feel almost like trail runners, but with a bit more support. We’ll see if how they shake out in prep for our next cammino.
Not only are our camminos a way to mark accomplishments, but mostly an experience of the land an in this case, also the sea. We walk to our destinations each day instead of using some means of transportation. We have the time to see, hear and feel each moment along the way. We meet amazingly friendly and helpful folks, stay in relaxing accommodations and of course, eat the food of Italy. Sure, we are tired and a bit sore, and the years are slowly catching up with us. We do our best to keep our backpacks as light as possible, trying to remain realistic of what we can actually accomplish but still add challenges to make us proud. I have to say that my husband may not be as fanatical as I am about hiking and walking camminos, but he loves me so much, that he is always my best friend and partner on the trail. We will continue to walk, balancing adventure and reality. Thank you, dear readers, for coming along on this trip with us as I share some moments with you.
Sometimes the unexpected happens that you’re not sure it is meant for you. That was the case for John and I when we found ourselves with two more cats. Kittens actually. Very young ones.
When you visit Italy, you’ll find big cities and little villages and all in between with town cats. Many cats are domesticated, living with a family, but wandering the streets and countryside are feral to semi-tame cats, in abundance.
Yes, we feed these local cats
Italians love cats so much that there are laws to protect feral cat colonies. Cats can freely roam wherever they want – even in famous historic landmarks. Anyone who harms a cat in Italy can be charged with a crime. Cats can also live wherever they like – and must be fed. They cannot be relocated. Local Italian authorities are responsible for neutering local street cat colonies. Reference
Of course, this doesn’t mean that everyone is a cat lover here in Italy or even an animal lover. You will find, just as in other countries and even the USA, that animals that have been domesticated don’t necessarily be treated with kindness or consideration. But thankfully, there are laws in place, veterinarians and animal refugios worked to make a difference, and public awareness for animal rights is becoming more widespread.
You may know that we have two adult inside cats; Pierre & Sofie. Two were plenty for us and they have enjoyed having our house as their domain. Little did we know that this would all change for all of us in May of this past spring. There was a knocking on our front door, one day, by our neighbor, Federica, calling out that there were two gattini (kittens) outside on the street! Rushing out, I found two tiny babies on the doorstep just down from our house. Barely eyes opened, frightened, cold, hungry and momma not in sight. We knew that a local stray momma, that we had been feeding, had babies, but a wandering dog had attacked the babies and her. She had been hurting but healing but the babies missing, presumed dead. A very sad situation. But it turned out that two babies of the four had survived as she had moved them to a new location under a house down the street. To make the whole situation even worse, their crying at this location was heard by the homeowner, he removed the kittens from under his house and placed on his front door step. Still no momma arriving. (Sad side note about their momma – she was seriously injured by a roaming dog and had to be euthanized.) So, we brought the kittens into our home, had our local town vet, Dr. Silva, help us get them started on bottle feeding and they stole our hearts completely. We can’t thank Dr. Silva enough for her selfless care of our kittens in those early days. She is a part of a clinic about 30 minutes from our house and would stop in before, after work or on her days off. It really got the boys on a healthy path from day one with us. Addition to our family ; Max and Oscar.
As they were about 3 weeks old, the time and care involved making certain that they survived and grew to be healthy cats, took a lot of our day, but so worth every minute. We had to make sure that they were warm, bottle fed, loved as well as contained when not under our watchful eyes. When they first came to our house, we contained them in our shower with a heater set outside of it. Inside their bed, we had heated rice-filled socks to give them extra warmth and to be a substitute for their momma. In a few days we were able to move them to this playpen that we purchased online from Amazon. We moved them upstairs nearer to us with the heater, which eventually wasn’t needed. Inside the pen was a fuzzy bed, small litter box (which they figured out immediately when in the shower), a few toys and a bowl of water. When it was time to bottle feed them, we would let them roam and play in a small area that we supervised. But in the meantime, this playpen was a lifesaver for us all up until they outgrew it around 8 weeks old.
Their playpen. During the day, on top of our bed. At night, in our TV room. A perfect solution for all of us.
The kittens progressed well and we headed them off to our wonderful vet at Clinica Veterinaria Dell’adriatico, Dr. Monica Besca, for their deworming and eventually a round of vaccinations. This clinic along with Dr. Monica, Dr. Marco and others have been seeing all our pets for the last 6 years or so. Not only are they highly skilled professionals with an amazing relationship with all the animals they care for, but are well loved and respected. They are a Godsent.
As the summer went by, the kittens enjoyed lots of exercise throughout our house, got to meet up with our two adult cats, and grew into adorable lovebugs. We became their mom and dad at the start and to this day, they seek us out for love and comfort, warmth and of course food. Were we stressed at all raising 2 kittens from 3 weeks old? Absolutely! This being our first time as kitten parents was a bit daunting but with help from friends, our vets, Google and just instinct from having animals our entire adult lives, we were able to bring these two scared and hungry babies along to 6 months now. Whew!
Pierre and Sofie enjoying the view from our terrace.
Even though we keep our cats inside, we do offer them a large cage (catio) on our terrace. The adult cats have enjoyed that outside space when weather permitting. We hope to introduce the kittens to a new catio that John is building outside our kitchen door from the original catio that he dismantled from our terrace. (We have other plans for our terrace, such as to use by humans only.) I will keep you posted at a later date as this project is completed.
At this point the kittens had turned 6 months the beginning of November, so off they went to be neutered. Oscar’s procedure went off (literally) without a hitch. Max only had one visible testicle, so a small exploratory incision had to be made. The second one was not evident so we will watch his behavior of the next few months to see if there is an indication of that missing one. If so, he will return to have it removed. Now, Max is the instigator of the two kittens, with a hellbent disposition. He had to wear this custom made (by me) t-shirt so he wouldn’t lick his incision. We called him ‘Rambo’ for the week. Thankfully, it is off now and all is well. (You will notice Sofie babysitting in the lower image of Max.)
So how are Pierre and Sofie adjusting to the kittens. At this point in time, Pierre isn’t hissing as much and is actually sleeping nearby the boys at night on our bed. Sofie has adopted them and loves to be in their company playing or sleeping. It can get crazy at times having four cats in our townhouse, but everyone gets plenty of exercise and downtime when they need it. John and I adore these new boys, immediately capturing our hearts. They are our unexpected gift. We are so very thankful.
Tufillo may appear as an unassuming, quiet village, but walk around a bit and you will be pleasantly surprised. Step into many of the businesses here, and you will be greeted by owners, managers or partners that are women. These women are proponents of their visions for prosperous and fulfilling enterprises, that offer what this community needs and desires. Each of these businesses exude its individualized character in the products they offer, the setting of their venue, and especially the women who offer their product and services.
Showcased here are 5 women who have storefronts or businesses, which are open to the public. There are other women in the planning stage of new enterprises as well as other local farm products and online businesses. Tufillo has many treasures. With each of these ladies, I asked the following questions of which you may find their replies below in their stories:
What inspired you to become a business owner?
What do you offer your customers that makes your business special and a success?
What challenges did you have starting your business? Did any of those challenges relate to you being a woman?
Who are your target customers?
What are your plans for the future of your business?
What do you enjoy the most about your business?
[Please note that translations of the answers for these questions were from Italian to English and that could lead do some clumsy editing on my part. ]
Antonella Monaco – Panetteria Barisano
When John and I first arrived in Tufillo, as prospective home buyers, we walked through the entire town to get a ‘feel’ of the community. As we headed down the main road, our olfactory senses sprang into action and anyone that has passed a bakery knows what I’m talking about. Your mouth immediately starts to water. Before we even stepped into the shop, we could see many lovely loaves of breads and delicious looking sweets through the wide window. We of course, proceeded to meet Dino Barisano and Antonella Monaco and learned that this bakery was renowned for its special pizza!
“In 1971, the spouses Filomena and Luigi Barisano decided to return to Italy from Germany to their town of origin, namely Tufillo, from where they had left for work, so they took over the town’s bakery, where in addition to bread and sweets, they decided to make and sell a typical local pizza that was made by the housewives of the town on special occasions, the so-called “pizza a Figliot”, a pizza made of thin elongated sheets of bread with salt, extra virgin olive oil, sweet pepper and sausage in the shape of a savory strudel. In 2002, Luigi Barisano’s son, Dino, with his wife Antonella took over the family business and marketed this pizza, which is considered a typical product of Tufillo, in nearby towns and also outside the area upon order with a preservation process.” [discoveryabruzzomagazine/16 Aprile 2019] Pictured here are Dino & Antonella.
Though there is definitely collaboration between Dino and Antonella in what they bake, we see Dino as the hearty bread and pizza baker and Antonella as the delicious and pretty pastry creator. They work long and hard hours to supply our community and nearby towns and villages with their creations. We are very thankful for their continued loyalty to excellent products available in our small town.
Antonella shares her thoughts to my questions below.
“I was inspired by the possibility of taking over and continuing the family business, to having my own business and doing a job that I like. We offer bread, pizza and desserts produced with quality ingredients and traditional recipes, but also the availability of innovative and modern products. Variety and freshness of products. Some of the challenges are the return to this country (even if of origin); purchase of a new house; working with 2 children; and working closely with my husband. Our target customers are all people looking for healthy and tasty products. For the future, we look for structural renewal and increase in product variety with the possibility of export. I enjoy the possibility of doing a job that I like and the satisfaction of positive feedback from customers.”
Contact Information: 333.1592018 Antonella 339.3120329 Dino open every day 0800 – 1200 & 1800 -2000, closed Thursday afternoon and Sunday.
Anna Wolff – Angelo 36 Grocery Store
Long before we came to live in Tufillo, Anna had been a part of this community. We were introduced to Anna as the lovely German lady who speaks excellent Italian. This comes in handy when you’re the proprietor of a small-town shop! Once the renovation of her house was completed, Anna moved here full time and has been very busy ever since. We are so very thankful that she was ready to continue operating a grocery shop in Tufillo, once Clelia Petti (former owner) changed career paths.
Anna’s shop offers a multitude of items which most households need regularly. She has made great efforts to assist customers with their specific needs and present her merchandise in a pleasing and inviting manner. And being the devoted animal lover that she is, Anna always has a few resident cats welcoming you at the door of her shop.
Anna shares her thoughts to my questions below.
“I was looking for work in Tufillo, at least in this area, and when Clelia (previous manager) said she didn’t want the shop any longer, I was inspired to take the chance. It was not the plan in the beginning to become business owner; it just happened. 🙂 In my case, I offer a little food shop here in our town, where I sell items that everybody needs. I try to organize everything special that they ask me for. Those challenges related to me coming from abroad (Germany). All the needed documents, bank accounts, and all that bureaucracy was really difficult. The Tufillo people made my beginning very smooth, as they are really open hearted and friendly. My target customers are all those who are hungry. 🙂 For the future, I would love to go online with a little shop and sell our Tufillo olive oil. But also, here the bureaucracy is very difficult, and I just can pray that this dream will work. What I really love and enjoy is the contact with the people. This is the best part of my job.”
Contact Information: Angolo 36, Via Indipendenza 36, 66050 Tufillo. I am open 830-1230 and 1730-1930. Thursday afternoon and Sundays are closed.
Milva Barisano – Artisan Jewelry
On our first visit to Tufillo house hunting, we walked through the characteristic historic enter. We were excited to see that a lovely jewelry store was part of the community. We were to soon find out that it was much more than a jewelry store…a flourishing establishment of Milva’s creativity. We were immediately impressed by her range of artistry, exquisite displays and her graciousness. She is our first and last stop when we look for gifts for family and friends, no matter the occasion. And once we purchased our home, we found ourselves less than a minute walk from her shop! Siamo contenti..
“Milva Barisano is an artisan goldsmith whose passion was born at school and developed thanks to the encounter with important masters in jewelry creation. In her laboratory in Tufillo, a village in the Alto Vastese area, she transforms the ideas that arise from her creativity into fascinating jewels. Choice of materials, elegance and attention to detail are the distinctive features of her creations that win the hearts of those who wear them. ” Milva Barisano.it
Milva shares her thoughts to my questions below.
“Having won a first prize in the ‘Nicola da Guardiagrele’ competition, reserved for the region’s goldsmith craftsmen, pushed me to open my laboratory. I always try to offer my customers trendy and traditional Abruzzo artisan objects but made with my personal taste and with addition of a little creativity. I had to face several bureaucratic challenges for the opening and challenges for locating in a small municipality along with investment costs. My customer base is of different origins and from neighboring towns, different nationalities and both young and older women and men. My plans for the future are to always be able to create handcrafted objects that can satisfy the tastes of my customers and to always be at the forefront in the creation of new models. In my business, I like the fact that I never ‘throw away’ a handcrafted object but that I reinvent it and make it different. I never get bored and always create new objects.”
Contact information: email: milva@milvabarisano.it, Tel.340.0039951, Milva Barisano, Corso Italia, n. 37, 66050Tufillo CH
Claudia Barisano – Claudia’s Home Restuarant
I think of all the amenities that John and I lamented about when we first moved to Tufillo, was that there wasn’t a restaurant here in town any longer. Years back, there was a hotel and pizzeria, but it was closed by the time we arrived. But now, we are ecstatic to have Claudia’s Home Restuarant! And it’s only about a 30 second walk from our house.
The entire family worked very diligently to have the restaurant open by Easter 2024. Maurizio, Claudia’s husband, used his job skills to transform a section of their home into an inviting and cozy venue. The daughters, Valeria and Cleila, worked nonstop to help get the dining area ready as well as setting up the new kitchen.
Claudia shares her thoughts to my questions below.
“I was driven by the desire to deal with people and also I was born into a family of entrepreneurs (shop, bar, building materials). This inspired me to open my home restaurant. I offer traditional and genuine cuisine. I have to face the bureaucratic challenges for all small business owners. My target customers are foreign and Italian people who want to try Abruzzo cuisine. In the future, I would like to organize themed evening and to offer cooking classes. My greatest enjoyment is my contact with the public.”
Largo del Ponte, Tufillo. We are open by reservation only. Call or WhatsApp for information and to make reservations – 3929113539, 3272368577
Marialaura Ottaviano – Bar Mariquita
In almost every village and town throughout rural Abruzzo you will find a bar, the center of activity. What makes ours so special, first and foremost, is Marialaura. Before we actually purchased our house, she was a major contributor in preparing the paperwork that facilitate the contract between us and Giacamo, the contractor/owner/brother. Whether she is working in the bar, assisting with town events or just walking around Tufillo, she is always helpful and kind.
In the summer months, when the umbrellas open up and flowers are blooming in planters, the piazza around the bar is the gathering place for locals and vacationers. Events, whether during the day or evening, always revolve around Bar Mariquita. And year round, even in the coldest months, there are always locals playing cards. Tufillo would be lost without Marialaura, her wonderful employees and the bar!
Marialaura shares her thoughts to my questions below.
“I was inspired, certainly, by the desire to stay in my town and to create an opportunity that would allow me to support myself financially. I offer to the people of this town the nerve center, a place for meetings, chats and new acquaintances. My biggest challenges were economic and certainly the bureaucratic obligations. Also, in general, finding all the resources; material and otherwise. My targeted customers are a mix of children, teenagers, mothers, fathers, grandparents; those local and passing through. For the future, I wish to maintain my professionalism, my relationship with customers, while trying to improve the level of technical equipment, and the environment inside and outside the venue. What I enjoy the most is the liveliness of my days, the absence of monotony and being in the company and the affection of the most loyal customers.”
Tufillo is enriched by these hard-working and talented women. Their commitment to our community is greatly valued, as we understand the many hours that they devote not only to their businesses but to their families as well. In a country that has seen much migration from the smaller towns to career opportunities in the larger cities, we are very thankful that there now is a rejuvenation of the smaller towns and villages. We hope when you visit our lovely town, you have time to stop in these lively and important businesses and meet these wonderful women.
John and I have been adding a cammino a year to our vacation time these past 5 years. We’ve found that not only do they satisfy our love for trekking, but they give us an opportunity to experience new areas, towns, food and whatever we get to see or do on each day of the trip. Our most recent cammino took place in the northern region of Lombardy, Italy. The complete cammino starts in Costanza, Switzerland, but we opt to do the Italian section: an 8 tappa (day) 135 km walk. This camino begins in the lake town of Lavena Ponte Tresa and is completed in the university city of Pavia. With a few added days prior and post cammino, our time in Lombardy totaled 12 days, our first time exploring this region.
As this cammino was setup to start in one town and end up 135 km later in another town, we were lucky to be able to use trains to work out our transportation from home and back. We are only a 20-minute drive from our train station in Vasto/San Salvo. Here we caught a train to Milan with just one change in Pescara. Our first night was spent in Milan, our first time there for sightseeing. Huge, busy city, but we had to make certain to see the lovely Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II. As we were more focused on getting our trek started, we only gave Milan an afternoon, then an evening out for some great pizza, to head back to the train station the next morning.
As we still had to travel from Milan to our start town of Ponte Tresa, we caught a few more trains to our destination; from Milan to Lugano, Switzerland to Ponte Tresa. After passing Lake Como and entering Switzerland, we switched to a narrower track train to take us to the lake border town of Ponte Tresa(Swiss side). Here, we walked from the station through customs control in Italy to the lakeside town of Lavena Ponte Tresa. We relaxed that evening at a lakeside hotel, had dinner in their excellent restaurant, and prepared for our next morning’s start with a good night’s sleep.
Tappa 1 , We begin! – Lavena Ponte Tresa to Ganna. 14.2km/8.8m. A gradual, relaxing climb from the lake up through forests and parks, consisting of a few tunnels. This particular part of the trail was once the tramway in the area. We passed through quaint mountain villages, rested by the side of a lovely lake to eventually arrive at Badia di San Gemolo in Valganna, our destination town for the night.
The Abbey of San Gemolo in Ganna is an architectural complex made up of the church (consecrated in 1160), the bell tower, of Romanesque architecture, the cloister, the guesthouse and the monks’ homes.
We stayed in a local hotel that specialized in risotto. The portions were generous as well as delicious, and we slept well from our first day of ‘walking’.
Tappa 2- From Ganna to Varese, 19km/12m. Today would be our most challenging day due to elevation gains and wet trails. The going was rough for the first hour on very rocky trails that had seen rain most of the night and into the morning. But the forests were beautiful and refreshed with the rain, as we slowly found our way to the entrance of Santa Maria del Monte. There would be more elevation to push through, but the views and multiple chapels were compelling. We stopped at the top for a well-earned lunch of gargantuan, delicious paninis at a local cafe, then a visit to the stunning Santuario di Santa Maria del Monte.
“The Via Sacra del Sacro Monte of Varese is a wide cobbled avenue that climbs for more than two kilometres along the slopes of the mountain until you reach the Sanctuary of Santa Maria along a path marked by fourteen chapels dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary (the 15th mystery is celebrated in the sanctuary).The Sacred Mount of Varese together with other Lombard and Piedmontese Sacred Mounts has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.”
Definitely a challenging but very rewarding day!
Tappa 3 today. Varese – Castiglone Olona 15km/9 m. We have now moved out of the mountains into lower elevations. The morning was filled with lovely wide-open vistas and fields and a well-preserved stone chapel. Our lunch stop was at a local takeaway pizzeria.. hmmm. How could we manage this? John’s hilarious but ingenious transport worked brilliantly as we searched for a comfortable place to eat along the trail. We enjoyed some appertivo time at a local bar in the historic center of Castiglione Olano and topped off the day with a very detailed and interesting tour of Chiesa Collegiata dei Santi Stefano e Lorenzo. Our guide was outstanding!
Tappa 4, Castiglione Olona- Castellanza 21 km/13m. A peaceful hike today along the River Olona. Most of the villages were off trail, some being a good distance. We stuck to the trail, pushing on through some more rain, to take our lunch break at the captivating Monestero di Torba.
The Torba monastery is located in Gornate Olona, in the Torba area, on the slopes of the hill on which the Castelseprio archaeological park is located. The archaeological complex is made up of the castrum, the village, the church of Santa Maria foris portas, the remains of the basilica of San Giovanni, those of the church of San Paolo and other religious buildings; the monastery, with the church of Santa Maria and the Torre di Torba, managed by the FAI, is part of the same unicum. It is part of the serial site “Longobards in Italy: places of power”, including seven places full of architectural, pictorial and sculptural evidence of Lombard art, registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2011.
We topped off our day with an outstanding dinner in the city of Castellanza. More seafood for me!!
Tappa 5 …..Castellanza to Castelletto di Cuggiono.18 km/11 m. The B&B in Castellanza was overflowing with artifacts, antiques and plants! The garden was a wonder, the loving work of the innkeepers. It would have been a tranquil place to spend the morning, but we slung on our packs and headed out. We walked through large, forested parks, and the surprise of the day … a canine search and rescue group training How serendipitous that we should come upon a canine search and rescue training this Saturday morning on our cammino trail!!!I was so excited to meet up with some of the members and their canines. And for my SAR friends back in the US, all dogs are trained for bark indication. Again, I wanted to linger, but we had 20 km to do today. Paths along rivers, gorgeous churches and a fantastic meal capped off the day. We are getting tired and sore, and rethinking how we repack our backpacks. New ideas for the future. Three more days to go
Tappa 6…Castelletto di Cuggiono to Abbiategrasso.17km/10.5m Today’s walk was along the Naviglio Grande (canal). Lovely ancient towns, cyclists, folks Sunday walking, boating. We are now in the area where we are sharing the trail with others, out for their daily walk or cycling. We definitely have to pay attention as the trail, in many spots is single wide and some cyclists aren’t exactly polite, but not all. We ended our day with an amazing dinner of pulled pork and slaw! Compliments to the chef and great music at The Cult Rock Pub!
Tappa 7….Abbiategrasso to Bereguardo.19km/11.8m Today, we are heading south beside a different canal, giving us long views across rice fields, canal locks and spillways. Along the way, we stopped at the commanding Abbazia di Morimondo, but unfortunately, we arrived during off hours.
The Monastery of Morimondo, a name that means “to die to the world”, that is, “to live as a resurrected”, was founded in 1134 in Coronate, a town that still exists about a kilometer from the abbey, by monks from the Cistercian monastery of Morimond in France.
We continued our journey, after some much need gelato, to our destination town of Bereguardo, where stands the Visconti Castle.
An imposing manor, with a distinct Visconti layout, the Castle of Bereguardo stands in the center of the village, surrounded by the clearly visible remains of the ancient moat. It has a square plan, but today has an unusual U-shaped structure, missing the north wing entirely. Without corner towers, the castle was presumably used more as a summer residence than as an element of the Visconti military chessboard. Entirely made of exposed bricks, it maintains its splendid large, mullioned window on the south façade, with parapets and decorative brick elements. The rather wide entrance door has traces of a drawbridge. Remains of an arch incorporated into the internal masonry suggest that the portal was remodeled in an unspecified period in order to reduce its size. Today it is the seat of the Municipality and houses the Civic Library, still preserving traces of the presence of Filippo Maria Visconti: the initials FM are affixed on one of the windows of the northern wing.
There are so many lovely churches throughout small towns in Italy. It wows us every time! We made a quick stop at Parrocchia di San’Antonio Abate before dinner at a local German style bistro. Our feet and backs are tired, but day was so worth it! One more day to our final destination of Pavia.
Tappa 8 ..Bereguardo to Pavia. 16 km/10 m. Farmland full of rice fields, corn and sorghum, small villages, friendly folks and Ticino River. My ankle almost gave out, but we slowly pushed on. As we approached Pavia along the river, we saw the rebuilt Ponte Coperto.
Rebuilt in the mid-fourteenth century to replace the ancient Roman bridge (the piles of which can still be seen today), it connects the historic center of the city with the picturesque medieval village on the other side of the Ticino, a traditional location for washerwomen, gravel diggers and fishermen. Its characteristic, which makes it the evocative symbol of Pavia, is the roof covering, commissioned by Galeazzo II Visconti after the conquest of the city, and the presence of a small eighteenth-century chapel, dedicated to S. Giovanni Nepomuceno. Bombed in the Second World War, the bridge was rebuilt in the early 1950s.
Pavia is an interesting city, with university students everywhere adding vibrancy! We checked into our AirBnB to spend two nights decompressing and relaxing. As I had developed some serious leg issues along the way, we decided to stay close by for the evening and get our final cammino stamp tomorrow. Just below our apartment, was a wonderful Lebanese restaurant. Only a few steps away and food delicious.
Today we got our final cammino passport stamp at Basilica di San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, the culmination of La Via Francisca del Lucomagno. To obtain the testimonium (much like a diploma) and verify we actually walked the entire cammino, we stopped along the way at different designated places; participating bars, hotels, info centers, etc. So here we are with our final stamp and then I screwed up royally. My knees and ankles were hurting so badly, I totally forgot to ask for our testimoniums. The cleric wasn’t forthcoming with the information, and we left without them. I am still hopeful that I can solve this by emails or a few phone calls. But we know that we completed, have our passport books and many wonderful memories!
Our last dinner on this trip got top ratings with us at Krill Bistrot just around the corner from our apartment. The food and service were outstanding. Massimo, the proprietor, was very gracious and helpful. With only 8 tables, the atmosphere was intimate and friendly. There was a family at a nearby table. Their young boy had to check out my dessert to see if he wanted to order the same! Truly hilarious and adorable. We all got to talking and it turned out that the grandmother was from Abruzzo. We conversed across tables, and it was just another lovely (very Italian) experience.
The next morning, we headed to the train station to take us back home. On the way and purely by chance, we stopped in the Duomo di Pavia (Cattedrale di Santo Stefano e Santa Maria Assunta). Words are hard to come by to express the emotions I experienced when we entered. I don’t think anyone could not be blown away by awe-inspiring interior. The architecture is massive, climbing to lofty heights, with the understanding that this structure glorifies God. This is undeniable. Definitely a destination not to be missed.
Pavia Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Pavia) is a church in Pavia, Italy, the largest in the city and seat of the Diocese of Pavia. The construction was begun in the 15th century on the site of two pre-existing Romanesque, “twin” cathedrals (Santo Stefano and Santa Maria del Popolo). The cathedral houses the remains of St. Sirus, first Bishop of Pavia, and a thorn purported to be from the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ. The marble facing of the exterior was never completed.
This trip to Lombardy was so varied and interesting, much more than we expected. The first few days of the cammino, though new and different in its regional ways, was somewhat similar to the terrain and environs of Abruzzo, especially being mountainous and green. What was novel for us were the wide-open, agricultural spaces, especially the cultivation of rice, as reflected in the popular regional dish, risotto. Architecture was grandiose in size, as seen in the cathedrals and abbeys. A variety of cuisines were available for us to enjoy from local traditional dishes to international. It was a cammino to remember. We send a thanks out to the organization for well-marked, interesting trails, great destination cities and towns!
In hindsight, we came away with a few lessons learned, as we continue our plans to do additional camminos. At our age, it is time to lighten our backpacks even more! We will take advantage of transport services to arrange moving our after-hours clothing, etc. from B&B to B&B each day. This will allow us to switch to smaller daypacks. The weight of the larger packs has become too much for our older joints. Also, we are going to pick camminos that are 6 days or less. Or we may choose to just do a shorter section of a much longer one. This cammino we just did was 8 days, with 6 days 90% on hard flat surface roads & bike paths. Much different from trail hiking. We have changed to well-cushioned trail runners that flex more than the low hikers we wore, and now I have trek-specific compression socks to use as needed. We will be much better prepared for the next time.
We have our next cammino planned for this coming October. I’ll keep you posted as we get closer. Until then, as the wet, cold weather keeps me in, I’m getting my daily dose of exercise in our cantina. LOL. Winter is NOT my season!
Post-Covid, everyone seems to be on vacation this past year. And the local towns here in Abruzzo had filled their August schedules with so many events. Just in our little town, the streets were packed and alive. But let me back up a bit to April when we went on our first vacation/visit back to the US in 6 years.
We had planned a few times to visit family and friends in the US, but little did we know, as everyone else, what Covid was about. We had a trip planned for the Spring of 2020, which we had to cancel, thinking in a few months, when Covid is ‘gone’, we could reschedule. Fast forward 2 years and we got closer to making real plans. This past spring, we finally got back to the United States to see our daughters, grandbabies and some dear friends. It was a whirlwind 10 days so we packed as much as we could into those few days.
It was the first time for us flying out of Naples airport and it was a good decision. Only a 2-hour drive from our house, connecting flight out of Frankfurt, Germany and on to Dulles. Once on the ground in Washington, DC, and with our rental car (after a few hiccups), we headed out on US495 around the city. At that moment, the funniest thought came to me that the traffic on the US highway felt tame. I was actually able to relax. That’s what happens after living 6 years amongst the Italian drivers. lol After we checked in to our B&B in Havre di Grace, MD, we met up with John’s daughter, Jennifer, and family. Finally meeting our new granddaughter, now a year old, was a beautiful moment. Her brother, Zac, hadn’t seen us for 6 years and was a bit shy at first, but he warmed up fast and we heard all kinds of fun stories. We relaxed along the waterside of Havre di Grace as well as had some fun time at the local zoo. Unfortunately, after a few days (way too short) visit, we had to say our goodbyes for now. We’re hoping that they will someday make the trip to visit us in Italy. What an amazing experience that would be for everyone…
Our next stop was to see my daughter, Brooke, who lives on her birth farm in rural Virginia, halfway between Williamsburg and Richmond. The farm overlooks the Chickahominy River in Charles City County, where the bulk of the farming in that area is in corn, soybeans and winter wheat. Brooke divides her time between Williamsburg, Charles City and Mount Vernon (birthplace of George Washington), contracted as a historic gown maker. We checked in to the Peace Hill B&B just across the road from her farm, which has upped their game from a local farm specializing in eggs and field crops to a gorgeous hospitality venue set in the peaceful countryside.
Peace Hill B&B, Holdcroft, VA
Our time was filled with a visit to Williamsburg to meet up with my dear college friend, Michele, and her lovely daughter, Kate, as well as touring around Colonial Williamsburg and the campus of the College of William and Mary with Brooke. Both Brooke and I are alumni, so it was fun seeing what hasn’t changed on campus since our times there as well as all the new and exciting construction. Definitely a nostalgic time.
Continuing our time with Brooke, we all headed up to Richmond, met up with Brooke’s partner, David, to enjoy a few days in the capital. We explored Ginter Botantical Gardens, so I could get my flowers and plant fix. Such a gorgeous place, complete with water features and orchid greenhouse. We also had some time to visit the historic Church Hill district of Richmond, where the famous ‘Give me Liberty or Give me Death’ speech by Patrick Henry took place at St. John’s Church.
A very important part of the trip for me was to attend K9 Search & Rescue Dogs’ 30th reunion! How wonderful to see many of the original members from the early ’90smy, my former teammates, and the dogs..of course! We had time to watch the teams train, reconnect and enjoy a delicious meal together. Realistically, this may be my last time in this group setting and I will hold that time dear to my heart. Thankfully, I still can chat with my good friends online and ‘follow’ them as they train their dogs and head out to searches.
We finished up our trip to Virginia with a visit to John’s mom, now residing in Charlottesville, VA. She just celebrated her 98th birthday and still going strong. It was definitely a bittersweet visit with her. Many of you, that consider moving to Italy or anywhere else far from home, may struggle with the difficulties of leaving family behind. Trust me, that struggle is real in our lives, even after 6 years of living in Abruzzo. But I am reminded what my daughter told me as we were thinking over our decision to make the ‘big move’… she said, “Mom, go live your dream”. We are definitely living the dream and we are both so very grateful to our family for understanding and supporting us.
It was a jammed-packed vacation to see family and friends. How we wish we could transport everyone to Italy to visit us someday!
Our next vacation this year, was a surprise trip for John’s 70 birthday. He was born in July and I knew it would be a hot and busy vacation as I planned for it. We’ve both wanted to see Venice and it just never had happened. So, I bit the proverbial bullet. Venice in July.. shoot me now.. but truly we figured how to make it work and only had maybe 4 or 5 hours in the 5-day trip when we were stuck in the masses of tourists. I picked a charming hotel in a quiet neighborhood, where we could have some downtown away from the heat and crowds and we spent many hours walking the out-of-the way places, much to our delight.
We wandered through different neighborhoods, crossing numerous canals, visiting many of the stunning cathedrals the hordes of tourists miss. Ate amazing seafood, enjoyed the AC in our hotel during siesta time, as it was a very hot week (40C), took boat rides to the islands, and yes, ate gelato! We knew we wanted to see San Marco’s piazza and basilica and make the 15-minute walk over to that area. Absolute craziness in regard to the number of people, and even though we had skip-the-line tickets, the basilica was packed to the gills. We were basically pushed along by the masses. Afterwards, we headed back to our quiet neighborhood to decompress. We had the opportunity through our hotel to take a ‘free’ boat ride out to the ‘glass’ island of Murano. I was concerned that we would be high pressured into buying the high-priced handblown glass (way out of our budget) but it was handled with class. We also visited the colorful island of Burano and had a lovely lunch.
Venice is an amazing place, that most of us dream about, but it is also a real city filled with residents. Going during the busy summer months and experiencing the rudeness of the tourists gave us a glimpse of the difficulties the residents of Venice live with on a daily basis. It only made us want to be more mindful of our behavior as well. We will definitely return during a fall or spring season!
We had one more vacation, a cammino, which we did in September. I’ll hold off until next post to describe that trip in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Yes, it was a busy year for traveling; definitely post-Covid ‘let’s get out and about’! We’re sticking around Abruzzo for the winter, but have some plans for a few trips in 2024, all Italy-based.
In the meantime, we’re counting a few more days for my daughter, Brooke, to arrive here in Tufillo for a visit. She is currently attending a fabric workshop in London, then makes her way over to us. I’ll give you some highlights later this month…
Brooke in London
Thank you for visiting here at ‘Navigating Life in Abruzzo’ and we hope that you get a chance to visit our green region of Abruzzo someday soon. Wishing you a blessed holiday season!
Winter didn’t really arrive in Tufillo until after the New Year. We were blissfully deluded that we would now just skim over the winter season since we lived closer to the sea…Such naivety! Granted, this was not the usual snow for Tufillo and they hadn’t had one like this since 2017, but still here we were. Ok, so we are going to have a real winter and me being a not winter person, I needed to find the fun in it all for the next month or so.
The first two days during and after this snow, I got outside and walked around as we all love snow when it’s fresh and the sky is clear. What captured so many of us here in Abruzzo with this particular snow was its color… blue! No kidding and it wasn’t the reflection of the sky but the absorption of the colors in the spectrum. What causes blue snow?
And when it all melted, we headed out for a trek to the mountain town of Montemitro, just south of us in the region of Molise.
Montemitro was granted an Honorary Consulate by Croatia.
The patron saint of Montemitro is Saint Lucia; the church dedicated to her is the church of Santa Lucia Vergine e Martire. However, the town does not celebrate the feast of Saint Lucia on its customary date (December 13), but rather on the first and last Fridays of May. This honors the crossing of the Adriatic Sea to Italy in the 15th century by the town’s ancestors; they are believed to have carried a statue of Saint Lucia with them, arriving in Italy on a Friday in May.
Wikipedia
Looking left off our terrace, we can see this small town perched on a mountain top on the other side of the Trigno River. I checked out possible trails and roads, with the least amount of traffic, that would take us from Tufillo, across the river and up to Montemitro. The weather was a perfectly cool day, sunny and the trek just lovely. The small town of Montemitro was hushed for winter but my understanding is that there are more in residence in the warmer months. The window boxes are full of brightly colored flowers and there are some summer festivals. We will return! On the way home we jumped on part of the Maurizio Salvatore Trail that took us back to the historic center of Tufillo.
Description of trek along with track can be found at this WIKILOC link .
Having fun can also go hand-in-hand with helping someone other than myself, so I volunteered to help our town’s local goatherder, Federica Benemeo. This past summer, she took over care of this dairy herd from longtime herdsman, Attilio Marino. Even though the original herd was greatly reduced and manageable, having assistance, with the workload and unpredictably of working with animals, is important.
John and I both come to this life in Abruzzo with the love of animals. We have individually and collectively had horses, cats, dogs, chickens, and turkeys. I can’t attest for John but I can unequivocally say that I actually enjoy the smell of some manures, such as horse and cow. So goats aren’t’ too far of a stretch for me. Many of us can’t help ourselves around cute animal babies, as we coo over their cuteness and antics. Now adult goats come with horns and hooves and usually take a backseat to their kids in the adorable category, but I came with lots of experience from working in horse barns in the past, so I felt I was up for the job.
And it has been an amazing experience; helping with new babies, croon to the mommas as Federica cares for them whether they have too much milk, a sore hoof or whatever they may need. I also get to spend a few hours out in the countryside with Federica and the herd as they graze. I hope that I can help more in the future. It gives me the chance to help where needed as well as time with animals out in the countryside.
Carnevale In Italy
Carnevale in Italy adds a splash of brightness to the gloomy, chilly winter months. A massive farewell party to eat, drink, and have fun before the limitations and solemnity of Lent. About a month before Ash Wednesday, Italians celebrate over many weekends with big parades, fancy masks, and tons of brightly colored confetti. The origins of this event may be traced to ancient Greece and Rome, when they worshipped Bacchus and Saturn. Some think they date back to archaic winter-to-spring ceremonies. Despite its pagan origins, the event was so extensively celebrated and the tradition so powerful that it was swiftly altered to fit into Catholic rituals. Carnevale is traditionally celebrated on Fat Tuesday (February 21 in 2023), but the weekend prior features just as large or maybe more significant activities. The most famous carnivals in Italy are those held in Venice, Viareggio, Ivrea, Cento, Apulia and Acireale. These carnivals include sophisticated masquerades and parades.
Wikipedia
It’s been a few years since towns have celebrated due to COVID restrictions. Now Italians get to express their love for color, humor, food and spectacle! The larger cities, especially Venice, have gone all out with their costumes this year. In the smaller communities, such as Tufillo, it will take a year or two to bounce back. But it was wonderful to see everyone out enjoying the funny and colorful floats!
I found a lot to keep me going through the winter, and thankfully for me, we didn’t have much more snow after that big one… I’m just not keen on cold weather (anything below 55F LOL). Now it’s the end of Febuary and the fields are greening up and Spring will be here soon. We have lots planned for the next coming months; a trip (finally) to see family and friends in the US, a surprise 70th birthday trip this July for John (and I’m just as excited!) and another cammino later this fall. We are always planning but at the same time very grateful for each and every day we get to experience this amazing life that we have here.
Thank you for reading my posts and I hope they give you the chance to dream your dream… and maybe make it real someday. Until next time…
Moving… not an easy process as many of you have experienced. We do it for many reasons and I have to say that we are a bit tired and overwhelmed, but so very happy. As I have been on hiatus from this blog with the move to Tufillo and recent vacation, I am now focused and ready to share more about life for us here in Abruzzo and our new home.
I am still amazed that we’ve taken to a townhouse in the center of a small village. Both John and I have lived most of our adult lives out in the countryside and certainly, whether in the US or here in Abruzzo, we’ve lived the past 20 years with few or no neighbors. So, to make this move to an urban setting (yes, even if it’s in a stunning medieval village) and not to feel closed-in, just tells me that this is what was meant to be for us at this time in our lives. You can catch up on our preparation to our new place and its location from two of my most recent postings; A Change of Place and A Gift…finding Tufillo…and Giacomo
We’re in love with our house, with all its twist and turns from one level to the next, and as we slowly complete the interior and add our own touches, it is being transformed into our cherished home. We’re using the lower-level kitchenette as our working kitchen as John assembles the cabinets for the main kitchen and we await gas hookup. Once the main kitchen is completed, we will turn the lower one into our dining area. We’ve added a pellet stove in the living room to give us some heat on the main level and our plumber arrives soon to add our gas line, boiler and radiators.
Here are some comparisons from when we first saw the house back in November of 2021 and our progress up until today. Light fixtures still need to be installed, artwork to be hung, kitchen, master bath, etc. still in the works. But we so love our house (about 250-300 years old) with a very modern interior.
Living Room looking to front door. As there wasn’t any foyer or entry way, we added a bookcase to break the space, thus creating a place to hang up coats and kick off shoes.
The marble staircase is truly a work of art designed and installed by a local craftsman. Once having painted the stairwell walls and we’veadded light fixtures, we can hang artwork and a few of John’s guitars.
Our bedroom is so very peaceful, even after adding our plaid winter duvet. Most of the light fixtures have been purchased but John is busy with his kitchen cabinets right now.
An interesting yet very frustrating element that can occur when buying an old house here in Italy, is the determination of ownership of a cantina and/or a stalla (e.g. -storage room for wine and stall area for animal such as donkey.) These rooms were traded back and forth amongst families and neighbors throughout generations, and ownership could be by a handshake, word of mouth or who has the lock on the door. Storage space is at a premium in our downsized home and the need for additional storage and workshop space for John was important. We discovered two small cantinas under our house, and it took agreements, some exchange of money on our part, an architect involved as well as our notary. The outcome that everyone personally involved were handled fairly and the end result was satisfying ownership of the two cantinas beneath our kitchen and part of the actual structure were legally attached to our purchase.
During the move and adjusting to life here in Tufillo, we had a vacation planned well in advance, a cammino in the region of Puglia. We mentally needed the break as we had been going full tilt getting our house in Roccaspinalveti ready for sale as well as moving belongings to Tufillo. Also, during that time, John was actively involved in helping Giacomo (owner/contractor of our Tufillo house) with finishing the tile work and other projects there so we could move in. We were ready for some fun!
What a great week. 130 km on foot from the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea. We’d been training for this one on an off during the past 4 or 5 months, but as this one didn’t have a lot of elevation changes like the cammino in the mountains last year, we put in a lot of road time. On this cammino, we will travel many miles on secondary roads, so we made certain our feet could handle the hard surfaces as we carried all we would need for the week in our backpacks.
This cammino consisted of 6 tappas (stages/days) with the last two days being the longest (20 & 16 miles respectively). We would start in Polignano a Mare and complete the trek in Taranto. I planned our week toward the end of October as the weather in Puglia is dry and pleasant… normally… during this time. Well, we lucked out with dry weather, but it was a lot hotter than expected. It did make the longer days a challenge, but such a great experience!
Tappa 1
What an amazing 19+km/12+ miles! From Polignano a mare to Castellana Grotte. Ancient olive groves, fields of salad and many other vegetables, grapes, trulli, wonderful lunch with Maria (Trulli alla controra)..the list is long of all the wonderful experiences today. Compliments to Francesco Consoli and Elio Roma (and all those involved with the trail work)! And thank you for the best marked route we have experienced in Italy since moving here over 5 years ago. We are ready for tomorrow
Tappa 2
Castellana Grotte – Alberobello, 18+km/11+ miles. Today the landscape changed from yesterday’s field crops to more pastureland and dairy farms but still plenty of groves of olives and almonds and of course, the architecturally unique trulli. On a personal note, we are loving this cammino. Weather a bit hotter than expected, so we’re getting earlier starts to our day. Another great dinner planned for this evening to refuel and enjoy the local cuisine
Tappa 3
Alberobello – Locorotondo, 19.9 km/ 10.5 mi. The weather has been clear (thankfully) and hot so spending most of the day on a lovely and well-shaded wooded trail was a blessing and a pleasure. Stopped for an abundant and delicious taster’s menu lunch at L’Arco Antico – Ristorante Pizzeria, just off the trail. Thank you, Pasquale for your passion with food! We finished up the day’s walk in the historic center of Locorotondo
tappa 4
Locorotondo – Martina Franca, 16+ km /10+ mi. We quickly exited the lovely city of Locorotondo to the countryside into a wooded trail. But first the signs took us through the State Agricultural Technical Institute and its large complex, which included historic gardens and the Masseria (farmhouse) Ferragnano. It was so heartening to see young adults getting gardening instruction as we walked past them early in the morning. Then on to bucolic country roads with stone fences, trulli old and new and cultivated fields and olive groves. Our day passed through quaint hamlets of whitewashed trulli.. a very picturesque day culminating in baroque adorned Martina Franca. We are happy pilgrims.
Tappa 5
Martina Franca – Crispiano, 30+ km/19 mi. Today was the longest day but beautifully set in forests. I think that the trees were talking a bit to each other. A very relaxing experience. When the trail left the woods for a moment, we saw large dairy farms and some more trulli. Us old folks are happy that we didn’t quit but that we enjoyed this wonderful day. I do have to say our feet are a tiny bit tired.
Tappa 6
Crispiano – Taranto, 24.5km/15.2m. We have arrived at our last stage … excited, tired but ready to see what today’s trails were like and to reach Taranto on the Ionian Sea. We were surprised at the diversity, open plains, rocky trails through scrub growth, wide grassy roads through groves of ancient olive trees. Just a very interesting and satisfying day to end our 6-day cammino. We arrived in Taranto midafternoon, got our final passport stamp and threw our travel stone into the sea at the Sailors’ Monument.
Quick note about lack of food pictures. This trip I just wanted to relax and completely enjoy my dining experience without using my phone. Good for me as well as for those dining near us, especially at some of the nicer restaurants. Our two favorites were Ristorante Antiche Mura in Polignano and Gaonas in Martina Franca. Both outstanding. And we are so very glad we stopped along the trail for our taster lunches on Tappa 1 & 3: Trulli all controro & L’arco Antico. We headed home by train, picked up our kitties that were sulking at the kennel and I’m already planning the cammino for next year! Huge complements to everyone involved with this cammino, working diligently to make this an outstanding experience!
And how are Pierre and Sofie now back from the kennel and acclimating to the new house?
I hope you enjoyed this posting and please let me know if you have any questions about how and why we do what we do here. Each expat/resident has different experiences, and I can only share what I know personally. I look forward to your comments and will return soon with more to share. Thank you!
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!
How serendipitous that we should come upon a canine search and rescue training this Saturday morning on our cammino trail!!!
so spending most of the day on a lovely and well-shaded wooded trail was a blessing and a pleasure. Stopped for an abundant and delicious taster’s menu lunch at 
Huge complements to everyone involved with this cammino, working diligently to make this an outstanding experience!
Navigating Life in Abruzzo 