Spoleto, Amelia

Aug 27

Maya was happy today to stay in the house all day. We did not even join Deborah and Werner when they drove to the Coop to buy food. We were tired from the night before, and I did not want to wake Maya when the sun crept through the two inch gap in the curtains. I left the balcony door open through the night, and can hear the birds and cicadas when they awaken. The light from the sun is intense, but if I turn my back to the sun, I feel the heat on my lower spine, and it feels so very therapeutic. I waited for Maya to wake up past 9, and then we crept downstairs to make crepes for breakfast. When Debra and Werner came to join us, we ate outside the front door, with the three cats waiting for their breakfast. The morning was cooler than it had been. The meal was leisurely and we did not move until almost noon.

Maya and I had talked about picking blackberries to make a tart. We walked out of the garden to the road toward Ameila and found many of the blackberries dried up and raisin-like. The best blackberries we out of reach. I tried to pick as many as I could, but did get scratched up and bitten and bleeding before I stopped, which of course was only when we had enough for a decent sized pie. 

While Maya practiced violin, I washed clothes and packed. Thankfully we had bought nothing and the suitcases were not overflowing. The pool was beckoning, so all of us spent time in the sunshine enjoying the water. Maya had her face buried in a book for hours, so I read too, and washed more clothes. Debra drove the car for the first time to Amelia while Maya and I lounged by the pool.

Debra and Werner came home with a chicken to grill on the barbecue. Werner was very excited and prepared the BBQ with lavender branches and other sweet smelling herbs. Maya and I  made the pastry  with lots of butter, and tried the oven for the first time. It never did get too hot, and the pastry cooked, but the blackberries really did not. After grilled eggplant and zucchini and sausage, we had salad for a second course while waiting for the chicken to cook. We ate by the pool in the dark with half a moon and the milky way making things visible, drinking our delicious wine (which Gino makes for us and gives us an unlimited supply). It was almost midnight when we finished our blackberry pie, made delicious by vanilla gelato (how in the world do they make it so creamy?). What a wonderful way to end our idyllic visit to Umbria and Casa Lara. Maya and I will miss this place, and Debra and Werner, our wonderful hosts. We have had a marvelous time.

Aug 26

I realized today that we would never get to Asissi this trip, which was fine, because I had visited several times, and although Maya does not remember, she was there too once. The day was a little cooler, and for a while it seemed that the sky was getting dark and a storm was brewing. Rain had been forecast, but we got only a few drops, before the sound decided to shine again. 

When it became clear that we would not be leaving the house for an adventure, I proposed that we take a walk to Ameila. Debra and Werner thought I was batty, and I am sure they never expected us to get there, but we all surprised ourselves. I was desperate for some sort of activity, after we lazed about in the morning. We woke up late and were busy in the house for the morning. We were caught in the pool when the storm threatened, but when summer returned for the afternoon, albeit cooler and calmer than the day before, it felt perfect for a walk. 

The first part of the road is uphill, made interesting by a deep ravine on the left  (apparently a raging stream int he winter) and olive trees and fruit trees on the right.    There is a turn to the right along dried up blackberry bushes (it has not rained in a year!) and then another turn to the right past Gino's house (he harvests the olives and vines, and makes love oil and red wine which he provides in unlimited quantities to Casa Lara). The next part of the road is steeply downhill, which I had not realized when driving in the car. Amelia is a long distance away on a hill to the left, so by this part of the walk, I was quite sure we would never make it. Werner was very enthusiastic about the walk, and he and I surged ahead, while Maya and Deborah, who were not as thrilled, found all sorts of topics to discuss. We passed 'Agriturismo Tara', where we took several photos to show Tara, and took a break at the main road, where we learned that there was a 'Maneggio' past Casa Lara. Deborah likes to ride, as do Maya and I, so we all decided that would be another adventure for us.

It was Sunday, so it appeared that a party was brewing at an outdoor restaurant along the way. When we returned a few hours later, more and more cars had parked nearby, and later in the evening, there were even parking attendants, and many more cars and much more activity, I think much of Amelia had decided to join the outdoor festivities. We walked further, a little worried about the safety of our adventure, since the cars were taking the turns at record speed, and the road did not have much of a shoulder. I was relieved that it was Sunday, and less busy than usual. When we got to a turn to a smaller road and a different approach to Amelia, we chose the quieter road. A little further, we found the road closed, and several signs warning us not to go further. We climbed over the fence guarding the approach to the backside of Amelia. I was worried that the road would suddenly disappear and we would fall into an abyss, but we were entirely safe. Later I learned that Amelia, in the hope of attracting more visitors, was building an elevator  which would bring people up from a bottom parking lot to the town. We climbed up the very steep incline instead, and Maya and Werner actually raced to the top. We entered through the Porta Posterna, where soldiers used to collect payment from travelers entering the town. The Dome was nearby, but we descended through the narrow mideaval streets to the hospital and the Cisterne Romana that we had visited. We found gelato to revive our muscles along the way. The town was deserted on a Sunday. I imagine everyone had gone to the party we encountered on the way to Amelia. 

Our plan was to visit the museum, where a bronze statue of Germanicus was housed. The museum was full of Roman remains, with lots and lots of explanations. , which would have been fascinating to read in their entirely, but we were limited by our arrangement to meet Werner outside the city walls by 6. He ran home to get the car while we cooled off in the museum.  We had a dinner date with Bella, the woman who had invited us to her house that first night we were in Casa Lara, so we had to get home and bathe and change (we were in great need of a shower after our hike).

Our plan was to drive to Orte for dinner and a concert. A music school was having their final concert in the main square. I had only seen the lower and more modern part of the town when we arrived on the train. The older part was high up on a tufa mountain. Werner was rather amazing in his ability to maneuver the car up the narrow streets to a parking lot near the Duomo. The main Piazza della Liberta was already buzzing with performers and onlookers two hours before the performance was to begin. We chose to eat at Taverna Roberteschi, where we had Antipasto Roberteschi and Ravioli (actually big tortellini) Roberteschi. The pasta was marvelous, but I was tired of pasta by then. Maya had a delicious Linguine alla Siciliana (like puttanesca, with olives and capers and tomatoes) and Werner had his third pasta with Tartufo (in three days!). We wandered over to the main square in time for the performance. At first I was worried when I saw little children with tiny violins struggle through a song drowned out by electric guitars and a kid playing a drum set furiously, but once the mixed group of children and teachers and adults started the program, we were all impressed. The program was a mix of classical and modern and broadway and opera, and was amazingly good. We stayed till the very end, and reluctantly drove out of Orte at midnight. Such a late night!