(Brief reflection: the meal doesn't have to be in any way impressive, it needs only be good. We ate tuna and tomato foccaccia for lunch one beautiful Saturday in a middle-sized hillside town called Casole d'Elsa, looking out the bar's back window over a superb vista ... It could scarcely have been more simple, nor more enjoyable !)
Tuesday 12 March
Travelling: Trevi - Montefalco - Bevagna - Bettona - Torgiano - Deruta - Gagnetole - Gualdo Cattaneo - Colleseco - Saragano - San Terenziano - Torri - Viepri - Bastardo - Bivio Moscardini - Trevi ..........
CS kept telling me about Montefalco's command of the entire area around it, mostly river tributaries; so we went there to see for ourselves. However, we never found out where the lookout points are, so that was that. Bevagna has a fine piazza with some very old Roman contents; Bettona is prettier, with better (hazy, as ever) views; and Torgiano provided me with a hairdresser (an Italian male) who sold me shampoo and (supposedly) conditioner to replace what I'd left behind in Arezzo -- *that* conversation was a challenge ! (Funny the things
Tuesday 12 March
Travelling: Trevi - Montefalco - Bevagna - Bettona - Torgiano - Deruta - Gagnetole - Gualdo Cattaneo - Colleseco - Saragano - San Terenziano - Torri - Viepri - Bastardo - Bivio Moscardini - Trevi ..........
CS kept telling me about Montefalco's command of the entire area around it, mostly river tributaries; so we went there to see for ourselves. However, we never found out where the lookout points are, so that was that. Bevagna has a fine piazza with some very old Roman contents; Bettona is prettier, with better (hazy, as ever) views; and Torgiano provided me with a hairdresser (an Italian male) who sold me shampoo and (supposedly) conditioner to replace what I'd left behind in Arezzo -- *that* conversation was a challenge ! (Funny the things
you remember about places, eh ...?) And then we passed, all unawares, Gualdo Cattaneo; *this* was the place CS had read about, and gorgeous it is, too ! I say "unawares" because the damned map showed it as bigger than Bevagna and possesed of not a single red star. Whereas, when we made our way back to it (I spotted it when I turned around in the car to get something from the back seat), it turned out to be a little jewel, and should have TWO red stars !
Then we went onto some "white" roads and subsequently discovered how unreliable the maps are regarding them. Be that as it may, the driving was wonderful, and the peace and tranquility incomparable. We saw *two* little towns with rocche, then went to Viepri to see what the map showed as a big crotchet but which turned out to be a church ! We passed it by in disgust, and thus found ourselves being sucked inexorably towards Bastardo. (One reason for this town's name could be that there are some places you can't get to unless you go through it, and it's a real *bugger* of a place for losing yourself.) And then back to Trevi, stopping to take a most unusual shot of it as we returned.
Then we went onto some "white" roads and subsequently discovered how unreliable the maps are regarding them. Be that as it may, the driving was wonderful, and the peace and tranquility incomparable. We saw *two* little towns with rocche, then went to Viepri to see what the map showed as a big crotchet but which turned out to be a church ! We passed it by in disgust, and thus found ourselves being sucked inexorably towards Bastardo. (One reason for this town's name could be that there are some places you can't get to unless you go through it, and it's a real *bugger* of a place for losing yourself.) And then back to Trevi, stopping to take a most unusual shot of it as we returned.
