Montefiascone 3

We found a great Trattoria, again, at the recommendation of our host in town. The Panna Cotta was terrific. It actually was topped with elderberries, my favorite. 

Here is one for brother, Bill. This ancient arched doorway leads to ---- The local Lion's Club. The Lion's Club sign is on the left. You will have to enlarge the pic to see it. They are active here in the history of the town and the Via Francigena. Most of the really nice informative historical signs are made and posted by them. 

The Palazzo  Vittorio Emanuele from our room.

Our destination!

Montefiascone 2

A few more views.

A fresco under one of the arches in town.

Each of us walking on history. The Via Cassia (Roman Road) 3-4 centuries BC. 

What we at first thought was a good sized vineyard - actually a large area of kiwis. 

They were thick. Denise was worried they were not harvested. They looked ripe to us. No, we didn't pick any, although a wheelbarrow full would not have been missed. 

Montefiascone 1

We are in Montefiascone. It is an interesting historical hill town. And I mean it is waaaaay up the hill. The first documented mention of the town in official documents is in the 9 th century, but people were in the area long before that. Today we walked on part of the Via Cassia which is part of the Roman Road, built between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC just outside the town. The Duomo on the cathedral 

( which is supposedly the 3rd oldest in Italy) is very unique. It is a ribbed dome. At The top of the Hill and town is the Rocca dei Papà. The place where popes and other dignitaries stayed. Urbana V was here as pope I think in the 1300s. The history is just mind boggling. Here are some of our sights.

One of the historic gates. The Borgo gate. It was actually used by The Archbishop of Canterbury whose travels became the Via Francigena. 

Part of the ruins at the Rocca dei Papa. This was the Torres Della Pelligrini (The tower of the Pilgrims).

The cathedral (duomo) taken from about 1/2 km out of town on our walk.

Family Pride or Family and Pride

We have met several memorable people on this adventure. You never know who you might meet and what type of greeting or treatment to expect. But - We have been very blessed by many of the people who have crossed our paths. A couple days back, we were blessed by a family in Altopascio, Italy. When we arrived at the place we had booked for the night we were met with a friendly smile of a lady who obviously knew little to no English. She had us sit in the cafe/ trattoria and called someone on the phone. Then she offered us coffee which was much welcomed. A few minutes later a handsome young man arrived and told us he would take us to our room. His name was Alessandro and he spoke some English. He took us upstairs above the trattoria and showed us our room. It was remodeled, clean and simple but retained much of the old charm of the historical building. Much of the furniture had been refurbished but maintained an antique/historical feel. Over the next 24 hours we were charmed by the family and in awe of their work ethic and obvious pride in their endeavors. Alessandro works in the trattoria which is operated by his parents. He works morning until late at night with a few breaks. He also remodeled the upstairs and established the B and B himself. He also lives there. That evening we ate in the trattoria and we were amazed at the meals they put out. We were looking at the antipastas and deciding on one (8 euros) when Alessandro explained to us that for that price you got some of everything on the list. We just looked at each other, laughed and ordered one. He gave us his recommendations and Denise got a spaghetti carbonara and I was thinking along those lines when he returned and said they had a couple helpings left of the pasta and wild boar which he thought I should try. It was all delicious. Then we had what they call apple cake (similar to strudel) and a coffee. We told him to tell his Mom that she was a great cook. "Well, my Dad cooked most of what you ate. It is his wild boar, etc." all three of them had come to our table at some point in the meal and asked us how we liked it. 

All of this was the appetizer.

Before left the next day (had to wait on a bus until 2:00) we asked to take a photo of them. His Dad held up his finger to wait a minute and pulled a freshly baked lasagna out of the oven. Guess what we had for lunch before we left? When we asked to settle up for the room, Alessandro took us a few steps away from the trattoria and showed us a new room he is working on. He plans for Breakfast to be in this room, some evening entertainment, and a place to display art from local artists. It was so pleasant to see this family who works very hard together and to see the excitement of Alessandro's vision for the future. We also found out that he plays guitar ( at least) and will teach music in the schools 6 hours a day starting in October. It was a real pleasure to meet and get acquainted with them. 

The door to our B and B. 

The trattoria.

Transportation Decisions: Walk, Bus, Train, or Combination

Having never had to rely much on public transportation, we were quite unaware of the ups and downs of getting around in this manner. I know this is quite naive but we just thought everywhere we went we could catch a bus or train. Did we expect to walk most of the way? Yes, but I have learned if I walk each leg, I am pretty much done for the day and I could enjoy the trip more if we change it up with buses, trains and some walking. Even when we ride a bus or train we still walk to find our hotel, walk to dinner, walk to see the town, and walk some more. So, if we walk 10 miles or more I am not up to the rest of the walking required without some good rest time. That is the reality, like it or not. Riccardo could easily do it all but wants me to enjoy it too. So this blog gives you a sense of our reality for trains, buses and walking.

Spent several hours the day before finding out which bus would get us to the train station in Mortara from our hotel in a little burg so that we could ride to the first little town and walk the rest of the way to Gropello Cairoli. Turns out an early bus with the school kids was the only one:

Caught the train in Mortara after a two hour wait and wisely road all the way due to the rain, walked the route backwards the next day without packs......((: in the sunshine.

To get to my relatives we rode buses and trains the whole way. The interesting thing is they only give final destination and you have to figure out the rest, for instance just where your town is and which stop it is. Praise God for helpful strangers! You buy tickets for the buses in the Tabaccheria shops, cheapest way to go or from the bus driver and most train stations have a ticket office. 

We literally spend hours figuring out how we can or will get from one place to another and many times you wait and then transfer and wait some more. For most train rides you change two or three times to different trains but unless you ask they may not tell you that. We have learned to ask and to ask in polite Italian if they will write it down for us. Then when you get to the station you must figure out which line is yours with some stations having 16 or more.

 

And of course, we love the simplicity of walking. On this day we rode the bus part way because it was raining again. When it cleared up we got off to walk about 4-5 miles but most of it was along a very busy road. We were so relieved to find the trail head off into the woods and country again. These towns put in a beautiful path and fence all along the way.

I know what you are thinking, well what is the upside? It is very, very inexpensive! For the most part if you are willing to wait you can go about anywhere! You don't have to rent a car, drive in another country and find parking. When all else fails, call a taxi!!

First Things To Go

When you carry everything on your back, only the things you use everyday will be kept!

So, we thought we might need those water shoes but nope, never used them! Goodbye shoes and a deorderant we bought from a Farmacia that made us itch. Don't worry all those with sensitive noses, we bought another brand.

Germain Stones in San Genesio

Last year when we were in California, we stayed with Bond and Janet. While we were there, we took a walk on the beach with Bond. We asked him to pick two rocks from the shoreline. One for him and one for Del (his Dad). We told him that we would take the stones with us to Italy and leave them near where the family originated in San Genesio. Well, Bond and Del, your stones are not only near there, but in the house of your distant cousins. 

When we told Guiseppina's (Pinucha) husband, Francesco about the stones he asked if they had to go outside, or could he keep them in the house. If we had no objections, he had an idea of where to keep them. So, as you can see, Francesco put them in a small lidded bowl which stays on a shelf in the kitchen. This is where they keep the egg money from their chickens. There are four stones. One for Bond, one for Del, one for Denise, and one for Dick. A momento of our visit. 

San Genesio: The End of a Magical Day

Angela seemed to be the keeper of the family pictures and loved sharing them with us.

View from their home looking down the street we walked up, Na Munte.

Angela, me and Pinucha! 

May each of us be as generous to those that come our way as they were to us! May the Lord Jesus abundantly bless them with bountiful harvests in the coming years. Thank you for such a beautiful and blessed day! 

San Genesio: Pinucha, Angela and Frank

After eating we walked around the little town, I wish we had time to visit the old church on the hill. They were very proud of it's history. Alas, we had already stayed as long as could without imposing too much on their hospitality.

They were so animated and told me all about the church, where the school used to be, the house that was their mothers and where Pinucha's daughter now lived. There is only one little business in town which is a caffè/bar and is only open in the evening. There are 220 people who live there now.

Pinucha, her real name is Giuseppina, and her husband Frank in their kitchen.

This is La piccola cucina downstairs where they have a forno for baking breads and pizza! Just look at all the chili, herbs, and garlic they are preserving. They have 200+ olive trees, vines and a garden on some land they own nearby. They produce and preserve almost all of their food, which is quite a bit of labor all year long. I so admire this lifestyle!

Lucca

We spent the last couple of days in Lucca. We are down to Tuscany now. Lucca is a medieval town known for its towers and intact city wall, which is huge. One especially interesting tower is the Torre Guinigi. It is a tall tower with oak trees (not dwarf trees) growing at the top. We went up the 230 steps to get the panoramic view of the city. 

And a couple of pics from the top.

The town is very nice. LOTS of shops (of high end women's clothes, shoes, and leather goods, Kristen), coffee, gelato, food, and wine everywhere. We enjoyed it.

San Genesio: Divine Appointment and Blessing

We got up on Sunday morning, walked to the bus stop near our B & B, rode the bus to town to catch another bus that would take us to Vado Ligure. In Vado Ligure we called for a Taxi to take us to San Genesio. Not having a car gives new meaning to getting from one place to another.

The cab dropped us off at a street, called Na Munte. I had gotten some directions from a cousin before we left on our trip.

 We walked up the street until we came to the end and saw the number 28 which we had been given as the home of two distant cousins that still live in San Genesio. Outside was a woman taking her groceries in and we stopped her, "Scuzie, do you know  Angela or Pinucha?" Mi chiamo Denise Germain ( Briano ) This is my husband Richard. ( All in Italian of course ) Mia Nonna è Rose Briano. 

( My name is Denise ........ My grandmother is Rose Briano. ) We are looking for some of my relatives.

She said in Italian, " I am Angela." We asked if we could visit with her and she laughed and from what we could understand she had been quite busy. She had just come back from Milan and had quite a bit going on. We thought she may not have time but let us help carry her groceries to the first floor. She introduced us to Pinucha, her sister, who invited us in to her home and then Angela left to go to her home upstairs. Pinucha had us sit in the kitchen and called her husband, who speaks English, to come back from fishing. We spent five delightful hours with them and I truly felt like I was coming home to family although I had never met them before. So tell me that wasn't a God ordained, divine appointment. They were all home that day, she just happened to be outside the minute we walked up the road, she didn't question or hesitate to take us in and bring us to her sister and brother-in-laws home. We had no email address, no phone number and only directions of where they lived in this little town and Praise God, we had their names!

The day was magical and blessed from beginning to end! Pinucha was cooking lunch and invited us to eat with them. She and her husband, Frank, spoke some English and we spoke some Italian...it just seemed to work!

She made a first course of cheese and spinach stuffed ravioli with a tomato sauce and a second course of Milanese beef with some vegetables from her garden. There was bread, wine, grapes, and ice cream for dessert. She already had most of it cooking so we felt like we just were part of the family that stopped in for lunch that day. They were so kind, hospitable, and fun! We had such a great time visiting with them! After lunch Angela came over and brought family pictures and pages and pages of family trees. We found our families and were able to show them our names and connect it to Rose Briano, and then to Paolo and Maria Piuma Briano. Riccardo laughed later and said they were probably relieved to see our names there.

They showed me their family tree and pictures of their parents and grandparents. I am not sure of the connection but I am sure it is there somewhere. We all share common last names from this town and the one down the road.

This has to be two or three posts because the pictures are as magical as the day. My sweet husband snapped many that were not posed and you can see the fun we were having. 

So stay tuned for the town, and more............!

Would you have done the same if two people claiming to be long lost relatives showed up at your door today?

Saint Anthony's cont'd

I took these pics because they had something specific that caught my attention.

This was the first time I noticed the two overlapping triangles to form the six-sided star of David. It was in this nave off to one side of the main room.

In the nave on the opposite side was this painting of one of the early popes. The thing that struck me was the red cross on the standard he is holding. It is not equal sided, but reminded me of the Knights Templar.

 

Varazze: Break from Trekking, Day 16 and 17 of our Trek

Riccardo and I headded off the trek trail for a few days to see where I come from. My family on my Dad's side came from the region of Liguria and a few days ago we took the train from Piacenza to Varazze. It is a town right on the ocean and we happened to find a B & B right on the beach with windows (second floor) with an incredible view. A young man rents out two rooms that have private bathrooms and we all shared a common room and kitchen. He made us breakfast in the morning and we visited with another couple who only spoke Italian. The young man spoke both English and Italian. They could understand us and were very patient to help us when we struggling.

We stayed here two nights and then we are off to Savona, Vado Ligura and my Great Grandparent's home of San Genesio.

This is the view from our window!

On our walk during the day! They have a walking biking path along an old train route right along the ocean cliffs. It was truly spectacular!

One of two tunnels we went through on the walk:

And of course we had to have a picture of our feet in the Mediterranean Sea (Ligurian Sea)!!!

Churches (cont'd)

These pics are of the church of Saint Anthony in Piacenza. Not one of the largest, but a favorite of Denise and I.