Week of 6/6 – After our Cooking with Rosy class on Sunday, we decided to head back to Monteferrante to see the family again. We wanted some quiet time and knew we could relax for a while up on the mountain. There were also places close by that we wanted to visit. In our own minds though, the town of Monteferrante is pretty nice on its own. Views are wonderful, the town is quiet, there is very little traffic (if only you could see the road coming up the mountain!) but there are the gathering places. The bar opens in the morning so we can get our caffè and brioche and it remains open until early afternoon. It reopens about 4:00PM for what we might consider happy hour. There are also those who one can expect every evening for the passeggiata. It is relaxing, provides a little exercise and above all, is social.
From a utilities aspect, this town is pretty unique. Lordy, I wish we had these benefits at home. Years ago, a water system was set up using water from even higher up in the mountains which flows downhill and through the low part of the town (piped underground) and having gained energy from the downhill flow, goes up to the high point of the town where the old fortress stood at the opposite end of town. It then flows back down into the town, providing water to all the homes and to the many “public” fountains through out the town. No monthly water bill I might add. Some people drive up from Rome and other cities on weekends to fill up their big water bottles so they have good drinking water during the week.
A few years back, a similar opportunity popped up when wind energy gained support. The town was approached about placement of windmills on the hills above the town, enticed with the prospect of no charge for electricity. Of course they jumped aboard. We were told during this visit that the subsidy has just expired but for years, no electric bill either.
During the week we visited a few towns close to Monteferrante. We went to Tornareccio where they produce all the honey for the Abruzzo region. The walls of the buildings in town are covered with Mosaic art which is done by local artists. It is beautiful. We walked around the town and enjoyed the scenery and artwork before heading back to Monteferrante.
We also walked through the little town of Colledimezzo which is the town right below Monteferrante. From there you can see Lake Bomba. Colledimezzo simply knocked our socks off on our first visit to this part of Italy as it was the first village we saw sitting alongside the mountain immediately after exiting the left tunnel in the photo below. It is on the road up to Monteferrante so we pretty much go through it every time we go up and down the mountain. Lots of tunnels and elevated highways in Italy.
We had headed to Colledimezzo intending to have lunch there after walking around a little. Never found a restaurant; only a bar which we have known about since 2014. Remember, you can get lots of stuff in bars here, from espresso and pastries to panini/sandwiches to beer and almost any kind of booze. And most importantly, they are gathering places. We learned once we got back up the hill that there are no restaurants in the town. Colledimezzo must be facing the same kind of exodus of people as in Monteferrante yet all the houses remain, many sitting empty.
We also went to Villa Santa Maria which was about 20 minutes from Monteferrante. It is a beautiful little place but we did not walk the entire town; way too much climbing for me and we did not want to drive through the smaller spaces taking any chances of getting stuck with the car. We had lunch at a local hotel down by the river and which had a great staff and wonderful food.
Getting back up to the top of the mountain, my cousin Silvana called me over to show me how to make Pallotte cacio e uova (cheese ball with egg). It was so easy and a lot of fun just listening to her describe everything to me and magically, I actually understood what she was saying even though she was speaking only Italian. I guess growing up with my grandparents and listening to them speak Abruzzese all the time, I can understand much of it.
After we finished up, another of my cousins, Cinzia, stopped over to visit with us since we had not seen her yet. Actually, she was in Barcelona the first week of June! We caught up with her life, enjoyed a cup of coffee and some fabulous chocolate candy. Oh, my how nice was that.
Thursday we went to Hotel La Masseria in Atessa, another local town, with Cousins Bruno, Argentina, Cristian and Greta. We had the most amazing seafood pranzo (lunch) you could ever imagine. The hotel was beautiful and the dining room simply elegant. It was like being at a wedding banquet or baptism celebration. And of course, that is exactly what often takes place there, including the festa after Cristian was baptized.
The food was prepared and served so beautifully and every bit was delicious. I was not sure how I was going to eat all this food but somehow I managed. Of course, I was totally stuffed and knew I would be eating nothing else the rest of the day. Lunch lasted for three hours with lively conversation and a lot of photos. The memories we are making on this trip will last a lifetime and it is so wonderful to learn more about our cousins in Italy. It’s a shame we had not met long ago but you all know how life goes – you grow up, maybe marry, have children and then you discover the relatives you have in other places and if you are fortunate (as we have been,) you get to meet them and learn all about their lives and some of what it was like for your grandparents while they lived here. No matter that it took years to finally meet, it is how you make the most of your time together. It’s a beautiful thing and it’s called “Famiglia.”
Today, Friday, it’s been raining and the mountain was and is covered with clouds, the trees are blowing about, the fog (we think it’s really the clouds as we are 2,900 feet above sea level,) is thick enough that we cannot see across the street 10 meters away and it’s simply a good day to just stay put and hopefully work on my blog! The cousins want to go out for pizza later so we will see if the weather cooperates. Driving down the mountain road in the rain and fog is not really my cup of tea! It’s a nail biter for sure.
Late breaking, meaning early Saturday morning. The weather broke up about 5:00PM yesterday and we went out with Bruno and his family plus Vincenzo, the fifth of our cousins in his generation of the Ambrosini family. Vincenzo is well known in the restaurant and hotel industry in Italy and internationally. A member and maybe even president of the International Maitres Association Hotel Restaurant, he is a professor and docent at the Leonardo Da Vinci Professional Institute of Industry and Crafts and Hotel Services. He knows the hotel and restaurant business and he is a maestro in the kitchen and wine cellar! He loves teaching and loves his students and they clearly love him.
We might add that Vincenzo, Bruno and all of our cousins here are cuochi eccezionali (excellent chefs) in our experience! And talk about an honor and culinary experience, go back to my 2016 blog and the entry: “Summing up our time in Monteferrante.” Check out the banquet our cousins gave us.
Oh, last night. Another wonderful evening for us. Multiple types of pizza and a lot more conversation. And nearly midnight before we went to bed!
My Cooking with Rosy part of the blog is taking a while to finish since I do not have the photos she took yet. Please be patient, they are worth the wait and if I do not receive them, I will still finish my blog minus a few photos.