Neptune
Sleeping Woman
Fury and Lions
Mermaid Echnia
Cerberus - 3 headed dog that guards the gates of hell
Etruscan bench
Hannibal on elephant
Ogre
Inside the Ogre's mouth - stone table and benches around 3 walls - great place to escape the heat of an Etruscan summer
Dragon
Temple - side view
Temple - front view
As we approached our destination for the weekend and the sun was going down, to our left appeared this little hilltop community of Marano. It looked very interesting. We took a quick run up to the community, but as it was a place you needed to explore on foot, we decided we would come back to explore it in the daytime.
And then IT HAPPENED AGAIN!! My battery died and suddenly I had that sickening sinking sensation in the depths of my gut! Just as with the previous camera trouble, the realization dawned that I had ONCE AGAIN, forgotten my charger and spare battery!!!!!!! I cannot be a tourist without a camera.
Pouting deeply, we went and found our accommodation for the night and waited for 7:30 to come so that we could go to supper. To try and cheer me up, my darling husband took me to visit the local cemetery. It was a very interesting place to visit and because people were paying respects to their loved one's I did not miss the camera. What I found interesting about the cemeteries here is that, even with adequate ground seemingly available, they are not buried in the ground as in most of our North American Cemeteries. As with the Etruscans, Pharaohs, Greeks etc, their dead are buried in tombs above the ground, in mausoleums. Small family buildings hold up to about 10 individuals. It appeared that some had been there for well over a century, based on the dates of death. There were other larger buildings that contained well over 100 deceased persons. All were well tended with fresh flowers, eternal lights, etc. and in just the short time we were there, at least 12 people were visiting their family members.
Sunday morning, we were off to Viterbo, to find yet another charger. This time I got one that had a car adapter as well, so I could charge on the go. Then, we went in look of the purpose for this weekend foray from the city, the Wild Boar Festival. I was not having much luck finding where it was, but based on what seemed to be the norm for this type of thing, we headed to the historical center of the city. Sure enough there was something going on there. Streets were closed, parking rules were relaxed and there were hundreds of people moving through the gates of the old walled city into the historical center. What was on was the "Fiere della Annunziatas" (fair of the announcement) celebrating both the arrival of spring and the Catholic feast of the Annunciation.
This thing was massive - I read afterwards that there were 3 kms of stalls. Think of anything and everything you might want and you could find it there, from clothes to household items; bedding; small appliances; furniture; pets - chicks, ducklings, rabbits, birds, fish, gerbils; food items; toys; any late night TV infomercial item you were ever tempted to buy but didn't; they were all here. And the demonstrators with their microphone around the neck, selling their "miracle" pans, slicers, dicers and what have you. It doesn't matter if it is in Italian or English, it all sounds the same.
We spent about 2 hours wandering through some of this, never once seeing anything that resembled wild boar. It may have been there somewhere. We probably managed to see only about half of all the displays. It became tiring trying to maneuver thru the crowds. What we did find was lots of "porchetta" which is like hamburgers to North Americans. Porchetta is a side of pork, the rind still on, seasoned with spices like garlic, rosemary, and black pepper, rolled and tied tightly, then slow roasted so you get a crunchy outside and succulent, flavourful, tender internal meat. This is then sliced and served on a bun. It is the Italian's go-to fast food.
We left Viterbo and decide to take another route home. New charger in hand, my camera battery was charging as we travelled, but I had to keep adjusting it. On the way we saw this country side rolling out around us. Wanting to get a higher vantage point to look over a valley, we took off down a gravel road that promised what I was looking for. As we approached we saw there were several cars parked at the ridge. When we got there we discovered it was a reserve of uncultivated ground and that the cars belonged to mushroom pickers. People strolled back to their cars, wicker baskets under their arms. We asked to see what they had been picking. Under a protective napkin we saw luscious great mushrooms. Someone was going to have a great feast tonight.
Rocky Tuscan soil
Fine fern like plant - possibly wild asparagus, fennel or dill
Reserve where mushroom pickers were working
Old abandoned building
Tuscan hills in background, mushroom reserve in foreground
Ancient structure - possibly segment of an aqueduct
Because we have never been to the Mediterranean, except to pass it by train, we decided to drive to Civitavecchia, which is the seaport for Rome, and where all the cruise ships dock. All of a sudden we were approaching what looked like a toll booth. I thought "Oh, no, we have been on a toll highway, how did that happen AND how much is this going to cost us". Well, we have to go thru now, there's no way we can turn around here. Up to the booth we roll. The man is asking us something I don't understand. I ask "quanto" how much - he just stares at me, says some thing again - I don't understand - I say "non Italian" - he looks at me now with great exasperation, pauses then gives a big "bah.h.h..." as if to say "I don't want to deal with you" - opens the gate and shoos us thru. Then I see the sign for the city center and I understand what has just happened. Somehow I had missed the exit to the center and had ended up in the line to get into the Port yard. Needless to say I made a quick retreat out of there towards the city center.
The Mediterranean at last
And my battery died again, something is wrong with the new charger.
From Civitavecchia we headed north and west to Tarquinia, Tuscania, Marta, Montefiascona and on to Bagnoregio. At Bagnoregio, we came to a traffic circle that left us a bit confused, because we weren't sure which town we needed to head for, so we pulled over to study the map. Next thing we know, there is a little gentleman on a bike, frantically waving to us to follow him - we look at each other and say, "why not" - he obviously thinks this is where we should be going. So we follow him, he waves us on and we continue down the street. There must be something going on because a lot of people seem to be heading towards one building in particular.
Not being interested in stopping to see what it was we drove on, but ended at a dead end at what was called "The Belvedere" and a parking lot. We were going to head back out but I asked Bill to stop so that we could have a look at a large building on the opposite side of what looked like a large ravine. Then I walked back to an old building that was there to read a plaque. It was commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Beatification in 1500s of a St Bonaventure of this community. While I was reading this people were drifting out through a gate on the side of the building, and they all had cameras with them. I thought "Hmmm....., there must be something interesting to see" I walked thru the gate and my jaw just about hit the ground!!!!
This is what I saw
Rising up from the valley floor below was this town perched on the top of a cliff. This is a picture I gleaned from the Internet and does not nearly do justice to what we saw. This is what I found out about it. This is the old village of Bagnoregio called Civita. It was first inhabited by the Etruscans 2500 years ago. The city is positioned atop a plateau of friable volcanic tuff overlooking the Tiber river valley. It is in constant danger of destruction as its edges fall off, because of earthquakes and river erosion, leaving the buildings built on the plateau to crumble. At one time there was a natural bridge connecting this community to the present day community, but by the 1600's most of this had crumbled away and the old site was all but abandoned. In the 19th century, it's location was turning into an island and the pace of the erosion quickened as the layer of clay below the stone was reached in the area where today's bridge is located. A stone bridge was built to allow remaining residents to come and go. Today there are only about 14 year round residents living here. That number swells in the tourist season. All buildings in the community are privately owned and the place has become a bit of a rich person's retreat with wealthy Italians purchasing homes for summer retreats. Supplies are ferried by Vespa to and from the town by a man whose father did the same thing by donkey years ago.
We did not go up to the town because of time constraints, but we will return before the end of our holiday and make the trek up to the city. By the way belvedere in Italian means "beautiful sight". Quite right!!!!
After this wondrous discovery we made our way back to our hotel arriving well after dark. Driving back and looking across the valley, I commented to Bill that it looked like the hillside had lighted eyebrows. All up and down the valley you could see these lights that went upward in a single line ending in a clump of lights at the town site, just like the shape of an eyebrow!
It was a wonderful weekend and I now know why people fall in love with Tuscany and Umbria. Waking to the sound of song birds in the morning, the gentle warmth of the sun on your skin, and the heady scent of Forsythia, Mimosa and wild berry bushes, detectable even to me with my loss of smell, are all reasons. Winters mantle had not yet been completely shed, the fallen leaves were still crunchy under foot while over head the tree buds were swollen, ready at an moment to unfurl their leaves. Only a few trees were showing green, but that had increased in just the 48 hours we were there. The grape vines were all trimmed, the olive trees were in the process of being pruned and the ground beneath tilled, gathered wood was being stacked or burned, gardens were being tilled and it was clear that Spring was well and truly on it's way.
We will return.
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