Day 31 to 35 - Bagnoregio, Italy

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Ciao Como, Salve Bagnoregio

Activities

Transfer from Como to Bagnoregio, via Milan, Florence and Orvieto
Holidaying with Guazzarotto family - Barbara (mum), David (brother), Emma (sister-in-law) and Oscar (nephew)
Sightseeing around Bagnoregio, Civita, Pitigliano, Bolsena and Orvieto
Visits with Italian family in Pitigliano
Family lunches at Civita and our villa, and lunch with extended family near Pitigliano

Highlight(s)

* Meeting up with the immediate family and all hanging out in Italy together.
* Long lunch with extended family on Friday. There was bruschetta, handmade ravioli, bean & chilli rigatoni, pork stew, fruit tart and of course home made wines and liquor.
* With the family as our hosts we were able to pause tourist activities to experience the region and the way locals live.
* Admiring and exploring the old medieval towns that are hundreds of years old and appear precariously balanced on the sides of cliffs.
* Local bakery at Bagnoregio was excellent - sensational bread, yummy lemon or chocolate cannolies, fruit tarts and much more. Oscar was a hit at the bakery and charmed the lady so much she would give him sultanas biscuits.
* Michel's Gelati count - 25
* Joceline's Italian / French / German Coffee count - 81

Odd Spot(s)

* Our first train from Como was delayed which meant we missed all other connections for the day. The volume of irrational complaints from people regarding the delays was amazing and the queue for reticketing in Milan was about 60 deep. After listening to complaints and watching others make demands of the staff who were taking for ever, we approached the desk. Using some basic Italian pleasantries we handed over our tickets with a pleasant smile and watched in amazement as the little man methodically reticketed us, wrote down our new travel details and then walked around the desk to point at the monitor for our next train. Many others in the queue looked on in disbelief as we thanked the man profusely whilst he told us we had 5 minutes to get to the platform and on the train. The lesson here - smile and wave.

* You can get almost anything at the supermarket - fresh cheeses, superb hand carved cured meats, wine, fire starting goods, candles - but not matches. Of course - you can only get matches from a tobacconist’s store.

Weather

Some rain but mainly sunny and low 20 degrees

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Photos

3 Wise Monkeys
Barbara joined us for a morning exploring Bagnoregio so that we could work up an appetite for lunch.

Biglietti si prega di
Tickets please. Oscar enjoyed the ride to Civita on the 12 seater local bus.

Civita
View of Civita old town from the lunch table. After lunch we made climb up the steep bridge to investigate and enjoy the view.

Dealing with lunch
To the amazement of an American tourist looking on, Mick and Dave enjoyed a 3 course lunch which included cured meats, truffles, ravioli and cinghiale (wild boar).

Taking Some Tips...
Oscar was provided some invaluable tips from an old pro when it came to the afternoon gelati

Under The Tuscan Sun
Enjoying the Tuscan sunset from our villa

Uncle Sergio's Brew
Upon arriving in Pitigliano, we were treated to one of Uncle Sergio's special coffees. It may just have been the best coffee of the trip.

Apes and Vespas
The three wheel apes (pronounced "ah-peh") are a popular working vehicle in the villages.

The Pitigliano Family
Left to right: Barbara, Uncle Sergio, Aunt Lidia, Oscar and Mick

Vorrei Chocolato
Oscar places his order at the Pitigliano Gellateria - "I would like chocolato please"

Italian Feast
After a trip to the local market, Dave G whipped up a feast worthy of the setting.

This Is The Life...
Enjoying relaxation time at the villa

The Neighbours
A long way to go to borrow a cup of sugar

Blackberry Hunting
Barbara was determined to have a harvest of blackberries. We all set off on our adventure only to find dried, shrivelled blackberries that were suffering from the lack of rain.

Get Out Of There
Mick's investigates to see if the good blackberries are hiding around the back.

Our Summer Holiday
The rain came down during a visit to Pitigliano

Cinghiale
The local delicacy of Cinghiale (wild boar) is proudly displayed in the Pitigliano butcher shop window.

Pitigliano
Known as the "little Jerusalem" and home to the Italian family.

Comments

[J]

Envious! You all look so contented...ok apart from that one picture ("me gutses")

[Melissa]

Viva la Villa
That's it - after seeing those pics I am demanding that I only stay in Villas from now on. ..now let's see where I can get one in Warrnambool.