Mountain Snow and Blooming Dogwoods

Ah, spring begins in my little corner of the world.

The "Little Tibet" of Italy and Spaghetti Westerns

What do Spaghetti Westerns have to do with Campo Imperatore, sometimes called the "little Tibet" of Italy? That question was answered yesterday on the way to hike in this stunning area with my husband and friends. Campo Imperatore is a large plateau 4921 feet above sea level, 18.6 miles long and 6.2 miles wide and overlooked by  the tallest peak in the Apennine Mountains and located in the Gran Sasso National Park.

Turns out that some of the Spaghetti Westerns, so-called in the US (called Italian Westerns in Italy), were filmed here. I could just imagine it as we drove along. Miles and miles of open, uninterrupted  land with hills and mountains in the distance. I pictured the cowboys on their horses galloping freely and doing all those things that cowboys do. I imagined the delight of the directors in finding this gem of a location which looks like the old wild west of the US. As if to oblige my musings, we even saw some horses grazing along the way.

But, back to the Italian Westerns; they were a sub-genre of Western films dating from the mid-1960's. Sergio Leone was probably the most famous of the Italian directors and among the best known of his films were: "A Fistful of Dollars", "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", and "Once Upon a Time in the West". Ironically, they were originally released in Italian by a man who spoke no English and had never visited the US, but nonetheless redefined the image of the cowboy. They further expanded to include other directors in Italy and Europe and were then called European Westerns. Over 600 European Westerns were made between 1960-1980.

We had our first glimpse of Corno Grande, the highest peak (9500 feet) in the Gran Sasso Range of the Apennine Mountains, as we turned a corner near our hike destination in Campo Imperatore:

The rewards for hiking up to 7800, besides the exhilaration of good physical exertion on an absolutely crystal clear, 74 degree day, were these views:

Corno Picolo:

Corno Grande:

Flags of Italy and the European Union put up on top by the Club Alpino Italiano:

A happy hiker at the top:

What is exhilarating you this summer?

New Awning, New Room

After the profound poetry I've been re-reading for postings this month, something simple and wonderful happened. Our balcony faces south so the good news is it has sun all day. On hot days, some of which we've been conjuring up lately, it's too hot to sit out mid-day. But, last week our local Home Depot type of store had a special on awnings and one of them coordinated beautifully with our apartment colors and my next door neighbor and I decided to buy one each.

The men came today to put it up and I love it! It provides just the right shade to use the balcony for all three meals and projects and lounging and reading, etc. So one awning provides a whole new room. That's all from my little corner of Italy. Nothing heavy, deep or real just a new way to enjoy my life here. Simple pleasures, wonderful enough in their own right.

Spring Gratitude

Poems added for National Poetry month


I thank you God for this most amazing day, 

for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, 

and for the blue dream of sky 

and for everything which is natural, 

which is infinite, which is yes. 


~ e. e. cummings




These photos are from a trip this weekend to friends in Arsita, Italy up into the Apenine Mountains on a perfect Spring day.


Gran Sasso

Winding Mountain Road

New Green on Old Stone

Peach Tree Blooms

Daisies in Ancient Cobblestones

Tile Roofs and Mountains

Spring Clouds on Gran Sasso

Threshold of Spring
Rilke

Harshness gone. All at once caring spreads over
the naked gray of the meadows.
Tiny rivulets sing in different voices.
A softness, as if from everywhere,


is touching the earth.
Paths appear across the land and beckon.
Surprised once again you sense
its coming in the empty tree.

(Uncollected Poems)

Taken  from A Year With Rilke 

posted  today 

by Lorenzo and Ruth.

Sunday Drive

When I was a young girl, my father liked to take us on Sunday drives through our greater Boston area and suburbs. I loved those drives and the glimpse into other lives. My husband was feeling a little low today so I hustled him into the car and took him on a Sunday drive through our current neighborhood.

The day was clear and sunny with high cumulus clouds.    

The mountains added dramatic back drops to the verdant fields everywhere in our region. The vines are laden with grapes and almost ready for harvest.

The hill towns perched on impossible vistas.

The Adriatic had ribbons of beautiful colors.

We even saw our own town from a different vantage.

His mood changed as we drove. Actually, we both felt full and blessed. Some traditions are worth preserving.

What Are Calanchi Anyway?

Yesterday was a scrumptious day that invited exploration. Some friends suggested going to a WWF (World Wildlife Fund) site, Riserva Naturale dei Calanchi di Atri, highlighting calanchi in a nearby hill city of Atri. This area in the region of Abruzzo, province of Teramo, is known for these particular erosion patterns typical in Mediterranean climates. The soil is eroded by water and contains steep slopes, loose dry soil and deep sand. The erosion exposes the sedimentary layers and means there is scant vegetation cover. Turned out to be an wonderful combination of serene countryside and "far side of the moon" formations that were stark but fascinating.

We brought a picnic and ate under the pine trees. Some friends dozed afterward on the pine scented needle bed. A couple of us walked the dirt road to see the beautiful vistas at the overlooks as well as enjoy the yummy sun after a stretch of damp cold weather. These areas house fossil beds and I found 2 sea shells from the Pleistocene age when these 442 meters high hills were covered by the sea. My usual shell collecting takes place at beaches!

That combination of sun warmth, piny fragrance and new vistas etched itself into my consciousness. I realized again how I treasure seeing new places, learning new things, being confronted with radically new phenomenon that stretch and amaze me. I want to be a life-long learner. How about you? What are you learning lately?

Full Day, Full Heart

I love days like this! The day dawned perfectly clear with temps in the high 60's today so I headed to the mountains with my husband and 2 good friends who live next door. We started at a winery in Prezza really just to have a destination and pick up some of their reserve wine for presents. Met a friendly woman by our car who offered to walk us to the winery when we asked her for directions. She chatted about her town and it's beautiful mountain surroundings as we walked together. She knocked on the winery's door and introduced us to the owners before waving good-bye. It was one of those warm Italian moments and make me glad to be here.

Sulmona was our next destination, a wonderful town famous for confetti- sugared almonds- given at Italian weddings and as fun gifts any time. The displays were spectacular in front of store after store as we wandered. In a feast for the eyes, individually wrapped confetti candies were displayed in imaginative arrangements - flowers, plants and colorful decorations of all sorts (those are all candies in the photo!). The streets teemed with visitors out to enjoy this lovely place as well as the spectacular day and created such a festive atmosphere. It had that combination of history and humanity that made me vow to come back for a longer visit.

Lunch at Pacentro further up the mountain was next. It's famous for being the home of Madonna's grandparents. We ate at a fabulous slow-food restaurant where we were fussed over and given special samples of their delicious food. The owner sent us out afterward to the town center for a stunning view of the mountains on 3 sides of the town: "I pray that you go and see this magnificent sight!" How could we not? He was so sweet and earnest. He was right- gorgeous wherever I looked. As an added bonus while we were there dozens of cyclists whizzed by in a big cycling team race up and down the steep mountain roads from Sulmona to Pacentro. Cycling is a big sport in Italy so it was fun to see it up close.

It was a full day and I had a full heart at the end of it.

The Long Way Home

It started as a short and simple itinerary on Ryan Air: Dublin, Ireland to Stansted, England to Pescara, Italy. Monday, 0630 to 1200. That changed when the first flight was delayed arriving in London, I had to reclaim my bag and recheck it for the second flight (even though it was the same airline) and the designated time for boarding that flight was closed, although it hadn't yet left and wouldn't for another 20 minutes. Since this was the only flight to Pescara and I really wanted to get home I changed my ticket to the 1815 flight to Rome and planned to take the bus to Pescara from there. That's when my adventure began.

In Stansted I noticed that my phone needed to be charged in order to call my friend who was picking me up at noon. I emailed her first and found that computer access costs 3 Pounds Sterling for 10 minutes! I then bought an adapter, found an outlet, since the ones with the comfy chairs provided by the airport for that purpose were too small to accept the adapter, and plugged it in. Nothing. I went to the fellow in the adapter store who said the airport doesn't let their outlets be used to charge phones. He whispered conspiratorially that there was one outlet I could use in the ladies room. So I stood in the (very busy) ladies room for an hour while my cell phone charged enough to text my friend.

I found comfortable places in Stansted to sit, passable places to eat, a good book to read and hunkered down for the wait. At the appointed hour I flew to Ciampino airport, Rome. When I went to find the bus for Pescara, they said it actually leaves from Termini but that there was bus service to there. I bought a ticket and off I went once the bus was full enough to leave. At Termini I saw a workman who told me the bus actually leaves from Tipiturno but that I could take the train there. Not easy with 2 suitcases one of which weighs 33 pounds and the train is down 2 long flights, up one and down a third with no escalators.

What I didn't know was that the last bus leaves at 2300 and I finally arrived at 2310. A helpful man suggested that I try the train station for a train to Pescara so I returned to the train station which looked big, dark and closed. I walked around however and found some workmen out back and the night foreman, Ricardo. It was about midnight by then and he said the next train to Pescara was 0445. I saw some benches inside and said I would wait in there. "No, no, no signora! You cannot stay in there and your bags won't be safe there." I had thought the men I saw laying on the benches were waiting for morning trains too. Sometimes I can be naive like that. He let me know they were vagrants and various dicey characters.

He was very solicitous and quickly stowed my bags in his office. He showed me a bench not far from his office that I could sit on. Unfortunately, it was located outside so I dug out my sweater and jacket to stay warm. Fortunately, it was Italy and warmer than Ireland at this time of year. A group of homeless men wandered in and decided to have a party on the benches next to me. Lots of story telling, singing, laughing and surreptitious drinking ensued. Roberto checked on me frequently, invited me to have coffee with him and his co-workers and in general took good care of me until the train arrived. He was sweet and hospitable and when I told him how much I appreciated his kindness, he said: "But of course, I'm Italian! This is what Italians do". He was right in my experience. Have I mentioned that I love Italians?

At train time he walked me through the tunnels to the train and gave me over to the conductor after telling him my story. The conductor said that the train to Pescara was actually later in the day and his train was going to Avezzano but that I could get the train to Pescara from there at 0950. So off I went yet again with the elusive goal of getting home.

Although the train made frequent stops and therefore took a long time (Pescara is only 2 1/2 hours from Rome), it was such a beautiful trip. It winds through the mountains and I saw all the lovely towns and even a castle up close that I had seen in the distance on our car trips. The day dawned sunny, clear and perfect for sight seeing. We were so high at one point that we were looking down on an old, pretty town in the early morning light. Some of the stone houses and churches along the way seemed carved into the mountains. The hills, vineyards, groves and gardens were right out of a National Geographic program and so beautiful. I'd drift off and be surprised by gorgeous vistas each time I opened my eyes. I made myself stay awake to enjoy it. I felt so glad to be living in this part of Italy. When we got to Avezzano, the conductor was replaced by someone else and he walked me to the station, showed me where to buy my ticket, where to eat and wait. Another kind gesture.

The next leg of the journey took until 1215 and did indeed get me to Pescara- just 24 hours later than I planned! A short taxi ride to Cittá Sant'Angelo brought me home with so many unexpected impressions and experiences.

When my grandson was 3 he used to start every walk outdoors with the excited exhortation: "Let's go have an adventure!". Once I got over the shock of not getting on my plane, I remembered his words and consciously decided to see it as an adventure. I did and it was! Added cost to the trip- a lot; the trip itself- priceless.

View From My Balcony

The view from the balcony is spectacular the last few days. The sky is clear from a hum-dinger thunder and lightening storm the other night that washed the foschia ( a haze that's not quite fog) away. The remarkable blue serves as a perfect backdrop to the mountains that are visible down to the smallest feature which is amazing given that we can see the whole Apenine range. The sea on the east is such a lovely color, deeper than the blue of the sky and shaded with 3 distinct hues. I was reading at the table yesterday and got absorbed in my book. When I looked up it took my breath away.
Sitting in silence in the presence of this view fills me up, much like the workshop did, and gives me courage. I had my fist conversation with a friend to ask her about getting together to talk about what our role is as women elders. I had some trepidation doing it since we hadn't really talked at that depth before. But it went well and she said she had been wanting to talk at a deeper level with other women. We're discussing now about who we might include for our first gathering. It's a good start.