Lunch in a 2000 year old Roman Amphitheatre!

We like to research places to eat and so,while staying near Spoleto, had decided to go to Montefalco for lunch, mainly because of its wines.  We chose two restaurants L'Alchimisto and the Spirito di Vino.
Neither were open on the chosen day!
However we were very happy about that as it turned out! We went instead to a restaurant in Bevagna. This is not a hill town and actually had not been on our top 10 list of places to go to in Umbria!

They were just finishing up their yearly medieval festival, the Mercate delle Gaite. The town is divided into 4 wards and each ward has its own banners and flags.

This town is not on the tourist route!  However heard that Prince Charles has a villa near there!

The restaurant we went to was in an old Roman Amphitheatre and was superb.  Definitely it is to be highly recommended!  The dinner menu was quite expensive ( but worth it for both the food and ambience) but lunch is an excellent value! It is called Redibis and it is the restaurant of a fabulous hotel  L'Orto degli Angeli .  We don't usually like hotel restaurants but definitely there is an exception to be made here!
This is what it would have looked like 2000 years ago!

And in the Middle Ages!!

 We will definitely return!! And would like to stay in the hotel next time!!

Corpus Christ Procession in Orvieto

We timed our one week rental  in Spoleto ( Geppa)well......... the procession in nearby  Orvieto was the  day after our arrival.  I had been once before as I had been told about it by one of my Italian teachers. It is absolutely spectacular and as it is a day for the townspeople, there are very few tourists who know about it.

Since 1264, because of a nearby miracle in Bolsena, an ancient relic has been carried in the streets in commemoration. The historical procession includes a huge number of participants, mainly townspeople. The richness of the costumes is because Orvieto used to be a part of the Papal States and 33 Popes had their residence there.

All the various trades people are represented. Very colourful! And definitely to be recommended!

  


God wants to speak to you!! But not on your cell phone!

We decided to rent an apartment and spend a week in Umbria on our return journey from Sicily. I had already, many years ago, spent a month in Perugia taking an Italian course but did not have too much free time to explore!

This was what we saw first when we finally arrived in Geppa, where our apartment was located!

The apartment we rented was the Piano Nobile  floor of an old Palazzo

which had not been lived in for 70+ years until recently restored.
It had been owned by a Spoleto family who came out there in the summer with their entourage of priest and nuns to teach the children! So basically they owned the small hamlet.
The new owner has done a fantastic job of restoring it to its former beauty, even down to uncovering decorated ceilings and hidden frescoes.

It is a little remote but one can avoid going out for dinner by having the local farmer's wife cook a fabulous five course dinner!
And sitting on one's own terrace, not having cooked,  enjoying the local wine and the amazing view is a fabulous experience.

And the view from the infinity pool was superb!

While there we took a very beautiful trip to the Piano Grande ( the George Clooney movie 'The American' was filmed there in Castelluccio... weak movie, great scenery!)

and also visited Norcia, the truffle and salami capital of Umbria.

 En route we visited a church in the high mountains with an unusual, amusing notice on the door

 This roughly translates as 'Inside here God wants to speak to you, but not on your mobile phone! Please turn it off, thank you!"

Pompeii!

Taking a ferry back from Palermo to Naples was great!

 To be recommended. Smooth sailing, comfortable beds, fairly good dinner. And the cost was probably less than driving and having to stay overnight somewhere! Interesting watching the trucks and cars being loaded.

And the special treatment for some!

Arrival in Naples, of course, was rather early!

 But enabled us to visit Pompeii en route to our hotel in the Massa Lubrense. We had last visited about 30 years ago, thought we had remembered it well.  However it seemed to be totally different!  They had excavated some more over the years!

Roman  baths!

On to Marina di Cantone..

We had stayed there 10 + years ago in what we thought was an idyllic spot and ate in a very good restaurant in the hotel we were staying in.  The owner was keen on having us let Michelin know about our meal.  Which we did! The Taverno del Capitano now has 2 Michelin stars!  However it had totally changed.  Up market now with very attentive staff etc, not what one expects in the area.  Not too many people in the restaurant !  The meal was good ( and expensive!) but not 2 Michelin Stars in our opinion!

We stayed in a hotel next door the Hotel Certosa, owned by the same family. A very weird experience!

No problem with the rooms as they were huge! And really no problem with the three flights of stairs! However the front desk, in the restaurant was manned by an elderly gentleman ( the person we liked many years before??) who never smiled, never spoke any time we passed by or asked for our keys.  Very unfriendly!   We felt quite unwelcome! It also boasted a 'business center' for internet. By this they meant one could co-use the computer at the front desk at the restaurant!
And to leave we had to try an acrobatic stunt to get into our car which had been valet parked too close to the cars alongside to allow any access!  They had to do it for us!
 But we love the seclusion of this bay! Even though the road down is rather windy!

Another restaurant there worth going to is Lo Scoglio   This unfortunately does not have its own website.  While we were there, there were lots of elegant people being brought in from their yachts!
Food and ambience are excellent!

                                          Lo Scoglio restaurant with its own pier!

Market day!!!!!

                  Everywhere we went in Sicily we saw these beautiful fruits and vegetables!

                                              Made of marzipan!!!!!Worth the trip!!!!!!

Tourists in Sicily!

We went, with everyone else, to visit Erice!  This is a charming walled town high above Trapani. One has 2 choices for getting there, Funicio or cable car, which doesn't run when windy...... or driving.  We chose to drive!The road up is not for the faint of heart!
 It has a dizzying number of turns and goes up  750 meters in less than 3kms.

This was the first place we found distinctly touristy!  Cobbled streets with stores selling souvenirs to the masses of tourists staying far below in Trapani.  However having a drink in an upstairs cafe's terrace and enjoying the view was great.  The meal in the Michelin rated Moderno was just OK. And they did not offer the Buon Ricordo plate until we asked! And then it was brought to us very reluctantly!

Monreale(just south of Palermo) has to be visited to appreciate.  Built in the 10th century the frescoes are unbelievable!

And then one has to go into Palermo to check out the cathedral built by the bishop there to compete!
Both are definitely worth the effort!

While visiting the one in Palermo we found out that Friday is the favored day to have a wedding and black is a favorite color for guests! And lots of (very!)stretched limo's!!