Olives: Drawing by Diana Leighton
Monday:
I woke feeling very nervous. I had committed myself
to something I never thought I would. To understand my fear you have to realise
that at the age of 48 I had only just taken my driving test 8 weeks previously
and passed with flying colours. I had also never driven a car on the left hand
side and never in such a mountainous country. I was terrified and the
butterflies were large in my stomach. Oh, to have someone drive me around
Abruzzo in a sports car but in my case a Fiat was perfect.
Roberto took me in his
old car along a very straight road for a few miles of the Cinque
Milia to Sulmona
(home of Ovid). On the road down to Sulmona we had seen a terrible fatal road
accident which had shaken both of us. Eventually we went into a back street in Sulmona,
Roberto negotiated a good rate for me, and I got a lovely new white Fiat car to
drive. I thanked the man renting the car out to me and tried to follow Roberto
out of Sulmona. A sort of fierce bravado came over me now and I drove back to
Roccaraso. In the process, I went round a few roundabouts the wrong way but I
made it back! I then picked up all my lovely maps of Italy and Abruzzo got into
my car and drove off.
I went down the road
back towards Sulmona and saw the road for Scanno.
I had no idea what the route would be like or how long it would be but it looked
interesting and off I went. Nothing would prepare me for the beauty of this
route though. It was amazing. Very narrow roads with no room to pass another
car - this was the Gole
del Saggitario. It was a hair-raising drive but it was truly amazing! The
sides of the ‘Gole’ rose either side of the road and then very slowly the
valley widened out and I had a glimpse of a brilliant blue green lake. It lay
there like a jewel waiting to be found. Surrounding this jewel were the oranges
and gold’s of the leaves of beeches, maples and oaks. Along the lake, I pulled
in off the road and just stood there in awe at the beauty of this place called ‘Abruzzo.’
The silence and stillness were almost unbelievable. All I could hear were the
bells of goats and cattle and the occasional woof of the Maremmo shepherd’s dog.
When I first came face to face with these magnificent animals I was quite
scared but they were quite friendly and reminded me of our two Golden
Retrievers back home. I wondered about their spikey collars but have found that
they are to stop them being attacked by wolves – common in this region – as wolves
mostly go straight for the kneck to kill so the collars protect the Maremmo
dogs. The air was crystal clear and I
decided to stop in Scanno and I took loads of pictures and had a look around
but after saying a temporary goodbye I then decided to travel on to Barrea.
I think now that if I
had known what the road to Barrea was like I probably would not have carried on
but I did. It was a very scary route this Scanno
to Barrea – very narrow roads with what seemed like villages clinging like
limpets to the side of steep hillside. They looked like model train villages.
The mountains were all red on the treeline and below – all the shades of
brilliant autumn foliage. I remember Roberto saying this was one of the
best times to visit Abruzzo other than spring or the skiing season. I hardly
saw another car on my way to Barrea but I had stopped and pulled off the road
at a viewpoint. I had not been there long when another drew up alongside me.
The couple in the car were Italian and from Bologna and spoke a little English.
They said that this part of Italy was the most beautiful. They were also
astounded that I was an English woman on her own driving an Italian car I was ‘Bravissimo!
Fantastico! I have to admit driving on
those roads I felt the same about myself - that or I was mad. So finally, I
reached Barrea. The
lake was so green and blue in colour and I have no idea why. Barrea has such history and is
such a beautiful fascinating place. The town clings to a hill and I park my
little Fiat and walked down to the lake through all the little passageways and
arches and stairs taking lots of photos in the process. It was a lovely day but
of course I had to go back and climbing all those stairs back up to the top of
the hill was tough going! I drove back to Roccaraso and arrived at around 17:30.
At 20:00, I went down for my ‘cena’ which was Penne with
4 cheeses and Italian
Zucchini and peppers and salad and of course the lovely wine. I was so
tired but very happy and went to bed to write up this journal.
e
così a letto…… fino a domani.
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