A Diferent Italy

Well, here we are, returned from a rather amazing holiday in the Abuzzo National Park in the heart of the Camoshiara (spelt wrong) mountains.

The weather was the worst we have ever seen, spectacular rain and thunderstorms for a lot of the time and then glimpses of the Italy weather we know and love. Our shorts and T-shirts and summery clothes travelled all the way with us and never saw the light of day. The few pairs of trousers and pullovers were worn until they were able to set off on walks on their own they were so grubby.

Pescasseroli is a tiny hillside village in the heart of The National Park, it has two parts to it the old, and the new. As expected the old village is beautifully picturesque with cobbled lanes and allies leading through the medieval buildings. Shops are hard to distinguish from peoples living rooms, the clue is ussually a beaded curtain over the doorway. Not many people speak English which made it all the more charming, as I had to practise my 'umpo' Italian. I was delighted to find that I could make myself understood with one or two muddles to start with. The first mistake was I got hot and cold the wrong way round and asked for 'latte caldo' for my tea and of course I got exactly what I asked for, hot milk!

The walking was totally spectacular, although the first day or two I suffered a little from the altitude and was a little lightheaded and dizzy,luckily it soon settled. The village was 1200 metres above sea level and we often walked to 2006 metres.
The first day we joined a park ranger for 'Appenine Discovery Walk' This went high into the mountains through an area where Wolves and Lynx live in a reserve area, eventually you arrive at a picturesque Cascara (waterfall) and continue down the mountain.
The scenery was totally breathtaking, the air fresh and clean and we were able to safely fill our water bottles from mountain springs, the very best of wine would not taste as good as this crystal clear cool water. The hi-light of this six hour long walk over very rough terrain was that we spotted a Lynx! We also saw Red deer who stood and stared at us, as much as we stood and stared at them.
On this walk Barry gained a very sweet lady admirer called Molly. No, not a little girl but an eighty year old Irish Lady who was staying in our hotel with Five friends all in their seventies who, to a woman could walk the legs off us any time! They were a great bunch very funny, full of life and spirit and surely must be taking some kind of elixir of youth! Barry being the flirt that he is was always looking out for Molly and her her friends, moving chairs around for them, offering a helping hand down tough bits of the walks and generally being Barry! they loved him! and all decided that he had kissed the blarney stone.

We also set out on walks on our own, one took us high above the village to the Castle Mancino ruins. We set out early as the weather was due to turn wet later in the day. As we climbed up and up and up we suddenly heard the most spectacular sound that I think I have ever heard, (except for the first cries of my babies of course).
The wolves were howling, they carried on for about five minutes it was SOoooo.... wonderful to hear wild wolves calling, I adore wolves and always seek them out at zoos, safari parks etc, they are extremely fascinating in the way the pack lives and how the same pack mentality can be used in the training of our domestic 'wolves'.
One person in the hotel even saw one crossing the very path we were walking and that was my hope that day. However the weather had other ideas! As we reached the peak of the mountain a storm started across the valley, it was amazing to watch lightening from above! as it tracked across the village below. We sheltered in the ruins of the castle until eventually the storm instead of passing over, grew stronger and wilder, we guessed we were a little unsafe in our position so hastily made our way down. We were soaked to the very skin by the time we got back to the Hotel and it was only 10.30am and what an adventure we had had.

Another walk took us up onto some mountain meadows which was very 'Sound of music' the silence and peace of this place was overwhelming. We stood with our eyes closed and listened to the perfect peace.
Coming down I took a tumble but luckily only pride was hurt. Barry was leading the way down a tough bit and suggested where to place my walking pole to steady myself and where to put one foot, onto a rock that he had safely negotiated. Fine, only I trod on the rock and it totally disintergrated throwing we headlong into the undergrowth.

We decided to visit Rome on Sunday on an organised trip, we don't usually do 'organised' but their was no other way out of the village and the montain weather was wall to wall rain that day and only light showeres forecast for Rome.

What a stunning place Rome is! The whole City is one open air living breathing museum. Each corner you turn another magnificent sight awaits. We were given tickets for the hop on and off tour bus around the city but decided not to use it and walk instead, it was the best decision as we saw so much more by walking through streets and alleyways. We were accompianed by Pam, a lady travelling on her own, we did not want her to walk around Rome on her own so asked her if she wanted to tag along with us. It was very amusing as Barry who has excellent map reading skills led us around The eternal City with two ladies in his wake, as he was also carrying a rather splendid and expensive umbrella he was twice mistaken for a tour guide! I suggested he should ask 5 euro's every time some-one asked for directions. I cannot even begin to think which was my favourite sight as it was all a bit whistle stop, I longed to go into the colloseom but he queue was horrendeous and we would waste to much time of our precious few hours their. The Panthenon was amazing, the most complete and perfect ancient Roman structure in the city. It has an enormous perfect circular hole in the domed roof and as we were inside a soft gentle rain started to fall through it with a shaft of sparkling sunlight glimmering through also, I have never seen a shower look so beautiful as it gently fell earthwards through one of the most ancient buildings in the World, how lucky we were to see that! You can see why the ancient Romans worshipped the sun, it was a powerful moment!
Barry had put on his pedometer that day and we actually walked 8.3 miles around the city!

The Hotel sadly let the holiday down big time, it was the very worst we have ever stayed in. It called itself four star but in reality struggled to meet three. The food was dreadful, not one fresh vegetable or any fruit for a whole week. Twice we were served bottled pickled beetroot warmed up as a vegetable. We were continually hungry and filled up on chocolate and crisps, I actually lost weight on holdiday, never been known before! The bar had run out of drink by the middle of the week, although they did send out for bottles of beer after complaints. Their reasons for this bad service was that we were the last visitors of Summer season and the Hotel was closing until Ski season after we left. I spoke to the only English speaker and told him we had paid the same money as any other party in the season and should therefore recieve the same service. On speaking to the Rep however Inghams have had many complaints through the season and th Hotel management had been approached many times about the problems to no avail. The Company are considering pulling it out of their brochure.

The one enduring problem we had, was no plug for the bath. Despite asking three times at reception in Italian, and also Sorin (the Rep) asked on our behalf, we never got one.

We did however devise a way of taking a bath! It involved sitting in the bath with bottom over the plug hole and filling the bath around you, once enough water was in the tub a flannel stuffed down the hole would give you enough time to get a wash.

The hotel was indeed so bad it was funny, we seriously expected Basil Fawlty to appear at any moment! In fact the so called Manager had an uncanny resemblance.

The last day of the holiday we were booked on another Ranger led walk through beech forests, sadly Barry was ill along with several other people in the hotel, the result of bad chicken the night before. ( I took one taste and left it, Barry was so hungry that he risked eating it) I went along on the walk while Barry recovered and he missed a real cracker of a walk. It led us across mountain ridges, through meadows where cows grazed wearing jangling cow bells, and down through a most ancient and magical forest where bears roam freely. Though not during daylight so we did not see one, however we did see bear poo!

We returned home having had some amazing experiences, not least driving around hair raising hair pin bends with 2000metre drops and only a two foot high barrier between the coach and oblivion! I won't miss that. I will miss the wovles, the scenery and the crystal clear air. We are fitter and in my case a little slimmer and fired in enthusiasm for mountain walking!

The first thing we did on arriving home was to run a deep, hot, bubbly luxorioux BATH!