The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball. ~ Doug Larson

Yesterday I received an email from my friend Lino showing Piazza Garibaldi in Loreto Aprutino covered in snow.

There’s certainly beauty associated with snow and although we don’t normally get much in Dublin, it’s always a novelty when it falls. In November 2010, after an unusually heavy overnight snow fall P and I went walking almost knee deep in snow around Howth Head.

It was fun at first but then for the next few days Dublin practically stopped functioning. We don’t have snow ploughs on call so roads quickly became very tricky (= almost impossible) to navigate.

Today I’ve seen many photos of snow in Abruzzo which look stunning and I’ve also read of road closures and train passengers stuck for over 10 hours – there’s always a flip side.

I was talking to friends in Abruzzo a few hours ago using Skype and they took their laptop outside to show me the snow covering the tree branches. “Everything is white”, they said. “There could be snow for another three days, but then the weather should get better.”

I’d love to be there right now walking through the snow with my camera trying to take great photographs and yet I’d hate to be trying to get around from town to town. “The car is resting”, I was told.

After talking with them I pulled out a back issue of the magazine D’Abruzzo. The particular edition is number 92, Inverno 2010. The front cover has two bare trees covered in snow, standing in a snow covered landscape, without a foot print in sight. Although it looks like your typical winter wonderland you can almost feel the temperature drop as you touch the pages.

You can see the image here.

The photo is the work of Federico de Nicola. I didn’t know much about this photographer other than what I saw in the magazine so I did a sleuth-like search and found http://www.federicodenicola.net/.

I found the text on the home page difficult to translate so I’m not going to attempt to paraphrase it here. All I will say is that it is well worth drilling into the collections of photographs he has made available on his site as they are all wonderful. Apart from the striking scenery there is plenty of mastery of light on show.

The gallery starts with acqua 1 and you have a further acqua 2 to 7, vento 1 to 6 and miscellanea 1 to 4 – the sound effects help too.

Enjoy!

Post from: About Abruzzo

Let it Snow – Yes, Perhaps, Maybe

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These are the thoughts I associate with Rocca Calascio, Bominaco, Capestrano and Roccascalegna. If there was a league table for castles these would be in the Premiership or Serie A. Perched high up, towering over the landscape, keeping check on everything that happens – these castles are special.

I’ve seen others of course, great fortifications like Il Castello Spagnolo (L’Aquila) and Il Castello Aragonese (Ortona) but these don’t excite my imagination as much.

It’s arguable which of them is the most impressive. In the mid 80’s filmmakers favoured Rocca Calascio for Ladyhawke and The Name of the Rose and I admit that when I first looked through guide books on Abruzzo I found the thought of visiting Rocca Calascio thrilling. But having visited the other three, wandered around them and touched their ancient walls, I’d find it hard to pick one over any of the others.

Loreto Aprutino has a castle. It may not be in the same league but it does have one significant advantage – you can stay there!

Il Castello Chiola dates back to 864 AD, that’s almost 1200 years old! From 1843 to 1995 it was in the hands the Chiola family and recently it was refurbished with the cooperation of the Italian Fine Arts Office and the European Community and turned into a fine hotel.

We’ve never stayed there. We almost did on our very first trip to Abruzzo but in the end we stayed in a B&B just a few doors away. I can’t remember why but it made sense at the time.

However Castello Chiola must take some responsibility for P and me finding and falling in love with Loreto Aprutino because on seeing a photograph of the hotel looking stunning in the snow we decided that we had to visit the town.

Many friends have stayed there and although they have said that it can sometimes feel a wee bit formal, they’ve all enjoyed the experience. Looking at the hotel’s website the prices don’t seem too bad either.

The hotel can be seen clearly from the town’s main square and sometimes on very hot days, doing my best to stay cool by having a cold beer under the shade of an umbrella, I look up and feel envious of the guests who can avail of the small but very inviting outdoor swimming pool!

In true castle tradition it sits high up competing for supremacy with the Church of St. Peter (San Pietro Apostolo) as they each mark one end of Via del Baio, probably Loreto Aprutino’s most illustrious street.

If you decide to visit and are feeling a little peckish I recommend the restaurant Locanda del Baio, only a few steps away, where you can get their wonderful Mugnaia della Locanda, long thick pasta in a very tasty sauce. When I go there I find it hard not to order their patatine which I think are the best chips I’ve ever tasted in Italy. Not very traditional I know, but they’re really very good.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Every Town Should Have a Castle

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I’ve visited Abruzzo twice in January. Once I was there to ring in the New Year and the other occasion I had a last minute chance opportunity to visit, so I took it. What else could I do?

When I was there the first time in January the snow was heavy on the mountains, the sunrises and sunsets where wonderful and the night sky was simply spectacular. I expect looking SW around 22:00 tonight Orion, Gemini and Canis Major will be in full view. I admit I’ve sipped Liquore di Genziana while boring anybody who’d listen about how to find other stars by looking at Orion. Don’t get me started!

That’s certainly one of the things I love about the smaller towns in Abruzzo. After the sun goes down you can find spots away from the houses and street lights and stare at the heavens. Inspiring! Of course there’s no shortage of places in the world where you can contemplate the stars, but you won’t be sipping Genziana while you do it.

When I think of Abruzzo in January it isn’t the clear skies that I think of first, it isn’t the winter sun that can cast long shadows and offer great photo opportunities, and it isn’t the almost imperceptible feeling that there’s a bit of a stretch in the evenings. (The days are getting longer, honest.)

No, when I think of Abruzzo in January I think of wandering around villages catching the smell of wood smoke gently spilling out from chimneys.

I love that smell. I’d wrap up warm, with a coat, scarf, gloves and probably a very silly looking hat and walk around the old town taking in the scent of smoke from warming fires. It’s uplifting. I think the smell is more intense on calm January days because the wind doesn’t grab it and take it away.  On calm days the air seems to hang heavy and the wood smoke seems to pour down the tiled rooftops like treacle. I bet today is one of those days.

Bare trees, heavy jackets, bright winter sun, crystal clear skies all spell winter. Sometimes those clear skies and the low winter sun can be replaced by grey clouds with rolling fog or mist – grey, on grey, on grey. The damp and the cold together, making it very tempting to stay indoors and forget about the outside world.   But with all of this there is also that smell, that fragrance, that sweet odour that seems to wrap you and the old town up in a warm blanket. That January feeling – hard to capture in a photograph.

Post from: About Abruzzo

That January Feeling in Abruzzo

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The start of a new year often invites change. There’s a feeling of out with the old and in with the new. Resolutions compete with each other and fight for survival during the first few weeks of January and a resolution that lives on to February is a rare thing indeed.

I took the photo above in a bar in Campli (TE). I was trying to capture the subdued yet cosy nature of the interior while also showing the “ghosts” that regularly visit for refreshment and conversation.

I took the original with my Canon 400D, f/8 and an exposure time of 3.2 seconds.

This image is likely to be the last photo I’ll take in Abruzzo with that camera.

It’s the end of an era.

I’ve had it for 5 years but in a fit of enthusiasm and an eye for a bargain I’ve bought myself a newer model, a Canon 600D (or Rebel T3i if you’re US based). The new kid on the block has bells, whistles and no shortage of thingamajigs to assist me in taking the photo I can see with my eyes and hope to faithfully reproduce in a photograph.

There’ll be a period of transition of course. A time when the 600D will cause frustration and I’ll rue the day I made the switch; but I’m confident I’ll get to grips with it and before long it will become a good friend.

This blog has around 1,200 photos scattered through it and at least 90% of them were taken with the 400D. That’s only a drop in the ocean of all the images it’s helped me create, some of which have won prizes!

To pay appropriate homage I’ve modified the first verse of My Beloved Monster, a song by Eels, to give you this

My beloved camera and me
We went everywhere together
Capturing Abruzzo’s mountains and seas
As we embraced all kinds of weather

A bit silly I know but if you want to hear the original by Mark Everett (Eels) play the clip below.

Sometime in February I’m going to put my trusty Canon 400D up for sale. The package will include the camera along with quite a few extra goodies I’ve picked up that are not compatible with the new model. If you are interest drop me a note (I won’t publish as a comment) and when I’m ready I’ll let you know what the entire package contains and what I’m looking for. It’s a great camera and would suit anybody wanting to exercise their creativity. I won’t be selling it directly though this site.

That’s it, out with the old and in with the new!

Enjoy the song. I do like Eels.

Post from: About Abruzzo

The Last Picture Show

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But today I was reminded of our trip and I felt I had to write about it before the day reached its close.

Did you know that today is the shortest day of the year!

“But don’t all days last 24 hours?” I hear you ask.

OK, you’re right, I’ll rephrase.

Today is the day that has the least amount of daylight hours for locations in the northern hemisphere.

That sounds a bit complicated so I’m going to stick with “today is the shortest day of the year”.

What has that got to do with Campli? Well this is how thoughts of that Teramo town lodged themselves in my head today…

Around this time of year, the time of the winter solstice, a very special location in Ireland gets quite a bit of media attention. In Newgrange, County Meath, during the winter solstice period, light from the rising sun enters an ancient tomb and for about 20 minutes the inner chamber is illuminated. Remarkable – especially since this burial chamber was built 500 years before the Great Pyramids and more than 1,000 years before Stonehenge.

Newgrange dates from the Neolithic period, around 5,000 years ago and although there’s almost 2,000 years separating them, I remembered being in Campli’s Museo Archeologico Nazionale d’Abruzzo, reading about the Necropolis of Campovalano, a burial site of 600 tombs from the Bronze Age.

The curator of the museum enthusiastically explained to us the history of the artefacts on display and pointed at illustration of burial chambers around Europe to help illustrate the significance of the Necropolis. One of the examples illustrated was an Irish burial site, similar to Newgrange, in nearby Tara.

So that’s how thinking about the shortest day of the year brought me back to Campli. Funny how my brain works

I should say that when we left to explore a few towns in the Teramo province Campli wasn’t on the list. A happy coincidence of spending more time than expected in one location meant we hadn’t enough time to follow our planned itinerary. Looking at a map we thought Campli was a good option even though we had never heard of it and had no idea what to expect.

It turned out that Campli was a great option and it has a lot to offer; here’s a list:

• Necropolis of Campovalano

  (near Campli) over 600 tombs and burial sites dating from the late Bronze age (12th – 10th century BC)

• Museo Archeologico Nazionale d’Abruzzo – Campli

  houses many artefacts from the Necropolis of Campovalano

• Campli  itself

  wander around and explore the town including some excellent examples of renaissance architecture at Casa del Farmacista e Casa del Medico

• Church of Saint Mary in Platea

  located in Piazza Farnese, Campli’s main square, built in the late 14th century.

• Shrine of Holy Stairs

  made of 28 hard oak steps, those asking forgiveness for their sins must go up the stairs on knees, head bent, praying.

Considering I’ve spent a bit of this post talking about burial chambers you might think that the Necropolis and its history was the highlight of our visit to Campli.

Not so, it was actually the 28 steps of the holy staircase that fascinated me the most.

The Holy Stairs (La Scala Santa) exist thanks to Pope Clemente XIV (1772) and consist of 28 wooden steps that must be climbed on one’s knees while praying, in order to receive absolution from sins. This sanctuary has great religious and artistic value with images by Vincenzo Baldati painted on the side walls of the two sets of stairs helping the penitent to reflect on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.

After visiting I read that at the top of the staircase there is a grating that leads to the Sancta Sanctorum, the true heart of the sanctuary where inside are preserved some fragments of Christ’s Cross.

Apart from the Holy Stairs the Casa del Medico also grabbed my attention. I loved this 15^th century house with a well preserved open courtyard, vaulted ceilings, stone staircases and multiple arches.

After walking around the town we dropped into a local bar for refreshment. While eating slices of pizza we chatted away with the bar owners and its customers. Everybody was friendly and curious about what brought us to Campli. As we told our story one slightly merry customer insisted on buying drinks. The timing of his offer wasn’t good for me but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Eventually he let me off the hook when I told him the little white lie that I was on antibiotics. I figured I wouldn’t go to hell for my fib as I’d already been up the holy staircase.

Post from: About Abruzzo

28 Steps to Forgiveness in Campli, Teramo

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LACERBA publishes 8 editions a year and covers all things political, cultural and sport related in the Vestina area of Abruzzo. Vestina (the lands of the ancient Vestini tribe) takes in Penne, Loreto Aprutino, Pianella, Collecorvino and Civitella Casanova.

If you’re interested in reading the article you can find it on page 14 of edition number 7, 2011 entitled C’E UNA LORETO ANCHE A DUBLINO.

So how did this happen?

Earlier this year, Gianfranco Bucella of LACERBA asked me if I would be interested in writing something for their magazine. I was delighted to have been asked and immediately said yes. He said he was hoping that I could give an outsiders view on Abruzzo and Loreto Aprutino perhaps covering what I liked, what drew us to the region and also covering the differences between life in Ireland and life in Abruzzo. He was particularly clear that he also wanted me to highlight the things I don’t like about Abruzzo and would love to see change.

This seemed like a lot of writing and considering the article was going to be no more than 1,000 words I figured I couldn’t possibly cover everything asked for.

And did I mention it had to be in Italian!

I’ve been working on my Italian informally for a few years now and this year I realised that I had to go back to school. This has proved to be a great decision and I’ve noticed my ability to understand and be understood has become a lot better. But to write 1,000 words in Italian that is going to be read by other Italians – that was a bit scary.

I needed a plan, not much of a plan, but a plan all the same.

I decided I’d write an article about what attracted us to Abruzzo and the advice I’d give to somebody who wanted to fit in and become part of the community. My approach was influenced by the thought that I’d probably have better chance of being asked to write more pieces if I leave any strong criticisms out of my first effort.

The next thing I did was a bit of a cheat. I used Google Translate to help with the Italian. I know Google Translate doesn’t give perfect translations but I found that with my knowledge of Italian, however limited, and some restructuring of the original English (making sure I didn’t drop any use of the word “that” and using unambiguous word ordering) I had a piece that captured the sense of what I wanted to say.

Finally a translator from LACERBA stepped in and tidied up my Italian based on the Italian and English I provided.

It was a good bit of work for 1,000 words but it was worth it.

To appear in print, to write in Italian – and today I received an email asking for more articles!

I’m thrilled to bits.

Below is the English version (without the restructuring) of the piece I wrote. I hope you like it.

If you fancy seeing how good and how not so good Google Translate is, copy the Italian version from LACERBA and see the result. I think he overall theme holds up but some of the detail is lost.

How would I describe Loreto Aprutino?

What would I say to somebody who arrives for the first time?

I started thinking about these questions a few days ago because I received a surprise telephone call from Loreto. It was from John (English), who like us (Irish), tries to spend as much time as possible in Abruzzo. He said that he had met a couple (American) who have bought a house in Loreto Aprutino and that they were readers of my blog About Abruzzo (http://aboutabruzzo.com/).

I was delighted to hear from John and also to learn that not only has somebody new been reading what I write about Abruzzo but also that they liked what they read so much they decided to explore the region in more detail and decided to buy a place in Loreto Aprutino.

Then I started to think about what brought Paula and me to Loreto, how thrilled we are every time we return, how wonderful it is to be able to walk to Piazza Garibaldi and on the way meet friends who seem pleased to see us back and greet us with a kiss, a hug and all the latest news.

Abruzzo has a lot to offer so it’s difficult to pick one thing above another. I could talk about the mountains, the sea, the food, and the weather – all important ingredients that make Abruzzo wonderful.  But if I had to select the best thing about Abruzzo and Loreto Aprutino in particular then I’d have to choose the people. I like to think in some small way my attitude to life has been influenced by the Loretese for the better. That’s something precious I try not to lose during the months I’m away.

So the best advice I could give to anybody arriving in Loreto is that they get to know the people who live here. Without connecting with the Loretese you will never be able to experience the best facet of the town.

You don’t have to do much to make this happen. You have the advantage of being in Loreto Aprutino, a town where people’s natural openness and curiosity will ensure that if you are willing to make a small effort, you’ll receive a warm welcome.

But you do have to make a little effort.

First learn some Italian. Being fluent would be fantastic but if you are like me you’ll always be struggling trying to improve your command of the language. That’s OK. The most important thing is to try it, work at it a little; there are plenty of extra teachers available to you in the bars, the shops and the square – all free of charge and all willing to help!

When we first arrived in Loreto we didn’t really know anybody. Soon we recognised a few faces and we said “hello” but we didn’t have many meaningful conversations. Once we could put together a few sentences and lost some of our inhibitions a strange thing happened – we started talking in Italian. Once we could have good dialogues we found we were getting to know people better. People were patient and helped us when we had difficulties saying what we wanted to say. They started telling us about places to visit, festivals to look out for, wine to try, food to eat… the list is endless. Yes we certainly made an effort, but it couldn’t possibly have worked out as well as it did if the Loretese were not patient and encouraging.

The second piece of advice I’d give is simple, be open. You’re in a town where everybody (certainly everybody I’ve met) is friendly and curious and if you are willing to invest the time telling people who you are, where you’re from and why you’re in Loreto, before you know it you’ll be sharing jokes and coffee with new friends.

It wasn’t very long after I first arrived in Loreto that I quickly made friends with people who have an interest in photography like I do.  Soon after that I was invited by Lino to a beautiful small church that was being restored and I had the opportunity to take some great photographs there. A few days later Rita kindly gave Paula a lesson in how to make really good pasta. And just a few months ago as I was getting ready to head back to Dublin I was spotted in the square by Gianfranco and brought to a spectacular field of sunflowers and a chance to take some more super photographs. These opportunities only came our way because of the generosity of friends who had become aware of our interests.

The third piece of advice is you should learn the language of food. I think almost half of the conversations I’ve had in Loreto have been about food. In Ireland we talk about the weather quite a lot but I don’t think I’ve ever been to a town where lunch and dinner were such a major event. What are you having for lunch? Have you tried bread, with oil and salt? Oil from Loreto of course! You must try arrosticini? Do you like pasta – have you had chitarra, mugnaia? You must try bucatini alla trescatora.

If you can speak a little Italian, if you are ready to make friends and if you embrace the passion for food, I think you’ll be much closer to connecting with the people of Loreto.

Sometimes when I’m sitting outside a bar having a coffee I just listen to the voices around me. Usually I hear Italian, maybe a little French, now and then some English and perhaps some German. Loreto attracts people from all over Europe, The United States, Canada and as far away as Australia. It’s a true cosmopolitan town. It acts like a magnet pulling people towards it and giving them the chance to experience something special.

For those stranieri willing to make an effort, Loreto is very special indeed.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Stop The Press – I’ve Been Published in Italian!

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It seemed as though a grey blanket covered the land. On days when it appeared dry you’d walk out and find a fine mist clung to your clothes. Low grey clouds, damp air and mist – am I painting a pretty picture?

But still it was beautiful. Clouds were rolling through the hills begging you to sit and be still for a while. And on one of these damp days we went to Villa Celiera. Why? For lunch of course!

In the space of a fairly short trip we were delighted to receive a bucket load of invitations to lunch and dinner. Now I’m very fond of good food and with each invitation I realised that I was going to have to be a lot less indulgent when I returned to Ireland. But while I was in Abruzzo there was no chance I was going to say no to the opportunity of having a great meal.

One of these invitations brought us to Villa Celiera (PE) on the edge of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park - a small town of less than 1,000 people.

As you can see it was another cloudy and misty day. Visibility across the mountains wasn’t great but there was something peaceful about watching the peaks appear and disappear. The town stands at 714 metres so I expect the views are spectacular on clear days.

We were eating in Trattoria Nonno Liborio on Via Sant’Egidio, right beside the church of Sant’Egidio. The restaurant specialises in maccheroni alla molinara perhaps better known as mugnaia, a long thick form of pasta.

We had a drink at the bar while we waited for our table. Actually waiting for our table was just an excuse as how could we not have an aperitivi standing by such a cosy bar.

The meal we had was simply wonderful. It started with bread and oil, followed by local cheeses and some stunning prosciutto, after that we had the pasta. Each mouthful tasted better than the last. The cheese was slightly sharp and zinging with flavour, the prosciutto was heavenly. I lapped it up!

I think I got carried away by the antipasti as after the pasta which followed, I was defeated. There was no chance I’d be able to eat a meat dish or a dessert. A coffee was all I could manage.

Everything tasted fantastic but if I’d taken another mouthful I would have burst.

I’d really recommend a trip to Trattoria Nonno Liborio. I’m not sure which day they are closed. We were there on a Monday which I think is the usual rest day for many restaurants. Maybe it would be best to phone them first, you can get them at 085 846155.

Lunch was a slow affair, which I prefer, giving plenty of time for us to talk. The only drawback to this was our host had an appointment and we didn’t have time to explore the town and its surroundings and walk off the meal a little.

There’ll be another occasion I’m sure.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Food and Fog in Villa Celiera

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Perhaps I was waiting until I had the perfect post title.

It’s just a little over an hour from my Loreto Aprutino base using the motorway, not much more than an hour and a half if I take the SS16 Adriatica, and if I want to make it nice relaxing multi-stop journey I can visit Pineto, Roseto degli Abruzzi and/or Giulianova en-route.

How long did the journey to Teramo take me? Well there’s an argument that the trip took 4 years!

After I found Abruzzo, or Abruzzo found me, I visited Pescara, Chieti and L’Aquila pretty promptly. Pescara was easy. In fact I explored Pescara before I even saw Loreto Aprutino. Chieti was the next obvious choice, less than an hour away and rich with history. Then came L’Aquila. We stayed a night in there in 2008 and loved every minute– what a beautiful city, what a tragedy it’s had to endure.

But Teramo escaped. So many other Abruzzo destinations received our attention but not the last of the four provincial capitals.

So let me get one thing clear – Teramo is stunning and I can’t wait to visit again.

For some reason I had the impression it was very industrial. Maybe there’s more industry there than anywhere else in Abruzzo but the city itself is beautiful. I really can’t explain why I had such a strong impression that has absolutely no foundation.

Teramo, I apologise for thinking badly of you!

We arrived on a late October day and the sun greeted us warmly. Its presence was a bit of a surprise as for most of that week Abruzzo was covered in a thick grey blanket of mist and cloud. But almost as if Teramo was welcoming us blue started appearing in the sky and then the sun arrived.

The history of Teramo and its ancient Praetutii population stretches back quite a few centuries. Close to 300BC the Praetutii and several other nearby tribes where in bloody disagreement with the Romans and gave rise to the Third Samnite War (298 to 290 BC). The remains of a Roman Amphitheatre and Theatre, though not from 300BC, bring your imagination back to that ancient period.

Other sights include the Cathedral of San Berardo, the church of Madonna delle Grazie located outside the walls, a tonne of other churches (I’m not joking Teramo is filled with them), and my personal favourite, the wide open space of Piazza Martiri della Libertà.

So what did we get up to? Well as you can see from the photos we wandered around the city, visited a few churches (had to be done), saw the old walls and ancient Roman monuments and sat and watched the world go by while sipping a prosecco in Piazza Martiri della Libertà.

It was an absolute joy to be sitting in a piazza that was big, open, populated by pedestrians and cyclists and full of interesting buildings. Throw in the sun and a blue sky and it felt like paradise.

Teramo is a city I’d like to get to know better. I hope to get the opportunity to spend the night there, explore the city in greater depth and sample the night life. Maybe find the perfect restaurant and splash out on a really good bottle of wine from the nearby hills. I can’t wait.

I asked P how she felt about Teramo and she immediately described an encounter she had with woman on steps of Il Duomo di San Berardo (Cathedral of San Berardo). P asked for directions and after giving them enthusiastically the woman welcomed P to Teramo and spent time chatting away, talking about the city and asking all about us, our backgrounds and where we were from. She had a natural openness and curiosity that I associate with Abruzzo in general and I now associate with Teramo specifically.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Two Tardy Travellers Take a Trip to Teramo

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That’s the dilemma I had when I recently I saw that Santatatiana of Italian Slow Walks had published The Magnificent Via Crucis in Giulianova. In this wonderful piece Santatatiana gives us details about Giulianova (location, history, significant buildings) and also reveals a little about herself. I loved reading it.

So here I am about a week later and I’m writing about Giulianova. The great thing about blogging is that it’s rare that two bloggers have close to same experience at the same place or event so I’m hoping that this post acts a complement to The Magnificent Via Crucis in Giulianova and on reading either or both posts you’ll want to visit this Teramo town.

I’m a sucker for harbours, especially working harbours.  Marinas are cool but I like places where people fish, where boats are refitted, where you see nets and lobster pots, where the sea isn’t just a place where people work on their suntan.

I didn’t know what to expect from Giulianova. Another town on the Adriatic with a great sandy beach, perhaps. Pretty but feeling a little empty as the season has reached its end. Yes it has a beach and it has a marina but it also seems to have a relationship with the sea that is unique.

Walking along the pier I took a few photos to try and capture the look and feel on the harbour. The boats of the marina gave way to a stone pier populated with fishermen and fishing huts, almost trabocco like. Looking back from the pier towards the old town on the hill you can see the dome of the Cathedral of San Flaviano rising above the masts as you hear the stays mimicking the sound of church bells.

Giancarlo Malandra is a photographer who lives in Giulianova. If you have the time I recommend that you take a look at his work. As I was walking along the pier I saw a collection of his photographs tied to a fence looking out to the Adriatic. His exhibition depicting the relationship between fishermen and the sea is wonderful; but as it was set on a fence overlooking the Adriatic I thought it was in one of the most perfect exhibition locations I’ve ever encountered. After seeing the images I contacted Giancarlo Malandra and he kindly agreed that I could publish my photos of his images as they contrasted with the sea, the sand, the fence grid and rope knots.

From there we headed for lunch to a restaurant we passed earlier, Ristorante Columbus, just up from the pier. From the outside it looked quiet enough but once we went in we could see it was hopping.

We asked for a table for two and on realising we hadn’t booked we were told that unfortunately they were full. Just then a member of staff who didn’t like the idea of turning away two paying customers worked some magic and a table became available. After some very tasty chitarra alla pescatore, grigliata di pesce and a little vino bianco, we were ready to explore the old town.

Wide streets, space, marvellous views of the Adriatic and a feeling of wealth – that was my initial impression of the centro storico. I can’t tell if Giulianova is thriving these days but based on the villas I saw as we walked from the Cathedral of San Flaviano towards the Santuario di Maria Santissima dello Splendore in certainly is imposing.

I’m a planner. I like to have an idea where I’m going and how the day is likely to pan out. But Giulianova took us by surprise and instead of stopping briefly for an hour or two we spent almost the entire day there. I really loved the town. But I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t realise the significance of the Santuario di Maria Santissima dello Splendore, the Via Crucis and the 1557 vision of the Madonna.

And this is where I once again recommend you read The Magnificent Via Crucis in Giulianova by Santatatiana of Italian Slow Walks.

The highlight for me was the walk along the pier. The feeling that life and work goes on after the tourists leave. The day was cloudy and grey but the rain held off and the temperature was perfect for us Northern Europeans to walk around for hours in comfort. Being October and considering the temperature had taken a dip it wasn’t warm enough to go for a swim and the lack of sun meant taking the rays was out of the question.

There are many seaside towns that lose their charm in off season but Giulianova certainly isn’t one of them.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Giulianova Roaming – A Town Full Of Surprises

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That’s how Città Sant’Angelo Village felt like when I paid a visit on a very damp, midweek morning in October.

We parked in the very large, but very far from full car park, and made our way to the “main street”, which was empty.

In Duloc, Shrek soon discovers that there’s a tournament going on and that’s where Lord Farquaad and the rest of his subjects are based.

In Città Sant’Angelo Village there was no tournament, only shops without customers!

Città Sant’Angelo Village should not be confused with Città Sant’Angelo, the nearby town of similar name that is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Don’t take my word for this, you can check out the lists on the I borghi più belli d’Italia site.

I know, your favourite town isn’t mentioned, neither is mine, but Città Sant’Angelo is and that must count for something.

But Città Sant’Angelo Village is a bit different. It lies very close to the A14 Città Sant’Angelo exit near Pescara and is a purpose build Outlet Shopping Centre. It’s populated with big name stores selling last season’s lines at knock down prices.

I don’t usually go out of my way to head to a shopping mall but as Abruzzo was covered in a thick grey blanket of wet mist and we’d never been there before we thought we’d take a look.

It should work, close to a motorway, big names, reduced by 30% to 50%, spacious stores, loads of car parking space.

I think we got there around 11:30 and while I didn’t expect it to be thronged I thought that since the weather was not ideal for being out and about sightseeing or harvesting olives there would be a few hundred people there at least. I think the staff of the shops outnumbered the potential clients by 5 to 1.

I’m going to assume it was an off day – that happens – but I really don’t see how a place like Città Sant’Angelo Village can survive with that level of interest.

I had a coffee, almost bought a jumper and P bought something for €10 – we didn’t pay anybody’s wages that day.

Oddly enough since I’m not a fan of shopping malls or shopping centres I found wandering around a fairy-tale shopping village without being jostled by crowds quite relaxing.

They even had gentle soothing music-like stuff playing in the background.

I think if it had a book/DVD/computer/camera/Hi-Fi/gadget shop I might not have wandered so aimlessly.

Or maybe a tournament.

Heigh-ho.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Shopping and Other Fairy Tales

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