24 Jan to 31 Mar, 2022 - Bomba (and surrounds), Pennapiedemonte, Capriglia, Rivisondoli - (Italy)
Winter. As aluded to in the previous blog entry, the weather for winter was far from bad. Although short, the days for most of February and March were sunny, alowing us to fill them with various outdoor activities.
Interesting Rock Carving Along the Way
Not far from Pennapiedimonte, on one of the main walking trails, this fantastically detailed rock carving pays tribute to the locals and their lifestyles.
Jo and Patrick
Lunch stop above the snow line.
Heading Back Down to Pennapiedimonte
We spent nearly two weeks on the other side of the valley, house sitting for Sue and Sean. Well, not so much about the casa, but way more about the pets. Sam the dog, and four cats (Ella, Sienna, Sangro, and Florence). It was a delight to have them all over us, and on more than one occasion, we had pangs of wanting feline dependents in our lives again.
Trying to Work without Upsetting the Cats
While pet-sitting for Sean and Sue, we loved the attention that the animals would give us - to the point where we wouldn't even move them when they were uncomfortable or in the way...
The Dogs Join us for Coffee In the Morning
Sam, Sue and Sean's dog at the foot of the bed, joined by Bella, Tim and Katie's dog, who came for an overnight visit.
The Crowded Bed
Two people, four cats, and a dog. It was rather crowded most nights at Capriglia.
Feeding Time
Strike a Pose
Yet more visitors from Aus. Flying visit by Giovanni and Chrysi. Really, we appreciated their effort and taking time to come down to Abruzzo. We hope the meal was sufficiently wonderful to justify the trip, if anything more than our company was required.
Giovanni and Chrysi
Dinner at an Agroturismo, with course upon course of amazing food.
With Chrysi and Giovanni in Bomba
So nice to have visitors from Aus.
And finally, two more reveals. I know they are long awaited, but when the renovations are not urgent or pressing, it becomes easy to push them back and delay, time and time again. The kitchen was done in a few smaller bursts, by ourselves. The bathroom was dictated by us, but the hard efforts were outsourced to the tireless Ilir, who smashed (quite literally at times) through the majority of tasks in about a week.
Kitchen Before and After
Early on, we began the kitchen improvements with the new fridge and stove. Three walls of the kitchen have now been painted yellow - and Jo could not resist putting some glitter in the paint. That happened close to the end of last year, while I was in the USA. She decided to choose the time of least resistance. That said, when I came home and saw it, I was quite impressed with how it came up. The cupboards were next to get their face-lift with a lick of paint. And finally the tiles. All the painting was done by Jo - walls, cupboards, and tiles, but we did the tile stickers together. At least I can say I contributed.
Bathroom Transformation
Unlike the kitchen, the bathroom remodelling was only partly done by us. We did the planning, and chose everything, but our workhorse, Ilir, provided the manpower and expertise. Our chief objectives - larger shower that did not flood the whole bathroom, more space and a fresher look. The curved shower was a perfect fit with existing features that could not be moved. Putting the toilet on a slight angle with the high mounted cistern meant we didn't have to re plumb the sewage. Removing the bidet and putting in a compact corner basin bought us space, and mounting a new horizontal hot water service made it feel more open in there. We are rapt with the tiles we chose, although we had to do so under a bit of pressure. "Ilir, you'll need to have the tiles soon, won't you." "Yes, but no hurry. I won't need them before tomorrow." We rushed to a nearby bathroom clearance outlet with a limited, yet diverse range. Maybe because of this smaller number of options, we surprised ourselves by agreeing after only a single visit on which tiles would be best. Finally, we added tap-ware (including a snazzy little waterfall faucet), lighting, cabinetry and mirror, shelf, hooks, toilet roll holder, and so on.
On a random walk close to home, we made a curious find, and inside that, we unearthed an even more intriguing treasure.
Abandoned House in Bomba
Many villages in Abruzzo have abandoned and seemingly forgotten houses. Bomba is typical, with most streets having a smattering of buildings in various states of disrepair and ruin, interspersed with homes that are cared for and obviously loved. Of course, most ruined and abandoned buildings are entirely empty, or limited to 2 or 3 broken large pieces of furniture. One March day, we noticed a door ajar, and decided an explore, in our customary manner. This is what we found - a home with no sign of anyone being there since the late 1980s. Old television and fridge and scales, light fittings,, and cupboards full of crockery. But dating it was easy. The table was covered in letters and receipts, papers and magazines, most dated 1987 or so. The kitchen still had pots and pans, and the shelves upstairs still had shoes and clothes. The bed had a bedspread, but is now ruined due to the gaping hole in the roof and years of rain and weathering. We have our theory - when the owner passed, a relative has come and gone through all the papers, possibly searching for the will. Intending to return to take care of the property, they locked and left and for whatever reason, never came back.
And Amongst all the Papers...
So, in the abandoned house, on the top of the mess of papers from the 1980's, we found a "pocket map" of Melbourne with tourist attractions and useful numbers! How random!
Finally, we got to have a few days in the proper snow. We had planned this for last year, but rolling lockdowns shelved those plans.
Selfie on the Slopes
Skiing at Roccaraso. Home trail, last run.
Loving our Snow Trip
Jo, part way down Roccaraso. It's been a few years since we have been on the skis, but it seemed to come back quicker than even we thought it might. Like riding a bike…
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