The joys of this experience in central Umbria bring daily surprises and delights, some planned, others serendipitous gifts.
Sunday was one such day.
I’d seen posters advertising a string trio concert to be held in Palazzo Colicolli, a lovely old palazzo just down from our apartment that now serves as a modern art gallery on one floor and a preserved elegant palazzo on the other. Live strings in this setting? Sign me up!
As has begun to happen, four of our new expat friends were also there; it’s always lively conversation and good exchange of info. The concert was wonderful, if a little different. Titled “Nuove Ondre” – New Waves – it was composed of a variety of interesting contemporary pieces. It’s amazing what sounds a viola, violin, and cello can produce! Two or three of the composers were present, as well.
We opted for an easy pasta lunch back at the apartment, then a bit of writing before it was time to head to the day and evening’s chosen destination of Casteldilago, a small village located just down the mountainside from Montefranco. An energetic realtor we’d met a couple of weeks ago (yes, we’ve looked at a handful of properties!) is to blame for this choice – said tongue in cheek and with gratitude. Lovely Ilaria, it turns out, is a realtor by day and the lead singer of a rock band by night! We were intrigued and asked where we might catch her performing — Casteldilago on this particular Sunday evening was it.
A pre-dinner exploration of this charming borgo, one of Italy’s “Borghi piu Belli” villages, introduced us to an enchanting tangle of stone houses and winding pathways, darkened galleries and secret side passages. Like many of these villages, potted flowers and plants are prolific, creating picture perfect scenarios at every turn. And the views – oh the views. Although lower in altitude than Montefranco, the extended vista over the Valnerina could hold a candle to parts of Switzerland any old day. It’s possible to fall in love with every single borgo we’ve visited, each unique in feel and structure, but similar in beauty and appeal.
A quick history lesson — Casteldilago was actually perched atop a peninsula in ancient times when the valley floor was a lake. Hence the name, which means castle of the lake. Drained by the Romans, the land became valuable as a passage along the Via Flaminia resulting in frequent battles over control. Casteldilago was one of a handful of fortified castle villages that were owned by various sorts for protection of trade and transit.
There is one well known restaurant here; it had been recommended by a couple of people and is the only one there, so why not. The interior was fascinating — a series of dark stone-walled rooms, ancient steps leading up and down, and even several mysterious small closed door passage here or there that I had difficulty restraining myself from opening. I deduced this building must’ve been a portion of the castle. The food was good if not spectacular, a bit pricey, but it was a great experience and we were introduced to a fabulous red wine, not expensive, from Bastardo.
Crumbs wiped from our mouths, it was time to find the music. Literally a few steps to the small piazza where the band was set to play, we found a park bench to settle into.
There was an attractive younger woman seated there, yet enough room for two more. “Possiamo?” — “May we?” She offered a huge smile — “Si! Prego!” In only a matter of minutes, she began to engage us in conversation. Where were we from, how had we found our way here, etc. We quickly became friends and were introduced to her kind husband Franceso and their two absolutely adorable children – 5 year old Nina who was dancing and frolicking with other young girls, and 3 year old Andrea who was busy exploring under his father’s watch. As it turns out, Maria and Francesco are both engineers and have spent time in Houston on several occasions. They are from southern Italy – she from Naples, he from near Pompeii — but are now living in Florence.
The remainder of the evening was spent conversing, enjoy the music, watching the children dance and play, and finally going with them to watch the fireworks – an event we weren’t even aware of! I got such a chuckle when Andrea cried out that some of the fireworks looked just like spaghetti. So cute! By the time the evening came to a close – close to 11:30 – we had exchanged contact info, offers to please visit if we were in Florence or they were in Houston, and finally, big hugs.
Yet another gift of sweet friendship – unexpected but oh what a joy. This happens over and over again in this country.
A side note on that topic: we did washing yesterday in the laundromat. It was crowded, machines were acting up, the change maker shorted us, it was hot — Marty was nearing meltdown status and I was growing frustrated. In walked a dark haired woman about our age. The look on her face showed she, like us, was intent on getting things done efficiently. The small washers were not adding soap; Marty stepped over to tell her before she used one. Immediately that led to an animated ongoing conversation while we all waited on machines to become available or finish. She is from Spoleto, exceedingly kind and friendly, and enjoyed hearing our answers to “Why are you here?”. Contact info was exchanged, she told us to call her if we needed anything at all or had any questions, as well as to get in touch when we are back — we’ll meet for an aperativo. This is the real bella vita!