We’ve recovered from the freak snow storm in Norcia (actually, it was a hoot and we celebrated by having a ricotta tort and caffè at the conclusion of our trek). We’re now in Spoleto, relaxing at the Hotel Charleston, and preparing for our final swing through Viterbo, Florence, and then on to Villa Viani for a week with the family.
Spoleto is a great town, and we’re enjoying its many offerings with Susan and John. To make matters more interesting, we’re sharing a car for a couple days, and that has provided us the opportunity to explore some hill towns that while we were biking looked more like mountains. One particularly fun adventure was visiting Montefalco, not far from Spoleto, and situated on a near-perfect mound. Views from this walled city extend in all directions, and the hillsides are smothered with olive trees and the unique (for this area) Sagrantino grape that is the base for the famous Montefalco Rosso wine.
We’ve also spent considerable time in Todi and drove to the Cascata de Màrmero that is the largest waterfall in Europe and whose water flows into the Tiber way-off in Roma. The peculiar thing is that it’s man-made and water is released several times a day and then turned off. The spectacle is turning the water ON, and with loud sirens blazing, a mere trickle becomes a huge waterfall complete with refreshing spray in a matter of 10 minutes.
On the return to Spoleto, we checked out Le Mummie Di Ferentillo that reminded me of the equally bizarre display in Guanajuato, Mexico. The 30 or so corpses were preserved due to a microcritter existing in the soil, and careful records accompanied each smiling body. One particularly interesting guy died from obeisity, and the skin that once covered the cavernous stomach was lying all over the place. Weird.
Another big plus for Spoleto is this wonderful Internet connection just around the corner from the Charleston. We’re enjoying a day off and playing catch-up.
–Nicola