Picking up a rental car & an Italian driving "attitude", motoring south to north, passing Rome again for Viterbo, 1 hour north, we were met by Marcello & Adriana & their beautiful, darling girls. I was surprised to see how tall Vanise was & met Eleonora for the first time. Luckily, Adriana speaks a lot of English so I didn't have to struggle with my rudimentary Italian jumbled with Spanish, peppered with the excitable hand gestures & corresponding Italian gusto!
Joining us for dinner were Rosetta & Alfonso & his visiting brother, Silvio, we had so much fun & laughter, in between the usual multitude of meal servings & courses; right hand on the fork, left hand imbibbing the local grape harvest in succession interfused with sprinkles of Portuguese, Italian, English & Italian. Wow! how delightful. Why don't we do this every night?
Nowhere was the melancholic euphoria so intertwined though as when they surprised us with a visit to the plateau that is Civitá di Bagnoregio, mom's favorite travel spot in Italy. The radiant sun elevated my spirit, the shadows intensified my restlessness. A walk through time, in more ways than one.
We met with momma Ninetta, also Antonio Franco & Clarise & Claudia in Carpisa where they bestowed more gifts! I am speechless & overwhelmed... Ninetta treats us all to fabulous pizza at a local pizzeria the following night. Wandering through the winding cobbled streets, it seems I had another past here sometime. Passeggiata over & over again, that perpetual evening stroll, couples arm in arm, dogs roaming, kids giggling, scooters zigzagging, lighted cafés beckoning, a bevy of activity & charm, I feel captivated like one following the Pied Piper. If so, lead on, Piper!
