That was the first photograph of Abruzzo I’d ever sold. “Sold” might be too strong a word as it was really a form of barter, but I certainly did gain by giving him the print. Months later, visiting A in Poole, I saw the photograph in all its 30” x 20” glory, framed beautifully, quietly beckoning the onlooker to drop everything and take a flight to Pescara.

It was a proud moment.

But that wasn’t the first piece of encouragement I’d received. P has always encouraged me to sell prints of my photographs. We’d wander around a photographer’s studio and she’d say that some of my photographs were at least as good if not better than what was on display.

But I did nothing.

I made excuses to myself trying to justify why I hadn’t started the ball rolling. I was too busy in work, I had other projects I had to finish, I hadn’t found a suitable way of displaying my creations – the list goes on. P kept encouraging and I kept finding excuses.

Fast forward…

I met Nora (and John) of Enchanting Italy in Dublin earlier this week. Nora is a regular reader and commenter on this blog and when I realised we were both based in Dublin, I got in touch and we met and had some damn fine cappuccinos. As we chatted Nora mentioned that she loved her copy of the Abruzzo Charity calendar and particularly loved seeing “The Dancing Olive Trees” every day during February. She also asked if I’d considered selling my photos.

Sometimes you just have to take the hint!

So over the last couple of days I looked at various ways I could open my About Abruzzo photography shop and I’ve chosen a company called Photobox to help me out. I also did some jiggery-pokery (very technical stuff) to this website and now, as a sub-menu under THE SHOP, you have PHOTOGRAPHS ON PHOTOBOX which will take you to my current selection of photos.

Over time I’ll add more and try to pull them into themed collections, but for now I’m feeling pretty good about the images I’ve chosen.

The collection Abruzzo – Out and About includes the “The Dancing Olive Trees” and also “La Campagna”, the photograph that made its way from Abruzzo to Dorset. In Abruzzo – Dogs and Tomatoes you have a pair of very relaxed dogs and a handful of very tasty tomatoes!

If you like what you see and want to buy a print, Photobox will guide you through the process. You can chose matt or gloss (don’t know why but I’ve always preferred matt) and select from sizes that are in keeping with the original width to height ratio of the image. Look out for the Print Options button as you order as it allows you to check if any part of the image will be lost due to the size selected.

By the way, if you are looking though posts or the full photo album of all the photos I’ve posted since this blog started and see a photo that you like but that isn’t currently for sale, let me know and I do my best to make it available. Usually the only reason I might not make it available is if the resolution of the original photo is too low to support enlargement.

That’s it – browse away, we’re open for business!

Post from: About Abruzzo

Open All Hours – After Much Encouragement

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The strangest of these subjects has got to be an interest in washing hanging on clotheslines.

Each year, since 2007, I’ve taken pictures of clothes drying in the open.  I think the attraction is the contrast between a colourful line of washing and the quasi-monotone of the walls of buildings.

Drying clothes outdoors on a line seems like a natural thing to do. It certainly is in Abruzzo.

We do it in Dublin also, but the clothes tend to take longer to dry and we aren’t blessed with the same number of perfect drying days. Although on those special days when there is a bit of wind and a clear blue sky I’d often hear people use the phrase “there’s great drying out” to describe the weather.

Because Ireland doesn’t get the same amount of dry sunny weather as Abruzzo we tend to get our clothes out on the line as early as possible and spend the rest of the day watching for the inevitable shower of rain. (It actually doesn’t rain in Ireland as much as you might believe.)

When I was growing up, my Mam (a washing expert) would greet me in the morning by telling me how much she’d already done that day including “and I’ve a line of washing out already!”

When I decided to share a few photos from my “clothesline collection” (sad I know) I thought I’d throw a quotation or two about washing. I was looking for something witty and/or profound but all I found were references to a wrestling move. So I decided to pass.

But as I searched I was surprised to find that there are some groups that are against the use of clotheslines. When you look at the advantages (saves money, eco friendly, reduced fabric wear and tear) I find it hard to believe, but it’s true. Apart from the clothes dryer manufacturers there are those who are against clotheslines because they believe they are aesthetically unpleasant.

I have to disagree. Seeing clothes drying as they sway in the breeze is one of the signs that winter is over and good weather has arrived. How can that not be pleasing to the eye?

Leaving things out to dry is not restricted to clothes. I’ve seen rows of fluffy dolls, cuddly toys and of course strings of peperoncini, all benefitting from sunny days in Abruzzo.

But of all the photographs from my clothesline collection this one has to be the oddest and most striking of them all. It still takes me by surprise when I look at even though all you see are…well you can see for yourself.

The day after taking that photo, I was passing through Elice (PE) and took a look at the Castello Castiglioni and as I turned a corner I saw this character left dangling in the sun.

I wonder why he was hung out to dry.

Post from: About Abruzzo

The Man Who Stares at Washing Lines

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At Penne Lake there was no barber showing photographs.

And on January 1st it certainly wasn’t beneath the blue suburban skies!

Nobody calls it Penne Lake. It’s Lago di Penne. But sometimes songs, even songs with the wrong lyrics, can burrow their way into your head and they just won’t go away.

(And sure enough it’s back again, as I write this post.)

On January 1^st I was feeling a little under the weather. Only a few hours earlier I’d eaten way too well, and certainly way too much, as we counted down the hours to 2011.

A little wine was had too. Not too much though, so I wasn’t even close to having a hangover, but I still felt a bit dodgy the next morning.

I think my body was just rebelling because it couldn’t believe I was seriously going to continue eating after the second course. There were five courses.

Walking I’ve found is the only solution, get the body moving again, let your system know it’s alive. I’m not talking about hiking or trekking (although I do like a long walk in the hills)  I’m talking about a gentle stroll  by the sea, through a forest or beside a lake.

That’s where Lago di Penne came into play.

It’s not a natural lake. It was created by constructing a dam on the Tavo River in the heart of Vestini country. It’s protected by law and has Botanical Gardens, an Otter Centre and a Butterfly Garden, as well as various wildlife areas. We saw some deer feeding as we wandered around. There’s nothing like seeing deer doing deer-like things to take you mind off the night before. I just wish they weren’t feeding.

We had a purpose. Our plan was to walk along the woodland trail beyond a point where the lake narrows to wooden rope bridge. I wasn’t looking forward to crossing the rope bridge. I’d crossed it before a couple of years ago and found that I wasn’t fond of the way it bounced up and down as you approached the midpoint.

But our Swiss friend M hadn’t seen it or crossed it before and it’s a nice walk through the woods so I distracted myself with a song from the 60’s (that song again) and after a couple of false turns we found the bridge.

It was a perfect day for recovery. There was no wind, no sun (sometimes bright lights can hinder recovery) and no rain. Apart from the wildlife I think we had the lake to ourselves.

As you can see from the photos it was grey and slightly misty. For a few moments the light changed a little and a green sheen rippled on the surface. But mostly we saw grey skies and grey water.

This isn’t a tough walk, nor is it a long walk, but there are a couple of steep and slippery places where good footwear helps.

If you want to find the rope bridge yourself head to the Riserva Naturale Regionale Lago Di Penne, (this Google Map might help). If you’re approaching from Penne you first cross the dam bridge and then you follow the road and cross a second bridge, head right  and there is parking near the visitors centre.

Leave the car and walk under the second bridge (back the way you drove) passing tiles with pictures of birds, keep following the path with the lake on your left. Soon after the point where the lake narrows to a river you’ll see the rope bridge. You might want to walk across it one at a time – it was my preferred option that day.

Don’t forget to visit the Nature Reserve. You’ll have to pay in but you can get lucky and see deer, otters, wild birds and maybe some cool butterflies depending on the time of year.

After we drove away I was ready for icecream and coffee, just to aid recovery.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Lago di Penne on New Year’s Day

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When we were back over the New Year period I knew that I wasn’t likely to travel to any place I hadn’t been before as our plan was to enjoy what remained of the festive season with friends.

So I left my 400D in Dublin.

I really didn’t think I’d invest time exploring and taking photographs.

At about 16:00 on Thursday 30^th December I was standing in the car park of Lidl, near Penne and the sky look fantastic. It was just the sky, nothing else really mattered. The combination of light and clouds was stunning. It was particularly beautiful because during the last few days we spent in Dublin before travelling to Abruzzo the skies were wearing the dullest snow laden, grey uniform you can imagine.

The sky I saw from the Lidl car park was special.

Luckily I had a compact Canon IXUS 970 in my pocket and I took this photo.

It’s been said before, but I’m saying it again – the best camera is the one you have with you.

All I could really do is point and click. No messing about with ISO, aperture and shutter speed. The light was changing quickly so perhaps it was for the best.

Once again I was surprise by what you can find at Lidl!

Post from: About Abruzzo

December Sky – Penne (PE), Abruzzo

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Although they are in Italian I find the use of a dictionary can help me discover new places to visit.

D’Abruzzo: Turismo Cultura Ambiente possibly has the advantage over tesori d’Abruzzo for English speakers as it often has an article summary in English in the sidebars.

To give you an idea of what they cover here is what I discovered in the editions I picked up in May.

In the Primavera 2010 edition of D’Abruzzo: Turismo Cultura Ambiente

• The Trabocchi Coast
• The Protection of the Environment
• Walks in the Abruzzo Countryside
• The restoration  of the cathedral of San Panfilo in Sulmona
• Civita d’Antonio: its association with art school of Kristian Zahrtmann and the formation of Central and Southern Italy’s first tourist board
• Breeding of traditional sheep dogs of Abruzzo

In the aprile-giugno 2010 edition of tesori d’Abruzzo

• Benedictine craftsmanship
• Examples of Romanesque Architecture
• Creativity in Stone
• Festa dei Banderesi at Bucchianico
• The mosaics of Tornareccio

They cost about €5 and I think they are great value considering the amount of material they cover.

Being able to read Italian would allow you to get the most out of these publications. But since each article is accompanied by wonderful photos you can easily get a feel for what they’re writing about.

My only criticism, and it’s a selfish one, is that they are only published every quarter.

I should add that I’ve no association with D’Abruzzo: Turismo Cultura Ambiente or tesori d’Abruzzo; I just think they’re great magazines.

I was going to finish this post with that last sentence. I’d have completed what I set out to do by bringing these magazines to your attention for the second time. (I first wrote about them back in February 2009.)

But then I thought I can’t finish so abruptly.

So I had a quick look through my back catalogue of photos and I’ve selected six street scenes that I’m fairly certain I haven’t published before. Although they were taken in Abruzzo they are so typical they probably could have been taken anywhere in Italy.

I hope you like them.

Post from: About Abruzzo

A Little Bit Of Repetition: Scenes from a Magazine Revisited

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It was chance meeting but it led to a most unexpected afternoon.

Four of us, enough to fill a cinquecento, hoped to spend much of the day outdoors, enjoying the Gran Sasso and the Abruzzo countryside. We never expected that we’d end up inside for most of the afternoon, in a stranger’s house, talking about art, house restoration and Abruzzo.

But the day took an unexpected direction and Paul Critchley helped turn what could have been an ordinary day into a most extraordinary one.

We started with the intention of visiting Rigopiano (PE). It seemed like a good plan when the four of us set out but the higher and higher we went the more cloudy and misty it became. By the time we reached Rigopiano we couldn’t see a thing.

It was time for a change of plan.

Often these changes of plan can involve lunch, but we’d eaten early at one of my favourite restaurants, Il Casolare. We wanted to introduce our friends, J and M to it but on arrival they remembered being there before. The occasion was the harvest festival, Festa della Trebbiatura, which is held at and near Il Casolare near the end of July each year. They had a fantastic time that day, but they couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant until we pulled up outside.

After a sharing large plates of bucatini alla trescatora we set off on what we thought was going to remain a lovely day. We planned to go for a walk and enjoy the views, the wild flowers and the sounds of the country. A perfect pastoral scene that in my mind was crying out for Beethoven’s 6^th.

But as I said as we got higher and closer to our destination we realised it made no sense to stick with the original plan. Abruzzo is funny that way. Sometimes it can be clear skies by the sea and misty in the mountains, you just roll with it.

We’d passed Farindola on our way up and so we decided to head back down to have a look around, grab a coffee and most likely then head home. I’d been to Farindola many times before and it’s a good place to stop on the way to explore higher ground before moving on to Campo Imperatore. Our companions, J and M, who helped make our hired cinquecento very cosy indeed , hadn’t been before.

When we reached Farindola (home of great pecorino cheese and a starting point for many dedicated walkers) we had a quick look around before heading for a coffee. Because the mountains all around were covered in grey mist and cloud the views from Farindola weren’t as spectacular as they usually are.

But then something unexpected happened. So unexpected and surprising that it turned a fairly ordinary trip into something very special.

We met Paul Critchley.

J and M are from England and were speaking their native tongue as Paul, who is also from England, passed by. Soon we were all chatting away, taking coffee together and Paul invited us back to see his house in the heart of Farindola.

This is when things got really interesting.

You see Paul is an artist who has exhibited work in many places including UK, The Netherlands, USA, Spain and Italy. He has been living in Farindola for the last two years with his wife Helen.

They’ve got pretty big house that needs a fair bit of work. No, that doesn’t sound right at all. They’ve got a really big house, with fantastic views that needs so much work that I think it would frighten most normal human beings.

But Paul and Helen don’t appear to be frightened. They have a vision and it may take time but they’re going to get there. They’ve made many rooms comfortable and bit by bit they’ll turn the rest of the house into their dream home, from the terrace above with wonderful 360 degree view of Farindola and its surrounding mountains and valleys, down to the basement and cellars below that were once used to keep animals.

Right now they have a place to live comfortably and Paul has space to pursue his artistic vision. His studio, full of the trappings of a working artist, has space and light that would be the envy of many of his peers. They’d like to turn part of the house into a series of exhibition rooms and they certainly have the space for that.

If the house was a surprise Paul’s art was completely unexpected. On looking at one of Paul’s creations my wife said she experienced a feeling of vertigo. M thought Paul’s representation of an old-style Bakelite phone was in fact a real phone.

I don’t feel comfortable attempting to describe Paul’s work. Perhaps the best thing to do is visit Paul’s website and read how Paul sees it himself.  All I can do is describe how I felt as I moved from room to room. The first piece that I saw involved a pair of eyes looking through a door into a room. Then on closing the “door” on the room a different set of eyes looked out. I loved it. I thought whoever did this has a sense of humour that appeals to me.  On seeing more of his work I realised that Paul’s sense of humour and perhaps slightly skewed view of everyday scenes and objects comes through regularly in his work.

I walked around from room to room looking at Paul’s creations and as I did so my smile got bigger and bigger. As I was enjoying the experience I could hear my friends from other rooms exclaiming “look at the…”, “did you see the…” and “when you close it…”. Every one of us saw something exciting and were thrilled to be given this impromptu private viewing.

Just when I thought I’d been surprised enough Paul showed us the X-ray machine! It came with the house along with surgical instruments and a shelf load of medical files. If you buy a house in Abruzzo the previous owners often do not empty it out before it becomes yours. This can be pain if your plans for your new home don’t align with the previous owner’s vision, but sometimes you get left some unexpected gems. Paul got a 1950’s X-ray machine. He said that he’s been strongly advised not to power it up!

You can find out more about Paul and his work on his website http://paulcritchley.com/. If you’re ever in the Farindola area then give Paul a shout and get him to show you his creations. You’ll not be disappointed. You could very easily find that certain something your favourite room has been missing.

Post from: About Abruzzo

A Chance Meeting with the Artist Paul Critchley in Farindola (PE)

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Stage 12 was starting from Città Sant’Angelo Village at 12:05 and was going to make its way hugging the Adriatic until it reached Porto Recanati 206 km later.

Based on the Gazzetta Dello Sport timetable it was going to pass Pineto at around 12:45.

We wanted to make a day of it and take in the atmosphere of the Giro but also visit some new places. Regular readers of this blog will know that I’ve spent quite a few sunny days in Pineto so since it didn’t qualify a “new” we included Silvi Paese in the plan.

Silvi Paese shouldn’t be confused with Silvi Marina which is a lovely seaside town nearby. Silvi Paese is perched on a headland and has fantastic views of the Adriatic and the surrounding country.

We got to Pineto at about 10:30 and did what any normal red-blooded Italian would do on arrival – we had a coffee. Then we walked around the town and back to our car along the beach, passing the time pleasantly as we waited for the cyclists.

The Giro wasn’t going through Pineto itself but was passing by on the SS16 (Adriatica) so at 12:00 we based ourselves on the roundabout where you’d exit the SS16 to enter Pineto.

Apart from traffic police and a local photographer there weren’t that many people waiting in anticipation.

After a few minutes more spectators arrived. Mostly they came on foot but a few amateur cyclists arrived to see their heroes in action.

We waited…

There was a sudden flurry of activity and lead police cars and motorbikes whizzed through.

Then, out on his own, came the stage leader quickly followed by his team support car. I don’t know much about cycling tactics but with about 4 hours cycling ahead of him I suspected he wouldn’t be the ultimate winner of this stage.

We waited…

Two chasing cyclists sped by with their support cars.

We waited…

The peloton arrived and charged through the roundabout looking unconcerned by the minutes between them and the leaders. The remaining four hours worth of cycling was going to be less painful for a chasing pack then a lone lead cyclist.

After the trailing bunch went by and a convoy of team support cars, the Giro, as far as Pineto was concerned, was over.

I could say it was all over in a flash. I could say we waited for an hour to see less than a minutes actual cycling. But that would be unfair. In a country that can sometimes get bad press for its organisation abilities the Giro seemed to pass though Pineto without a hitch.

Yes there were a few motorists that were unhappy the roads were closed for a period before and after the Giro passed, but there were plenty of signs up saying when this was going to happen. There were also plenty of traffic police ensuring that the safety of the cyclists and that of the spectators was in hand.

I’m really glad I was there. Since I was based within easy driving distance of Pineto it would have been a shame not to see the Giro d’Italia as it passed. Next time I may try to park myself near the finish line or perhaps a stage starting line where I bet the atmosphere is more intense.

Feeling a bit hungry we walked back into Pineto hoping to find somewhere nice for lunch. Earlier it didn’t look like the seasonal restaurants on the beach were open yet so we went into the town centre.

On the way I took a few photos of some of Pineto’s impressive houses and also a town model of house miniatures.

After finding nowhere suitable to eat we asked a local and he gave us directions to a restaurant called La Braceria on the road to Atri, not far from Pineto.

It was really good. We shared ravioli with ricotta, rucolo and spec, and after that some agnello alla brace.

Back into the car we drove off to Silvi Paese. I was told by friends that Silvi Paese was a lovely little town with fantastic views of the Adriatic. They were right. As we approached the views from the road were getting more and more spectacular.

After parking the car we wanted around the new walls and stopped practically every 50 metres to take in the scenery. It’s well worth a visit. The town is very pretty and the relatively new fountain outside the church is a nice addition.

Well we’d had a damn fine lunch so there was nothing for it but to sit down and have some gelati taking in the views and watching the world go by.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Giro d’Italia Stage 12 and Silvi Paese

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It was a Saturday. Saturday 20th March to be exact. We knew it was market day and we made the assumption that finding parking was going to be difficult.

We’ve visited a few Abruzzo towns on their market day before and finding parking has proved painful. Penne and Atri on two occasions have caused us headaches. To be fair once you get used to a town’s parking system and you find the car parks that often exist outside the walls, any parking difficulties usually fade away.

But we didn’t want to take any chances with Sulmona. We’d heard that its market was pretty big and was bound to attract large crowds. And large crowds mean a lot of cars.

So off we went, not quite awake yet, on a lovely sunny morning. It took us about an hour and a half to reach the outskirts of the town and following the signs we found a car park on Via Iapasseri. Asking a fellow parker we confirmed that the parking was free and the town centre was a short walk away.

He was right. From the car park, via a series of steps it was a 10 minute walk to the market on Piazza Garibaldi. We just walked across Via Filippo Turati, along Via Alessandro Volta, across the park to Viale Roosevelt and then we followed Corso Ovidio.

But there was a surprise in store when we arrived. Plenty of people had gathered near Piazzale Tresca, with tractors and balloons. We saw the traffic police was keeping an eye on things and it took us a few minutes to realise what was going on. We saw banners with Si alla Green Economy; No alle Industrie Insalubri and No al metanodotto e alla centrale SNAM. The protest appeared to be against the laying of a gas pipeline and environmentally destructive policies. After a few minute they made their way down Corso Ovidio. This was a peaceful protest. How could it be anything else with all those balloons?

Moving on to Piazza XX Settembre we saw the Birthday Boy! Standing on the top of his pedestal was Publius Ovidius Naso and 20 March is his birthday. Known as Ovid in the English-speaking world Publius Ovidius Naso (20 March 43 BCE – 17 or 18 CE) was a Roman poet from Sulmona whose works focused on ancient myths and every poet’s favourite subject, love.

I’ve not read anything by Ovid. I think I had to study a few paragraphs of his writings in school before I dropped Latin but I could be wrong. His works have influenced many writers including Dante Alighieri, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, William Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

In 8 AD Ovid was exiled by Emperor Augustus to Tomis on the Black Sea (now Constanţa, Romania), where he died. I read an excellent fictional account of Ovid’s exile. In An Imaginary Life by David Malouf, Ovid grapples with coming to terms with his new non-Roman existence. The rituals, language and culture that is now part of his everyday life are completely alien to the great man of Roman letters. I really enjoyed the book and have gone on to read other books by Malouf.

After wishing Ovid “tanti auguri” on his birthday we moved on to Piazza Garibaldi and the market. But yet again we stopped to take in the ancient aqueduct opposite Chiesa di San Francesco della Scarpa. The aqueduct is about 100m long with impressive arches through which we could see the market stalls filling Piazza Garibaldi. It was built by Manfedi of Svevia in 1256 to bring water to the city for irrigation, domestic and industrial use.

Finally, after taking at least an hour for a ten minute walk we entered piazza Garibaldi and attempted to take in the array of stalls selling practically everything anyone might need. The market in Sulmona is big, very big. We walked up and down the aisles and soaked in the atmosphere. It was really impressive. Although it was big (did I mention that before?) and full of people there was plenty of space to wander around. No feeling of claustrophobia here. The cafés and bars along the side of the piazza are the perfect place to sit, observe and enjoy market day in Sulmona.

We didn’t buy anything except for the coffee. P almost bought a shirt and a dress but it didn’t work out.

Exploring more of Sulmona we tried to get into every church we found. But many were closed. (This is becoming a habit as it happened to us in Spoltore also.) We did visit Chiesa di San Francesco della Scarpa and Santa Maria della Tomba before admiring Porta Napoli.

So we wandered around, enjoying a gorgeous morning, stopping for coffee and nibbles until it was time to head back. We came across the football stadium and I thought that it must be very special to play football on a pitch surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

We left with a few bags of confetti (sugar coated almonds) and some confetti flowers. You just have to buy confetti if you visit Sulmona. There was plenty to choose from, all very colourful and bright. They make lovely gifts.

I really enjoyed seeing Sulmona and I have no doubt I’ll visit again. The next time I think I’ll make sure it isn’t market day as I’d really like to see Piazza Garibaldi and its surrounding mountains without the presence of all the stalls. I don’t know if much traffic is allowed in the piazza on normal days but I hope not. Perhaps someone reading this post knows and can let me know.

Post from: About Abruzzo

A Special Birthday In Sulmona (AQ), Abruzzo

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We were definitely the only tourists in Les Arcs. In fact most of its clients that day appeared to be construction workers having their well earned lunch. We went for the ravioli with ricotta and waited patiently. There were a few orders ahead of us, but when it arrived it was very tasty. For €6 each we were suitably fortified and ready to go exploring.

Spoltore is about 8 km from Pescara, located between the rivers Tavo and Pescara.

There are five important historical buildings there:

• The ruins of the castle in the highest part of the old centre
• The parish church of S. Panfilo, with a fine portal and stuccos by Alessandro Terzani, canvases by Giuseppangelo Ronzi and a 16th century statue of the Madonna col Bambino.
• The church of Madonna della Porta, with a wooden statue of the Virgin (10th century)
• The convent of San Francesco d’Assisi (15th century), with a brick facade and a fresco cycle telling the life of the saint
• The church of San Francesco d’Assisi, attached to the convent, mostly Baroque in style

Unfortunately all the churches were closed while I was there. But that was fine as what I really wanted to do was walk up to the highest point of the old town, beside the castle ruins, and take in the Majella (south), the Gran Sasso (west) and the Adriatic (east).

The pictures below give a flavour of what Spoltore has to offer.

When we reached the highest point we found an abandoned 5l bottle of wine. I could easily see friends relaxing and chatting, sipping a glass of wine, watching the sun go down. Then, when it gets dark, looking at the stars, constellation spotting or maybe turning their attention to the bright lights of Pescara.

Although it was a bit hazy, we stayed quite a while looking out at the wonderful views.

On the way back down we met Alberto, who was stripping the paint off some wooden shutters. We stopped, said hello, and he kindly allowed me to take his picture. Stripping the paint of wooden shutters looked to me like a long and painstaking task but Alberto seemed to be enjoying himself in the afternoon sun. We actually had a brief conversation about Dante Alighieri, Verdi and the relative merits of the English and Italian languages. I was well out of my depth! 

I’ll be visiting Spoltore again. I’ve three good reasons for doing so:

• see the inside of the churches that unfortunately were closed
• see the fantastic views on a day that isn’t so hazy
• pop in to Almond 22 and pick up a couple of bottles of really good beer

Post from: About Abruzzo

Spoltore (PE) Abruzzo: Saint Patrick’s Day (afternoon)

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I had a Sat Nav; but a Sat Nav without an address is about as useful as…well you get the picture.

We were heading to the Almond 22 artisan brewery and I wanted to combine that visit with a wander around Spoltore itself. Having passed through Spoltore many times on the way to and from Pescara airport and knowing there are great views from the top of the castle it seemed like a great plan.

There was one problem. I had forgotten to write down the address of the brewery and I’d no access to the internet. For some reason my TIM mobile connection had been dodgy for a few days and now I had no access at all.

Spoltore isn’t big, but the brewery could have been in the town itself or somewhere out in the country.

P saved the day by suggesting I pop into the tourist office and see if I could do a quick search. The ever helpful Mauro in our local tourist office was happy to oblige.

Sat Navs are great inventions but sometimes they’ll send you the wrong way. But armed with the address Via Dietro le mura 36/38, and after asking the locals for confirmation, we found Almond 22.

When we arrived, there was a group of people standing outside the brewery discussing something of great importance.  They stopped talking and eyed us curiously.

Did I forget to mention we were wearing Ireland rugby shirts and had flashing shamrocks?!

It was St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) and although San Patrizio isn’t a big name in Abruzzo, we were determined to introduce him. It was just a coincidence that we were visiting a brewery, honest!

So there we were in Spoltore on the feast day of our patron saint, a little travelling festival, wearing a bit more green than usual – and this is what the people outside Almond 22 laid eyes on.

“Can we buy Almond 22 beer here?” I asked in Italian. One member of the group said “certo” and followed up with “of course”. He spoke excellent English. That was Jurij (pronounced like “Yuri”, I hope I got the spelling right) who proceeded to tell us all about Almond ’22 and the range of beers they produce.

He was enthusiastic about all of them and allowed us to taste before we bought. He did a great job of guiding us to beers that might interest us based on what we were used to.

We went away with a Nigra, an Irie, a few Grand Cru (gifts!), a Blanche de Valerie and a Torbata. Of them all the Torbata was the greatest surprise as it was clear on tasting it that it would be great with cheese or cantucci.

Jurij’s passion became more obvious when we realised that he was discussing bottle shapes with bottle suppliers when we arrived. They were weighing up the merits of a using a brandy type bottle for one of their lines instead of what they normally use, a prosecco bottle shape.

It was fantastic to be sampling beers that had wonderful flavours in the company of a master beer maker who treated his creations in way that you’d only expect from someone who loves what they do.

I think the beer produced by Almond 22 is excellent. I’ve since used it as an alternative gift to bring to someone’s home when invited for lunch or dinner. I think my hosts have been a bit surprised to receive beer, instead wine or a pastry selection plate but they soon realised it’s something special.

We were lucky to have met Jurij and considering Almond 22 usually only sell to the public on a Saturday, we were doubly lucky. Perhaps it was the flashing shamrocks.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Almond 22, Spoltore (PE) Abruzzo: Saint Patrick’s Day (morning)

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