The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball. ~ Doug Larson

Yesterday I received an email from my friend Lino showing Piazza Garibaldi in Loreto Aprutino covered in snow.

There’s certainly beauty associated with snow and although we don’t normally get much in Dublin, it’s always a novelty when it falls. In November 2010, after an unusually heavy overnight snow fall P and I went walking almost knee deep in snow around Howth Head.

It was fun at first but then for the next few days Dublin practically stopped functioning. We don’t have snow ploughs on call so roads quickly became very tricky (= almost impossible) to navigate.

Today I’ve seen many photos of snow in Abruzzo which look stunning and I’ve also read of road closures and train passengers stuck for over 10 hours – there’s always a flip side.

I was talking to friends in Abruzzo a few hours ago using Skype and they took their laptop outside to show me the snow covering the tree branches. “Everything is white”, they said. “There could be snow for another three days, but then the weather should get better.”

I’d love to be there right now walking through the snow with my camera trying to take great photographs and yet I’d hate to be trying to get around from town to town. “The car is resting”, I was told.

After talking with them I pulled out a back issue of the magazine D’Abruzzo. The particular edition is number 92, Inverno 2010. The front cover has two bare trees covered in snow, standing in a snow covered landscape, without a foot print in sight. Although it looks like your typical winter wonderland you can almost feel the temperature drop as you touch the pages.

You can see the image here.

The photo is the work of Federico de Nicola. I didn’t know much about this photographer other than what I saw in the magazine so I did a sleuth-like search and found http://www.federicodenicola.net/.

I found the text on the home page difficult to translate so I’m not going to attempt to paraphrase it here. All I will say is that it is well worth drilling into the collections of photographs he has made available on his site as they are all wonderful. Apart from the striking scenery there is plenty of mastery of light on show.

The gallery starts with acqua 1 and you have a further acqua 2 to 7, vento 1 to 6 and miscellanea 1 to 4 – the sound effects help too.

Enjoy!

Post from: About Abruzzo

Let it Snow – Yes, Perhaps, Maybe

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Olive Trees and a clear sky bounded the town beautifully.

It seemed only right and proper that I reciprocated and so a little later on I took a photo of Santa Maria in Piano from Loreto Aprutino.

The Majella in the background still has plenty of snow.

Nice day in Abruzzo today!

Post from: About Abruzzo

A Pair of Passing Shots

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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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We, like many travellers these days, weren’t sure if the volcanic ash cloud would allow us to get away but everything worked out fine and our flight left almost on time.

We’ve had a busy few days so far. For the most part it’s been raining cats, dogs and elephants but today we saw sun come out though the clouds and spread a golden glow over the snow capped Majella and Gran Sasso ranges.

Bad weather didn’t stop us making the most of our stay here. It’s always nice to sit outside taking the sun’s rays while having an aperitivo or enjoying il pranzo but they still taste just as good when you’re inside comfortably hearing the falling rain.

So what did we get up to while it’s been a bit wet? Well maybe not so much that warrants a blog post but we’ve enjoyed ourselves all the same.

Almost every morning, raining or not, we’ve headed out for an 8 km walk in the country around Loreto Aprutino. Mostly it’s been raining, and we have gotten odd looks from some of the locals as we squelched our way back to our base.

But the walks have been both great and necessary. The trees are full of birds singing their hearts out, the fields are full of flowers in bloom and around every bend vegetables and fruit trees are showing future promise.

If there is one sound that I’ll take away with me as a memory of these walks it’s got to be the sound of frogs. We pass two tiny lakes on our route and the echo of frogs from them is amazing. It seems to get amplified and directed out of the hollow so that you suddenly hear it as you approach and then, no more than 50 metres later, it’s gone.

Getting out for a walk early in the morning is necessary because otherwise I think I’d return looking like the Michelin Man. Even someone with strong willpower would struggle not to over-indulge as the food on offer here is just wonderful. Add to that the fact that we’ve had three invitations to lunch or dinner since we got here and I think you’ll probably understand why some morning exercise is crucial.

So that leads me on to conversation and food, a perfect match! Since we arrived we’ve eaten out three times; twice in restaurants and once in a friend’s house. Each time the chance to catch-up and talk about what’s been happening has been great. Conversation, food, and a little wine – you don’t need good weather to enjoy time spent that way.

A few trips to shops stock-up, a visit to the local TIM shop to organise internet access and the not-so-local but not too far computer shop to get printer cartridges and we were pretty much sorted for our stay here.

We noticed our wine supply was low so we headed out to the Azienda Marramiero, Rosciano (PE) and bought some red, white and rose. Well what’s life without vino?!

But now that it appears the weather has turned for the better I’m looking forward to some of the highlights of the next couple of weeks.

The Giro d’Italia passes though Abruzzo over the next two days and I hope to see the peloton in full swing somewhere along the coast between Silvi Marina and Pineto on Thursday.

May is full of festivals in Abruzzo and I’m expecting to enjoy every moment of the festival of San Zopito this coming weekend (22, 23, 24 May). The old ox started to find the ceremony a bit too tiring and after many good years of service has been retired. A younger ox will be at the centre of the celebrations this weekend and I expect to see the entire town of Loreto Aprutino out in force cheering him on.

Then the weekend of the 29 and 30 May we have the Cantine Aperte. Forty different wine producers are opening their doors to the public, giving them a chance to see how they make their wines and also giving them a chance to taste some of their best products. Some of these cantine will have food and music organised to help add to the carnival atmosphere.

It’s going to be a fun couple of weeks I think.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Plenty of Rain, Food and Conversation in Abruzzo; But Here Comes The Sun!

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What has a Bob Dylan song got to do with the weather in Abruzzo?

Well take a look at this service that mashes up Google Maps and up to the minute weather data, here it is for Pescara.

Considering the temperatures can vary significantly throughout the region (that mountains V sea contrast) I think it’s a great tool to help plan your journeys.

OK, I admit this post is a bit of a cheat. This service can be used anywhere in the world so it isn’t strictly speaking an Abruzzo story. But it’s new and I think it’s perfect for Abruzzo and you don’t need a degree in meteorology to use it.

It’s called Full Screen Weather and it is brought to you by Weather Underground. The settings can be adjusted to change the units, Celcius (centigrade) v Fahrenheit, show or hide wind data and select a different weather station. And since it’s based around Google Maps, you can change the type of map that best suits your needs.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Abruzzo Weather: Bringing it all back home!

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• exploring parts of the Majella I hadn’t seen before
• visiting an abbey with an amazing floor
• visiting a basilica with fantastic frescoes
• exploring shepherds’ ancient stone refuges
• taking photos of the elusive Ferrari-red Ape with roll bars! (proof provided below)
• discovering a new restaurant and new Abruzzese dish
• showing some of my favourite places to a visiting friend
• tasting new olive oil
• getting a personal tour of Loreto Aprutino’s Oil Museum
• enjoying an exhibition of paintings from an important Abruzzese artist
• buying more CDs of Abruzzo folk and jazz

And if that wasn’t enough I was stunned as temperatures dropped 15 degrees practically overnight bringing snow and hailstones to a region that was basking in mid-20s sunshine the day before.

Of course too much exploring can be tiring so relaxing with friends over excellent food and wine regularly is crucial.

I had the pleasure of drinking two wines I hadn’t come across before:

The first Villa Gemma Bianco (white) from Masciarlli the same people who bring you Marina Cvetic. This white is made from 80% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo – 15% Cococciola – 5% Chardonnay, its colour is pale straw and it has slightly fruity taste (apple perhaps). It costs around €10 in Abruzzo shops and I think it is fabulous.

The second was recommended to me by Octavio in the New Evo restaurant in Loreto Aprutino. It was our last night in the area and we wanted to have something special. Closing the wine list I asked Octavio if he’d recommend something and he suggested a red from the Pasetti Vini. They are based in Francavilla (CH) and the chosen red was from the Pasetti range. This wine is made from Montepulciano d’Abruzzzo grapes grown on the foothills of the Gran Sasso mountains. We wanted something special and were not disappointed.

I’ll give you more details about what I’ve been doing in up-coming posts.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Villa Gemma, Pasetti and that elusive red Ape

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There aren’t too many constellations I can recognise without resorting to a book, but that can be overcome easily enough, as I’ll explain later.  One of the key things to know about stars is that their position changes with time and location.  So it’s good to have an anchor, some star pattern you recognise and from which you can easily find others.  The usual suspects are the constellations  Orion and Ursa Major, and bright stars like Sirius and Polaris.

So tonight, between 21:00 and 22:00, find a location that doesn’t have too much artificial light (street lights, shop lights), look west and at an elevation of around 20 to 30 degrees – you should see Orion (The Hunter).

Looking higher in the sky, but again in a general west direction, you’ll see Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars of the constellation Gemini.

Going back to Orion, there are three stars that make up Orion’s belt.  If you use Orion’s belt as a pointer, follow it towards the left (south) you’ll meet Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, part of Canis Major.  If you go the go the other way, following Orion’s belt to the right, you’ll meet Aldebaran, part of Taurus.

There are many great free computer programs that help you spot constellations and identify stars.  I use Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel.  Although the user interfaces are different, they both will give you star positions based on your location, the date and the time.  The screen shot I have provided was created using Stellarium.

Stargazing (with the naked eye) is certainly not expensive (perhaps the price of a bottle of wine!) and it can be done just as easily on your own or with family and friends.  All you need are the right conditions, which Abruzzo can easily provide.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Clear Skies – Time For Stargazing

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It follows on nicely from the last post on skiing.  Abruzzo has high mountains and gets plentyof snow, but towns like Loreto Aprutino don’t get much.  Being 30 minutes from the coast and at around 300 metres above sea level, snow doesn’t usually last long there.

But when the snow sticks, these towns look absolutely stunning.   My friend Lino captured the above “picture postcard” a couple of weeks ago.  I admit I am envious.  I wish I was there to see it, to breath in the icy air, and to try and take the perfect photograph.  But I don’t think I’d have matched Lino’s skill. 

Bravo Lino, e grazie per la foto.  É bellissima!

Post from: About Abruzzo

Something Special

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I took this photo last week on a crisp clear day, which got up to 10 degrees.

Good winter weather day.

A few days later, the same area was covered in mist, with a lot of rain on the way.

Another good winter weather day!

Both days were great, you just do different things.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Good or Bad Weather

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No, I am not in Abruzzo!

If I was I’d be enjoying 20 degees of sunshine.  Not bad for November.

Post from: About Abruzzo

Weather blues!

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