tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64191934344818370232024-02-20T10:18:22.027-08:00Sabina : My Secret Italylamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-4280535310013946512021-12-18T09:34:00.003-08:002021-12-20T07:04:06.751-08:00ARTISTS, ARTISANS & ENTREPRENEURS BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO CASPERIA’S CENTRO STORICO<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqUu7RnLMrT-ye2d-uVZ4ffbkBIQJgb6nlEJ4SRINAgyA4ZIU09-W7EVNwHUdXSV_1YM6c7QxBNk2CFej-KbBP9vQTvtZhzx6h_UIegKXPyK_zFKOCfGjc5TY-8ShX9i6lLrE-O0KLo3299BD1DLtRHOo1GTRPVycEyovFxSYbFzoo_7A1mGpE-PbQ_g=s4000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqUu7RnLMrT-ye2d-uVZ4ffbkBIQJgb6nlEJ4SRINAgyA4ZIU09-W7EVNwHUdXSV_1YM6c7QxBNk2CFej-KbBP9vQTvtZhzx6h_UIegKXPyK_zFKOCfGjc5TY-8ShX9i6lLrE-O0KLo3299BD1DLtRHOo1GTRPVycEyovFxSYbFzoo_7A1mGpE-PbQ_g=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of Casperia courtesy of Fabrizio Gherardi</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Great News! After many decades of absence, artistic and commercial activity is slowly starting to reassert itself inside Casperia’s 13th century stone walls. Well up until the 1980s Casperia’s historic centre was home to a surprising number and variety of businesses, including alimentari (foodstores), macellerie (butcher shops), tabaccherie (tobacconists), mercerie (haberdasheries), negozi di ferramenta (hardware stores), falegnamerie (carpenter shops), negozi di elettrodomestici (electrical appliance shops), calzolai (cobblers), stagnai (tinsmiths), fabbri (blacksmiths), bottai (barrel makers). There were barbieri (barbershops), parruchiere (beauty shops), negozi di frutta e verdure (fruit and vegetable shops), a lattaio (milk shop), notai (notary offices), a post office, bars, restaurants, an inn, also a travel agency and on Casperia’s Piazza Municipio there was even a bank.</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In February of 1956, disaster struck central Italy in the form of a terrible late winter freeze that killed most of the olive and fruit trees in the region. Imagine Sabina left without a proper olive harvest for years. This event forced a lot of residents who had been self-sufficient farmers to look for employment in Rome and elsewhere. This accelerated the post war pattern of migration to the cities that slowly depopulated Sabina’s hill towns and undermined the traditional local economy. This depopulation trend increased with each following decade. Families that maintained a toehold in Casperia’s historic centre were often here only on the weekends and many families that did not make the move to the city moved out into new houses they built in the surrounding countryside. With the shift in demographics and changes in technology, many of the businesses that had once flourished inside Casperia’s castle walls either closed shop or relocated outside the centro storico. The last hold out business to leave was a beauty parlour located on Via Massari which moved outside the walls at the end of April, 2010.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Happily, thanks to the optimism, courage and efforts of the following artists and entrepreneurs, this trend is being reversed. What follows is a list of the studios, ateliers and shops currently operating inside Casperia’s historic centre. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We will start our tour on the black sampietrini-paved Via Tomassoli, just inside the Porta Romana. A quick note: If you ever get lost in Casperia, all you need to do is find one of the streets paved with black basalt cobbles known as sampietrini. Descending any of these black paved streets will take to you one of Casperia's two main gates, either the Porta Romana or the Porta Reatina.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhb0TCLlwFoMyosvQUpmCW8f6-yL-Gh-EHr4kP_sPkSJrdQnZdxuOZgVZ-m0LBRndc-HoOWqLEnDf_wtfSUhKb8pJbkYxS5MfV4XCloiaXMHioSW_dIVssbTlMsApzzHf9A9OffiVv5Ex-bF6G90l2gnigcwhFflFoFgRx_SFFx-C9tL9_C75dtVSEocg=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="581" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhb0TCLlwFoMyosvQUpmCW8f6-yL-Gh-EHr4kP_sPkSJrdQnZdxuOZgVZ-m0LBRndc-HoOWqLEnDf_wtfSUhKb8pJbkYxS5MfV4XCloiaXMHioSW_dIVssbTlMsApzzHf9A9OffiVv5Ex-bF6G90l2gnigcwhFflFoFgRx_SFFx-C9tL9_C75dtVSEocg=w464-h640" width="464" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casperia, by Richard Burel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Laboratorio d’Arte di Richard Burel</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Via Tomassoli, 4<br /><b>Hours:</b> Usually open weekends and on holidays<br /><b>Tel:</b> 342 747 6679<br /><b>Web:</b> <a href="http://www.richardburelart.com">www.richardburelart.com</a><br /><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/richardburelart">www.facebook.com/richardburelart</a><br /><b>Instagram:</b> @richardburelart</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9vWk6ftZ915ft7XTCcKk9bh5vcrU17tk1DKbdb-QyOMRwJLWdqV0gtmI-1S9qODYiCcOYBRqgNclddfMGe65Qvdmptpgs3mWJz23F61rkjuhj2ts_CmH_m8cKZWLmuK-5_mOymtG1APTK_VzpmsUJUx6iZj0CyBCXKSX59-J3fYY4FMxiUJkEsIuQOA=s968" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="968" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9vWk6ftZ915ft7XTCcKk9bh5vcrU17tk1DKbdb-QyOMRwJLWdqV0gtmI-1S9qODYiCcOYBRqgNclddfMGe65Qvdmptpgs3mWJz23F61rkjuhj2ts_CmH_m8cKZWLmuK-5_mOymtG1APTK_VzpmsUJUx6iZj0CyBCXKSX59-J3fYY4FMxiUJkEsIuQOA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Richard Burel is celebrated for his humorous and colourful townscapes and his original and highly recognisable style. Each scene has a simple narrative which is brought to life by figures and structural details that have amused him or fired his imagination. Employing a technique of layering paint and collage, Richard incorporates rich, jewel-like colours and creates an extravagant visual treat. Using a variety of tools, he adds pastels, inks and gold leaf to his vibrant collages creating a sense of depth that draws the viewer in to his world of vivid colour and quirky charm.</div><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Born in 1974 in Rouen in France, Richard is a self-taught artist. His work has been warmly received in exhibitions at many leading British Art Galleries.</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Immediately next door to Richard's studio is another popular stop on the Casperia shopping route, the <b>Bancarella of Maria Rita Polverini</b>. </span></div><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMHsEzWqsQ_EySJG6DFr3FyRLOW7ENDYHotUe2yleeZeoJF2Nuul-8_EygAcd-qHHeZAi6KErl6ZmoBEd4_O2J4v_nN-dP9p7Sa2B7-KpSz4dvBWfCCGvpRXHVaVWdv4YFsKAnPaisM6rRFjl2MgBzCup5hLhzdaQxAptYapLnxTJz7fFZbkBsgJy-2w=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMHsEzWqsQ_EySJG6DFr3FyRLOW7ENDYHotUe2yleeZeoJF2Nuul-8_EygAcd-qHHeZAi6KErl6ZmoBEd4_O2J4v_nN-dP9p7Sa2B7-KpSz4dvBWfCCGvpRXHVaVWdv4YFsKAnPaisM6rRFjl2MgBzCup5hLhzdaQxAptYapLnxTJz7fFZbkBsgJy-2w=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="font-size: large;">La Mia Bancarella di Maria Rita Polverini</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Jewellery, Accessories, Arts & Crafts</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Via Tomassoli, 6</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hours:</b> Generally open weekends and holidays and upon request<br /><b>Tel:</b> 3493935519<br /><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:mrp26358@gmail.com">mrp26358@gmail.com</a><br /><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/laMiaBancarellaRita">www.facebook.com/laMiaBancarellaRita</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This small stall was born for two fundamental reasons, first the intent to offer a touch of colour and liveliness to those who enter the main door of the town, the other, more personal, was the desire to give life to the objects I create (both in leather, costume jewellery, sewing and more), which until now were only for me or made following requests from friends and acquaintances.</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu5hisr4T-b3VLAniX-LEneGkSX76vb2eRWqMvatE3BSFSipeaafCUkYARDZQTl8THUmnp-laEGb_fXfWnu1U4Y9Y4IWuLQ67npzAMwzZyliJ4ma_jOiDURlsFDllAvaBAPS0nauey8yk90YVZO2l-La35-kPiKeKRbYLbMn58Yva9aitLUgHA9jBobQ=s566" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="566" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu5hisr4T-b3VLAniX-LEneGkSX76vb2eRWqMvatE3BSFSipeaafCUkYARDZQTl8THUmnp-laEGb_fXfWnu1U4Y9Y4IWuLQ67npzAMwzZyliJ4ma_jOiDURlsFDllAvaBAPS0nauey8yk90YVZO2l-La35-kPiKeKRbYLbMn58Yva9aitLUgHA9jBobQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Artist's Statement:</b><span style="font-size: large;"> I am a person curious to learn a lot more, in particular the execution of jobs that require manual skills. I consider myself an eclectic woman who likes to range between different arts, DIY, leather, painting, costume jewellery, embroidery, sewing, and much more. I also like to measure myself with things I don't know how to do and I always accept new challenges and new projects.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Proceeding a few steps up Via Tomassoli, we come to our third shop, the newly opened <b>Coleotterolab</b>. </span></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivuYvPb9bCatz7so9-iKwe_gMCq_rlM5WNSCDpFA19xwv8oFrWmg3eniQ-f_k6D6Edv4fHe7Naptjf_sKWDbBxjTkZv0PW0MqHXhm3r3E7qUKmYO-c_qhksk9gBybWrttyNmWxCF0e86mTTuEgEU7l2XwG3XNAkoEzVG3V4SRRMCWYbFPDNGfkry3gHA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivuYvPb9bCatz7so9-iKwe_gMCq_rlM5WNSCDpFA19xwv8oFrWmg3eniQ-f_k6D6Edv4fHe7Naptjf_sKWDbBxjTkZv0PW0MqHXhm3r3E7qUKmYO-c_qhksk9gBybWrttyNmWxCF0e86mTTuEgEU7l2XwG3XNAkoEzVG3V4SRRMCWYbFPDNGfkry3gHA=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div></span><b><div style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><span style="font-size: large;">Coleotterolab di Viola Nocciola</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Decorative Artisanal Lamps, Bijoux, Accessories</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Via Tomassoli, 10<br /><b>Hours:</b> At the time of writing the shop is open on the weekend from Friday to Sunday with continuous hours but still to be defined.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:info@coleottero.com">info@coleottero.com</a><br /><b>Web:</b> <a href="http://www.coleottero.com">www.coleottero.com</a><br /><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Coleotterolab">www.facebook.com/Coleotterolab</a><br /><b>Instagram:</b> @coleotterolab</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Coleottero was born from the desire to combine in a single container the proposals of Susanna and Viola, mother and daughter, both born in Venice. Susanna initially embarked on a career as an illustrator for advertising in Milan, then she preferred to use her talent in the design of high fashion bijoux, collaborating with the most important Italian fashion brands. Viola started working with Susanna as soon as she finished school. After moving to Sabina, she first began to make her lamps (Coleottero Arborea), and then devoted herself to various wooden furnishing accessories, such as bowl holders for dogs and cats, animalier lamps, and "light theatres" (Coleotterolab).</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA3d4xfCdZpmZ9j12N1mQMn7g2vvIFbnCvAf75kH9IBekW2N_dEnxU19SA2qYzxIQMMfIbFZ5_1p7wv6I3AFTt1wxZlAuUyPIAMvlXdChLVWh8uZArHt05vERUxcd7iU-MfNehu8oJip-AunXxurO9TwjGtAnjn1aPYrpwuPE8waGTMHpYgYgyehScKQ=s2048" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA3d4xfCdZpmZ9j12N1mQMn7g2vvIFbnCvAf75kH9IBekW2N_dEnxU19SA2qYzxIQMMfIbFZ5_1p7wv6I3AFTt1wxZlAuUyPIAMvlXdChLVWh8uZArHt05vERUxcd7iU-MfNehu8oJip-AunXxurO9TwjGtAnjn1aPYrpwuPE8waGTMHpYgYgyehScKQ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div>They moved to Sabina after falling in love with the beauty of the place, wanting a better quality of life, surrounded by nature, but conveniently close to the capital and other towns of central Italy. Now they work on joint projects such as children's games, looking for craftsmen in the future to enrich their site and make it grow.</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Continuing up the steps you arrive at a Piazza Umberto I with its monumental fountain, spectacular panoramic view and the popular restaurant and bar, </span><b style="font-size: large;">Osteria Vigna</b><span style="font-size: large;">. This is a great place to come to enjoy a sunset aperitivo or meal. Heading north along the piazza you see Via Rivellini which runs atop Casperia's once crenellated ramparts. Proceeding a hundred metres along Via Rivellini you arrive at </span><b style="font-size: large;">La Cantina nel Borgo</b><span style="font-size: large;"> of Loredanna Muscatiello which is open irregularly but always worth a visit</span><span style="font-size: large;">. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEWFbAodnJaL4aR65toGatphClNJSbZ2USLxdOfR3-CU-hK1qmhALm2ujUD7DqNNyCK6OFeiIeYrkzCdYBennGtG9vh6UyiGVGyu1TSlDUcXAjSar323Z8iY3pmOMqLm-s4qSMoG0FMnoVeJVQBDcXY6NKPo9ALpH_zoBq5Y8rQa4ckjPQWqlF6sQK4A=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEWFbAodnJaL4aR65toGatphClNJSbZ2USLxdOfR3-CU-hK1qmhALm2ujUD7DqNNyCK6OFeiIeYrkzCdYBennGtG9vh6UyiGVGyu1TSlDUcXAjSar323Z8iY3pmOMqLm-s4qSMoG0FMnoVeJVQBDcXY6NKPo9ALpH_zoBq5Y8rQa4ckjPQWqlF6sQK4A=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">La Cantina nel Borgo di LoreMus</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Handmade Jewellery & Accessories/Casperia Wedding Planner</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Via Rivellini, 22<br /><b>Hours: </b>Irregular and by appointment</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tel: </b>347-7981262<br /><b>E-mail: </b><a href="mailto:loremus@fastwebnet.it">loremus@fastwebnet.it</a><b> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Facebook: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/galenius.casperia">www.facebook.com/galenius.casperia</a></span></div><div><br /><div style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBWhk5rP7oWfN7Txy1iLSCDNcZVIjdWRqtgjjV5GHUEzLvY_q88oQXN2a53OZTDEkRzO3ubIKadrpfr1XlebZgUuyaBHeo1uonV7oUcGYLyOoG5fc1AZ4Y9qxGiiCurFP9P0GQmwO8j1Z9b9xgMlIdoDTwhDrI3kIJuHcERrypHlhFLwI2E-D3jUQC4A=s662" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBWhk5rP7oWfN7Txy1iLSCDNcZVIjdWRqtgjjV5GHUEzLvY_q88oQXN2a53OZTDEkRzO3ubIKadrpfr1XlebZgUuyaBHeo1uonV7oUcGYLyOoG5fc1AZ4Y9qxGiiCurFP9P0GQmwO8j1Z9b9xgMlIdoDTwhDrI3kIJuHcERrypHlhFLwI2E-D3jUQC4A=s320" width="309" /></a></div><br />The owner, Loredana Muscatielli, besides selling her handcrafted jewellery and accessories organises and creates everything needed for couples wanting to hold their wedding in Casperia, including bomboniere—traditional Italian wedding favours. People come from as far away as Japan, Russia and Argentina to get married in Casperia.</div><br /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Returning along Via Rivellini to Piazza Umberto I turn left and continue up Via Tomassoli. As a point of interest, just before you head through the arch of Casperia's second gate, check out the window immediately to the left of the gate. The room you see, beautifully illuminated at night, was one of a number of different olive oil mills which once operated inside Casperia's walls. Note the antique pottery as well as the bank of massive terracotta olive oil containers along the wall to the right.</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once through the gate, Via Tomassoli winds to the left and you come to one of Casperia's most interesting and important new commercial activities, the</span><b style="font-size: large;"> Bottega di AnTeAs. </b><span style="font-size: large;"> This commercial space started out as a Dazio or excise tax office. Note the heavy grilled window with the specially designed section through which people exchanged money. Later on this space was used as a fruit and vegetable store and later an organic produce shop.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0yCPgX0ZCrDgBP2_HnHwqjCqtXGVaEnmBGq4GzxNyDdkkvMd9IW8G19LKoWJVCIx0Mhdp9MmAGXeMTF5lq7RciqzuqaJ460U1e2IfrsbzZAEQo1nKFA0PMTvhR52Yc_mUak68XBovtyWFoMFRrT3azTXy01o9OqV3ZMRRAPZyBwzSFr-H2XN3eZ1ejQ=s936" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="936" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0yCPgX0ZCrDgBP2_HnHwqjCqtXGVaEnmBGq4GzxNyDdkkvMd9IW8G19LKoWJVCIx0Mhdp9MmAGXeMTF5lq7RciqzuqaJ460U1e2IfrsbzZAEQo1nKFA0PMTvhR52Yc_mUak68XBovtyWFoMFRrT3azTXy01o9OqV3ZMRRAPZyBwzSFr-H2XN3eZ1ejQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Anteas shop and showroom is located just below the massive ivy.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottega di AnTeAs – Animus Terrae Asprae</b><br />Via Tomassoli, 20</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hours:</b> Saturday & Sunday, 10:00-13:00, 14:00-18:00<br /><b>Tel:</b> 380 738 6351<br /><b>E-mail: </b><a href="mailto:anteas.casperia@gmail.com">anteas.casperia@gmail.com</a><br /><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Anteas.Casperia">www.facebook.com/Anteas.Casperia</a><br /><b>Instagram:</b> @anteas_casperia</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYQkMAbjeJZFfU-2YdP43bkvgxIi2vWS9LGOiByYXB2EK3MmrstIcI0hq0kkp8g0c1hMy7LvHFKdpKQ1PSpIPUkoXU0vZFo3KEUBdZsk9q55lpZO04SXklKwRORRE5dmT3vIBzlA8Cxs3HDmajKf4T5l0W1zag3vjVrcqEuelLavWY409QV8376MqlnQ=s3024" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYQkMAbjeJZFfU-2YdP43bkvgxIi2vWS9LGOiByYXB2EK3MmrstIcI0hq0kkp8g0c1hMy7LvHFKdpKQ1PSpIPUkoXU0vZFo3KEUBdZsk9q55lpZO04SXklKwRORRE5dmT3vIBzlA8Cxs3HDmajKf4T5l0W1zag3vjVrcqEuelLavWY409QV8376MqlnQ=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div>AnTeAs is a showcase of the world of Casperia; a set of excellences, people, places, stories, energies, events, services, products and attractions that make Sabina, with its wide array enchanting small medieval villages, unique and unforgettable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">AnTeAs is an investment of energy and creativity whose aim is to promote the economic viability of Casperia and work to prevent the depopulation of the town, thus safeguarding the life of the village itself and its precious beauties. Our aim to be part of a large, united and responsible community, an example to imitate in winning our battle against this pandemic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYW4EHphR5KFHMJt9auA5lLqeWBPr565vi4AH2IW6QCyr1MBmOqRYymi07Sq9Eh5R11YsuPg0BBsVsmtPA5Q4mPiZ6_cfYapSv0P4b3dyy8gyyMdfPWdFWrLzGrkPCOU-dmzwV5dQ-_KLKPYNxz5CAIb0a6qCp86LZeyVHGji9NuiuTZa1Cw9okXT2cw=s3024" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYW4EHphR5KFHMJt9auA5lLqeWBPr565vi4AH2IW6QCyr1MBmOqRYymi07Sq9Eh5R11YsuPg0BBsVsmtPA5Q4mPiZ6_cfYapSv0P4b3dyy8gyyMdfPWdFWrLzGrkPCOU-dmzwV5dQ-_KLKPYNxz5CAIb0a6qCp86LZeyVHGji9NuiuTZa1Cw9okXT2cw=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Our main activities:</b> AnTeAs provides exhibition spaces at their "Bottega di AnTeAs" in order to give visibility to local excellences. AnteAs sells local art in all its forms, souvenirs of Casperia and typical products of Sabina working to maintain and renew Sabine traditions. The "Studio di AnTeAs" multipurpose room at Via San Rocco, 14 is available to independent professionals working in the health, wellness, arts and related sectors. AnTeAs works to promote tourism to Casperia by organizing events, workshops, fairs and markets, conferences, workshops, training courses, tastings, competitions, press meetings, and conferences as well as making available brochures and other information about local tourism attractions and services. AnTeAs also provides a Mountain Bike rental service.</div></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTF8xNWdbNwczlGcUf6Nomwa1HSguNLcgJRYIe4ki9pptxt9rXDdBG4NgrMdckqjceswPN5RxsL7uz5anWCiJ5ZfRWMPjEy-zCCzVOXZI9lg1vJ-jb71V20vurTw8ksNjoRudYDWNy6L4gQwv53KLg_PCeC8YqVPkUa9GdtgnHgRGH0Ju1p-9zaaeLZA=s4032" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTF8xNWdbNwczlGcUf6Nomwa1HSguNLcgJRYIe4ki9pptxt9rXDdBG4NgrMdckqjceswPN5RxsL7uz5anWCiJ5ZfRWMPjEy-zCCzVOXZI9lg1vJ-jb71V20vurTw8ksNjoRudYDWNy6L4gQwv53KLg_PCeC8YqVPkUa9GdtgnHgRGH0Ju1p-9zaaeLZA=s320" width="240" /></a></div>La Cantina di Gran Burrone</b> is the name of the very busy workshop of Casperia's multi-talented and very creative Elisabetta "Betta" Orsini. Some years back she began to experiment with wood burning art, also known as pyrography. From there she branched out into wood carving and creating furniture, unique shelving and garden accessories from recycled wood pallets. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGetBT2II_-EHzVkM-oMRSwCO0PknvAk8214luTN9ZWdvcb7NaXiNuZPx9lpYX-T5yoIpQTJpnM6wMd7XDaRPSCZxHZ5N93O6vILocST9lnh3pWNQxkm0MeZTfQmDptjlD5FFnUwoDVddBFf-Avy0xu3AtJ3CHTG8-TM1YxbdYb494G-GloVbVmypKoA=s2015" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="1511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGetBT2II_-EHzVkM-oMRSwCO0PknvAk8214luTN9ZWdvcb7NaXiNuZPx9lpYX-T5yoIpQTJpnM6wMd7XDaRPSCZxHZ5N93O6vILocST9lnh3pWNQxkm0MeZTfQmDptjlD5FFnUwoDVddBFf-Avy0xu3AtJ3CHTG8-TM1YxbdYb494G-GloVbVmypKoA=s320" width="240" /></a></div>More recently she has turned to creative talents toward glass etching creating beautiful, personalised etched wine glasses and ashtrays. Her workshop located at Via San Rocco, 43 is not necessarily open to the public but she is glad to show off what she is currently working on to and interested passers by. People interested in commissioning Betta to make a piece of pyrographed art, etched glass or any other of her creations can contact her at the numbers below. You can find her creations for sale at AnTeAs and at the monthly artisans market at Piazza Umberto I.</div></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9WtqJqL0a2A7EnYjSIo5JuuGsQjKZUE0zTiK7zviS-yVmiE3pCk1XYXqN-7_KhcUgldBiWAwrVpVeuCP0kqGPympqIzniyCrfqFFAy6ENBGxTsuxOGE08wNMdywEXGXE9IHUF0PU2kVz02HeSWXquCn-mvjt-C3xDtidnR6EIju5jYhntPFlRte3Fkw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9WtqJqL0a2A7EnYjSIo5JuuGsQjKZUE0zTiK7zviS-yVmiE3pCk1XYXqN-7_KhcUgldBiWAwrVpVeuCP0kqGPympqIzniyCrfqFFAy6ENBGxTsuxOGE08wNMdywEXGXE9IHUF0PU2kVz02HeSWXquCn-mvjt-C3xDtidnR6EIju5jYhntPFlRte3Fkw=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>La Cantina di Gran Burrone – Elisabetta Orsini</b><br />Via San Rocco, 43<br />E-mail: <a href="mailto:orsinibeth@gmail.com">orsinibeth@gmail.com</a><br />Tel: 338 976 3736<br />Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lacantinadigranburrone">www.facebook.com/lacantinadigranburrone</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Turning left on Via Cola di Rienzo, immediately to your left is the <b>Slow Living</b> show room and shop of Stefania Pochesci. This prized commercial space has an interesting history. It was once a women's clothing shop, then a fabric shop, then a haberdashery, an artist's studio and most recently the much loved bio-boutique Naturalmente. </span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHDOPXLhkta_a44aRQ6CG5HUN05zZPDjhlqN4PFKYC9O1ObA4pl37wJwYDWiFdAVwy9OzsXft9E5-zVL70d4TbVs-avjBQVTuEtEcAq2djBtoATAk9o4aU5hi5TqC-HMjNjyNgSetQ-iChszUTQXJa8Unp3bF8NFlXcGWDvRHURPUYqU5OnHvSCx36yw=s1080" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHDOPXLhkta_a44aRQ6CG5HUN05zZPDjhlqN4PFKYC9O1ObA4pl37wJwYDWiFdAVwy9OzsXft9E5-zVL70d4TbVs-avjBQVTuEtEcAq2djBtoATAk9o4aU5hi5TqC-HMjNjyNgSetQ-iChszUTQXJa8Unp3bF8NFlXcGWDvRHURPUYqU5OnHvSCx36yw=w640-h640" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Stefania Pochesci Slow Living</b><br />Art, Fashion and Nature Held Together By The Thread Of Kindness <br />Handcrafted, Cruelty Free Collections for Colourful Souls Made In Italy <br />Via Cola di Rienzo, 24<br /><b>Tel:</b> 0765 1897153<br /><b>Web:</b> <a href="http://www.stefaniapochesci.com/en">www.stefaniapochesci.com/en</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Facebook: </b></span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/stefaniapochesci.slowliving" style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">www.facebook.com/stefaniapochesci.slowliving</a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Instagram:</b> @stefaniapochesci</span><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Philosophy:</b> The idea naturally stems from the desire to combine eco-sustainability, fashion, graphics and art and at the same time bring it back to the territory and he desire to “create” as an expression of love for nature, design, craftsmanship: art, fashion and nature held together with the thread of kindness.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We create <b>Slow Fashion</b> collections of high manufacturing and design starting from fabrics of vegetable origin, made unique by personalized, eco-sustainable, cruelty-free and Made in Italy designs. The fabrics are vegetable in origin with certified printing. Our production is responsible, our quality is high, our care is infinite,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Packing is kept to a minimum. We believe that the real experience is the product, in fact we have chosen a compostable envelope printed with certified and compostable inks too. With the packaging of cardboard boxes, when necessary, we support reforestation efforts through the “Plant a Tree” project which always ensures to plant more trees than those used to make packaging. The tailoring workshops are all close to Casperia. We promote the work ethic and mutual respect with a view to constructive collaboration with all our collaborators.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqUF87o9L1fT_urRSW6qtj56_9dhdBZisfBuzsyXrTzlh9yBi1DwONtQK_mvzJWpYX06kfReYG1JZUGwhK_f4SkWDiDlM8kTr3w8MKI3taNpMoesQJzpvG8TGTJRnbblmouUCLHpyIszUCWr5u6rPqgB2LmUCmLG4aHi5Pm-Fi_j-b8vTHBWOHxrjcRg=s1120" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1116" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqUF87o9L1fT_urRSW6qtj56_9dhdBZisfBuzsyXrTzlh9yBi1DwONtQK_mvzJWpYX06kfReYG1JZUGwhK_f4SkWDiDlM8kTr3w8MKI3taNpMoesQJzpvG8TGTJRnbblmouUCLHpyIszUCWr5u6rPqgB2LmUCmLG4aHi5Pm-Fi_j-b8vTHBWOHxrjcRg=s320" width="319" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bio:</b> Graduated from the Academy of Fashion and /costume, with a past as a graphic and motion designer for TV, Stefania has a real passion for fabric design. She has a study in the Sabine countryside surrounded by nature and one showroom in Casperia’s medieval historic centre. She believes in the power of dreams and that starting from small actions we can change things for the better and she is convinced that meaningful change can can also start from wardrobes.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">💚⚪️❤️</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Returning to the black basalt cobbles of Via Tomassoli, take a left turn at the monumental nail-studded wooden door of Palazzo Perrini and half way up the street to your left you will find the studio of the very talented artist, interior decorative painter, fresco restorer and art teacher, Giovanna Somai. Her studio is located in what was once a butcher shop.</span></span></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9OYafQ5gKSevqNmdMyXg5nXzQDrocvCVDBpI8k5VpLyplJl8MJtN9XooV5xbUiw9P9gNA646cwWlAlXGU6fB-N8cAoOhctc2vxYIfDo514BNROlQhggeFvEPT-fcvYZJxLQQ3fq6yO5Fh1m7ONrmQwexMcpkXUl60lcBvFD6iEe5nXeyf_oGe0-hfkQ=s1080" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9OYafQ5gKSevqNmdMyXg5nXzQDrocvCVDBpI8k5VpLyplJl8MJtN9XooV5xbUiw9P9gNA646cwWlAlXGU6fB-N8cAoOhctc2vxYIfDo514BNROlQhggeFvEPT-fcvYZJxLQQ3fq6yO5Fh1m7ONrmQwexMcpkXUl60lcBvFD6iEe5nXeyf_oGe0-hfkQ=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monte Soratte, by Giovanna Somai</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Studio Arte di Giovanna Sommai</b><br />Artist, Visual Arts, Interior Decorative Painting, Jewellery & Painting Lessons<br />Via Tomassoli, 28<br /><b>Tel:</b> 333 650 9116<br /><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:giosomai@gmail.com">giosomai@gmail.com</a><br /><b>Web:</b> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/giovannasomai/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/giovannasomai/</a><br /><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/giosomaiarte/">www.facebook.com/giosomaiarte/</a><br /><b>Instagram:</b> @giosomai</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgD3kOFKc0f3u-zwpGUimS3XAawWdiGTXIm4TzUTadRVufsu44ufIe_pqesmeRtxCMWpCTxy7NM_bAkvnpilOx03IRAvY6ObkNaKoT-b2YL8TthyVfi2iLSo-9hSDafSAN1w0p-oOQRhotjrLDsLORkzNBASdzJuUwR5tUOU_OOjJv86IpJnooN_vkTg=s1080" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgD3kOFKc0f3u-zwpGUimS3XAawWdiGTXIm4TzUTadRVufsu44ufIe_pqesmeRtxCMWpCTxy7NM_bAkvnpilOx03IRAvY6ObkNaKoT-b2YL8TthyVfi2iLSo-9hSDafSAN1w0p-oOQRhotjrLDsLORkzNBASdzJuUwR5tUOU_OOjJv86IpJnooN_vkTg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Artist's Statement:</b> I love painting, using brushes and palette knives, colours but also black and white. I like to experiment with different subjects and painting techniques. Interior decoration on walls gives me satisfaction. For me, abstract art is the most intimate form of pictorial expression.</div><br /><br /><br /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Continuing up the steps past Giovanna's atelier you arrive at Casperia's Piazza Municipio where you will find the Town Hall and Rosita's very popular <b>Al Solito Posto Pub</b>, and the Fendi school of haute couture, the Accademia Alta Sartoria Massoli which occupies the old bank location. Proceeding parallel in front of the Town Hall you cross the piazza and come to another black basalt san pietrini-paved street, Via Garibaldi which will take you down to Casperia's back gate, the Porta Reatina, also known as the Porta Santa Maria, as it faces the provincial capital of Rieti, but also is the gate you need to exit to got to the historic hamlet of Santa Maria in Legarano. Just as you pass the intersection with Via Tito Tazio you will see on your right the entrance to the last gift shop on your itinerary which is located in a former cobbler shop.</div></div><b><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD_-cLuAr3AS-XxnLMCOT82cKs_Glmi9kY-FGxQtG69fGObfd5DGsHNYwzxGBjEphrmZ1VQLNMKk1scny4SWK2l2QlzUVIorm0XBqJaJFwNPNQ08Ny-xXJUo7hFzs-cbgECnJZi70HpAN3QiI5zt5eRkAGTnvhkWshue2zhu9IQv0i6C4OqelxOM-T6A=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="2048" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD_-cLuAr3AS-XxnLMCOT82cKs_Glmi9kY-FGxQtG69fGObfd5DGsHNYwzxGBjEphrmZ1VQLNMKk1scny4SWK2l2QlzUVIorm0XBqJaJFwNPNQ08Ny-xXJUo7hFzs-cbgECnJZi70HpAN3QiI5zt5eRkAGTnvhkWshue2zhu9IQv0i6C4OqelxOM-T6A=w640-h350" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Il Profumo dei Colori di Marzia Taormina</span></b></div></b><span style="font-size: large;">Ceramic Art and Gift Shop</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp2jF7jz9K8sv0zbL62a_oLvmNmgZHSCX1mocQGBcMhMPPoeLVMhKNSS7xCG5ponxGXTpI-R0lFIIp0pJhMAV-mZeWQmafJZlVDrq01MjgBvTfsFprHXD_IeBzFVCBRWG4v3Uk4NjqaDyIS2J8nyLyKupfHOz7LE3S0IY3oBdrKll7yUPecuPYWofXCg=s2048" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Via Garibaldi 46 (near the intersection with Via Mazzini)<br /><b>Tel:</b> 392 843 4369<br /><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:taormina.marzia@gmail.com">taormina.marzia@gmail.com</a><br /><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ceramicandoceramicando/">www.facebook.com/ceramicandoceramicando/</a><br /><b>Instagram:</b> @martao_77<br /><b>Hours: </b>The atelier is open on weekends and by appointment during the week.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Artist's Statement:</b> I am a master ceramist and have been working in the artistic ceramic field for about 20 years. I have a workshop in Rome where I teach both adults and children. I lived in Casperia and had the honour of being able to do two projects for the town. The first was the external rose window of the Church of San Giovanni Battista depicting the baptism of Jesus and the second is the ceramic Crucifixion just inside the Porta Romana entrance to the town.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjorPvRTDsCTuZ-kM4YUWhNYGN7O0yu8IIWIlObGj2Br5ElTH3059vFEL8NrdxuzxlvZq3cw4kqSYb7Ep3siX0pPUgQl-AVYXniCuYz6pp9jBlOUIK8fmsxMKOlFK0fWxRigI9M9Odo0YbyAdpToTsHSZU_57Q-vu7YQwDX-BhSB7E0gzu6boqoJLLLIQ=s2048" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2031" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjorPvRTDsCTuZ-kM4YUWhNYGN7O0yu8IIWIlObGj2Br5ElTH3059vFEL8NrdxuzxlvZq3cw4kqSYb7Ep3siX0pPUgQl-AVYXniCuYz6pp9jBlOUIK8fmsxMKOlFK0fWxRigI9M9Odo0YbyAdpToTsHSZU_57Q-vu7YQwDX-BhSB7E0gzu6boqoJLLLIQ=w396-h400" width="396" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love the world of art and nature, which is why I wanted to open an atelier that could combine these two passions of mine and what better place than the beautiful Casperia. All the objects inside the atelier are produced in a completely handmade way and I can do custom work to order.</div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large; text-align: center;">💚⚪️❤️</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, this last artist does not have an atelier open to the public, per se, but his work is well loved in Casperia and abroad and is for sale at AnTeAs, the monthly Mercatino which usually takes place once a month on Piazza Umberto I, and by appointment or commission.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiloOV27NEMHQZjmLIlsVOfd2_Duf4uWvdX2YM6QEUyZZmmT2kRQAIeg7Z003WxM4ApFJ3FUjI_vxwcC7-ay2nMoV6TTCepBQX7-fS5NZHuDMtpEjaNIxDEMwcONJEg-bKOB_ONGNSAOwXuD0-zPGllO2s88AhmZEsmFKZIiwYKljzx3ckXh_s3ouaY2g=s1348" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1348" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiloOV27NEMHQZjmLIlsVOfd2_Duf4uWvdX2YM6QEUyZZmmT2kRQAIeg7Z003WxM4ApFJ3FUjI_vxwcC7-ay2nMoV6TTCepBQX7-fS5NZHuDMtpEjaNIxDEMwcONJEg-bKOB_ONGNSAOwXuD0-zPGllO2s88AhmZEsmFKZIiwYKljzx3ckXh_s3ouaY2g=w640-h490" width="640" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div><span style="font-size: large;">I Colori di Nicola - Andrei Nicolae Stroia</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Mixed Media Artist/Pebble Art</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:andrei.stroia@virgilio.it">andrei.stroia@virgilio.it</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Web:</b> <a href="http://www.icoloridinicola.wordpress.com">www.icoloridinicola.wordpress.com</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NicolaStroiaArt">www.facebook.com/NicolaStroiaArt</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Instagram:</b> @icoloridinicola</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAiOulKbmk8dmEreJli5M2MSik96m0IjX3yFOdL3i-zsDG9g4qkIAwNtdqZUeZ1WjeCxeDaDi9t9WkFo8iLifSmOP7dsy5XIrjMa6YpJI0MneUnX96biQNWAGJ3wB8aP-3IEJp4JB7A-bhxcEcc2cD5F2hMx0J5HhgmOvHSA-hj78ikLsm7DiWBTvUaQ=s904" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="904" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAiOulKbmk8dmEreJli5M2MSik96m0IjX3yFOdL3i-zsDG9g4qkIAwNtdqZUeZ1WjeCxeDaDi9t9WkFo8iLifSmOP7dsy5XIrjMa6YpJI0MneUnX96biQNWAGJ3wB8aP-3IEJp4JB7A-bhxcEcc2cD5F2hMx0J5HhgmOvHSA-hj78ikLsm7DiWBTvUaQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Andrei Nicolae Stroia is a long time resident of Casperia. For years, his whimsical creations mixing painted stream pebbles and wood have been popular among visitors to Casperia's monthly artisans' market at Piazza Umberto I. You will find his art featured inside almost every restaurant, bar and home here in Casperia and many a tourist has carried his whimsical renderings of our little hill town in wood and stone as a souvenir to their homes overseas.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large;">💚⚪️❤️</span></div><br /></div>lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-50831251035085518542021-01-24T15:11:00.003-08:002021-01-31T15:28:00.923-08:00HELP US TO SAVE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR HISTORY! AIUTATECI A SALVARE UN PEZZO IMPORTANTE DELLA NOSTRA STORIA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_ms9l0TlZvlfxdLjRx2gzD0ydpU46gWV-b5mbrAnpexD6XhxE2LQcqekrOOUzLPEWHh2oMW0jzmB-6lq1sxjKkjj6CaPU7VWS3d477QkR4u56TjLyrUQS96E-2VewohimbQLTrFanZPX/s1440/85E07440-2010-4936-AAA8-A55B7F73D706.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_ms9l0TlZvlfxdLjRx2gzD0ydpU46gWV-b5mbrAnpexD6XhxE2LQcqekrOOUzLPEWHh2oMW0jzmB-6lq1sxjKkjj6CaPU7VWS3d477QkR4u56TjLyrUQS96E-2VewohimbQLTrFanZPX/w640-h640/85E07440-2010-4936-AAA8-A55B7F73D706.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you have ever come to Casperia and visited for more than a couple of days you have likely discovered our beautiful hiking trails and other gorgeous routes for walks in the country. Right outside Casperia's back door, the Porta Reatina is Via Santa Maria which, if you follow it, will not only take you to the hamlet of Santa Maria in Legarano with its beautiful romanesque church built atop ancient Roman Villa ruins, but also connects to a number of other interesting walking routes in the countryside below Casperia. </span><span style="font-size: large;">This road is actually the original road that connected Aspra (Casperia since 1947) with Rieti to the east and and Terni to the west.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunYCJ4cmx7bv1KggocRwdpr3PWr12Sk7aDD9uSfd_ZEg3f9uK2HfpNSPhodKjlKB4mHhXxAn_WW5iQjAdA4eFte2u3LezpthdZfOIQYEGNlUGMjfnJmvUiFLaoTPfKMb6ir_XkwvykZm8/s960/Terni+to+the+left+Rieti+to+the+right.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunYCJ4cmx7bv1KggocRwdpr3PWr12Sk7aDD9uSfd_ZEg3f9uK2HfpNSPhodKjlKB4mHhXxAn_WW5iQjAdA4eFte2u3LezpthdZfOIQYEGNlUGMjfnJmvUiFLaoTPfKMb6ir_XkwvykZm8/w640-h360/Terni+to+the+left+Rieti+to+the+right.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossroads shrine with directions to Terni on left and Rieti on right.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The picture above shows a fork in this ancient road. If you look carefully on either side of the shrine's arch you can see a terracotta panel. The one on the left, reads TERNI and the one on the right reads REATE 1632, the date the crossroads shrine was restored.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNT9FXwoEr556qw89i8e-5BYPY53NHQXBu6x7EZ_lwLJjxaZmIB9SfZzVNGGLVz7v31FW9rS0gpbDhQ7V4-jE3d6qrgRE3yPzEg_oIXowSzYuWpuhyADrwYqkawg4pjThFOv4PDiOe66gq/s1342/Screen+Shot+2021-01-24+at+2.19.40+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1342" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNT9FXwoEr556qw89i8e-5BYPY53NHQXBu6x7EZ_lwLJjxaZmIB9SfZzVNGGLVz7v31FW9rS0gpbDhQ7V4-jE3d6qrgRE3yPzEg_oIXowSzYuWpuhyADrwYqkawg4pjThFOv4PDiOe66gq/w400-h341/Screen+Shot+2021-01-24+at+2.19.40+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-size: xx-large; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">But before you reach this historic crossroads, just a five minutes walk from Casperia's back gate, you will come across this roadside fountain with its very interesting little shrine on top which houses a beautiful fresco.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLs1cRXvlmhC5oDPhNT2AaLUppZ-G2_krKI-LwrAB1hm1aKosrc8gi0IC6_a6GWZYkhlT8XkJQL0RDYACoU_6gvP93qjTEEac4iE90b_f-i7xicH_oVZ-fYjAnjA6Qw9yiLOzB2wa6on2/s1482/Screen+Shot+2021-01-24+at+1.52.54+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1482" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLs1cRXvlmhC5oDPhNT2AaLUppZ-G2_krKI-LwrAB1hm1aKosrc8gi0IC6_a6GWZYkhlT8XkJQL0RDYACoU_6gvP93qjTEEac4iE90b_f-i7xicH_oVZ-fYjAnjA6Qw9yiLOzB2wa6on2/w640-h404/Screen+Shot+2021-01-24+at+1.52.54+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The fresco is so faded and damaged that it is hard to make out who the figures are. You need a day with perfect light to be able to make out the figures. On the left stands a woman, while on the right sits a male figure his right hand raised in a gesture that seems more of an admonishment than a blessing. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every time I passed by I was struck by the beauty of the fountain and how sad it was to see that fresco cracked and fading. Could nothing be done? I wondered how much it would cost to repair the shrine and restore the enigmatic fresco.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRUgYLgIfVlGseCnmJ2rlZQPuz4nWF4e1vuXGRPohyphenhyphenOFmrYp0AFrnU6egks7eAvWV8-84T-m7nKHyszji7T9NU93fQsZ5v-42UiFYjF2GzgL3eTuDaPTZd_AUbKSfMHuVMAj-1yu7EWGo/s1440/76160F86-2D30-4142-A7AA-5E466705E8DB.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRUgYLgIfVlGseCnmJ2rlZQPuz4nWF4e1vuXGRPohyphenhyphenOFmrYp0AFrnU6egks7eAvWV8-84T-m7nKHyszji7T9NU93fQsZ5v-42UiFYjF2GzgL3eTuDaPTZd_AUbKSfMHuVMAj-1yu7EWGo/w640-h640/76160F86-2D30-4142-A7AA-5E466705E8DB.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It took a while before I learned the real name of the fountain and the identity of the figures represented in the ruined fresco. For years I heard some of our UK friends refer to it, rather irreverently, as the Fountain of Our Lady of the Salame. You may wonder why they referred to it that way. But if you look closely at the picture below, you can see a dark object suspended by a rope from a tree branch. It looks very much like a salame hung up to dry. But what is it really?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3KRgTcrVrNvFqA4OpZr2cZ-g2sfj9CK2-2uHfLIY5N__0LlNXCtEI6r86607YtZiEuIK5FXCYA8INGPnxFQYnbcXU6-RV8a9kzzZewowVrbmU_wiqzRunF4vY3tjzaQVjcDLeMH5RBVo/s1052/Screen+Shot+2021-01-24+at+2.48.12+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1052" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3KRgTcrVrNvFqA4OpZr2cZ-g2sfj9CK2-2uHfLIY5N__0LlNXCtEI6r86607YtZiEuIK5FXCYA8INGPnxFQYnbcXU6-RV8a9kzzZewowVrbmU_wiqzRunF4vY3tjzaQVjcDLeMH5RBVo/w640-h566/Screen+Shot+2021-01-24+at+2.48.12+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In reality, what looks to the untrained and irreverent eye like a salame is in fact a pulley for a rope suspending a bucket used to draw water from a well... because what we are seeing is actually Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. The scene is described in the fourth chapter of the ✚Gospel according to Saint John in verses 4 to 26. The actual name of the fountain is <b>Fontana della Samaritana</b>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here follows a translation of an explanation of the well and the fresco according to Casperia historian and archivist, Lorenzo Capanna:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The “Fontana della Samaritana” is called Fonte Meritana by the Aspresi. Thirteenth-century sources in the Municipal Historical Archive of Casperia names the fountain as "Fonte d’Aspra”. A parchment dated 8 December 1279 tells that the representatives of the castles of Aspra and Caprignano gathered on the border of the territories of the two communities "in loco qui dicitur supra source Aspre ", or "in the place called Sopra la fonte di Aspra ", in order to establish the rules concerning the purchase and sale of land.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A convincing clue concerning the correspondence between the medieval "Fonte d'Aspra" and the current Fonte Samaritana comes from the <b>Statutes of Aspra</b>, promulgated in the year 1397: Here the "Fonte d'Aspra" is cited together with the Fonte Vecchia (now disappeared) and the Fonte Nova (recently restored) as fountains near the town of Aspra to be kept in complete efficiency.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Certainly, the fountain, over the centuries, has undergone changes as regards the structure: for example, up until a few decades ago, it was flanked by an ancient laundry, which was later incorporated into a structure now used as a storehouse.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The fresco, housed in a small shrine that today surmounts the two arches of the fountain and depicts the Gospel episode of the Samaritan woman at the well, is attributed by the art historian Dr. Giuseppe Cassio of the Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Frosinone, Latina and Rieti, to the Verona-born Torresani brothers, Lorenzo Torresani (d. circa 1564) and Bartolomeo di Cristoforo Torresani (d. circa 1567), Italian painters of the sixteenth century, mainly active in Sabina. There is documentation to attest to the presence of the Torresani in Aspra between 1560 and 1561, the year in which they made various works in the convent complex of Santa Maria in Legarano, including the monumental "Last Judgment” and the “Annunciation”, and some frescoes in the Montefiolo convent. The placement of the fresco, on a rural fountain, is rare in Sabina.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ1Q1c7qATfZ2TK9sFCJ6-ISC5czl2DRjIh43CYZXYrBjkeyddhqqiMAqbbPZzEOrAxFAE2ZJwH7WBJ2BOf5hK7aY35jpKf8ft8uh9XV37nCV5SnVfjKpIOB3x_WhqkGxgAgpiGS9rgWZ/s1157/2-le-scene-del-giudizio-ph.-e.galantini.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1157" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ1Q1c7qATfZ2TK9sFCJ6-ISC5czl2DRjIh43CYZXYrBjkeyddhqqiMAqbbPZzEOrAxFAE2ZJwH7WBJ2BOf5hK7aY35jpKf8ft8uh9XV37nCV5SnVfjKpIOB3x_WhqkGxgAgpiGS9rgWZ/w640-h376/2-le-scene-del-giudizio-ph.-e.galantini.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Sta. Maria in Legarano's Last Judgement courtesy of Enrico Galantini </td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>According to the Gospel account, Jesus had to cross Samaria on his way from Judea to Galilee. “So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there.” Stopping by the well to rest, Jesus saw a Samaritan woman coming to draw water and he asked her for a drink. The Samaritan woman, having recognized him as a Jew, was surprised and asked him why a Jew would address a Samaritan woman—the Samaritans were not well regarded by the Jews. To which Jesus offered the woman, in return, "...living water”, thanks to which “...whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus then asked the Samaritan woman: “Go, call your husband, and come here.”. When the woman answered that she had no husband, Jesus replied: “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” Amazed by the knowledge that Jesus showed about her life, the Samaritan woman returned to the city announcing that she had met perhaps the Messiah. Many Samaritans came to him and, the Evangelist says, “…many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman [...] they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The fountain is located in via Santa Maria, formerly part of the main route to reach the cities of Rieti and Terni, often travelled by foreigners. The fresco of the Samaritan woman could therefore have a welcoming value towards the stranger just as Christ offered the Good News even to those who were not considered pure Jews, like the Samaritans.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://buonacausa.org/cause/restauroaffrescofontesamaritana" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">CLICK HERE TO HELP US SAVE THE FRESCO</span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">The great news is that finally the Pro Loco di Casperia Association is currently soliciting funds to be donated to the Municipality of Casperia in order to restore the mural painting depicting Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well on the Fontana della Samaritana. </span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Background:</b></span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">The spring that feeds the fountain, located on the ancient road connecting Casperia to Terni, was an important water resource and point of contention between the rival hill towns of Aspra (present day Casperia) and Caprignano, which makes the profound religious message of the fountain’s mural painting all the more interesting.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">The mural painting is attributed to an artist of the Torresani brothers’ circle. Bartolomeo and Lorenzo Torresani were two 16th century Italian painters born in Verona and mainly active in Sabina. </span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUrB0jraFatDQHFi2J9jHparEGbZ17mHACcMxEWaOqEZPexWdtd8SwUs-FQsXyVIby12ZoA6bti03ozGn9ISWewOWKZnmBhuUzSldngQgMcdGtKSCAIn-lUFO_pY8vf91W39ge63nGkae/s2048/The+Annunciation+Torresani+Bros.+Sta.+Maria+in+Legarano+-+L.+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUrB0jraFatDQHFi2J9jHparEGbZ17mHACcMxEWaOqEZPexWdtd8SwUs-FQsXyVIby12ZoA6bti03ozGn9ISWewOWKZnmBhuUzSldngQgMcdGtKSCAIn-lUFO_pY8vf91W39ge63nGkae/w640-h360/The+Annunciation+Torresani+Bros.+Sta.+Maria+in+Legarano+-+L.+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresco of the Annunciation by the Torresani brothers. Photo courtesy of L. Capanna</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The Torresani Brothers are credited with the painting of the frescos of the Last Judgement and the Annunciation in the nearby Church of Santa Maria in Legarano, Aspra’s parish church until 1409. Alessandro Torresani, Lorenzo’s son, is credited with the execution of the fresco of the Marriage of the Virgin in the same church.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">It is estimated that it will cost about <b>€7000</b> to repair the shrine and restore the fresco of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at Fonte della Samaritana. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Currently, donations are being accepted online at <a href="http://buonacausa.org"><b>buonacausa.org</b></a> to raise this money and restore this precious piece of our town's history. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">If every visitor to Casperia over the past couple of decades even donated <b>€</b>10, <b>€</b>20 or <b>€</b>50 apiece, we could easily raise a significant portion of the necessary funds. Of course, if you can and want to contribute more, that would be wonderful. I hope everyone who reads this story will be inspired to make a contribution to help save this important piece of our local history.</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfB9BYGLseMLymoNF3HWZ3uGss6zcBtWbxl_KddLX3iDKClspJGpuQN8zxKj1Xg69ztspdANdtGVKfHmDxh1XXhTTUazZiqV2FbczDXIFrUvf2Fh3kHXpjdcf-JC8kaIZubbs6NkKHbOM/s1440/Casperia+-+1+January+2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfB9BYGLseMLymoNF3HWZ3uGss6zcBtWbxl_KddLX3iDKClspJGpuQN8zxKj1Xg69ztspdANdtGVKfHmDxh1XXhTTUazZiqV2FbczDXIFrUvf2Fh3kHXpjdcf-JC8kaIZubbs6NkKHbOM/w640-h640/Casperia+-+1+January+2021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span></div>lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com002041 Casperia, Province of Rieti, Italy42.3370125 12.6700628-21.8037432109101 -127.9549372 90 153.2950628tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-41105436545766893492020-11-28T08:43:00.080-08:002024-02-06T09:33:18.783-08:00ALLA RICERCA DELLE PIANELLE - A Tour of Casperia's Dated Restoration Markers - PART II<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoskIqZY6E9ovgcozOP9niQaMWe4M4F20x0jowuHezOW5Uh5Lyn9REn1ddT-GV_IhPZvlBezZt9eaP9gXtJyE1zUOaZw5YadEmf8V0keckTqVawl32bj65E0Yaq1I0Q8WKh2vu4jkfEnI/s1600/Casperia+from+Caprignano1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="902" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoskIqZY6E9ovgcozOP9niQaMWe4M4F20x0jowuHezOW5Uh5Lyn9REn1ddT-GV_IhPZvlBezZt9eaP9gXtJyE1zUOaZw5YadEmf8V0keckTqVawl32bj65E0Yaq1I0Q8WKh2vu4jkfEnI/s640/Casperia+from+Caprignano1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As I wrote in <a href="https://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2018/01/alla-ricerca-delle-pianelle-tour-of.html">Part 1</a> of this post, we live here in Casperia, a rustic hill town in the Colli Sabini, about an hours drive NNE of Rome. We moved here in September of 2014 from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after a number of increasingly longer visits which started in 2009. The longer you stay in Casperia the more you find that there is always something more to discover. Sometimes these are the little, seemingly insignificant, things that end up being truly fascinating... like these terracotta pianella date markers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span>As I was writing the first half of this post, </span></span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">thanks to the help of local historian </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Lorenzo Capanna, </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">I received a number of tips from members of a Casperia history and heritage Facebook page, "<i>Aspra: com'era... com'è</i>"</span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">. Through these tips I was able to locate even more pianelle that I had not noticed before. I thought that I had done a pretty good job scouring all the usual places above the cantina and house doors along the streets of Casperia but I soon found out that some of these pianelle are located in unusual places. Some were high up on the third storey level of some houses, and others were tucked away in some of the smaller vicoli, while others were located on roadside shrines and farmhouses out in the country. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">And then there were some that were hidden from public view because they had been moved from their original locations and used as decorative features inside houses.</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The other day I was out rephotographing a number of pianelle. I was using a ladder so I could get closer to some of the higher located tiles and get better images of them. I was outside a house on Via Sabo at the top of the town. I guess I was making some noise with the ladder. Suddenly a door opened and the lady living in the house came out and asked what I was doing. When I explained my research project to her, she told me that there was another pianella located inside her sister's house and that she would show it to me if I wanted.</span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
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<br />Here is an image of the pianella she showed me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />Part of the bottom of the tile is broken off so it is hard to read the bottom line but here is a transcription. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">ANNO DOMINI</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">MCCCCLXXXIIII</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">APRILIS DIE XVI</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">BARTOLOMEI ??</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">?RICIANIIS??</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What we can read clearly though, in rather unconventional Roman numerals, is the date: <b>April 16, 1484</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This pianella predates the oldest tile I mentioned in Part I of this blog post by 40 years. Who knows, there may even be older ones hidden away in private houses. So let's see what is happening in the year this date tile was put in place. In 1484:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">William Caxton, the first printer of books in English, prints his translation of Aesop's Fables on the 26th of March. On </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">May 14, Charles VIII is crowned King of France at the age of 14 at Reims Cathedral. He may have been known as Charles l’Affable in France, but his unsuccessful descent into Italy in 1494 inaugurated the so-called Italian wars (called "horrendous" by Machiavelli): a long series of eight conflicts, through which the great European powers disputed control of the peninsula which ended only in 1559 with the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">On July 6th, Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão becomes the first European to find the mouth of the Congo River. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">On August 29th, Pope Innocent VIII becomes the 213th pope when he succeeds Pope Sixtus IV who died on August 12th.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">The Treaty of Nottingham is signed on September 21st initiating a three-year truce between the kingdoms of England and Scotland. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-EFRy0HLjOOLQG0UsGQBCOPxO73nqdR9-TnbCZZDqLAKsqoqEEsSla4LtxeqAmXb1Z26thQmYiyA4lx6Qbdq9FaQdXhY32El87Hme9ONVGxgpoHc1DKNYsbGqEza-pHAJAQUdO_FYPMp/s500/Burning.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="500" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-EFRy0HLjOOLQG0UsGQBCOPxO73nqdR9-TnbCZZDqLAKsqoqEEsSla4LtxeqAmXb1Z26thQmYiyA4lx6Qbdq9FaQdXhY32El87Hme9ONVGxgpoHc1DKNYsbGqEza-pHAJAQUdO_FYPMp/w400-h297/Burning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>December 5th, Pope Innocent VIII issues the Papal bull <i>Summis desiderantes affectibus</i>, giving the inquisition a mission to hunt heretics and witches in Germany, led by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Also in this year the first sugar mill becomes operational in the Gran Canaria. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">The first cuirassier units, cavalry equipped with armour and firearms, are formed in Austria. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">The King of Portugal appoints a commission of mathematicians to perfect tables, to help seamen find their latitude. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Maximilian I, Duke of Burgundy, orders foreign merchants to leave Bruges. Most merchants move to Antwerp, greatly contributing to its growth as an international trading centre.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic significances in this year include those of:</b></span>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Huldrych Zwingli, leader of the Reformation in Switzerland</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Florence-born architect, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giulio Cesare della Scala, Italian humanist scholar, in Riva del Garda in Trentino.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist, scholar, mayor, physician and Protestant reformer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Hosokawa Takakuni 細川高国, powerful military commander in the Muromachi period under Ashikaga Yoshiharu, the twelfth Ashikaga Shogun</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Deaths of historic note for this year include those of:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Saint Casimir, Prince of Poland</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Poppi, Tuscany-born sculptor Mino da Fiesole</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ippolita Maria Sforza, Italian noble. She was the first wife of Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, who later reigned as King Alfonso II of Naples</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Florence-born poet and author of Morgante, Luigi Pulci</span></li></ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piazza San Giovanni Battista, 3</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Returning to where we left off at the end of the first part of this blog post, we pick up the sequence with this date marker located at Piazza San Giovanni Battista, 3 near the top of the town. It is dated 1599.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are some of the more notable events that happened in the year that this building was rebuilt or renovated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span>On May 16, the Kalmar Bloodbath, a public execution by beheading and hanging of 22 loyalists of the recently defeated Swedish King Sigismund, takes place in Kalmar, Sweden. </span><span>In July, a fleet of ships on the second Dutch Expedition to Indonesia returns to Amsterdam, carrying 600,000 pounds of pepper and 250,000 pounds of cloves and nutmeg. The crew were paraded through the streets behind a troupe of trumpeters as all the bells in the city tolled, then given as much wine as they could drink, while the leader, Van Neck, was presented with a golden beaker. </span><span>On July 24, Catholic Sigismund III Vasa is deposed as King of Sweden and replaced by his uncle, the Protestant Duke Charles. </span><span>On September 21, the first reported performance at the Globe Theatre in London (erected over Spring/Summer), a presentation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is recorded by Swiss traveller Thomas Platter the Younger. </span><span>On October 18 at the Battle of </span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Şelimbăr</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span>, Michael the Brave Prince of Wallachia, defeats the army of Andrew Báthory near Șelimbăr, leading to the first recorded unification of the Romanians. The first Capuchin friar is entombed in the Catacombe dei Cappuccini in Palermo, Sicily.</span></span></div><br />
<div><div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px; text-align: start;"><b style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">Births of historic significance in 1599 include those of:</b></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pope Alexander VII </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Francesco Borromini, Swiss sculptor and architect</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Andrea Sacchi, Italian painter of High Baroque Classicism</span></li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historical significance in 1599 included those of:</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Edmund Spenser, English poet </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian composer </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Maeda Toshiie 前田利家, Japanese samurai and warlord </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Luca Marenzio, Italian composer </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Beatrice Cenci, Italian noblewoman (executed for patricide) </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Andrew Báthory, deposed Prince of Transylvania (decapitated) </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Gasparo Tagliacozzi, Italian surgeon </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Enrico Caetani, Italian Catholic cardinal</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">This pianella is located at the intersection of Via Garibaldi and Via Massari at Via Massari, 125. I first discovered this date marker a few years ago and the date and what is written there is a bit of a mystery. I think it says <b>1600</b> but Casperia historian Lorenzo Capanna says that it might actually be <b>1680</b> with the eight turned on its side. Who knows for sure? Let's start with the assumption that it says 1600. What was happening in the world in the year that this piece of castle wall was restored here in Casperia? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On January 1, Scotland adopts January 1 as New Year's Day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdzifjSpEkItN_8J9ZZ0Fdf9fOSzPu1ocuHiExhKmX0OU4zaE9OIQdxvMitjwhBeJ1chxFi-h0B2kDJCUi5hbzYWRigBs4EZ4c7MrfJO1_z3ruOuwca1BWbNXGJ5-r2mMPRbgX3F0pzIJ/s1024/giordano+bruno.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="676" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdzifjSpEkItN_8J9ZZ0Fdf9fOSzPu1ocuHiExhKmX0OU4zaE9OIQdxvMitjwhBeJ1chxFi-h0B2kDJCUi5hbzYWRigBs4EZ4c7MrfJO1_z3ruOuwca1BWbNXGJ5-r2mMPRbgX3F0pzIJ/s320/giordano+bruno.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On February 17, Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, poet, and cosmological theorist Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake in Rome's Campo de’ Fiori for heresy. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On April 19, the first Dutch ship ever to arrive in Japan, the Liefde, anchors off Sashifu, in Bungo, modern-day Usuki in Oita Prefecture. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On July 2, the Dutch Republic gains a tactical victory over the Spanish Empire when they win the Battle of Nieuwpoort during the Eighty Years' War/Dutch War of Independence. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On October 6, Jacopo Peri's </span><span style="font-size: large;">Euridice</span><span style="font-size: large;">, the earliest known fully surviving work of modern opera, produced by Emilio de' Cavalieri for the wedding of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici premieres in Florence. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On October 26, Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 gains nominal control over all of Japan when he wins the Battle of Sekigahara 関ヶ原の戦い. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On December 31, The East India Company is granted a Royal Charter in the Kingdom of England for trade with Asia. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In this year Sumo wrestling becomes a professional sport in Japan. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">William Shakespeare's plays </span><span style="font-size: large;">Henry IV, Part 2</span><span style="font-size: large;">, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Henry V</span><span style="font-size: large;">, </span><span style="font-size: large;">The Merchant of Venice</span><span style="font-size: large;">, </span><span style="font-size: large;">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span><span style="font-size: large;"> and </span><span style="font-size: large;">Much Ado About Nothing</span><span style="font-size: large;"> are published in London. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">William Gilbert publishes De Magnete, one of the first significant scientific books published in England, describing the Earth's magnetic field, and the beginning of modern geomagnetism. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In this year Francis Bacon, English politician and Ipswich MP, and Charles I of England are born. In 1600 Japanese noblewoman Hosokawa Gracia dies. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On November 6, Ishida Mitsunari 石田三成, Japanese feudal lord and leader of the western Japanese coalition against Tokugawa Ieyasu is executed. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here in Aspra, to celebrate the XII Jubilee year, the community purchases and installs a grand organ for the parish church of Saint John The Baptist and Orazio Massari publishes his </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Sabiniade</i></span><span style="font-size: large;">. This epic poem, written in dactyl hexameters and composed of four cantos, was inspired by the </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Aeneid</i></span><span style="font-size: large;"> of Virgil. Dedicated to Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, the poem recounts the origins and deeds of the ancient Sabines. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Just in case the pianella <i>is</i> from 1680, let's look at what was happening in that year. In May, the volcano Krakatoa erupts, probably on a relatively small scale.</div></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">July 8 – The first documented tornado in America kills a servant at Cambridge, Massachusetts. On August 21, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe (New Mexico) from the Spanish during the Pueblo revolt. Three days later, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Comédie-Française is founded by decree of Louis XIV of France as La maison de Molière in Paris. On November 14, t</span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">he Great Comet of 1680 is first sighted, and on </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">November 17, Whigs organise processions to burn effigies of the Pope in London.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b>Date unknown:</b></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">French courts under Louis XIV decide on the complete annexation of Alsace. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The first Portuguese governor is appointed to Macau. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Riksdag of the Estates in Sweden enacts the Great Reduction, under which fiefs granted to the Swedish nobility are returned to the Crown, and the country becomes an absolute monarchy under King Charles XI.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic significance in 1680 include those of:</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li>Edward Teach (Blackbeard), English pirate</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Significant deaths include those of:</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li>Nicolas Fouquet, French statesman</li>
<li>Tokugawa Ietsuna 徳川家綱, Japanese Tokugawa shogun</li>
<li>Samuel Butler, English poet</li>
<li>Thomas Blood, thief of the English Crown Jewels</li>
<li>Baldassare Ferri, Italian castrato</li>
<li>Lelio Colista, Italian composer and lutenist</li>
<li>Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian sculptor</li>
<li>Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, Italian architect and painter</li>
<li>Marco Uccellini, Italian composer and violinist</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A.D. MDCXIII - Via Garibaldi, 31</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7jfj_P-7cGGJ3_6Mls7vSKdheGtEGFm33n1YzwXmBk6WZxSN4UzaaXQKf_pSh6Rxb7fDYe6rB1KFWt2vk120YNRnAZNEam7jJ-J_O35Lqg6ucfbyOQDbWg4ewnOArFAwRaMSt9yBcJvk/s1600/1613.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7jfj_P-7cGGJ3_6Mls7vSKdheGtEGFm33n1YzwXmBk6WZxSN4UzaaXQKf_pSh6Rxb7fDYe6rB1KFWt2vk120YNRnAZNEam7jJ-J_O35Lqg6ucfbyOQDbWg4ewnOArFAwRaMSt9yBcJvk/s640/1613.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Via Garibaldi, 33</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are two date markers, almost side by side on Via Garibaldi in Casperia's historic centre, each dating from 1613. One is written in Roman numerals, the other in Hindu-Arabic numerals. So what interesting and important events were happening during the time these two panels were used to mark the rebuilding of these sections of stone wall here in Casperia? </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In January, some masons digging in a field long known as The Giant’s Field near the ruins of a Castle in Dauphiné, France discover a brick tomb nine metres long. Inscribed on a grey stone covering the tomb are the words ‘Theutobochus Rex’. Inside the tomb are the bones of a skeleton over eight metres tall, the supposed remains of the giant Teutobochus, a legendary Teuton king who fought the Romans. No one knows what happens to the actual bones but modern analysis of plaster casts of these remains indicate that the bones belong to a Deinotherium, a large prehistoric relative of modern day elephants. On March 3rd, Mikhail Romanov is elected Tsar, establishing Russia’s Romanov Dynasty. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On March 27th the first English child is born in what will eventually become Canada at Cuper's Cove, Newfoundland. On March 29th, through the proclamation of a Royal Commission, Samuel de Champlain becomes the first de facto, though not official, Governor of New France. Back in Virginia colony a drama is unfolding that will will not only become part of American folklore but will also influence political headlines during the presidency of Donald Trump. On April 13th, Samuel Argall captures Algonquian princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, to ransom her for some English prisoners held by her father. She is brought to Henricus as an hostage. During her captivity there she meets English colonist John Rolfe. Pocahontas converts to Christianity and is baptised Rebecca. At Jamestown, John Rolfe sends the first shipment of West Indian tobacco grown in Virginia to England. Back in England, fire destroys London's famed Globe Theatre on June 29th. Also in this year James I condemns duels, in his proclamation Against Private Challenges and Combats. On August 29th, a Spanish squadron of galleys out of Sicily, under the command of Palermitano Ottavio d’Aragona defeat an Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Cape Corvo. It is the greatest Spanish victory over the Ottoman Empire since the Battle of Lepanto. On October 28th the so-called Keichō embassy 慶長使節 under Hasekura Tsunenaga 支倉常長 sets out in the Date Maru 伊達丸 with a Japanese diplomatic mission to the Holy See, first travelling to Acapulco in New Spain. A locust swarm destroys La Camarque, France. The town of Kuwait is founded. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic significance from 1613 include those of:</b></span></div><div class="p1">
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons and Canadian martyr Noël Chabanel</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">German priest, founder of a religious community, visionary, and writer of prophecies Bartholomew Holzhauser</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Marion Delorme, French courtesan known for her relationships with the important men of her time</span></span></li></ul></h3>
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historical significance in this year include those of:</b></span>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and founder of Oxford’s Bodleian Library</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ikeda Terumasa 池田輝政, powerful Japanese daimyo and lord of Himeji Castle.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lodovico Cardi, a.k.a. Cigoli, Tuscan-born painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Heroine of the Dutch War of Liberation, Magdalena Moons</span></li></ul>
<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguidWZvnyAROA6dw7m0ZARF2Dg86yGZxJZYpVVCqevzYCKPwm4hmleqqn6rMfIEO5pzc41wMcgTuQ-NIoe_AQin8f-y9G3Uu7RuNLS-G1MDvhUM6gwVgjrYhgUzQIuBJ1Fi50rj-srRN3j/s2048/1621.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguidWZvnyAROA6dw7m0ZARF2Dg86yGZxJZYpVVCqevzYCKPwm4hmleqqn6rMfIEO5pzc41wMcgTuQ-NIoe_AQin8f-y9G3Uu7RuNLS-G1MDvhUM6gwVgjrYhgUzQIuBJ1Fi50rj-srRN3j/w640-h480/1621.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restoration date marker in San Vito Church date 1621 - Courtesy Lorenzo Capanna</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">This stone marker, dated <b>1621</b>, is located inside the small church in the hamlet of San Vito.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>FRANCISCVS FILIVS</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>IOÃNIS MASSARII</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>RESTAVRAVIT</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A.D. MDCXXI</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>✝︎</b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Loosely translated, this would read, </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Francesco son of </div><div style="text-align: center;">Giovanni Massari</div><div style="text-align: center;"> repaired (the church) </div><div style="text-align: center;">(in) A.D. 1621".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkdzeD7KR0qngl4CkLRSsl4lIhHcd851gANF8bIyswuLuChZebynJ5RM-iALw_qy_WShl1c73CDqU-Ln_cdgs5_IMNMDWjRSHB3i0LE0GPUvUhiN-HHvQ9GwiYsb4QW6pbmavhJ0q5sfK/s600/Pope_Gregory_XV.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkdzeD7KR0qngl4CkLRSsl4lIhHcd851gANF8bIyswuLuChZebynJ5RM-iALw_qy_WShl1c73CDqU-Ln_cdgs5_IMNMDWjRSHB3i0LE0GPUvUhiN-HHvQ9GwiYsb4QW6pbmavhJ0q5sfK/s320/Pope_Gregory_XV.jpg" /></a></div>So what was happening in the outside world in the year that Francesco Massari repaired the little church here in San Vito? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On February 9, in the Papal Conclave of 1621: Cardinal Alessandro Ludovisi succeeds Pope Paul V, as Gregory XV.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 22, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 31, King Philip IV of Spain begins his 44-year rule.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In April, the Twelve Years' Truce between the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Empire expires, and both sides prepare to resume the Eighty Years' War.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 3, the Dutch West India Company is founded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 21, twenty-seven Bohemian leaders are executed in the Old Town Square in Prague, as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain fought between the armies of Catholic Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II and a Protestant Bohemian army led by Christian of Anhalt.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">September–October: Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth troops hold off a large invading Ottoman army for over a month at the Battle of Khotyn.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQHw98yyx_KDqjIuVCyl3ajxe_DsPipX-fv7ftYiyNxwJOOVqH7luEZSHbfNpZkMpPPLQmkr3-rI9tAu2kMWVPyOG4exCwHxe6m6NPkYuQH3aZ-lbhuQarBQr0Rnx7o2lIzYKeAn6jzPB/s631/First+American+Thanksgiving.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="631" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQHw98yyx_KDqjIuVCyl3ajxe_DsPipX-fv7ftYiyNxwJOOVqH7luEZSHbfNpZkMpPPLQmkr3-rI9tAu2kMWVPyOG4exCwHxe6m6NPkYuQH3aZ-lbhuQarBQr0Rnx7o2lIzYKeAn6jzPB/w400-h190/First+American+Thanksgiving.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">In October, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoags celebrate a three day harvest feast, later regarded as the <i>First Thanksgiving</i>.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 9, the Treaty of Khotyn is signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, ending the First Polish-Ottoman War.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 11, the ship Fortune arrives at Plymouth Colony, with 35 more settlers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also in 1621, the Dutch East India Company sends 2,000 soldiers, under the command of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, to the Banda Islands, in order to force the local inhabitants to accept the Dutch trade monopoly on the lucrative nutmeg, grown almost exclusively there. The soldiers proceed to massacre most of the 15,000 indigenous inhabitants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Births of historic note from 1621 include those of:</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKp5p4F6ofnjojkcnTS1gloA5OhOEJvy_LZTIuYmsVdkwqOFMEFdBTwuyXxybt6JXKZ7m0O0XFW2NkeR-H_4LTFB2RC0vpszifoyAmgvj2hhdIodAcWYy_Fu36dNY2Moz6Z_0ZsbcHKNy/s816/Screen+Shot+2021-01-05+at+7.06.19+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="782" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKp5p4F6ofnjojkcnTS1gloA5OhOEJvy_LZTIuYmsVdkwqOFMEFdBTwuyXxybt6JXKZ7m0O0XFW2NkeR-H_4LTFB2RC0vpszifoyAmgvj2hhdIodAcWYy_Fu36dNY2Moz6Z_0ZsbcHKNy/w192-h200/Screen+Shot+2021-01-05+at+7.06.19+PM.png" width="192" /></a></div>Guru Tegh Bahadur, 9th Sikh Guru;</li><li>Swedish astronomer and mathematician, Magnus Celcius; </li><li>Thomas Willis, English doctor who played an important part in the history of anatomy; </li><li>Rebecca Nurse, Massachusetts colonist, executed as a witch in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials; </li><li>French general, Louis de Bourbon, le Grand Condé; </li><li>Alessandro Grimaldi, doge of the Republic of Genova and King of Corsica;</li><li>Prudentia Pisa, later known as Serafina di Dio, Italian mystic and founder of seven Carmelite monasteries of nuns in southern Italy;</li><li>Giovanni Antonio Cavazzi da Montecuccolo, Italian writer and Franciscan missionary; </li><li>Italian sculptor, decorator and architect, Carlo D’Aprile; </li><li>Italian painter, engraver and poet, Giuseppe Diamantini; </li><li>Italian painters: Giacinto Brandi, Jacopo Chiavistelli, Filippo Jannelli, Francesco Nasini, Domenico Santi, Flaminio Torri, and Giovanni Battista Tortiroli; and</li><li>Amakusa Shirō天草四郎, Christian leader of the Shimabara Revolt.</li></ul></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Deaths of historic note in 1621 include those of:</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Camillo Borghese, Pope Paul V; </li><li>Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany; </li><li>King Phillip III of Spain; Albert VII, Archduke of Austria and sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands.</li></ul></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMqRJ3GUK5WQU0aMQNB0bJsUzaPLI_sDliPlXADXy4tE3p3_lSr9tfE1aGmnMbUu4gCjQXD0DwLnBUdDAgdAXYqjBqi0489VUr2TeC-AHxofj48FmT9tNtcY6K3JGZClvud4qe6fsDALT/s1600/Crossroads+shrine+1632.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMqRJ3GUK5WQU0aMQNB0bJsUzaPLI_sDliPlXADXy4tE3p3_lSr9tfE1aGmnMbUu4gCjQXD0DwLnBUdDAgdAXYqjBqi0489VUr2TeC-AHxofj48FmT9tNtcY6K3JGZClvud4qe6fsDALT/s640/Crossroads+shrine+1632.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Crossroads shrine at the intersection of Via Ripette and Via Santa Maria </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have a number of favourite country walks in the area. One of them takes us out Casperia's back gate which is known by two names: Porta Reatina, as it is the gate that will get you on the road to the city of Rieti, and Porta Santa Maria, as this same road will take you to the hamlet of Santa Maria Legarano with its Romanesque church built on the imposing foundation of an ancient Roman villa. There are a number of crossroads along the way. We have passed by this shrine with its reproduction San Damiano cross hundreds of times but until recently I had not payed attention to what was written on the terracotta panels on either side of the shrine's doorway. This little shrine marks a real crossroads. The panel on the left points you to the road to Terni in Umbria, while the panel on the opposite side, not only sets you on the right road to the walled city of Rieti, it also tells you when that shrine was built or restored—the year <b>1632</b>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Let's take a look at some of the things that were happening in 1632.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in human history, as well as the deadliest European religious war in history resulting in eight million fatalities continues to rage in central Europe. Elsewhere, in the Low Countries, the eighty years long Dutch War of Independence (1568 - 1648) continues unabated.</span> </span></h3>
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On February 22nd, Galileo publishes his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. On March 29th, the Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed, returning Québec to French control, after the English had seized it in 1629. On June 20, Charles I of England issues a charter for the colony of Maryland, named ostensively in honour of his queen, Henrietta Maria, though another theory is that the colony was named in honour of the Virgin Mary as its founder, George Calvert, was a convert to Roman Catholicism. Maryland was notable for having been established with religious freedom for Roman Catholics who, at the time, were persecuted in England. On June 20, two ships, the Saint Jean (250 tons) and the L'Esperance-En-Dieu, set sail from La Rochelle, bound for Acadia. On June 25, Emperor Fasilides, declares the state religion of Ethiopia to again be Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and confiscates the lands of the Jesuit missionaries, relegating them to their base in Fremona. On July 23, three hundred colonists for New France depart Dieppe. Also in this year, the Portuguese are driven out of Bengal. King Władysław IV Vasa of Poland forbids anti-Semitic books and printings. Construction of the Taj Mahal begins. Catharina Stopia succeeds her spouse as Sweden's ambassador to Russia and becomes perhaps the first female diplomat in Europe.</div></span><ul>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Historically significant births from 1632 include those of:</b></div></span>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Adam Frans van der Meulen, Flemish Baroque painter specialising in battle scenes</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">February 18 – Giovanni Battista Vitali, Italian composer</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">March 13 – John Houblon, first Governor of the Bank of England (1694-1697)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">March 30 – John Proctor, Massachusetts farmer, tavern keeper</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">April 12 – Henry Chauncy, British antiquarian</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Catherine of St. Augustine, French nun, nurse of New France</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">John Locke, English philosopher</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sir Christopher Wren, English architect, astronomer, and mathematician</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-born French composer</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Giovanni Battista Agucchi, Italian churchman, papal diplomat, and writer on art theory</span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden (1592–1599) and Poland (1587–1632)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Archduke Charles of Austria</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Anna of Cleves, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and Countess Palatine of Neuburg</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Giovanni Battista Crespi, Italian painter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (in battle)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Philippe van Lansberge, Flemish astronomer</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span><ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieue3NwPdDivnD-gmwZbspLDgvi6mZMxr25Ch_5R5bTM1-2H1gjypF5scV7wCxGw28lmyusmBuvRdgHlaAxQmmPjH74CtTxDQjal5zU2fm0JMe6ai84oGl9BGVXVIQH3VSmTz3ZSeU40J/s1600/1654+meglio.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieue3NwPdDivnD-gmwZbspLDgvi6mZMxr25Ch_5R5bTM1-2H1gjypF5scV7wCxGw28lmyusmBuvRdgHlaAxQmmPjH74CtTxDQjal5zU2fm0JMe6ai84oGl9BGVXVIQH3VSmTz3ZSeU40J/s400/1654+meglio.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pianella dated from <b>1654</b> is located on the street where we live, Via Latini, near the intersection with Via Casperia. It is very high on the wall above what was, apparently, an old frantoio, or olive oil mill. Apparently there were four or five olive oil mills inside Casperia's historic centre at one time. The sign is written in Latin and reads, "Restored through the grace of God (in) the year 1654."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">March 12–13 – The Treaty of Pereyaslav is concluded in the city of Pereyaslav, during a meeting between the Cossacks of the Zaporozhian Host and Tsar Alexey I of Russia, following the end of the Khmelnytsky Uprising in Ukraine against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which had started in 1648 and had resulted in the massacre of an estimated 100,000 Jews as well as a large number of Roman Catholic clergy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">April 12 – Oliver Cromwell creates a union between England and Scotland, with Scottish representation in the Parliament of England.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">May 8 – Otto von Guericke demonstrates the power of atmospheric pressure and the effectiveness of his vacuum pump, using the Magdeburg hemispheres, before Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Imperial Diet in Regensburg.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">June 3 – Louis XIV of France is crowned at Reims.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">June 6 – Charles X Gustav succeeds his cousin Christina on the Swedish throne. After her abdication on the same day, Christina, now the former reigning queen of a Protestant nation, secretly converts to Catholicism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">July – The Russian Army seizes Smolensk, and the Thirteen Years' War starts between Russia and Poland over Ukraine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">July 10 – Peter Vowell and John Gerard are executed in London for plotting to assassinate Oliver Cromwell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">August – Oliver Cromwell launches the Western Design, an English expedition to the Caribbean to counter Spanish commercial interests, effectively beginning the Anglo-Spanish War (which will last until after the English Restoration in 1660). The fleet leaves Portsmouth in late December.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">August 22 – Twenty-three Jewish refugees from Brazil settle in New Amsterdam, forming the nucleus of what will be the second largest urban Jewish community in history, that of New York City. In September, </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Congregation Shearith Israel</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> is founded as the first synagogue in North America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">September 3 – The First Protectorate Parliament assembles in England.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">November 23 – French mathematician, scientist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal experiences an intense mystical vision that marks him for life.</span></div>
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</span><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Births of historical significance in 1654 include those of:</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">February 3 – Pietro Antonio Fiocco, Italian composer </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">March 10 – Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari, Italian painter </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">September 16 – Philippe Avril, French Jesuit explorer </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">December 10 – Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole, Italian painter</span></li></ul></span></div><div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Deaths of historical importance in 1654 include those of:</span></b></span><br />
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<li>Nicholas Culpeper, English botanist</li>
<li>Francesco Mochi, Italian early-Baroque sculptor</li>
<li>Luca Ferrari, Italian painter</li>
<li>Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French writer</li>
<li>Hippolytus Guarinonius, Italian physician and polymath</li>
<li>Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor and architect</li>
<li>Orazio Grassi, Italian Jesuit priest, architect and scientist</li>
<li>Pieter Meulener, Flemish Baroque painter</li>
<li>Jakov Mikalja, Italian linguist and lexicographer</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMhUbwyQGO5S0vtu-hJIu7diQx2JHKWYJ2-8f-nhV-BW4bCt4EhL2AOpayvgcmVRW0AzQSHr6RMH3lAZk_811coT_DYg6Hhnwuu5kovB5oY0xBOQEEAPaTrrYjD6R_c93sJnQGYvLvYiB/s1600/1670+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMhUbwyQGO5S0vtu-hJIu7diQx2JHKWYJ2-8f-nhV-BW4bCt4EhL2AOpayvgcmVRW0AzQSHr6RMH3lAZk_811coT_DYg6Hhnwuu5kovB5oY0xBOQEEAPaTrrYjD6R_c93sJnQGYvLvYiB/s1600/1670+.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pianella on shrine of Via Valle Tassignano courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of my favourite things to do here in Casperia is to go out for walks in the country. I have a number of favourite routes. One of them is to go down Via Garibaldi out the Porta Reatina, the back door of Casperia, and go down Via Marconi and take a right just after the little parking lot there and proceed down Via Valle Tasignano. This pianella, dated from <b>1670</b>, is located on a road-side shrine near where Via Valle Tasignana joins Via Finocchietto. The photo comes from Casperia historian Lorenzo Capanna who has found me a number of pianelle outside Casperia's historic centre.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">So what was happening in the outside world when this roadside shrine outside of Casperia was being restored?</span><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">April 29 – Pope Clement X succeeds Pope Clement IX, as the 239th pope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">May 2 – The Hudson's Bay Company is founded in England, to operate in Canada.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByiyg8aTeNS3qHLV8nxIMw6-cHjrVWTfhayjsvyiKjiK7iV5VD5UrDJcf06P5s1-3Q32e_1ZhLnzaHZKTktq5PWVvCrhfZgdiEUTnmTP3nx1l3P7XJQCGcfyvvdMylENTUI6C0ne05kCp/s1600/HBC+stemma.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="800" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByiyg8aTeNS3qHLV8nxIMw6-cHjrVWTfhayjsvyiKjiK7iV5VD5UrDJcf06P5s1-3Q32e_1ZhLnzaHZKTktq5PWVvCrhfZgdiEUTnmTP3nx1l3P7XJQCGcfyvvdMylENTUI6C0ne05kCp/s320/HBC+stemma.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hudson's Bay Company Coat of Arms</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">June 1 – At Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, ending hostilities between their kingdoms. Louis will give Charles 200,000 pounds annually. In return Charles will relax the laws against Catholics, gradually re-Catholicise England, support French policy against the Dutch, and convert to Catholicism himself. This treaty will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">June 15 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta by the Order of St. John.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">July 18 – Treaty of Madrid (1670): Spain recognises Jamaica and the Cayman Islands as English possessions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">August – Spanish frigates attack Charleston, South Carolina.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">September 1–5 – William Penn and William Mead are tried in London, after a Quaker sermon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">November 24 – Louis XIV of France authorises work to commence on the construction of Les Invalides, a veterans' hospital in Paris, France.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">December 15 – Welsh privateer in English service, Henry Morgan, recaptures Santa Catalina Island, Colombia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">December 27 – Henry Morgan captures Fort San Lorenzo, on Panama's Caribbean coast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The first French settlers arrive on the Petite Côte, of modern-day Senegal.</span></div>
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Historically significant births that occurred in 1670 include those of:
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<li>Giovanni Battista Bononcini, Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher</li>
<li>Maria Margaretha Kirch, German astronomer</li>
<li>Eva Margaretha Von Buttlar, German mystic-libertine sectarian</li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Historically significant deaths that occurred in 1670 include those of:</b></span>
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<li>Charles of Sezze, Italian Franciscan friar and saint</li>
<li>John Davenport, Connecticut pioneer</li>
<li>Leonora Baroni, Italian singer</li>
<li>Loreto Vittori, Italian singer and composer</li>
<li>Claude Vignon, French painter, printmaker and illustrator</li>
<li>Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist</li>
<li>Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany</li>
<li>William Neile, English mathematician and founder member of the Royal Society</li>
<li>Jeanne Chezard de Matel, French mystic</li></span></ul><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwl1VJtPTY9NPLuL6a0EOkJY4Peb9fZtcBMaUEOTMAX7HUmz5xx3vuFvQ8Ek6vFUuN6JVJ-kDE_wETNmu7PHv-bTBh3Uq7-p_T5gRv28LuvfSrQqwuJ2SswH1RhCEMCPBrWK70NrFEzZT/s930/1686+Chiesa+di+Sta.+Maria+in+Legarano.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="930" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwl1VJtPTY9NPLuL6a0EOkJY4Peb9fZtcBMaUEOTMAX7HUmz5xx3vuFvQ8Ek6vFUuN6JVJ-kDE_wETNmu7PHv-bTBh3Uq7-p_T5gRv28LuvfSrQqwuJ2SswH1RhCEMCPBrWK70NrFEzZT/w640-h478/1686+Chiesa+di+Sta.+Maria+in+Legarano.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Chiesa di Santa Maria in Legarano - Courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;">This elaborately engraved and decorated piece of marble is a commemorative marker in a wall of the historic church in Santa Maria in Legarano and it mentions a makeover of the church which took place in <b>1686</b>. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVdc4XB1JqQFYIIsWECDT73H7Pf9OhfNb8MwjUO0kh4n86eWlteICF4RsQYVeb4bRJkYi5xA2eINd_TQ6Y2ndY1N4TLicWZMbWBRAnMUZXr_di4sBS-toCE_giQ_RMn0suGBdjVBhS2LN/s259/Santa+Maria+in+Legarano+church+and+convent.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVdc4XB1JqQFYIIsWECDT73H7Pf9OhfNb8MwjUO0kh4n86eWlteICF4RsQYVeb4bRJkYi5xA2eINd_TQ6Y2ndY1N4TLicWZMbWBRAnMUZXr_di4sBS-toCE_giQ_RMn0suGBdjVBhS2LN/s0/Santa+Maria+in+Legarano+church+and+convent.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by parrocchiacasperia.org</td></tr></tbody></table>At the head of the epigraph are the letters D.O.M. which stand for the Latin words, <i>Deo Optimo Maximo</i>: To God, most good, most great. This formula actually has its origins in ancient Rome's pagan religion and was originally used to address the king of the gods, Jupiter. When the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as the state religion, the phrase was used in reference to the Christian God. It's use continued long after the fall of the Roman Empire. This abbreviation can be found on many Renaissance-era churches and other buildings here in Italy, especially over sarcophagi.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;">So what was happening in the outside world in the year this sarcophagus was sculpted and installed in Santa Maria in Legarano's recently redone church?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On May 6, the Treaty of Perpetual Peace (1686) is signed between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, recognizing the former's possession of Left-bank Ukraine and the city of Kiev as agreed upon in the earlier Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667. The treaty also brings the Tsardom of Russia into the Great Turkish War on the side of the Holy League of 1684.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxoK0Gxo0huU8ZEDQi0i95DXq8WjwnFyzxwUijqi_PVopnuluiIygAcT6x5WLNZueam_hcWt07Qgs4zhl7JIVlQ2qzv4kZlGCbUqi0RV1ZehqpPtoNYOsMgcgR8tiefgYjvwp2vlcd0wH/s870/I+love+New+York.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="870" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxoK0Gxo0huU8ZEDQi0i95DXq8WjwnFyzxwUijqi_PVopnuluiIygAcT6x5WLNZueam_hcWt07Qgs4zhl7JIVlQ2qzv4kZlGCbUqi0RV1ZehqpPtoNYOsMgcgR8tiefgYjvwp2vlcd0wH/w200-h147/I+love+New+York.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>On July 22, New York City and Albany, New York are granted city charters by the colonial governor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On September 2, in the Battle of Buda of the Great Turkish War, Imperial forces of the Holy League of 1684: Russia, Saxony, Brandenburg and Bavaria under Austrian leadership, liberate Buda from Ottoman Turkish rule, presaging the end of Ottoman rule in Hungary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On September 30, the Ottoman fortress of Sinj in Dalmatia falls to the army of the Republic of Venice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also in 1686, the Swedish Church Law 1686 confirms and describes the rights of the Lutheran Church and confirms Sweden as a Lutheran state: all non-Lutherans are banned from immigration unless they convert to Lutheranism; the Romani people are to be incorporated to the Lutheran Church; the poor care law is regulated; and all parishes are forced by law to teach the children within them to read and write, in order to learn the scripture, which closely eradicates illiteracy in Sweden.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A hurricane saves Charleston, South Carolina from attack by Spanish vessels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R1wGp6eR7hgSJjTYcGBw5vohGIb6rxHjQtiCXtZc-lO8UHrtqBmufn5mw1DfqbRfm9RnT3IbJV6FCx4EMcHuBh-UTVdHBxRM8mX4qAuM6nmaHSNMtDw8vD6_Vr_nHwfBOvwQ7EkHeiCv/s680/Screen+Shot+2021-01-06+at+12.09.51+AM.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R1wGp6eR7hgSJjTYcGBw5vohGIb6rxHjQtiCXtZc-lO8UHrtqBmufn5mw1DfqbRfm9RnT3IbJV6FCx4EMcHuBh-UTVdHBxRM8mX4qAuM6nmaHSNMtDw8vD6_Vr_nHwfBOvwQ7EkHeiCv/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-01-06+at+12.09.51+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Café Procope</td></tr></tbody></table>The first literary coffee house in Paris, the Café Procope, is opened in Paris by Procopio Cutò and remains in business in the 21st century.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Births of historic note from 1686 include those of:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Stefano Felice Ficatelli, Italian painter of the late Baroque period;</li></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_B3NbkOdD3BSPZF7-dMfwUy8vuKhlAPJ8xdgAHliGygVXH1tmCngpUTaHSK8yObxbw2FeSl7w9bDNds3nMowb4yt51aHn8QPuY9TjmzZBxIJ8aUAuk8MKlFfXZ5I6h9T6G_LTaM667ha/s300/Daniel-Gabriel-Fahrenheit+.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="300" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_B3NbkOdD3BSPZF7-dMfwUy8vuKhlAPJ8xdgAHliGygVXH1tmCngpUTaHSK8yObxbw2FeSl7w9bDNds3nMowb4yt51aHn8QPuY9TjmzZBxIJ8aUAuk8MKlFfXZ5I6h9T6G_LTaM667ha/w200-h186/Daniel-Gabriel-Fahrenheit+.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fahrenheit</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><li>Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, German physicist, inventor of the Fahrenheit temperature scale;</li><li>Lendinara, Veneto-born Italian luthier, Domenico Montagnana; </li><li>Pietro Paolo Troisi, Maltese Baroque silversmith, sculptor, medallist, designer, engraver and Master of the Mint.</li><li>Italian composer, Benedetto Marcello; </li><li>Nicola Porpora, Neapolitan composer of Baroque operas and teacher of singing</li><li>Italian sculptor and painter of the Rococo period, Agostino Cornacchini;</li><li>German painter and architect during the late Baroque period, Cosmas Damian Adam;</li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SabObZ4qcbgD7zf_YGBJNkeFkMM6R-tYstZPke968RENXFrm_ehZDvbPY1_ai0EPfngpv6HrQcdDQETod1EV2KATB5rO8poezjjrB46A0jiUsk0lpq7Rv3Uu9_ob2ATaeP-8nN6IWmEa/s454/Senesino.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="380" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SabObZ4qcbgD7zf_YGBJNkeFkMM6R-tYstZPke968RENXFrm_ehZDvbPY1_ai0EPfngpv6HrQcdDQETod1EV2KATB5rO8poezjjrB46A0jiUsk0lpq7Rv3Uu9_ob2ATaeP-8nN6IWmEa/w168-h200/Senesino.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senesino</td></tr></tbody></table>Celebrated Italian contralto castrato Francesco Bernardi, a.k.a. Senesino;</li><li>Italian violinist and composer, Giovanni Battista Somis; </li><li>Jamaican national heroine, Queen Nanny of the Maroons.</li></ul><b>Deaths of historic note from 1686 include those of:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li> Eleonora Gonzaga, Queen consort of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor; </li><li>Italian painter, Carlo Dolci; </li><li>François Blondel, soldier, engineer of fortifications, mathematician, diplomat, military and civil engineer and architect, called "the Great Blondel; </li><li>French dramatist, Jean Mairet; and </li><li>French general, Prince Louis de Bourbon, Le Grand Condé.</li></ul></div></span><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hyvVZLkjQ2BOPYAaSEVISkp6k9vrxAloFeUr3YCuTZUzrYZghSKmwVq_QsF5ndOkxxpVowiU7U8WfohPG4tLlAMLMTRoWH9FxWK4o8XXUuREPPHBEcRRG6F1U-bSX7JZX35TB033Tnuu/s1600/1742+courtesy+Loredanna+Muscatiello.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hyvVZLkjQ2BOPYAaSEVISkp6k9vrxAloFeUr3YCuTZUzrYZghSKmwVq_QsF5ndOkxxpVowiU7U8WfohPG4tLlAMLMTRoWH9FxWK4o8XXUuREPPHBEcRRG6F1U-bSX7JZX35TB033Tnuu/w640-h640/1742+courtesy+Loredanna+Muscatiello.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianella located on a house at Via Roma, 128 - Courtesy of Loredana Muscatiello</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This pianella, dated 1742, located on a house in Paranzano at Via Roma, 128, is perhaps the most elaborately decorated of all the pianella found in Casperia so far. Above the date is written, GIO:ADAMI, the GIO referring to Gioacchino Adami, according to the owner of the house.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1742, François and Louis-Joseph La Vérendrye embark on an expedition to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Though they fail in their goal to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific, the La Vérendryes penetrate further into the heartland of North America than any previously known European explorers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On April 13, George Frideric Handel's oratorio <i>The Messiah</i> is first performed, in Dublin, Ireland.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In May, Juan Santos takes the name Atahualpa II, and begins an ill-fated rebellion against Spanish rule in Peru.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On August 17, Irish author and poet, Jonathan Swift, is declared by a court to be "of unsound mind and memory" and confined to home treatment for the remaining three years of his life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On August 19, a British fleet led by Commodore William Martin enters the harbour of Naples with three warships, two frigates, and four bomb vessels, and sends a message giving Charles VII of Naples (the future King Charles III of Spain) 30 minutes to agree to withdraw Neapolitan troops from the Spanish Army. Don Carlos agrees and ends the threat of a Spanish foothold in Italy.</div></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">On August 20, the Swedish-Russian War effectively ends as 17,000 Swedish troops surrender in Finland at Helsingfors, modern-day Helsinki.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOKRMxiZ0U0CVbiejDULmFCWTutZYroYbToAUr7T2cxOtYnJswnSwi6xaosHAZMAbdKJfvVaUvg-s1fY93LsYKXxDYsyXeqvW7mrpyLkl925znIEDYassBOD5ABGvwkrYc17sCmNK6-0z/s1050/Anders_Celsius.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="923" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOKRMxiZ0U0CVbiejDULmFCWTutZYroYbToAUr7T2cxOtYnJswnSwi6xaosHAZMAbdKJfvVaUvg-s1fY93LsYKXxDYsyXeqvW7mrpyLkl925znIEDYassBOD5ABGvwkrYc17sCmNK6-0z/s320/Anders_Celsius.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Anders Celcius</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">On September 5, the 46 survivors of Russia’s Great Northern Expedition return to Petropavlovsk after having been shipwrecked on an island in the Bering Strait ten months earlier.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">in 1742, Swedish astronomer, physicist and mathematician, Anders Celsius publishes his proposal for a centigrade temperature scale originated in 1741.</span></span></div></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic note from this year include those of: </b>Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti (Pope Pius VII); Italian writer, musician, lawyer and historian of music, Saverio Mattei; and Italian presbyter, writer and poet of the Republic of Venice, Giuseppe Manzoni.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historic note from 1742 include those of:</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist, Edmond Halley; Scottish physician, anatomist, and male midwife, James Douglas; Italian monk, priest, philosopher, theologian, mathematician, and engineer, Dom Guido Grandi; Italian composer, violinist and cellist, Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco; and Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, known as mother of Methodism.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div></span><ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span><div style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1VrpMj-iTiek7w6LFD1h6c98xwkGGZrywau2cr0CNsmmJS6fACoPPYsDsy0YWypSscdsGWRxPWWsT7MGmbFdtP2yzcNK_1GGtIaGrtToJUmsbAtIfgarPTAAuRBMGi_jzXFHQ1uw_DZT/s374/1784+Via+Tito+Tazio%252C+4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="374" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1VrpMj-iTiek7w6LFD1h6c98xwkGGZrywau2cr0CNsmmJS6fACoPPYsDsy0YWypSscdsGWRxPWWsT7MGmbFdtP2yzcNK_1GGtIaGrtToJUmsbAtIfgarPTAAuRBMGi_jzXFHQ1uw_DZT/w640-h480/1784+Via+Tito+Tazio%252C+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This Pianella, high up on a wall above Via Tito Tazio, dates from 1784</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: white; font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span></div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pianella, located on a wall above the entrance to Via Tito Tazio, 4 is perhaps one of the highest placed that I have come across so far here in Casperia as it is on the outside wall on the third story of a palazzo whose main entrance is on Vicolo Oratorio. I have to thank Paolo de Gregorio for drawing my attention to this hard to see restoration date marker. Every time I think I have found all of them, up pops another pianella. The Latin inscription reads: <b>Prospectus HIC a Fundamentis</b>, which translates, the facade (built) from the foundations.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">So what was happening in the outside world when this palazzo wall was rebuilt—from the foundations—in <b>1784</b>? 1784 was a year of geopolitical shifts:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On January 6, The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea in the Treaty of Constantinople. On the 14th of that month, the Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain to end the American Revolutionary War. The influx of Loyalist refugees from the newly independent United States to Nova Scotia prompts Britain to partition the territory and create the Colony of New Brunswick. In the same year, Russia establishes a colony at Kodiak in Alaska. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In France, Antoine Lavoisier pioneers quantitative chemistry while Madame du Coudray, pioneer of modern midwifery, retires. In April of this year, Pierre Beaumarchais’ sequel to The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, premieres at the Comédie-Française in Paris. Later, on September 19, in France, the Robert brothers—Anne-Jean Robert and Nicolas-Louis Robert—and a M. Collin-Hullin, become the first people to fly more than 100km in the air, lifting off from Paris and landing 6 hours and 40 minutes later near Bethune after a journey of 186 kilometres. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, in the recently officially independent United States of America, Benjamin Franklin invents bifocal spectacles.Births of historic significance in 1784 include those of: English geologist, palaeontologist William Buckland, and British Radical writer, free thought advocate Robert Taylor.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historic significance in 1784 include those of:</b> Italian musician Giovanni Battista Martini, and Spanish Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra who established the Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda and several missions in Alta and Baja California.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWU7vCNhL4i1pZg-eFawHCbo2OoFVQFiJdbaA207YSom0filVajNhh6giHpvhPJwtfGiQQrfQ3TdTdvwRpCvLkmqAQpt8M6tilyHd5lFqzWPolrL5raxqi98jEVEZZnZXi4jiooVnhWCl/s1600/Bridge+pavement+with+1800+date+on+Via+Rivellini.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWU7vCNhL4i1pZg-eFawHCbo2OoFVQFiJdbaA207YSom0filVajNhh6giHpvhPJwtfGiQQrfQ3TdTdvwRpCvLkmqAQpt8M6tilyHd5lFqzWPolrL5raxqi98jEVEZZnZXi4jiooVnhWCl/s640/Bridge+pavement+with+1800+date+on+Via+Rivellini.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paved walkway in front of Piazza Umberto I, 3 with the date 1800</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Though obviously not a pianella, here we have another date marker. Here, the date 1800 is traced out in terracotta tiles in a rustic stone mosaic paved walkway at the end of the piazza near the beginning of Via Rivellini.</div></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1800, the War of the Second Coalition (1798-1802) which arrayed the majority of Europe's Monarchies against Revolutionary France, still rages. Here is a selection of world events which took place. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: justify;">January 1 – The Dutch East India Company dissolves.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">February 7 – A public plebiscite in France confirms Napoleon as First Consul, by a substantial majority.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">March 14 – Papal conclave, 1799–1800: cardinal Barnaba Chiaramonti succeeds Pius VI as Pius VII, the 251st pope. He is crowned on March 21, in Venice.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">March 20 – Alessandro Volta describes his new invention, the voltaic pile, the first chemical battery, in a letter to the Royal Society of London.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">April 2 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">April 6 – War of the Second Coalition: Siege of Genoa – General André Masséna is surrounded by 40,000 Austrian troops under Field Marshal Michael von Melas and blockaded by a strong British squadron</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">April 24 – The U.S. Library of Congress is founded in Washington, D.C.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">June 2 – The first smallpox vaccination is made in North America, at Trinity, Newfoundland.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">June 4 – War of the Second Coalition: Siege of Genoa – The French army is evacuated from Genoa. Marshal André Masséna is allowed to march out, with all the honours of war.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">June 14 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Marengo – Napoleon defeats the Austrian troops near Marengo, Italy.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">June 15 – Convention of Alessandria (Armistice of Marengo): Austria agrees to evacuate much of Italy.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">July 2 – The Union with Ireland Act 1800 is passed by the Parliament of Great Britain; the Irish Parliament passes similar legislation in the following month, uniting the two kingdoms and abolishing the Parliament of Ireland.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">August 1 – King George III gives royal assent to the second Act of Union to unite the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland (both ruled by him) into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, effective on January 1, 1801.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">September 4 – The French garrison in Valletta surrenders to British troops, who had been called at the invitation of the Maltese. The islands of Malta and Gozo become the Malta Protectorate.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">October 1 – Third Treaty of San Ildefonso: Spain returns Louisiana (New Spain) to France, in return for the Tuscany area of Italy.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">November 1 – U.S. President John Adams becomes the first US President to live in the Executive Mansion (later renamed the White House).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic significance from 1800 include those of:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist, inventor of the dynamo</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hyrum Smith, American Mormon leader</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Emperor Ninkō 仁孝天皇 of Japan</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Henri-Gustave Delvigne, French soldier, weapon inventor</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">James Black, American bladesmith, creator of the original Bowie knife </span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Brown, American abolitionist</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giuseppe Gabriel Balsamo-Crivelli, Italian naturalist</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Charles Goodyear, American self-taught chemist, manufacturing engineer</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;">Abraham Rice, German-born rabbi, first ordained rabbi to serve in the United States</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Pelaghia Roșu, Romanian heroine</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Tarenorerer, indigenous Australian Tasman freedom fighter</li></ul><b>Historically significant deaths from the year 1800 include those of:</b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Kyra Frosini, Greek heroine</li><li>Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French military engineer, writer</li><li>Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer</li><li>Jean-Baptiste Kléber, French general (assassinated)</li><li>Francis V de Beauharnais, French nobleman, soldier, politician, colonial governor and admiral</li><li>Lorenzo Mascheroni, Italian mathematician</li><li>Gabriel Prosser, American slave revolutionary</li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Jean-Baptiste Audebert, French artist, naturalist</span> </li></ul></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu4kgIQ4BtXzjqG83E67JAlzPfo-kuHltem5Bse2MnnmWJEFoWOZr8iL3m7BQxkg_hXqZcQe8UMjQN8ypsVwC_h5fEY1piwef2K06fClw7_Ufj07I4YDAH5CQWxuwbHFMU4NJM6wPbGe3/s1600/+1819+or+1879+-+Via+Sabo%252C+9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu4kgIQ4BtXzjqG83E67JAlzPfo-kuHltem5Bse2MnnmWJEFoWOZr8iL3m7BQxkg_hXqZcQe8UMjQN8ypsVwC_h5fEY1piwef2K06fClw7_Ufj07I4YDAH5CQWxuwbHFMU4NJM6wPbGe3/s640/+1819+or+1879+-+Via+Sabo%252C+9.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1819, Via Sabo, 9</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">This hard to read pianella, dated April <b>1819</b>, is located at Via Sabo, 9. I had to climb a ladder to get close enough to read the date properly. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">So what was happening in the world when this restoration marker was installed in this wall on Via Sabo?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On January 2, the Panic of 1819, the first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States, begins.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">January 29 – Sir Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore. On February 6, a formal treaty, between Hussein Shah of Johor and the British Sir Stamford Raffles, establishes a trading settlement in Singapore.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">February 22 – Adams–Onís Treaty: Spain cedes Florida to the United States, in exchange for the American renunciation of any claims on Texas that it might have from the Louisiana Purchase, and $5 million.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">April 6–June 21 – The French slave ship Le Rodeur sails from Bonny in West Africa to Guadeloupe in the West Indies; in the course of the transatlantic voyage all onboard become blind, and the slaves are thrown overboard as a consequence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">May 22 – The SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">August 7 – Battle of Boyacá: Simón Bolívar is victorious over the Royalist Army in Colombia. Colombia acquires its definitive independence from Spanish rule.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">August 16 – Peterloo Massacre: The cavalry charges into a crowd of protesters in Manchester, UK, resulting in 15 deaths and over 600 injuries.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">November 3 – The USS Congress, commanded by Captain John D. Henley, becomes the first American warship to visit China, landing at Lintin Island 內伶仃島 off of the coast of Guangzhou.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">November 19 – The Museo del Prado, one of the world's great art galleries, opens in Madrid. Initially, it has only 311 significant paintings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">December 14 – Alabama is admitted as the 22nd U.S. state.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">December 17 – The Republic of Gran Colombia is formally established, with Simón Bolívar as its first president. This country, which lasted only 12 years encompassed the present day territories of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, and parts of Peru and Brazil.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also in 1819, the African Slave Trade Patrol is founded, to stop the slave trade on the coast of West Africa. </span></span></div>
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<b>Historically significant births that occurred in 1819 include those of: </b></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Ruskin, English writer, artist, and social critic </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Louise Otto-Peters, German women's rights movement activist </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist and journalist </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Justin Holland, American musician and civil rights activist </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Allan Pinkerton, American detective </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Prince Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, 1st President of the South African Republic </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Léon Foucault, French physicist </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Annibale de Gasparis, Italian astronomer </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">George Eliot, British novelist </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Felice Orsini, Italian revolutionary and leader of the Carbonari </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Historically significant deaths that occurred in 1819 include those of: </b></span></span><br />
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<li>Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii </li>
<li>James Watt, Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer and chemist</li>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_0IbM3fgVBV8fuLb-BMtvleGl5NsW5AuPu7ygV_90oIuP1Kmzf2DIdeesTE0ps2kp_PqmGoxj1fKLc0q8_hXjaOzrBNCLWjlqEWVjsUCjGfmuQowepm3Vjlsu6RNX8aWiPLmmUV7LiMJ/s640/1842.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Rivellini, 34</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_0IbM3fgVBV8fuLb-BMtvleGl5NsW5AuPu7ygV_90oIuP1Kmzf2DIdeesTE0ps2kp_PqmGoxj1fKLc0q8_hXjaOzrBNCLWjlqEWVjsUCjGfmuQowepm3Vjlsu6RNX8aWiPLmmUV7LiMJ/s1600/1842.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
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</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">This 1842 pianella is hidden away from view high up in a corner in a small vicolo connecting Via Rivellini and Via San Rocco and it came to my attention thanks to my friend Maria Piazza who uses this vicolo to access one of her cantinas. I would be interested to find out the reason why crescent shaped pianelle suddenly made their appearance in the 1800s. </span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Here are some major world events that took place in 1842:</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In January - American medical student William E. Clarke of Berkshire Medical College becomes the first person to administer an inhaled anesthetic, to facilitate a surgical procedure (dental extraction). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">March – Commonwealth v. Hunt: the Massachusetts Supreme Court makes strikes and unions legal in the United States.</div></span><div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4T4fACqNsvN1Y12qAlIDxaQbaAeJF54KoNe2yyJtRqzsm4jiyKg0h1z723TK7UgfqUadyty9_nKVxTcyQlW-y9h6XBA8q0azU29FhqKePb-EJrcOBURConlDyhe1K_kNcekEIjG7QKqCe/s386/nabucco-scala-milano-verdi_gif.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4T4fACqNsvN1Y12qAlIDxaQbaAeJF54KoNe2yyJtRqzsm4jiyKg0h1z723TK7UgfqUadyty9_nKVxTcyQlW-y9h6XBA8q0azU29FhqKePb-EJrcOBURConlDyhe1K_kNcekEIjG7QKqCe/s320/nabucco-scala-milano-verdi_gif.jpg" /></a></div></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">March 9 – Giuseppe Verdi's third opera Nabucco premieres at La Scala in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy's foremost operatic composers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">March 30 – American physician and pharmacist Crawford Long administers an inhaled anesthetic (diethyl ether) to facilitate a surgical procedure (removal of a neck tumour). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May 11 – The Income Tax Act establishes the first peacetime income tax in the United Kingdom; 7 pence in the pound, for incomes over 150 pounds. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">June 13 – Queen Victoria becomes the first reigning British monarch to travel by train, on the Great Western Railway between Slough and London Paddington station. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">June 18 – A primary school system is established in Sweden. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">June – James Nasmyth patents the steam hammer in the United Kingdom. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">August 9 – The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the Canada–US border east of the Rocky Mountains. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">August 10 – The Mines Act 1842 becomes law, prohibiting underground work for all women and boys under 10 years old in the United Kingdom. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">August 29 – The Treaty of Nanking, an unequal treaty between Britain and Qing dynasty China, ends the First Opium War and establishes Hong Kong as a British colony until 1997. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">October 5 – Josef Groll brews the first pilsner beer in the city of Pilsen, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">December 7 – The New York Philharmonic, founded by Ureli Corelli Hill, performs its first concert.</div></span></div></div><div class="p1">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Date unknown:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Tahuata are declared a protectorate of France. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The New Zealand seat of government moves from Russell to Auckland. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dzogchen Monastery, in Sichuan, China, is almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">English palaeontologist Richard Owen coins the name Dinosauria, hence the Anglicized dinosaur </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Sons of Temperance is founded in New York City.</div></span><div class="p1">
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Historically significant births that occurred in 1842 include those of:</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mary MacKillop, first Australian saint </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZuPIF_Jrfb7b0rsjR1kCsVvzjT5VT2C_KxYOtLiMkjvdPJm-L3ooUnw7EckHCcbnxkzij8VXJbqE7EM83x_AWxCY1n_WQZQwcoMBz26AOvf7ZVCHhqn49FUZU9K6XIL2TJfjtJthk3Sv/s320/carlsberg+beer.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arrigo Boito, Italian poet, composer </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer, patron of the arts after whom the Carlsberg brewery was named </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">A. Viola Neblett, American activist, suffragist, women's rights pioneer </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dominic Savio, Italian adolescent student of John Bosco. Savio was canonised a saint on 12 June 1954, by Pope Pius XII, making him the youngest non-martyr to be canonised in the Catholic Church </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">David Herold, accomplice of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hermann Cohen, German-Jewish philosopher </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Scottish chemist and physicist James Dewar, inventor of the vacuum flask. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Abdul Hamid II, Ottoman Sultan </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giovanni Giolitti, 5-time Prime Minister of Italy </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ōyama Iwao 大山 巌, Japanese field marshal, a founder of the Imperial Japanese Army </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Historically significant deaths that occurred in 1842 include those of:</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Constanze Mozart, German-born wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Henry Shrapnel, English army officer and inventor </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Italian composer Luigi Cherubini </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stendhal, French novelist </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maria Dalle Donne, Bolognese physician </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">William Hobson, Irish-born officer in the British Royal Navy, first Governor-General of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">American Unitarian theologian and minister, William Ellery Channing </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bernardo O'Higgins, first Chilean head of state after independence</span></div><ul>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This second crescent-shaped pianella, dated <b>1846</b>, is not visible to the general public. It is located inside a private home at Via Sabo, 32 and may have originally been located on an outer wall of the house. Though the upper section of Casperia's historic centre is technically the oldest part of town with some buildings and walls dating back to the 900s and 1000s, it is also the section of town that was most rebuilt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 1846, The Great Famine continues to devastate Ireland.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom. Later, on June 15, the Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Milan–Venice railway's 3.2 km (2.0 mi) bridge, over the Venetian Lagoon between Mestre and Venice in Italy, opens. At the time of its completion is reigns as the world’s longest bridge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Many Mormons begin their migration west from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake, led by Brigham Young.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On February 14, United States president James K. Polk annexes the Republic of Texas, which is regarded as an early example of American imperialism. On February 19th, the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed in Austin. On April 25 The Mexican-American was breaks out over the disputed border of Texas. On May 8th, at the Battle of Palo Alto, Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande at Palo Alto, Texas in the first major battle of the war. On</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">June 14th, American settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion, the Bear Flag Revolt against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic. On July 7th at the Battle of Monterey: Acting on instructions from Washington, D.C., Commodore John Drake Sloat orders his troops to occupy Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the United States annexation of California. On August 22nd, the Second Federal Republic of Mexico is established.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Elsewhere:</span></b>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On February 26th, the Liberty Bell is cracked while being rung for George Washington's birthday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On March 9, the First Anglo-Sikh War, which began a month earlier, ends with the signing of the Treaty of Lahore. Kashmir is ceded to the British East India Company, and the Koh-i-Noor diamond is surrendered to Queen Victoria.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">May – The Associated Press is founded in New York.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On June 16 – Pope Pius IX succeeds Pope Gregory XVI as the 255th pope. He will reign for 31½ years (the longest definitely confirmed).<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">June 28 – The </span><b style="font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Saxophone</b><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"> is patented by Adolphe Sax.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6iGP-bQbtWMW7FmKz1pVXu-e_dJjHgmwxwQNt6OORVU5fbitDv4cgwUA33mFLk-2SvihaHEILtntfrfVDMPaRRHlf2oZBpPn5G0QKBIgV5IJJeNgJeKZWXbiWoYSIDPC-E46a8YyxYSW/s1824/Saxophone.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6iGP-bQbtWMW7FmKz1pVXu-e_dJjHgmwxwQNt6OORVU5fbitDv4cgwUA33mFLk-2SvihaHEILtntfrfVDMPaRRHlf2oZBpPn5G0QKBIgV5IJJeNgJeKZWXbiWoYSIDPC-E46a8YyxYSW/s320/Saxophone.jpg" /></a></div></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">September 10 – Elias Howe is awarded the first United States patent for a sewing machine, using a lockstitch design.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">September 19 – The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to two children in La Salette, France.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">September 23 – Discovery of Neptune: The planet is observed for the first time by German astronomers Johann Gottfried Galle and Heinrich Louis d'Arrest, as predicted by British astronomer John Couch Adams and French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 16 – At Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. William T.G. Morton, a dentist, gives the first successful public demonstration of ether anaesthesia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">November 4 – The Donner Party, a wagon train of 87 settlers traveling to California, is stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains by the first of several snowstorms. By the time a relief party reaches the starving settlers three months later, only 48 survivors are left, many of whom have survived by cannibalism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Canadian Abraham Pineo Gesner's (b. Cornwallis, Nova Scotia) research in minerals results in his development of a process to refine a liquid fuel from coal, bitumen and oil shale. His new discovery, which he names kerosene, burns more cleanly and was less expensive than competing products, such as whale oil.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Births of historic significance in 1846 include those of:</span></b>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">M. Lewis Clark American founder of Kentucky Derby</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American frontiersman, later showman</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish political leader</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Anna Kingsford, British spiritual writer, doctor, feminist and pioneering vegetarian</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Watson Heston, American cartoonist</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">George Westinghouse, American entrepreneur, engineer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Julia Lermontova, Russian chemist</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of note include those of:</span></b>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">María Trinidad Sánchez, heroine of the Dominican War of Independence</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pope Gregory XVI</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss author, painter, and caricature artist</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer, author and translator</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-born explorer of South Australia</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thomas Clarkson, English abolitionist </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Maria Medina Coeli, Italian physician</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKOJcJO4udiuO3AAWxLcZfoy_58_4RWa5OZWzz2A5jSSS3G62QFjX0Pm-YY5Oh-GZ2FXo0BT619KHZbU-C3wW7iRG2NXncAC6-X-hgGrj_-8NZWcuw7O-dDKEVnt_RDPMtPcAcBNVq_7x/s1600/1856+House+in+Paranzano+on+via+Roma+via++Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKOJcJO4udiuO3AAWxLcZfoy_58_4RWa5OZWzz2A5jSSS3G62QFjX0Pm-YY5Oh-GZ2FXo0BT619KHZbU-C3wW7iRG2NXncAC6-X-hgGrj_-8NZWcuw7O-dDKEVnt_RDPMtPcAcBNVq_7x/s640/1856+House+in+Paranzano+on+via+Roma+via++Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House restored in 1856 in Paranzano on Via Roma, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">This date marker from <b>1856</b> is located on the wall of a house in the hamlet of Paranzano on Via Roma.</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 8th of this year, John Veatch discovers extensive Borax deposits in California. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 28th, Queen Victoria establishes the Victoria Cross, the highest award of the British honours system. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">A series of violent civil confrontations known variously as Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, originating from a debate over the legality of slavery in the proposed state of Kansas, continues to rage. The bloody conflict lasts from 1854 to 1861 and is characterized by years of electoral fraud, raids, assaults, and retributive murders carried out by anti-slavery "Free-Staters" and pro-slavery"Border Ruffians" in Kansas and in neighbouring Missouri. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 26, in the first Battle of Seattle, Marines from the USS Decatur suppress an indigenous uprising which had arisen in response to Governor Stevens' declaration of a "war of extermination" on Native communities. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On February 2, Dallas Texas is incorporated as a city. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India officially gives 'Peak XV’—later to be named Mount Everest—the height of 8,840 m (29,002 ft). ‘Peak IX’ (Kangchenjunga), previously thought to be the world’s highest, is confirmed as 8,582 m (28,156 ft). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">William Henry Perkin discovers Mauveine, the first synthetic organic dye, while attempting to synthesize quinine. This eventually leads to the birth of the chemical industry. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On April 26, the Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law abolishes privateering, and regulates the relationship between neutral and belligerent and shipping on the high seas. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On May 3, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, gives Norfolk Island to the population of the colony at Pitcairn Island, most being descendants of the Mutiny on the Bounty. They first settle on Norfolk Island on June 8. Women's suffrage, as practiced on Pitcairn, is extended to Norfolk Island. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On July 17, The Great Train Wreck (the worst railroad calamity in the world to date) occurs near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On July 31, Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">In August, pre-human remains are found in the Neander Valley in Prussia. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 8, the Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins, with the Arrow Incident on the Pearl River. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">War is declared between Great Britain and Persia on November 1st starting the Anglo-Persian War. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kate Warne, the first female private detective, begins to work for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also in this year, the British Guiana 1c magenta postage stamp is issued in British Guiana in limited numbers; the one surviving specimen will become regarded as the world's rarest stamp. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Births of note for this year include those of:</b></div></b></span><ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li>Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate</li>
<li>Booker T. Washington, American educator</li>
<li>Granville T. Woods, African-American inventor</li>
<li>Philippe Pétain, French soldier, statesman</li>
<li>Sigmund Freud, Austrian <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmka1LS2NQehVlHRQiNq8EHtIB0MYS4KVtKxJehVf0azaPu5MLyCuB8rOBgcxuuIgQKJ8_l-YITlORhtkVWSFUGnzcQaZyBOvThIZEx77yPyS6DEOiXqDxBIeix_pMMTuVJuzP8P7ITEMJ/s1600/Sigmund+Freud.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmka1LS2NQehVlHRQiNq8EHtIB0MYS4KVtKxJehVf0azaPu5MLyCuB8rOBgcxuuIgQKJ8_l-YITlORhtkVWSFUGnzcQaZyBOvThIZEx77yPyS6DEOiXqDxBIeix_pMMTuVJuzP8P7ITEMJ/s320/Sigmund+Freud.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sigmund Freud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis.</li>
<li>Frank Baum, American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker (The Wizard of Oz)</li>
<li>H. Rider Haggard, English novelist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">George Barnard Shaw, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Wilhelm von Gloeden, German photographer</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir, Icelandic women's right activist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author of <i>Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Robert Kajanus, Finnish conductor, composer and founder of the Helsinki Orchestral Society, Finland's first professional orchestra</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Hans von Bartels, German painter</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize</li></span></ul>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historical note for this year include those of:</span></b>
<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Thaddeus William Harris, American entomologist and botanist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Khedrup Gyatso, 11th Dalai Lama</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Robert Schumann, German composer, pianist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">William Buckland, English geologist, palaeontologist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Manuela Sáenz, revolutionary heroine of South America</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Francesco Bentivegna, Italian revolutionary</li>
</span></ul>
<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nIKRazuQ3d47pOKIzW-bLR13bZHjGTPEPrlkyQp147XSEgMBpkw_fsE4QLuMyz-FXZX8lyVmtDM_NpUsd2CNs3b7w_q48IDG-jpRd538v5LONI7kbVzzHVdMiIc2qAwoPKujysq1F0QC/s750/1863+Via+Valle+Tassignana.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nIKRazuQ3d47pOKIzW-bLR13bZHjGTPEPrlkyQp147XSEgMBpkw_fsE4QLuMyz-FXZX8lyVmtDM_NpUsd2CNs3b7w_q48IDG-jpRd538v5LONI7kbVzzHVdMiIc2qAwoPKujysq1F0QC/w640-h480/1863+Via+Valle+Tassignana.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pianella dated 1863 at Via Valle Tassignana, 13</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">This is the second and more recent date marker found on the house at Via Valle Tassignana, 13. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Anno D(omi)ni</b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>MDCCCLXIII</b></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Saverio Angelelli FF</b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">MDCCCLXIII is of course 1863 in Roman numerals and I assume Saverio Angelelli was the owner of the property in the year this panel was made. </div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">1863 is the second year of the American Civil War and the third year of the Second Franco-Mexican war.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 1, US President, Abraham Lincoln, signs the Emancipation Proclamation making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaims the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's four million slaves and immediately frees 50,000 of them, with the rest freed as Union armies advance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 7, in the Swiss canton of Ticino, the village of Bedretto is partly destroyed and 29 killed, by an avalanche. Four days later, in the same canton, 47 are killed in Locarno when the roof of the church of Sant’Antonio collapses under the weight of snow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 8, ground is broken in Sacramento, California, on the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 10, the first section of the London Underground Railway from Paddington to Farringdon Street, opens officially.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 22, the January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to liberate the Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth from Russian occupation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 29, the United States Army, led by General Patrick Edward Connor, massacres Chief Bear Hunter and hundreds of his Shoshone people at the Bear River Massacre in the Idaho Territory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On February 1, Radicals in Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, northern Ukraine and western Russia join the January Uprising. The following day, Polish peasants are massacred by Russian hussars at Čysta Būda, near Marijampolė.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSeY0XR06HAhF41o8AQwHZQxuMGYhd6NMFv1U-T1Wqfr-iON8n8fGmPJpl_UoYyljRnUEiRIE5rrf6yo6Wpg514FiXQpsujDA9Kc3cY0RjyyPSwZraIwniWGuQqkYeX28oOMGmvHU2WiY/s1183/Flag_of_the_ICRC.svg.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSeY0XR06HAhF41o8AQwHZQxuMGYhd6NMFv1U-T1Wqfr-iON8n8fGmPJpl_UoYyljRnUEiRIE5rrf6yo6Wpg514FiXQpsujDA9Kc3cY0RjyyPSwZraIwniWGuQqkYeX28oOMGmvHU2WiY/s320/Flag_of_the_ICRC.svg.png" /></a></div>On February 17, the "Committee of the Five" holds their first meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, which is regarded as the foundation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 30, Prince Wilhelm George of Denmark, 17, is elected by the Hellenic Parliament as George, King of the Hellenes; he will reign in Greece for 50 years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On May 23, Ferdinand Lassalle founds the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein (General German Workers' Association, ADAV), the first socialist workers party in Germany.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On May 28, the 54th Massachusetts, the first African-American regiment leaves Boston to fight in US Civil War.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 7, French forces enter Mexico City.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 20, during the height of the US civil war, West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From July 1 to July 3, the largest battle of the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg is fought. Union forces turn back a Confederate invasion by Robert E. Lee. There are 28,000 Confederate casualties and 23,000 Union casualties. On July 4, Ulysses S. Grant and the Union army capture the Confederate city Vicksburg, Mississippi, after the town surrenders, following a 47-day siege.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 3, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln proclaims a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From October 26 to 29, the Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference are signed by sixteen countries meeting in Geneva agreeing to form the International Red Cross.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 18, King Christian IX of Denmark signs the November Constitution, which declares Schleswig to be part of Denmark, regarded by the German Confederation as a violation of the London Protocol of 1852, leading to the German–Danish war of 1864.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 19, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address, at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 8, the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús fire in Santiago, Chile, kills between 2,000 and 3,000.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 19, Linoleum is patented in the United Kingdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 25, American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow writes the poem Christmas Bells, or, as it is better known I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Also in 1863:</b> The recipe for the herbal liqueur Bénédictine is devised by Alexandre Le Grand in Fécamp, France.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-XbWWF1PCz7Kjat57nS1e4eirjTAcHHtQhpWdqZuB96GKpKa8CWa1o-T44GC0AI7Akw5gdPd2IJzVCe_0PUjBze0hXsuggW1czzI6gWqzOeDqYNsxq1ZUcrry19HfClLT_iPGoBuy8CR/s1622/Archaeopteryx.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1622" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-XbWWF1PCz7Kjat57nS1e4eirjTAcHHtQhpWdqZuB96GKpKa8CWa1o-T44GC0AI7Akw5gdPd2IJzVCe_0PUjBze0hXsuggW1czzI6gWqzOeDqYNsxq1ZUcrry19HfClLT_iPGoBuy8CR/w148-h200/Archaeopteryx.jpeg" width="148" /></a></div>Richard Owen publishes the first description of a fossilised bird, Archaeopteryx.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Winged Victory of Samothrace is found at Samothrace by Charles Champoiseau. Made c. 190 BC, it will be displayed in the Louvre, Paris.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Births of historic note from 1863 include those of:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria; David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Italian writer, war hero and politician, Gabriele D’Annunzio; American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst; American automobile manufacturer and industrialist, Henry Ford; American businessman, Richard Warren Sears; English automobile pioneer, Henry Royce; French founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin; Indian Hindu religious leader, Swami Vivekananda; Oglala Lakota holy man, Heȟáka Sápa’, a.k.a. Black Elk; Italian opera composer and conductor, Pietro Mascagni; Finnish realist painter and art professor, Eero Järnefelt; Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch; French Neo-Impressionist painter, Paul Signac; Spanish-born philosopher, poet, essayist and novelist, George Santayana; and Canadian strongman, Louis Cyr.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Deaths of historic note from 1863 include those of:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Italian astronomer, microscopist and botanist Giovanni Battista Amici; Puerto Rican-born Latin American liberator Antonio Valero de Bernabé; French Romantic painter, Eugène Delacroix; German folklorist, Jacob Grimm; Sam Houston, first President of the Republic of Texas; and American Confederate general, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqUk7VNuebzLBzDQG-iPZE-APu5vMt0b0QPJV59ekLk9KQUNJIWyfIwKXvRedM-jNXhmQNegSOO0Ll3tkHWFRpon2xGpe7S9yMVJz7IlJcxQbqJjc4eS2Jt6Ed74N9DnV4MvggQRgul6u/s1600/1868+Via+Massari+24+-+26+courtesy+of+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqUk7VNuebzLBzDQG-iPZE-APu5vMt0b0QPJV59ekLk9KQUNJIWyfIwKXvRedM-jNXhmQNegSOO0Ll3tkHWFRpon2xGpe7S9yMVJz7IlJcxQbqJjc4eS2Jt6Ed74N9DnV4MvggQRgul6u/s640/1868+Via+Massari+24+-+26+courtesy+of+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Massari 24 - 26, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna date 1868</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I did my first tour of Casperia's centro storico in search of these restoration markers, I missed this pianella dated <b>1868</b> located high on the wall above Via Massari, 24 - 26. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I have to thank Casperia historian and archivist Lorenzo Capanna for drawing my attention to this marker. The following world events took place in the year that this pianella was placed in the wall above Via Massari:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji 明治天皇 of Japan, declared the Meiji Restoration 明治維新, his own restoration to full power, under the influence of supporters from the Chōshū and Satsuma Domains, and against the supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate. This triggered the Boshin War 戊辰戦争.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">January 9 – Penal transportation from Britain to Australia ends, with arrival of the convict ship Hougoumont in Western Australia, after an 89-day voyage from England. There are 62 Fenians deportees on board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">February – Foreign ministers meeting in Hyōgo are persuaded to recognise the restored Emperor Meiji of Japan, with promises that harbours will be open in accordance with international treaties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On February 24 the United States House of Representatives votes 126-47 in favour of a resolution to impeach Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, the first of two Presidents to be impeached by the full House. Johnson is later acquitted by the United States Senate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first parade to have floats takes place at Mardi Gras in New Orleans also on February 24</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">March – French geologist Louis Lartet discovers the first identified skeletons of Cro-Magnon, the first early modern humans, at Abri de Crô-Magnon, a rock shelter at Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May 26 – Fenian bomber Michael Barrett becomes the last person publicly hanged in the United Kingdom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May 29 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the Capital Punishment Amendment Act, thus ending public hanging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">June 1 – The Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed, allowing the Navajo to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico. The treaty effectively established the Navajo as a sovereign nation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">June 2 – The first Trades Union Congress is held in Manchester, England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">July 5 – Preacher William Booth establishes the Christian Mission, predecessor of The Salvation Army, in the East End of London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">September 3 – Emperor Meiji of Japan announces that the name of the city of Edo <b>江戸</b> is to be changed to Tokyo <b>東京</b>, which means Eastern Capital .</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">December 9 – The world's first traffic signal lights are installed at the junction of Great George Street and Bridge Street in the London Borough of Westminster.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">December 25 – U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War rebels.</span></div>
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<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Births of historical significance from 1868 include those of:</b> </div></span>
<ul><span style="font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vittorio Monti, Italian composer, violinist, mandolinist and conductor </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Edward S. Curtis, American photographer, ethnologist, and film director </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">William Edward Burghardt. Du Bois, African American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, writer and editor, the first African American to receive a doctorate at Harvard and one of the founders of the NAACP. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Emily Murphy, Canadian woman's rights activist, first female magistrate in Canada and the British Empire </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Maxim Gorky, Russian author, political activist and founder of the socialist realism literary method. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Abdülmecid II, last Caliph of the Ottoman Empire </li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of h</b></span><b>istorical significance from</b><b> this year include those of:</b></div></span></div><div>
<ul><span style="font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">David Brewster, Scottish physicist, inventor and author </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Jean Bernard Léon Foucault, French physicist </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kit Carson, American trapper, scout, and Indian agent </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician and astronomer </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Mongkut, Rama IV, King of Siam </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Laura Secord, Canadian heroine of the War of 1812 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer</li></span></ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYt949mX6QbxnSD-WVtgScB_I34ljwpsnfhVI2VUU-deikJEZtKemZ-Pp58-AisdoVPvyieocbPo3pIEaZRCnku4dr2jc7x6VSDWV3GpYJOl0THtHACDRY_iBDJC95LjYpFZU1ONKI4Izl/s1600/1880+fountain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYt949mX6QbxnSD-WVtgScB_I34ljwpsnfhVI2VUU-deikJEZtKemZ-Pp58-AisdoVPvyieocbPo3pIEaZRCnku4dr2jc7x6VSDWV3GpYJOl0THtHACDRY_iBDJC95LjYpFZU1ONKI4Izl/s640/1880+fountain.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fountain below Casperia near Via Valle Tassignana</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoU_jVmPPZ0hUjwW4rjXHfbF783szLtF6Y9l3Q3gpwJfJ15pz6ml8fmb7XWglwm3FGMBMvlSf1UTD9ojO670xhltjAe5Lq2pPgWzxYN3y81l1_MsBEdPMjA-oeTjI14qEMJOdAZtDikY5r/s1600/1880.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoU_jVmPPZ0hUjwW4rjXHfbF783szLtF6Y9l3Q3gpwJfJ15pz6ml8fmb7XWglwm3FGMBMvlSf1UTD9ojO670xhltjAe5Lq2pPgWzxYN3y81l1_MsBEdPMjA-oeTjI14qEMJOdAZtDikY5r/s640/1880.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Restored, April, 1880</span></td></tr>
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<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">This diamond-shaped pianella is located on a country fountain situated just below Casperia's walled town just off Via Valle Tasignana. The R on the marker stands for "ristaurata" meaning restored. This pianella, dating from 1880, is the first that I have found that dates from after the unification of Italy in 1871. So what was happening in the big world outside Casperia in this year? </span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In February, the journal "Science" is first published in the United States, with financial backing from Thomas Edison. In this same month, the first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana and the first successful shipment of frozen mutton from Australia arrives in London, aboard the SS Strathleven.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;">March 31 – Wabash, Indiana becomes the first electrically lit city in the world. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May 13 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">June 29 – France annexes Tahiti. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">August 14 – Cologne Cathedral is completed, after construction began in 1248, 632 years earlier. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">August 26 – Competing circus owners P. T. Barnum and James A. Bailey sign a contract in Bridgeport, Connecticut to create the Barnum & Bailey Circus. In 1907, the circus will merge forces with another competitor, the Ringling Brothers Circus. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">October 15 – Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">November 4 – The first cash register is patented by James and John Ritty of Dayton, Ohio. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">November 9 – A major earthquake strikes Zagreb and destroys many buildings, including Zagreb Cathedral. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">November 22 – Vaudeville actress Lillian Russell makes her debut at Tony Pastor's Theatre, in New York City. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">December 20 – First Boer War: The Battle of Bronkhorstspruit results in a Boer victory over the British. </div><br /><b> Dates unknown: </b><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Capuchin catacombs of Palermo are officially closed (there will be some burials afterwards). </div> The Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction, of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, is established in the United States. <br /> <br /><b> Historically significant births which occurred in 1880 include those of:</b></span></div><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aBBWuzh8gY4z6nvvJxccHezbKoh1B5RuvbfotvdciqulKxOJZ4V3F1N5onjV-AQOD80ODWtwzmIurVytMs3MJOI161ryUEtr7RNqF4jEJuY1DOuByNGqqgvYOBtcGsMePIjqpXlGmS8w/s1600/Helen+Keller.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="1089" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aBBWuzh8gY4z6nvvJxccHezbKoh1B5RuvbfotvdciqulKxOJZ4V3F1N5onjV-AQOD80ODWtwzmIurVytMs3MJOI161ryUEtr7RNqF4jEJuY1DOuByNGqqgvYOBtcGsMePIjqpXlGmS8w/s320/Helen+Keller.jpg" width="223" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen Keller</td></tr>
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<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Vajiravudh, Rama VI, King of Siam</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Father Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest, famous for his last photos of the RMS Titanic</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Tom Mix, American actor</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Douglas MacArthur, American general</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Helen Keller, American spokeswoman for the deaf and blind</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Tod Browning, American motion picture director, horror film pioneer</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Alessandro Guidoni, Italian air force general</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Chujiro Hayashi 林忠次郎, Japanese Reiki master</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Christabel Pankhurst, English suffragette</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">John Boyd Orr, Scottish physician and biologist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sarah Knauss, American supercentenarian verified as longest-lived American ever</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pier Ruggero Piccio, Italian World War I fighter ace, air force general</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Liberato Pinto, 78th Prime Minister of Portugal</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">George Marshall, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize</li>
</span></ul>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of note include those of:</span></b>
<ul><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Joshua A. Norton, self-anointed Emperor Norton I of the United States of America Lydia Maria Child, American novelist, abolitionist</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Victorio, Chiricahua Apache chief</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Alphonse Pénaud, French aviation pioneer</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bettino Ricasoli, Italian statesman</li></span></ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmBGugslU4Q4IzqclIIwaKs2ZX66xwtkOEj4jP28WwAKSm6vxwF_N5PMGgy5Mkln9Ab_cVDGp4jILAia6DTMHaN6hURagaC5fG377TQ2fn76bBVTl1IrDffGlvlf64GWJkM0KeflhjJoS/s1600/1891+July+Fonte+Varoni+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmBGugslU4Q4IzqclIIwaKs2ZX66xwtkOEj4jP28WwAKSm6vxwF_N5PMGgy5Mkln9Ab_cVDGp4jILAia6DTMHaN6hURagaC5fG377TQ2fn76bBVTl1IrDffGlvlf64GWJkM0KeflhjJoS/s640/1891+July+Fonte+Varoni+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Restoration Date marker on Fonte Varoni, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>This restoration date marker from </span><b>1891</b><span> is on an old country fountain known as Fonte Varoni on Via Fonte Varoni north of Casperia's centro storico. In the year that this fountain was restored: </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">January 1 – Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">January 29 – Liliuokalani is proclaimed Queen of Hawaii.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">January 31 – The Portuguese republican revolution breaks out, in the northern city of Porto.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">March 14 – In New Orleans, a lynch mob storms the Old Parish Prison, and lynches 11 Italians arrested but found innocent of the murder of Police Chief David Hennessy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">March 15 – Jesse W. Reno patents the first escalator at Coney Beach. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">March 17 – The British steamship SS Utopia, carrying Italian migrants to New York, sinks in the inner harbour of Gibraltar after collision with the battleship HMS Anson, killing 564. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">April 1 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claims to be Al-Mahdi, the Messiah of Islam. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May 1 – The first Fascio dei lavoratori (Workers League) is founded by Giuseppe De Felice Giuffrida in Catania, Sicily. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May 5 – The Music Hall in New York (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Peter Tchaikovsky as guest conductor. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May 11 – Ōtsu incident: Tsesarevich Nikolay Alexandrovich (the future Czar Nicholas II) of Russia survives an assassination attempt, while visiting Japan. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">May 15 – Pope Leo XIII issues the encyclical Rerum novarum, on the rights and duties of capital and labor, resulting in the creation of many Christian Democrat parties throughout Europe. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">June 25 – Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes appears in London’s The Strand Magazine for the first time, in the issue dated July. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">September 14 – The first penalty kick is awarded in a football (soccer) match; John Heath scores it for the Wolverhampton Wanderers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">October – Eugène Dubois finds the first fragmentary bones of Pithecanthropus erectus (later redesignated Homo erectus), or "Java Man", at Trinil on the Solo River. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">October 1 – Stanford University in California opens its doors. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">November 11 – Jindandao Incident: The Chinese Juu Uda League in Inner Mongolia massacres tens of thousands of Mongols, before being suppressed by government troops in late December. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">November 15 – The constitution of the First Brazilian Republic is promulgated. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">November 28 – The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is organized in St. Louis, Missouri. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">December 22 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography. </div> <br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Date unknown:</b> </span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Canadian-born James Naismith invents basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQol2X8sjmuFej9lZivGmUIdh6lZLX3UQ6Sp1CKR-M7K5ObKjLbjVx0mvC1yYq3P5xxmfQ10zsiAmr5QZKXaupqO1dKhuJn4p0HNlQxVUfwZ7Ew7QzZ4BZtLNKllsmHCuDzVvO6oU-qg1f/s200/Basketball.png" /></a> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Maria Skłodowska—later Marie Curie—enters the Sorbonne University. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Michelin patents the removable pneumatic bicycle tire.</div></span></span>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<b><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Historically significant births which occurred in 1891 include those of:</span></b>
<div class="p2">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Antonio Gramsci, Italian Communist writer and politician</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sam Jaffe, American actor</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cole Porter, American composer, songwriter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bernhard Zondek German-born Israeli gynecologist, developer of first reliable pregnancy test</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine </span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Historically significant deaths for 1891 include those of:</span></b>
<div class="p2">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Kalākaua, last reigning King of Hawaii</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Calixa Lavallée, composer of “O Canada”, the Canadian national anthem</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">William Tecumseh Sherman, American general</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">P. T. Barnum, American showman</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Sir John A. Macdonald, 1st Prime Minister of Canada, Father of Confederation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Pierre Lallement, French inventor of the bicycle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Pedro II, 2nd and last Emperor of Brazil</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">In fiction:</span></b><div class="p2">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Professor James Moriarty, fictional criminal mastermind in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short story "The Final Problem"</span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here below is another pianella from 1891. This one is located in an upper level bricked floor on Via Massari. Above the date is written the word, "Mattonata", which means "bricked".</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKSgMP9lGeBFX-9E_V51S575HL0L39FS9aVQT-JVf8QrEYGzhvbkpUNheGgWhyphenhyphenWok9ZH9K7EzDbjVxsb3yic2zPUFqDKt7eKsheSx5CjSJaGhSmlCFLO3tHg0_aT9XOom4JJ6shx8y4vK/s1676/Screen+Shot+2020-10-17+at+4.06.11+PM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="1676" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKSgMP9lGeBFX-9E_V51S575HL0L39FS9aVQT-JVf8QrEYGzhvbkpUNheGgWhyphenhyphenWok9ZH9K7EzDbjVxsb3yic2zPUFqDKt7eKsheSx5CjSJaGhSmlCFLO3tHg0_aT9XOom4JJ6shx8y4vK/w640-h482/Screen+Shot+2020-10-17+at+4.06.11+PM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Ritchie Dakin<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheMnjLoZKTAOOkwjIP289hyphenhyphenGQSBss5T8hfnv8yFHx1ws4S-OKKPEQ4J9pCsIwE36F3wlDm56nCINLUOX5NkJLq5uEdhAkJiNSdB7IjEKvgn-PzCo-hZWca9AckMHfZO6gwdKqqYjrlqgM/s1600/Via+Guglielmo+Marconi%252C+27+La+Fondaria+23+Maggio+1892.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="960" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheMnjLoZKTAOOkwjIP289hyphenhyphenGQSBss5T8hfnv8yFHx1ws4S-OKKPEQ4J9pCsIwE36F3wlDm56nCINLUOX5NkJLq5uEdhAkJiNSdB7IjEKvgn-PzCo-hZWca9AckMHfZO6gwdKqqYjrlqgM/s640/Via+Guglielmo+Marconi%252C+27+La+Fondaria+23+Maggio+1892.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Guglielmo Marconi, 27 La Fondaria 23 Maggio 1892</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are two pianelle for <b>1892</b> located on the wall of a building just outside Casperia's Porta Romana. The one located on the wall of Via Guglielmo Marconi, 29 dated 18 of May 1892. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On January 1, Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. On January 15, James Naismith's rules for basketball are published for the first time in the Springfield YMCA International Training School's newspaper, in an article titled "A New Game". On February 27, Rudolf Diesel applies for a patent, on his compression ignition engine (the Diesel engine). On March 11, the first basketball game is played in public, between students and faculty at the Springfield YMCA. A crowd of 200 spectators watches the game. On March 18, Sir Frederick Stanley announces his intention to </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCp-xdl31lwTM-sQbZsC09E67g3M5GbiOkyTTeUmosHG-Rm_Yxkjrx_CwQ2ADqMun0fIJHTEpN7XOlYhubz6epzjrNUxH3Mcw0l5OT3YEuvEEGlKlPDZATdj8q9noZYZvQkEYnzk5GfCGD/s1600/Stanley+Cup.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stanley Cup<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">donate the Stanley Cup. On March 31, the world's first fingerprinting bureau is formally opened by the Buenos Aires Chief of Police; it had been operating unofficially since the previous year. On April 15, the General Electric Company is established, through the merger of the Thomson-Houston Company and the Edison General Electric Company. On June 4, Abercrombie & Fitch is established by David T. Abercrombie. On June 7, Homer Plessy (who is black) is arrested for sitting on the whites-only car in Louisiana, leading to the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson court case. On August 4, the father and step-mother of Lizzie Borden are found </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwNLkk3aTh5a1tbQeiQGeQtInX3TvfX8UZn8oLPBRartvYUzpl0lmmBBd9hX7ehQcpoXyvZtPSe4-zKPqcEwoVaGUkRkhIHYdanREBx2ud-mkghNV59eA0R-7aP0QbgA9T8TSibictQr4/s1600/Lizzie-Borden-Axe.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hatchet used in Borden murder</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. On September 8, the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance is first recited. Also in this month, Women are first admitted to Yale University's graduate school. On, October 1, the University of Chicago holds its first classes. Later, on October 31, the first collection of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories from The Strand Magazine, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, is published in London. On December 17, the first issue of Vogue is published, and on December 18, The Nutcracker ballet, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is premiered at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. </span></div> <div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Date unknown: </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Andrew Carnegie combines all of his separate businesses into the Carnegie Steel Company, allowing him to gain a monopoly in the United States steel industry. A tortoise called Timothy is brought to the estate of Powderham Castle in England, where she lives until her death in 2004. Abu Dhabi becomes a British protectorate. Viruses are discovered by Russian–Ukrainian biologist Dimitri Ivanovski, and construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway begins.</span></div></span><div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Births of historic note for 1892 include those of:</span></b>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVs97PweDB18pZowXqQ0-YpAo_KPGfREivpywOF7b6nDWZyzHUD3PLYfj12Ck5hp3-zPhjg2xAthF0MVssNVFpi6E5xTV4alDdFbuig5J18yvyf4XiJubVeZP3hq17geBE5ldNXkaWD9xd/s1600/JRR+Tolkien.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="703" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVs97PweDB18pZowXqQ0-YpAo_KPGfREivpywOF7b6nDWZyzHUD3PLYfj12Ck5hp3-zPhjg2xAthF0MVssNVFpi6E5xTV4alDdFbuig5J18yvyf4XiJubVeZP3hq17geBE5ldNXkaWD9xd/s320/JRR+Tolkien.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J.R.R. Tolkien</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">J. R. R. Tolkien, South African professor, linguist, philologist, conlanger and author of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, <i>The Hobbit</i> and <i>The Silmarillion</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Oliver Hardy, American comedian, actor Eddie Cantor, American actor, singer </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Italo Mus, Italian painter </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Mary Pickford, Canadian actress, studio founder </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, British (Scottish) inventor of radar </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron), German World War I fighter pilot </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Basil Rathbone, British actor </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Pearl S. Buck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Haile Selassie I, Ethiopian emperor </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Arthur Compton, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Dink Johnson, American jazz musician Angelo Siciliano, a.k.a. Charles Atlas, Italian-American strongman, sideshow performer </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Tazio Nuvolari, Italian racing driver </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Francisco Franco, Spanish dictator </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">J. Paul Getty, American industrialist </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Ruth Chatterton, American actress, novelist, and aviator </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Stanley Price, American film, television actor </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Date unknown </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Gerald Haxton, secretary and lover of W. Somerset Maugham </span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Wu Shuqing, Chinese feminist, nationalist and revolutionary</span></li></ul></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ36uXkmS1AkWS-j1-0mg8bQrDg7xphBREZGU5KTk_5xvkraOUpUg3BN9cC-dcPzVxMRMBlBgkgp3A4h54eskz17lUDK7yYwz3TaYm0TByMiP2b5kGUEMOPKGKsbD4th7-be-Tq9QEkMb/s320/Whitman_at_about_fifty.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walk Whitman<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><ul class="ul1" style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of significant note for 1892 include those of:</b> </span></div> <li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Louis Vuitton, world-renowned French fashion designer </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Walt Whitman, American poet </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bahá'u'lláh, بهاءالله Persian founder of the Bahá'í Faith </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Polish-born feminist Ernestine Rose </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deodoro da Fonseca, 1st President of Brazil </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ernest Renan, French philosopher, philologist, historian and writer </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alfred, Lord Tennyson, British poet</span></span></li></ul><ul class="ul1">
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA75bahpAASDMKleQVCixEeWZkxurPS-5nmBveYuYRB8BNd8WFLHn4fU3JtMZ_Ep7_spSOaid06oy0Ro3tnL8wlmfdZ8t6UpQcoH6l3YKBdHSCsc9RklA3-L4TRScGzwyko90eZEL2EZ4C/s1600/IMG_4045.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="601" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA75bahpAASDMKleQVCixEeWZkxurPS-5nmBveYuYRB8BNd8WFLHn4fU3JtMZ_Ep7_spSOaid06oy0Ro3tnL8wlmfdZ8t6UpQcoH6l3YKBdHSCsc9RklA3-L4TRScGzwyko90eZEL2EZ4C/s640/IMG_4045.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via G. Marconi, 22 - Photo courtesy of Frencesco Petruciolli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This pianella, dated <b>1894</b>, is the only one we have discovered so far on the outer side of Casperia's ring of walls. In fact, of all the pianelle included in these two blog posts, it was one of the last to be discovered as it is very hard to see. It is actually mostly obscured from view by electrical wiring but it was recently rediscovered by our community historian and archivist Lorenzo Capanna while he was sitting on the edge of the old communal laundry fountain opposite the Sileri butcher shop. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyf7esyE3lFGwjCemK6qEqH5rUAVXBm9e052vqwlkpkhtLABfdBcLSwXddDNLY6EWeWOpFSCEVDL0ti-_ikcjZa5A2bCzG1VnyGJh18h08asX0sUhAPJANZt2cmW_QyYdHfmHLA4fLR_W/s1600/IMG_4052.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyf7esyE3lFGwjCemK6qEqH5rUAVXBm9e052vqwlkpkhtLABfdBcLSwXddDNLY6EWeWOpFSCEVDL0ti-_ikcjZa5A2bCzG1VnyGJh18h08asX0sUhAPJANZt2cmW_QyYdHfmHLA4fLR_W/s320/IMG_4052.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Francesco Petruciolli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is located high on the wall, above a second story window which belongs to the Geometra's office directly above Armando Sileri's macelleria at Via G. Marconi, 22 and it took a very long time before any of us could get a photo good enough to allow us to determine the date. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This photo comes courtesy of Francesco Petruciolli.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So what was happening in the world when this section of Casperia's 13th century circuit walls was being worked on?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 12, Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time. The first significant protest march in the United States, Coxey's Army of the unemployed, departs from Massillon, Ohio, for Washington, D.C. on March 25th. On June 23, the International Olympic Committee is founded in Paris. London’s Tower Bridge opens for traffic on June 30th. On July 4, Sanford B. Dole proclaims The Republic of Hawaii. On July 16, the United Kingdom and Japan sign the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, as the U.K. becomes the first of the Western nations to agree to give up its extraterritorial rights in Japan. The first Sino-Japanese War erupts between the Qing Empire of China and the Empire of Japan on August 1st over their rival claims of influence over their common ally, the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. On August 31, New Zealand enacts the world's first minimum wage law, to take effect on January 1, in the passage of the <i>Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act of 1894</i>. In New York City, 12,000 tailors strike against sweatshop working conditions on September 4th. On October 15, French Army officer Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying. Later, on December 22, Dreyfus will be convicted of treason.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEna5qLyKpTkfDGEpUE-FuIb4ts5WgF7U9jsyh7vtoWLAJF_E0ojhwb_lMOHKYVpvME1QABcNXFGUDz_Yqxt-LrCexI8oPvP_OvXe9vJ2r9xQyp87snviZb-ERzAdLPl7ft79rjz9E41LK/s1600/Melegatti+pandoro.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEna5qLyKpTkfDGEpUE-FuIb4ts5WgF7U9jsyh7vtoWLAJF_E0ojhwb_lMOHKYVpvME1QABcNXFGUDz_Yqxt-LrCexI8oPvP_OvXe9vJ2r9xQyp87snviZb-ERzAdLPl7ft79rjz9E41LK/s320/Melegatti+pandoro.jpg" width="277" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 30, Domenico Melegatti obtains a patent for a procedure, to be applied in producing pandoro industrially. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 1, Russian emperor Alexander III is succeeded by his son, Nicholas II. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 18, Women in South Australia become the first in Australia to gain the right to vote and to be elected to Parliament, taking effect from 1895. Also in this year, oil is discovered on the Osage Indian Reservation, making the Osage the "richest group of people in the world".</div></span><div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic interest from 1894 include those of:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Soviet politician and premier, Nikita Khrushchev; King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (afterwards The Duke of Windsor); German Nazi official and </span><span style="font-size: large;">Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">, Rudolf Hess; African-American blues singer, Bessie Smith; </span><span style="font-size: large;">American artist and illustrator, Norman Rockwell; </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Canadian World War I fighter ace, Billy Bishop; English novelist and philosopher, Aldous Huxley; English novelist and playwright, J. B. Priestley; American poet, E. E. Cummings; American cartoonist and writer, James Thurber; American detective fiction writer, Dashiell Hammett; American sexologist, Alfred Kinsey; American dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham; American comedian and actor, Jack Benny; American actor, Walter Brennan; British-American actress, Kathleen Lockhart; American chewing gum manufacturer and sports executive, Philip K. Wrigley; and American cartoonist and Popeye creator, E. C. Segar.</span></div></span></div><div><br /><ul>
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Deaths of historic note from 1894 include those of:</b> Belgian instrument maker and inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax; Jane Goodwin Austin, American popular story writer, Jane Goodwin Austin; Mary Jane Patterson, the first African-American woman to receive a B.A degree (1862); American author, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.; Mexican rancher, politician, military leader, outlaw and folk hero, Juan Cortina; Emperor Alexander III of Russia; Russian pianist, composer, Anton Rubinstein; and Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson.</div></span><ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCKqqfp1cRm_yx_TLnK2S_q6p2Q4ewv1ionJJsPcK23NTCcMdxj-M25LGXIBF78apLxxX4xpXDt7CertXj06DZbjUbeMXvsnMIaUsYke_2qXtLUjZn2w8K0wSsgXzbURbjpX-7bxnASOD/s1600/1905.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCKqqfp1cRm_yx_TLnK2S_q6p2Q4ewv1ionJJsPcK23NTCcMdxj-M25LGXIBF78apLxxX4xpXDt7CertXj06DZbjUbeMXvsnMIaUsYke_2qXtLUjZn2w8K0wSsgXzbURbjpX-7bxnASOD/s640/1905.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This 1905 dated pianella can be found on a house on Via Santa Maria in Legarano</span></td></tr>
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<span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXendKOyn_zQoKT79HeY1G51BK9XdsAWVuK_LJjXjST_E5_5LC08Z7S6QFqJgH9ghElamlkB4xZ710zX9Se1uFqVr3_9UJ9xfAOh5xTikEhvJ24IkWPvNOxU6RfNibRVRk_PyrhHsXwhdU/s1600/3ac4f821-a8ae-497f-9c85-3c2069a67d91.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXendKOyn_zQoKT79HeY1G51BK9XdsAWVuK_LJjXjST_E5_5LC08Z7S6QFqJgH9ghElamlkB4xZ710zX9Se1uFqVr3_9UJ9xfAOh5xTikEhvJ24IkWPvNOxU6RfNibRVRk_PyrhHsXwhdU/w640-h480/3ac4f821-a8ae-497f-9c85-3c2069a67d91.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 1905 dated Pianella is located on a house at Via San Pietro, 6 on Caprignano <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are lots of restoration date markers in and around Casperia's centro storico that date from the 20th century. Here are two pianelle, both from 1905, located outside Casperia's centro storico. The one on the top is located above a very dilapidated—and soon to collapse—brick arch on the road connecting Casperia's Porta Reatina with the hamlet of Santa Maria in Legarano. The second one is located above the front door of a house at Via San Pietro, 6 on top of Caprignano hill. </span></span></div></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1905 is the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War 日露戦争. More than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era. On January 1, the Trans-Siberian Railway officially opens. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3fGI2vYvLfTE2YxmbZOiuxC6Lb2G2U9BajGblXhfknvL9trcSgPBZ5klBwwfJf_gB4Ce9brAJIKMUzhUIGSqj-1LVSgTPuJpScYTsq8Wq_ynCrkh8XcY7Gx6lXikIiScFjk1n3JUqAkQ/s1002/Gapon_crowd_1905.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="760" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3fGI2vYvLfTE2YxmbZOiuxC6Lb2G2U9BajGblXhfknvL9trcSgPBZ5klBwwfJf_gB4Ce9brAJIKMUzhUIGSqj-1LVSgTPuJpScYTsq8Wq_ynCrkh8XcY7Gx6lXikIiScFjk1n3JUqAkQ/s320/Gapon_crowd_1905.jpg" /></a></div>On January 22, the Bloody Sunday massacre of peaceful Russian demonstrators, led by Russian Orthodox priest Father Gapon, at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, helps trigger the abortive Revolution of 1905. Four days later the Imperial Russian Army opens fire on demonstrators in Riga, Livonia, killing 73 and injuring 200 people. On March 3, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly—the Duma. On May 27-28, the Japanese fleet under Admiral Heihachiro Togo destroys the Russian fleet under Admiral Zinovi Petrovich Rozhdestvenski, in the 2-day Battle of Tsushima. On June 7, the Norwegian Parliament declares the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden, giving Norway full independence. On August 20, Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen forms the first chapter of Tong Meng Hui 同盟會, a union of all secret societies determined to bringing down the Manchu dynasty. On September 1, two new Canadian provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, are established. On September 5, in New Hampshire, the Treaty of Portsmouth, mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt is signed by Japan and Russia. Russia cedes the south half of the island of Sakhalin together with port and rail rights in Manchuria to Japan. On September 8, the massive 7.2Mw Calabria Earthquake shakes up Southern Italy killing between 557 and 2,500 people. On October 2, the HMS Dreadnought (launched in 1906) is laid down in the United Kingdom, revolutionizing battleship design and triggering a naval arms race. On October 30, October Manifesto: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia is forced to announce the granting of his country's first constitution, conceding a national assembly (State Duma) with limited powers. On November 12, Norway holds a referendum, resulting in popular approval of the Storting's decision to authorise the government to make the offer of the throne of the newly independent country to Prince Carl of Denmark, who will ascend the throne under the name of Haakon VII. On November 17, Korea effectively becomes a Japanese protectorate with the signing of the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905. On November 28, Irish nationalist Arthur Griffiths founds Sinn Féin in Dublin as a political party whose goal is independence for all of Ireland. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gmTdFPYo4rSlAsX8KWAMVDpVhyphenhyphenxPQkePVyJQjh9WqEEE6DwqTFq_T5Bza7PkvuJQfsV-9bx1e0BfoF8riL3sOQQK-z9vxz6Wsb2iNeLemV4Ers8FcZrIhdr-wcxh6l579W7dpCAxS-i-/s512/Rotary.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gmTdFPYo4rSlAsX8KWAMVDpVhyphenhyphenxPQkePVyJQjh9WqEEE6DwqTFq_T5Bza7PkvuJQfsV-9bx1e0BfoF8riL3sOQQK-z9vxz6Wsb2iNeLemV4Ers8FcZrIhdr-wcxh6l579W7dpCAxS-i-/s320/Rotary.png" /></a></div>Also in this year Rotary International is founded, in Chicago, Illinois; the City of Las Vegas was founded in Nevada; and Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are banned from the Brooklyn Public Library, for setting a "bad example."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Births of historic significance from 1905 include those of: Swedish diplomat, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld; Italian Nobel Prize laureate physicist, Emilio Segrè; Italian composer, Giacinto Scelsi; French existentialist, Jean-Paul Sartre; French couturier, Christian Dior; Elsie MacGill, the world's first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and the first woman in Canada to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering; American author, and philosopher, Ayn Rand; American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader, Red Nichols; American blues, vaudeville singer and dancer, Bertha Hill; Italian-born conductor, arranger, Mantovani; American bandleader, Tommy Dorsey; Austrian singer and inspiration for The Sound of Music, Baroness Maria Augusta von Trapp; American zoologist and television host (Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom), Marlin Perkins; American film producer and actor, William Cagney; American actors: Joseph Cotten, Henry Fonda, and Myrna Loy; Swedish actress, Greta Garbo; Howard Hughes, American millionaire, aviation pioneer and film mogul; Japanese geisha, prostitute and famous murderess, Abe Sada; and German Nazi official, and architect, Albert Speer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among the historically significant people to die in 1905 were: American <i>Ben-Hur </i>author, Lew Wallace, <i>Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea</i> French science fiction author, Jules Verne; and Italian brigand, Carmine Crocco.</div></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsXyjKWrKGbvcjo4kx49vqzTCqIak1fv5ptvVbQ1AmhxcQfCJe90ophdBX3M_QH6w3ownZbcYh0asQyk1Eqa1u4EtyrVy89ueCtcMgV7pGB6e59wPZu7D-8LhnUYNzEPmICB3z_xg_DZM/s1600/1907+Via+San+Pietro+house+courtesy+of+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsXyjKWrKGbvcjo4kx49vqzTCqIak1fv5ptvVbQ1AmhxcQfCJe90ophdBX3M_QH6w3ownZbcYh0asQyk1Eqa1u4EtyrVy89ueCtcMgV7pGB6e59wPZu7D-8LhnUYNzEPmICB3z_xg_DZM/s640/1907+Via+San+Pietro+house+courtesy+of+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1907 Via San Pietro, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna. G. M. likely stands for Giovambattista Masci</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pianella, dated <b>1907</b>, is on a house in the countryside located on Via San Pietro. In this year, Guglielmo Marconi initiates commercial trans-Atlantic radio communications, between his high power longwave wireless telegraphy stations in Clifden, Ireland and Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. In this year were born actors Cesar Romero, Robert Young, Katherine Hepburn, Lawrence Oliver, John Wayne, and Fay Wray, as well as artist Frida Kahlo, and science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein.</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0_azjOSJG8K89_R1IVszfYOMAZBHxrC3Ahyphenhyphen02JvUpVd3fmxZ-uk6ed-XVuX5MbY1rJesW6txRfFpjglGuWTy-Ah9_LIj5HMvYlQZAjn0fGwKNV30a1m25Nc9ssYqJTvJ_XwK_1tQHdCp/s1600/1909+-+Via+Roma%252C+40.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0_azjOSJG8K89_R1IVszfYOMAZBHxrC3Ahyphenhyphen02JvUpVd3fmxZ-uk6ed-XVuX5MbY1rJesW6txRfFpjglGuWTy-Ah9_LIj5HMvYlQZAjn0fGwKNV30a1m25Nc9ssYqJTvJ_XwK_1tQHdCp/s640/1909+-+Via+Roma%252C+40.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Roma, 40 just outside Casperia's historic centre</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This pianella, dated <b>1909</b>, is on a building outside of Casperia's historic centre at Via Roma 40. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large;">In the year this date marker was created: Colombia recognises the independence of Panama. The NAACP: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is founded in New York. In April of this year between 15,000–30,000 Armenian Christians were killed by Ottoman Turks in the Adana massacre. In the same month, Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ez4jPtM60QGEyqO47Ysva9FqWjW7FSdzrBLTjfORnYCZ-_1WqVuNzi9NaoqiXyd4HL4whwEulv_0GjoZeJbKGVGhSt7aA6jVRq7J30NsOsdn1PsBKqYnF4x1oD3pWYtCmo6A7e4sHKPv/s551/1909-Il-Percorso-del-Giro-1909.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ez4jPtM60QGEyqO47Ysva9FqWjW7FSdzrBLTjfORnYCZ-_1WqVuNzi9NaoqiXyd4HL4whwEulv_0GjoZeJbKGVGhSt7aA6jVRq7J30NsOsdn1PsBKqYnF4x1oD3pWYtCmo6A7e4sHKPv/s320/1909-Il-Percorso-del-Giro-1909.png" /></a></div>In May, the first Giro d'Italia bicycle race is held. On July 25, Louis Blériot is the first man to fly across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air craft. In August, the world's first military airplane, a Wright Military Flyer, is purchased by the United States Army Signal Corp Division. Also in this year, the legendary Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey club is founded in Canada and the polio virus is discovered. </span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">U.S politician Barry Goldwater, actors James Mason, Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., American musician Benny Goodman, singer Burl Ives, cartoonist Al Capp, director Elia Kazan, Austrian auto designer Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche and Italian road racing cyclist Vasco Bergamaschi were all born in 1909. In the same year Apache leader Geronimo and Sioux Warrior Red Cloud passed away.</span></span><br /><span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQy23psf7QvLjSSv0LdslAOMGVA4bJ5cQJzg0siuaoVdDE999SUe4US3R__GK-Z_laND7YpLuB-GPUwPZ7xXKOenMQCCuZLgj61mwwjwF6lPExPxWenfuPX5mbkG_qlErB7jvrp99IYWP/s2048/1910+Giotto+Masci+-+Colle+Perrini.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="2048" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQy23psf7QvLjSSv0LdslAOMGVA4bJ5cQJzg0siuaoVdDE999SUe4US3R__GK-Z_laND7YpLuB-GPUwPZ7xXKOenMQCCuZLgj61mwwjwF6lPExPxWenfuPX5mbkG_qlErB7jvrp99IYWP/w640-h344/1910+Giotto+Masci+-+Colle+Perrini.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rifugio on Colle Perrini - Photo courtesy of Giotto Masci</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I have to thank our friend Giotto Masci for sharing this photo. This pianella from 1910, located above the door of a mountain refuge high above Casperia on Colle Perrini, likely has the honour of being the highest placed date marker in Casperia.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a list of events that took place in the year this date marker was incorporated into the wall of the shelter:</span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 13, the first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In March, the Albanian revolt of 1910, an uprising against Ottoman rule, breaks out in Albania. On March 8, in France, Raymonde de Laroche is awarded Pilot's License #36 by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, becoming the first woman authorized to fly an airplane. On March 10, slavery in China, which has existed since the Shang dynasty, is made illegal. On March 18, the first filmed version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein comes out. It is considered to be the first horror movie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-Y9UkYIlZ0gqi-L6s6QT5LqyueMfNnuuEgTb9wrWvdBLlDB3yx9DrEHk6wx75ugNVX-LAh51ST6kmdzmpUmEPbR7p4iLNtshIlpikUhI-PoipxpVbu2YbXWu67w_g-uzde8C-KhPaa59/s268/unnamed.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="268" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-Y9UkYIlZ0gqi-L6s6QT5LqyueMfNnuuEgTb9wrWvdBLlDB3yx9DrEHk6wx75ugNVX-LAh51ST6kmdzmpUmEPbR7p4iLNtshIlpikUhI-PoipxpVbu2YbXWu67w_g-uzde8C-KhPaa59/w320-h227/unnamed.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>On April 20, Halley’s Comet is visible from Earth. Reports that the earth would pass through the tail of the comet led to widespread panic with many fearing that gases from the comet would wipe out all life on earth. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On May 6, George V becomes King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland upon the death of his father, Edward VII. On May 12, the second National Association for the Advancement of Colored People meeting is held in New York City. On May 18, the Earth passes through the tail of Halley's Comet. On May 31, the Union of South Africa is created.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 22, the DELAG Zeppelin dirigible Deutschland makes the first commercial passenger flight, from Friedrichshafen to Düsseldorf in Germany; the flight takes nine hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcXlfcrX3Htahl1JgqimR1QmM3LRj0U0-cAHC2h8xIBsr9I05CXraOP9QhLWRnTFGML1SZhVVx5AGKQcJ70cnbcVrc7d3P7jCCSQQbPcRGfw1ba7ysxgaVOcqWaMcFgkKUpMphU3P1w3R/s1222/Johnson_jeff.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="932" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcXlfcrX3Htahl1JgqimR1QmM3LRj0U0-cAHC2h8xIBsr9I05CXraOP9QhLWRnTFGML1SZhVVx5AGKQcJ70cnbcVrc7d3P7jCCSQQbPcRGfw1ba7ysxgaVOcqWaMcFgkKUpMphU3P1w3R/s320/Johnson_jeff.jpeg" /></a></div>On July 4, July 4, African-American boxer Jack Johnson defeats white American boxer James J. Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match, sparking race riots across the United States. On July 24, Ottoman forces capture the city of Shkodër to put down the Albanian Revolt of 1910. On August 22, the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, by which the Empire of Japan formally annexes the Korean Empire, is signed. A week later Emperor Sunjong of Korea abdicates and the country's monarchy is abolished. On August 28, Montenegro is proclaimed a kingdom, under Nicholas I.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On September 1, the Vatican introduces a compulsory oath against modernism (<i>Sacrorum antistitum</i>), to be taken by all priests upon ordination.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 5, the First Portuguese Republic is proclaimed in Lisbon; King Manuel II of Portugal flees to England.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 7, the first air flight for the purpose of delivering commercial freight takes place in the United States. The flight, made by Wright brothers pilot Philip Parmalee, is between Dayton and Columbus, Ohio. On November 20 the Mexican Revolution begins, when Francisco I. Madero proclaims the elections of 1910 null and void, and calls for an armed revolution at 6 p.m. against the illegitimate presidency/dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 3, modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also in this year: Henry Ford sells 10,000 automobiles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Births of historic note from 1910 include those of:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, author and marine researcher, Jacques-Yves Cousteau; Japanese inventor, businessman, founder of Nissan Food Products Co. Ltd. and inventor of instant noodles, Momofuku Ando 安藤百福; British engineer and inventor of the Hovercraft, Christopher Cockerell; Japanese screenwriter, producer, and director, Akira Kurosawa 黒澤明; Italian architect, director and screenwriter, Aldo Buzzi; Italian poet, writer and psychiatrist, Mario Tobino; French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist, Jean Genet; American author, Paul Bowles; </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6KQSRxVEBe1cjSo93jFzqmX7uMV5Yxl2jbMOt7ax1LY6UC37Ck9NpH_uS75ktzbjONFPbArY0MHKb_MV8oMT2G7ooBe5v64EKnC0yo5KgKRN3OHgMVJmrTWk-in2TUFBttpdqsv8CfbA/s968/mother+teresa.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="760" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6KQSRxVEBe1cjSo93jFzqmX7uMV5Yxl2jbMOt7ax1LY6UC37Ck9NpH_uS75ktzbjONFPbArY0MHKb_MV8oMT2G7ooBe5v64EKnC0yo5KgKRN3OHgMVJmrTWk-in2TUFBttpdqsv8CfbA/w157-h200/mother+teresa.jpeg" width="157" /></a></div>North Macedonian-born Albanian-Indian nun, Nobel Prize laureate and saint, Mother Theresa; Indian saint, Saint Alphonsa; French resistance fighter, Georges Loinger, BVO; African-American civil rights activist, lawyer, author and Episcopal priest, Pauli Murray; British actors Jack Hawkins and David Niven; Italian Olympic cyclist, Attilio Pavesi; Edda Mussolini, eldest child of Benito Mussolini; American outlaw and member of the Barrow Gang, Bonnie Parker.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Deaths of historic note from 1910 include those of:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India; Swiss founder of the Red Cross and Nobel Prize laureate, Jean Henri Dunant; Marie Pasteur, chemist, scientific assistant and collaborator to her spouse, the French chemist and bacteriologist Louis Pasteur; American physician and third woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, Emily Blackwell; Granville Woods, the first African-American mechanical and electrical engineer and inventor; African-American folk artist and quilt maker, Harriet Powers; pioneering French aviator and sculptor, Léon Delagrange; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpKcP9UzZVXRcOvZK1uJVB7OVEK72HKZUGIXUztMmP4GMjnuEOZVJv_rhmA5_nIIrpPDXmn1ccxV7biihM2W0h07VaVttC3u5tQK_hDKnnb3pa07EBiniJWiOwoX_oV707F0fAMsZ-ug4/s946/Schiaparelli+a+Brera.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="788" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpKcP9UzZVXRcOvZK1uJVB7OVEK72HKZUGIXUztMmP4GMjnuEOZVJv_rhmA5_nIIrpPDXmn1ccxV7biihM2W0h07VaVttC3u5tQK_hDKnnb3pa07EBiniJWiOwoX_oV707F0fAMsZ-ug4/w267-h320/Schiaparelli+a+Brera.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div>Italian astronomer who named the “seas” and “continents” of Mars, Giovanni Schiaparelli; German physician, microbiologist and Nobel Prize laureate, Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch; English businessman and plumber, Thomas Crapper; British aviator and automobile manufacturer, Charles Rolls; English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale; Italian neurologist, physiologist, anthropologist, and fiction author, Paolo Mantegazza; American psychologist, philosopher and historian, the “Father of American psychology”, William James; British psychical researcher, author, and founding member of the Fabian Society, Frank Podmore; Russian author and multiple Nobel Prize nominee, Leo Tolstoy; American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain; American novelist , William Sydney Porter a.k.a. O. Henry; Post-impressionist French painter, Henri Rousseau; Italian patriot and writer, Giuseppe Cesare Abba; Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist and failed assassin of King Umberto I; and American religious leader and founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineba5BmcWhFcd7nOUjShf-s6Kanc9KwN6OKgEiwi-MHIx3mSD_QTj3qTzLb5L2ZlN4AakyiwEmtAVX_GIJChzKMty3RPFq6k65eIVpnzCtbaruXh0SA03Nr3CgsCLLh4uKm5JKbUXmxE6/s1600/1919+Santa+Maria+Legarano+courtesy+of+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineba5BmcWhFcd7nOUjShf-s6Kanc9KwN6OKgEiwi-MHIx3mSD_QTj3qTzLb5L2ZlN4AakyiwEmtAVX_GIJChzKMty3RPFq6k65eIVpnzCtbaruXh0SA03Nr3CgsCLLh4uKm5JKbUXmxE6/s640/1919+Santa+Maria+Legarano+courtesy+of+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the Colle Flaviano Casa Vacanze at Via Santa Maria, 26, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a pianella dated <b>1919 </b>located on the stone wall of the Colle Flaviano Casa Vacanze at Via Santa Maria, 26. In 1919, the Spanish flu epidemic rages, the League of Nations is founded, and in Boston, 21 people are killed and 150 people injured in the Great Molasses Flood when a wave of molasses, released from an exploding storage tank, sweeps through the city. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 1919 were born Giulio Andreotti, actors Jack Palance, Jennifer Jones, Donald Pleasance and Martin Balsam, singing legend Nat King Cole, Maria Eva "Evita" Duarte de Peròn, Liberace, author Doris Lessing, mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, Alabama Governor George Wallace, and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Notable deaths for this year include those of US President Theodore Roosevelt, Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier, business magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and Pierre Auguste Renoir.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJb8gGAPUmlPUXGsl6XrMKDji1wsawj0krLl0hDVvA-h9zcKv5PGkgx2iQHMHVEYJ2TdOTECX0jpwQjSBfEsCWhcp27ZJChMZFAschLzH1nITkysTTmOOkHuDFhlVpjOi1XJay62OWjBB/s1600/Piazza+San+Giovanni+Battista%252C+9+16+Marzo+1921.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJb8gGAPUmlPUXGsl6XrMKDji1wsawj0krLl0hDVvA-h9zcKv5PGkgx2iQHMHVEYJ2TdOTECX0jpwQjSBfEsCWhcp27ZJChMZFAschLzH1nITkysTTmOOkHuDFhlVpjOi1XJay62OWjBB/s640/Piazza+San+Giovanni+Battista%252C+9+16+Marzo+1921.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Piazza San Giovanni Battista, 9 - 16 Marzo 1921</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This restoration marker, dated <b>6 March 1921</b>, is located in the heart of Casperia's historic centre at Piazza Giovanni Battista, 9. In this year, the Italian communist party is founded in Livorno. In the same year the National Fascist Party is founded in Italy. In 1921, the Irish War of Independence comes to a halt and the Province of Northern Ireland is established in the United Kingdom and the Anglo-Irish Treaty established the Irish Free State. The Communist Party of China is founded. In the same year that the world's first fast food chain is established with the opening of Whitecastle Hamburger Restaurant in Wichita, Kansas an estimated five million people die of starvation in Russia's Povolzhye famine. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 1921 were born entertainers Carol Channing, Steve Allen and Betty Hutton, actors </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Abe Vigoda, Dirk Bogarde, </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Donna Reed, Lana Turner, Jane Russell, Deborah Kerr, James Whitmore, Charles Bronson, Brian Keith and Richard Egan, boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson, swimmer Esther Williams, nuclear physicist, dissident and activist Andrei Sakharov, astronaut John Glenn, author Alex Haley, Indonesian President Suharto, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Nancy Reagan, screenwriter and original Star Trek series creator Gene Roddenberry. Italian opera legend Enrico Caruso passed away that year.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEtMGoSLHWhx36jPRBc6oQ3QN0divTG8pgJeZys9UQl60dWJvct0VFLZBsVLnZRABEACfTxH40M1AZ3KUF9-0d-D4ATDt_rxpJGerogj3SMcw8_2CnYCMF4dPwP3FMIyRUCAxg2lbUz08/s1600/Via+Casperia%252C+4++Advertising+for+an+osteria+or+cantina+from+1927+VINO+L2+%253A+Litro+%25282+lire+a+litre%2529+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEtMGoSLHWhx36jPRBc6oQ3QN0divTG8pgJeZys9UQl60dWJvct0VFLZBsVLnZRABEACfTxH40M1AZ3KUF9-0d-D4ATDt_rxpJGerogj3SMcw8_2CnYCMF4dPwP3FMIyRUCAxg2lbUz08/s640/Via+Casperia%252C+4++Advertising+for+an+osteria+or+cantina+from+1927+VINO+L2+%253A+Litro+%25282+lire+a+litre%2529+.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Casperia, 4 Advertising for an osteria or cantina from 1927 VINO L2 / Litro (2 lire a litre)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is not a proper pianella. It is actually a store sign dating from </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>1927</b> advertising that the cantina around the corner behind the sign near Via Casperia, 4 sold a litre of wine for 2 Lire! Wow, have wine prices ever changed! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 1927, the year in which our planet's population reached two billion, Fritz Lang's futuristic masterpiece "Metropolis" is released in Germany, the carving of the images on Mount Rushmore begins, the Chinese Communist People's Liberation Army is established, the first trans-Atlantic telephone call is made between New York and London via radio. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 1927, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, and Coretta Scott King, actors Peter Falk, Roger Moore, Janet Leigh and Gina Lollobrigida are born. Also, reputed ax murderer Lizzie Borden died in this year.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme77YS7GYPjRn2gEwpQbKow2xcz9n35QAXwEqsLEX-0MYYYAla4S2vVTWRbwgqro_wNCIqbKwd_WlnLTIqmQA3NyJ552YzuqvdnCUEBiPeC4HRLj92TwB9fJECHlQR94WZvvXa8X4ObvY/s1600/Via+Mazzini%252C+18+1928.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="960" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme77YS7GYPjRn2gEwpQbKow2xcz9n35QAXwEqsLEX-0MYYYAla4S2vVTWRbwgqro_wNCIqbKwd_WlnLTIqmQA3NyJ552YzuqvdnCUEBiPeC4HRLj92TwB9fJECHlQR94WZvvXa8X4ObvY/s640/Via+Mazzini%252C+18+1928.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Mazzini, 18</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This too is obviously not a proper pianella but it is obviously a restoration date marker from <b>1928</b> located at Via Mazzini, 18. This was the year my parents were born... my dad in London, Ontario and my mother in Morell, Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. In this same year Mussolini escapes death in a bombing assassination attack in Milan which kills 17 bystanders. In the United Kingdom, the voting age for women is reduced from 30 to 21, the same age as men. Scotsman, Sir Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In 1928, births of note include those of hockey great Gordie Howe, Maya Angelou, Shirley Temple, Che Guevara, director Stanley Kubrick, Batman actor Adam West, Elie Wiesel, and Noam Chomsky. Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen died in this year.</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKawkbeXDHhItTh5Q7FWuIbXC7_8FSk2dBeCBrOxBeFmer56rCwcjTOssTNB_hHENj8g4RcB4l_RrbxlsRc0n4Dk_XqycFbRjtrv6wbv8l1QZ79YCjFQ9XAYSaEOdFUhuvcckSLQ8RE9NR/s1600/1935+-+Abandoned+house+on+the+north+side+of+the+street+of+Via+Roma+in+Paranzano.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKawkbeXDHhItTh5Q7FWuIbXC7_8FSk2dBeCBrOxBeFmer56rCwcjTOssTNB_hHENj8g4RcB4l_RrbxlsRc0n4Dk_XqycFbRjtrv6wbv8l1QZ79YCjFQ9XAYSaEOdFUhuvcckSLQ8RE9NR/s640/1935+-+Abandoned+house+on+the+north+side+of+the+street+of+Via+Roma+in+Paranzano.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1935 - Abandoned house on the north side of the street of Via Roma in Paranzano</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSJu512GphNSXtxkY25RKnlblocKDmvqI_nHwM7Rdv7pRLPkf6PKAxxbwsPXNZ4VoNhxavpnxWLau5R9q2ZIgXv1iWU02y0ejOr3y_jmi2yIyT2nRshPgAdGyt3jN2xB05AXUmJF9zioA/s1600/1935+Paranzano.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSJu512GphNSXtxkY25RKnlblocKDmvqI_nHwM7Rdv7pRLPkf6PKAxxbwsPXNZ4VoNhxavpnxWLau5R9q2ZIgXv1iWU02y0ejOr3y_jmi2yIyT2nRshPgAdGyt3jN2xB05AXUmJF9zioA/s640/1935+Paranzano.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I find it very sad but the Sabine countryside is dotted with abandoned farm houses, many of them very beautiful, picturesque houses which, if I had the money, I would love to restore back to their former glory. One of them is this one on the north side of the Via Romana in Paranzano, just a stone's throw away from the leaning tower of stone which is an ancient Roman funerary monument. I don't know how old the house is, but it was restored in <b>1935</b> and the owners thought it important to add, not one, but two restoration date markers, one with the Latin inscription: Adiuncta Accessio Aedibus A(nno) D (omini) MCMXXXV, which as far as I can tell, translates: The addition of an accessory house, in the year of our Lord, 1935. From the outside, the house looks sturdy, solid... but some decades after it was restored—I am not sure when—the house was abandoned. At the time it was restored, there was a lot going on in Italy and the outside world. In 1935, Italy joined its two North African colonies of Tripoli and Cyrenaica as Libya. Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. The first canned beer is sold in Richmond, Virginia. Cartoon character Porky Pig makes his debut. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 1935 a number of notable people were born including Elvis Presley, Sonny Bono, actor Dudley Moore, the "world's humblest head of state" Uruguayan president José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica y Cordano, H.H. Tenzin Gyatzo the 14th Dalai Lama, Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, "Papa" John Phillips, Julie Andrews, opera legend Luciano Pavarotti, H.M. King Hussein of Jordan, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, actors Woody Allen and Lee Remick. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Significant deaths for 1935 include those of German physician and sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld and actor Will Rogers.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwPZVIbmr3Xs7gSwV-CFoYqkVXMW8qJ4B4oficG34ULW0Cr5X5mbvaUgaInK1kam7SdIkF1E4HDRww_8PIQR6nD6dabLluu0m64xbtJ1Uh2uiU_iO9ivWBdREu9QBAQFwAY2x8KhQSQ2-/s960/1936.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="951" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwPZVIbmr3Xs7gSwV-CFoYqkVXMW8qJ4B4oficG34ULW0Cr5X5mbvaUgaInK1kam7SdIkF1E4HDRww_8PIQR6nD6dabLluu0m64xbtJ1Uh2uiU_iO9ivWBdREu9QBAQFwAY2x8KhQSQ2-/w634-h640/1936.jpg" width="634" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianella dated MCMXXXVI on a house on Via Meleta</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pianella, dating from <b>1936</b>, is located on a wall of a house in the country below Casperia’s centro storico on Via Meleta, a couple of houses below the Colle Perrini B&B. The Italian word, "AMPLIATA" above the date in Roman numerals, means "expanded" or "enlarged".</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 20, on the death of King George V of the United Kingdom, his eldest son ascends the throne as Edward VIII, becoming King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India until his abdication in December of the same year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bApSjwTXeamSdpqKCVizJldKLrRpqI9vFs5W4NZcYgmnP-3iLo4NWpU_IvwpkBog_U7r2US9llsRoOdaO389t1Q89M0t0f8kVpAWqMMXwHZXoUgBlZpxYpXuKSHx_9t4Az6QDe-zTBW6/s2048/1936-08-Owens+200-metre.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="2048" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bApSjwTXeamSdpqKCVizJldKLrRpqI9vFs5W4NZcYgmnP-3iLo4NWpU_IvwpkBog_U7r2US9llsRoOdaO389t1Q89M0t0f8kVpAWqMMXwHZXoUgBlZpxYpXuKSHx_9t4Az6QDe-zTBW6/w320-h181/1936-08-Owens+200-metre.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On February 6, the IV Olympic Winter Games open in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The Summer Olympics open that same year, on August 1. African-American athlete Jesse Owens, who wins the 100-metre dash and three other gold medals, becomes the most successful athlete at the games, effectively dashing Hitler’s hopes to turn the 1936 Olympics into a propaganda showcase for “Aryan” racial superiority. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On February 17, The Phantom, the first superhero to wear a skin-tight costume and mask, makes his first appearance in U.S. newspapers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Japan, the Imperial Way Faction of the Japanese military attempt a coup d’état, the Niniroku Jiken. Though the coup fails, several leading officials, including two former prime ministers, are assassinated. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 1, the construction of the Hoover Dam is completed on the Colorado river on the border between Nevada and Arizona. 154 workers died working on construction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 7, Nazi Germany reoccupies the Rhineland in violation of the Treaties of Versailles and Locarno.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On May 7, Italy annexes Ethiopia. Two days later Italian East Africa is formed from the Italian territories of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On July 17, the Spanish Army of Africa launches a coup d’état against the Second Spanish Republic, beginning the Spanish Civil War. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On August 19, the Moscow Trials begin in the Soviet Union. The following month, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin initiates his Great Purge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB-50WAp8tf3OMGA2fpCJlFFIgVdq3npiuGKRrsocD14bH4E3h5Za5NgFhV7G_6zE7TYqqaHAdPxVEbcFr1FREm1O8PrniAlnPpqpwNlK1vCi63FOmPKSzDUYjxRyG9nhqsLB6ik07M5Y/s1600/Adolf-Hitler-Benito-Mussolini.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB-50WAp8tf3OMGA2fpCJlFFIgVdq3npiuGKRrsocD14bH4E3h5Za5NgFhV7G_6zE7TYqqaHAdPxVEbcFr1FREm1O8PrniAlnPpqpwNlK1vCi63FOmPKSzDUYjxRyG9nhqsLB6ik07M5Y/s320/Adolf-Hitler-Benito-Mussolini.jpg" /></a></div>On October 25, the Rome-Berlin Axis is formed. A few weeks later Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 12, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 1, Hitler mandates that all German boys aged 10 to 18 join the Hitler Youth paramilitary organization. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 5, the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic is dissolved, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia become full Republics of the Soviet Union.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also in 1936, an estimated five million people die in the West China Famine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1936 was a year of many firsts: The Summer Olympic Games is the first time in world history where there is live television coverage of a sports event. On May 27, the British luxury liner RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. On June 26, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first fully controllable helicopter, makes its maiden flight in Germany. On September 4-5, English-born aviator Beryl Markham becomes the first woman to make an east-to-west solo transatlantic flight, from Abingdon-on-Thames, England, to Baleine, Nova Scotia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBNhYe7HAP3xMApwofDdXr5TV205IGp89ID9uiT-yJqA7nmSXiBn6X_9TgcwgC6fiPIXL147lFPxbaAJip-6RiVfgycPPNylkJLcNGeOtyAzcW6E9PTNzRin10hTDA0UxYIt49dRxh3pE/s638/papa+francesco.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBNhYe7HAP3xMApwofDdXr5TV205IGp89ID9uiT-yJqA7nmSXiBn6X_9TgcwgC6fiPIXL147lFPxbaAJip-6RiVfgycPPNylkJLcNGeOtyAzcW6E9PTNzRin10hTDA0UxYIt49dRxh3pE/s320/papa+francesco.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Births of historic note from 1936 include those of: Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis; </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Czech playwright, writer and politician, 10th President of Czechoslovakia and 1st President of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel; Media entrepreneur and 50th Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi; South African anti-apartheid activist, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela; American politician, American political and social activist and Yippie founder, Abbie Hoffman; Arizona Senator and Republican US Presidential candidate, John McCain; American computer scientist, systems engineer, Margaret Hamilton; Algerian-born French fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent; Italian author, Fabrizia Ramondino; American puppeteer, filmmaker, and The Muppets creator, Jim Henson; American actors: Alan Alda, David Carradine, James Darren, Troy Donahue, Louis Gossett Jr., Walter Koenig, Michael Landon, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, and Dean Stockwell; American actor, singer and songwriter, Kris Kristofferson; American actress, producer and diabetes awareness activist, Marty Tyler Moore; British actress and politician Glenda Jackson; English actor, Brian Blessed; Swiss actress, Ursula Andress; American singers: Glen Campbell, Bobby Darin, Buddy Holly, Roger Miller, Roy Orbison; British singer Englebert Humperdinck; and African-American basketball player, Wilt Chamberlain</div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Deaths of historic note from 1936 include those of: King George V of the United Kingdom; Russian psychologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov; French aviation pioneer, Louis Blériot; British physician, homeopath and bacteriologist, Edward Bach; Italian composer, musicologist, and conductor, Ottorino Respighi; African-American attorney, military officer, school administrator and President of West Virginia State University, John H. Hill; English author, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic, G.K. Chesterton; British India-born English journalist, poet, novelist and Nobel Prize laureate, Rudyard Kipling; Italian writers and Nobel Prize laureates: Grazia Deledda and Luigi Pirandello; Russian and Soviet writer, founder of the socialist realism literary method, and political activist, Maxim Gorky; Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director, Federico García Lorca; and Spanish anarchist, Buenaventura Durruti.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuU1wNcSuuMuPqcTzd8jfdVs_ghzGRRPvJeEH3sJVig-LbsM6gGTkGjc5w9Ton8IvSBG51cfRWtvyhFj824iE64KS0AUGCersTL3f8lSjYJRzsJCg_iiXQnCmDaWBskFac-hbOyhlU9-3/s1600/Proprieta%25CC%2580+Forani+-+Anno+1944.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuU1wNcSuuMuPqcTzd8jfdVs_ghzGRRPvJeEH3sJVig-LbsM6gGTkGjc5w9Ton8IvSBG51cfRWtvyhFj824iE64KS0AUGCersTL3f8lSjYJRzsJCg_iiXQnCmDaWBskFac-hbOyhlU9-3/s640/Proprieta%25CC%2580+Forani+-+Anno+1944.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Proprietà Forani on Via Meleta below Casperia, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is the only pianella that I have found here in Casperia which comes from the war years. <b>1944</b> is a major turning point in WWII. The year before, Allied forces had invaded Sicily and slowly begin pushing German and Italian forces north. On January 17th the Battle of Monte Cassino begins. Bogged down at the Gothic Line, Allied forces land troops on January 22 at beachheads near Anzio in an attempt to draw away German forces from the defence of Monte Cassino. On January 27 the two year siege of Leningrad is lifted. Here in Sabina, on April 7, two German divisions supported by a battalion of Fascist Black Shirts attempt to dislodge of a group of about 300 partisans commanding the heights of Monte Tancia. Though the Germans and Fascists eventually take the summit after a full day of very hard fighting the heavily outnumbered partisans were able to inflict terrible losses on their enemy. Infuriated at their losses, the victorious Nazis and their Fascist allies burn the huts scattered on the mountain and massacre all the civilians they find on the massif: eight women aged 19 to 66; four old men from 70 to 78 years and seven children from 2 to 11 years. The Nazi’s forbid the bodies to be buried in consecrated ground. </span></span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Six days later, on April 13th, eight allied prisoners who had escaped with their lives from an unmarked prison transport train bombed by the allies when their train was crossing the Allerona bridge near Orvieto in January are discovered taking refuge in a hermitage on Monte San Benedetto above the town of Montebuono are discovered by German military police tasked with rounding up deserters from the Italian army, partisans and escaped prisoners of war. The eight Americans were roused from their sleep, taken outside, lined up against a wall and shot dead. By June 5, Rome is captured by the Allies. A day later, British, Canadian, Polish and US forces cross the Channel to invade Normandy on D-Day.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">By June 10, the Allies had almost reached Poggio Mirteto. A German motor-car passes through the deserted streets announcing the withdrawal of the German army and inviting the population to take their abandoned foodstuffs. People are hungry and go out into the open but it is a trap. The retreating Nazis attack the starving citizens with mortar fire. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOjC5nIoACACoO0vfInatyjMLj6ch12f5RlawU66TAA_2YOb2UbvBLoxLD67TUbZdi5tSLEqpd9vylzlyvOGIiRxHSaS6scd_b3Gqp3m1E84p2iCV4KP5YfK0GHnJShH6VQDN-71tc14D/s596/Screen+Shot+2020-11-30+at+9.07.50+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOjC5nIoACACoO0vfInatyjMLj6ch12f5RlawU66TAA_2YOb2UbvBLoxLD67TUbZdi5tSLEqpd9vylzlyvOGIiRxHSaS6scd_b3Gqp3m1E84p2iCV4KP5YfK0GHnJShH6VQDN-71tc14D/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-30+at+9.07.50+PM.png" /></a></div>The following day, further north in Cottanello, a miracle happens. A strategic bridge located directly below a much revered holy site, the Hermitage of San Cataldo on the road connecting Cottanello with the Rieti Valley has been mined by the retreating Germans. The townspeople, fearful that the explosion would destroy not only the bridge but also the holy site above it, are on their knees. There is an explosion around half past three in the afternoon… The bridge and the Hermitage disappear in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke clears, the hermitage still stands. The explosion destroys, however, a renaissance era fresco inside the hermitage revealing spectacular Byzantine style frescos: Christ surrounded by his apostles, and the Tau cross of St. Francis on his right knee. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 17, Iceland declares full independence from Denmark. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5eR1NCa1BtA0cfbPbecnQkQBXjxWOhCvZ61X6DJ1m6rUxkAlwgnWsriRDCsFwBPSb5Te57cbWGCDnvfR-JMmJRnXEJ3wxQj2lkyqSln5sKSWgIN0XIA4gmRCkMHXF3YnI3hq1A6_FGxK/s320/AnneFrank+1940.jpg" /></a>On August 4, a Dutch informer betrays to the Gestapo Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and others who had taken refuge in a concealed room in Amsterdam. All will die in the Holocaust, except for Otto Frank, Anne's father. From August 5 to August 12, in an attempt to crush the Warsaw Uprising, Nazi troops supported by Russian collaborators, systematically kill 40,000 to 50,000 Polish civilians in the suburb of Wola. On August 12, Allied forces capture Firenze. On the 25th, German General Dietrich von Choltitz surrenders Paris to the Allies in defiance of Hitler’s orders to destroy it. On October 2, Nazi troops end the Warsaw uprising and then work to raze what remains of the already much damaged city. Across the ocean, on October 12, Canadian Arctic explorer Henry Larsen returns to Vancouver, becoming the first person successfully to navigate the Northwest Passage in both directions in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner St. Roch. On October 21, Aachen becomes the first German city to be occupied by allied forces. On November 9, British troops occupy Forli, home town of Il Duce. On December 31, Hungary, formerly an Axis ally, declares war on Germany. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A number of notable people are born in 1944 including African-American boxer Joe Frazier, American actress and singer Diana Ross, Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies, American lawyer and former FBI Director, Robert Mueller and American actor, film producer and director, Danny DeVito.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historic note in 1944 include those of French writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Princess Mafalda of Savoy. German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nIBFweAyI8JQe_4zqJMcCL_LK2VVowpB3Ve_NfP21ukHREjCp-kuQ2Efcw7nKQrLJIDtEncbV_zXivHooOJOJaxtdmH3H4Er3W9VtdHcCloK65d8tEuujtXUKBrBf_07XbhhWBB1RvgF/s1600/Fountain+in+San+Vito+1948.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nIBFweAyI8JQe_4zqJMcCL_LK2VVowpB3Ve_NfP21ukHREjCp-kuQ2Efcw7nKQrLJIDtEncbV_zXivHooOJOJaxtdmH3H4Er3W9VtdHcCloK65d8tEuujtXUKBrBf_07XbhhWBB1RvgF/s640/Fountain+in+San+Vito+1948.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This date marker is on a fountain located in the hamlet of San Vito. There is a lot happening in in the world in <b>1948</b>: The Constitution of the Italian Republic goes into effect. The first Kinsey Report, Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male, is published in the United States. Indian pacifist and leader Mahatma Gandhi is shot by Nathuram Godse in New Delhi. On Saint Patrick’s Day, the Hells Angels motorcycle gang is founded in California. On April 7, The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations. Later in the month The Organization of American States (OAS) is founded. On May 14, the State of Israel declares independence with David Ben-Gurion the first prime minister. In May, Egypt, Transjordan, Syria and Iraq invade Israel. The same month South Africa ushers in the era of apartheid which will last until 1994. In June, Albert I, the first monkey astronaut, is launched into space from White Sands, New Mexico. The same month tensions rise between the Soviet Union and the Western Powers with Russia’s blockade of Berlin. The West counters with the Berlin Airlift. On July 26, President Truman signs Executive Order 9981, ending racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces. In December, President José Figueres Ferrer abolishes the army in Costa Rica, making it the first country in history to do so. The same month, The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Births of historic significance in 1948 include those of: Singers Alice Cooper, Grace Jones, Cat Stevens, Ozzy Osbourne and Donna Summer; Pakistani Qawwali sensation Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; actors Bernadette Peters, Billy Crystal, Jeremy Irons and Gérard Depardieu; Canadian hockey legend Bobby Orr; 45th Vice President of the United States and environmental activist Al Gore, Italian comedian, actor, blogger, and founder of the 5 Star Movement, Beppe Grillo; American speculative fiction author George R. R. Martin; and Charles, Prince of Wales.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div></span><div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historic significance in 1948 include those of: Indian independence movement leader Mahatma Gandhi; American baseball legend Babe Ruth; First Lady of the United States Edith Roosevelt; and 40th Prime Minister of Japan, General Hideki Tojo.</span></div><div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDH5MSr355AHwhZldrMRM-pc_Py2HxAO-vDIA5R04rG3YSNyoJeCaxhXIRZ4GNWNurb8VgE5aD4OH0oW075ov29X-COECc5wEM9JegGOCPI5qSog6uN2zQ65VHyxLsymbjA5iL0ZAi0U5/s2048/1955+Fonte+Pozzo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDH5MSr355AHwhZldrMRM-pc_Py2HxAO-vDIA5R04rG3YSNyoJeCaxhXIRZ4GNWNurb8VgE5aD4OH0oW075ov29X-COECc5wEM9JegGOCPI5qSog6uN2zQ65VHyxLsymbjA5iL0ZAi0U5/w640-h480/1955+Fonte+Pozzo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1955 Date Marker on the fountain at Fonte Pozzo</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><div><br /></div></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9vJ3Ux93S2tv2_mnzSBx-LHd1Rlhyphenhyphenxrcl8TdG0fDaAnojKfPkdOpG4KoOV8hqesFMvY49IPsWZPNGsW5MrYidFoxE2PcopUrzXbq7u9Q827IEdrtGGb0tYXeU4L_MB7Ga5JH0WG7SWKr/s1600/Madoninna+Via+Santa+Maria+1955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9vJ3Ux93S2tv2_mnzSBx-LHd1Rlhyphenhyphenxrcl8TdG0fDaAnojKfPkdOpG4KoOV8hqesFMvY49IPsWZPNGsW5MrYidFoxE2PcopUrzXbq7u9Q827IEdrtGGb0tYXeU4L_MB7Ga5JH0WG7SWKr/s640/Madoninna+Via+Santa+Maria+1955.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two date markers on a Marian shrine on Via Santa Maria.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first of these two photos shows a date marker from <b>1955</b> on a fountain at a place called Fonte Pozzo, located an eight minute drive northeast of Casperia's centro storico. The second of the two photos shows one of two restoration date markers on a Marian shrine on the east side of the road that leads from Casperia to Santa Maria Legarano. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 1955, the year these date markers were created, there is a lot happening out in the bigger world. Small but significant steps in the march toward the goal of racial equality are being made in the US; whereas in South Africa, apartheid is being entrenched. On January 7, Marian Anderson becomes the first African-American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Meanwhile in South Africa, 60,000 non-white residents of the Sophiatown suburb of Johannesburg are forcibly evicted.</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYnrNlZ6kRe3LXscutgzCldHI3vIpflo6XPyl7mAYpD3tF5VS_pCfLMsbi-3CFQg2DLnqxZUlKCnAMwaZ4juZPe5OB9pLY-F5HomV8HuRqXHUVNIB0iHkTEWtoTyNzgejp7crKMKGPvdj/s1600/Claudette_Colvin.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1491" data-original-width="970" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYnrNlZ6kRe3LXscutgzCldHI3vIpflo6XPyl7mAYpD3tF5VS_pCfLMsbi-3CFQg2DLnqxZUlKCnAMwaZ4juZPe5OB9pLY-F5HomV8HuRqXHUVNIB0iHkTEWtoTyNzgejp7crKMKGPvdj/s320/Claudette_Colvin.jpg" width="208" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Claudette Colvin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 2, in Montgomery, Alabama, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old African-American girl, refuses to give up her bus seat to a white woman after the driver demands it. She is carried off the bus backwards, while being kicked, handcuffed and harassed on the way to the police station. She becomes a plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle (1956) which rules bus segregation to be unconstitutional. On November 5, Racial segregation is outlawed on trains and buses in interstate commerce in the United States. The following month, again in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refuses to obey bus driver James F. Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger, and is arrested, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The same year, the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time and the United States announces a plan to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), armed with nuclear weapons but it a Soviet Navy Zulu-class submarine that first launches a ballistic missile. The same year, eight Communist Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defence treaty in Warsaw, Poland launching the Warsaw Pact.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In entertainment news, a young Jim Henson introduces his earliest version of Kermit the Frog in the premiere of his puppet show <i>Sam and Friends</i>, the Disneyland theme park opens in Anaheim, California.</div></span><div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.4px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-kerning: none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S2J_RW5KNe8UYNJkoEKaxNDIQPQHcC-yrmoWXLCpOXbbyZyeJ04uz4of-QYLyWO6e8aAShw1BUdQ7X09M67Va5SRZO_NHSfWNiG0rmq5KS1v7ybt5yKaTZv7v-vwluoxVz4Y-JZFpoSm/s739/James_Dean_in_Rebel_Without_a_Cause.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S2J_RW5KNe8UYNJkoEKaxNDIQPQHcC-yrmoWXLCpOXbbyZyeJ04uz4of-QYLyWO6e8aAShw1BUdQ7X09M67Va5SRZO_NHSfWNiG0rmq5KS1v7ybt5yKaTZv7v-vwluoxVz4Y-JZFpoSm/s320/James_Dean_in_Rebel_Without_a_Cause.jpg" /></a></div></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On September 30, actor James Dean is killed in a car accident near Cholame, California. His last film, <i>Rebel Without a Cause</i>, is released in the United States a month after his death. Also in October, <i>The Mickey Mouse Club</i> debuts on American television.</div></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The same year, the Vietnam War breaks out between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam. Meanwhile, back in America, the world’s first McDonald’s is opened in Des Plaines, Illinois. </div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Births of historic significance in 1955 include those of actors Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis, Chow Yun-fat, Sandra Bernhardt, and Whoopi Goldberg; music artists Eddie Van Halen, Nina Hagen, Pino Daniele, Zucchero Fornaciari, pianist Ludovico Einaudi, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and rocker Billy Idol; novelists John Grisham and Colm Tóibín; American travel author and TV personality Rick Steves; American science presenter and public television host Bill Nye, and two giants of the world of internet business, Apple founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Deaths of historical significance in 1955 include those of American writer and lecturer Dale Carnegie, renowned scientists Sir Alexander Fleming and Albert Einstein, and fruit-topped Portuguese-born Brazilian singing sensation Carmen Miranda.</span><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTIErePNWjVezisvBOS6t59fr0vebZRTWdTovQygxS6RMYjiXMSwTLP0d_RGJ18jAUMpsxrXAggT7MlIjxEcWP8rrzT7OnkOo8QUk6SLPg8O9PLMZl3arIhU7qjTJSMWgwNNgE2LXR4Gd/s1000/1958+Via+Sabo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTIErePNWjVezisvBOS6t59fr0vebZRTWdTovQygxS6RMYjiXMSwTLP0d_RGJ18jAUMpsxrXAggT7MlIjxEcWP8rrzT7OnkOo8QUk6SLPg8O9PLMZl3arIhU7qjTJSMWgwNNgE2LXR4Gd/w480-h640/1958+Via+Sabo.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Date marker in wet cement at Via Sabo, 20<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here again, this is not an actual pianella, but a date written in concrete at the bottom of some stairs leading to Via Sabo, 20. <b>1958</b> is an important year for Europe and the world as it is the year in which the European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. Its six founding members are Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. 1958 is a year of a number of firsts. In 1958, Ruth Carol Taylor becomes the first African American woman to be hired as a flight attendant and flies six months with Mohawk Airlines until they let her go due to another discriminatory barrier: the airline's ban on married flight attendants. The same year, Pioneer 1 becomes the first spacecraft launched by the newly formed NASA; British Overseas Airways Corporation uses the new De Havilland Comet jets, to become the first airline to fly jet passenger services across the Atlantic; and a Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 makes its first transatlantic flight. Tallies reveal that, in 1958, the total of passengers carried by air exceeds the total carried by sea in transatlantic service. It is also the year that the plastic hula hoop is first marketed in the United States and instant noodles go on sale for the first time. 1958 is the year in which Godtfred Kirk Christiansen files a patent for the iconic plastic Lego brick.</span></div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7tubcEqGuDLW_y2XrjrGvmJvc3mGbSpr9XKKXcIlMJ8ijk-TcvPknxwVgQBFJlLPLf7glhxGc5pgGmy754Wy5Yn8c_FklW0_4hOmttPIRJr0kyuLNDb9dF7Jjlwu4PN_oXWTeY0i5c15/s1200/lego.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7tubcEqGuDLW_y2XrjrGvmJvc3mGbSpr9XKKXcIlMJ8ijk-TcvPknxwVgQBFJlLPLf7glhxGc5pgGmy754Wy5Yn8c_FklW0_4hOmttPIRJr0kyuLNDb9dF7Jjlwu4PN_oXWTeY0i5c15/w200-h200/lego.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From its foundation, his company will make 400 billion Lego elements. In 1958: the peace symbol, commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom; Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union; France establishes the Fifth Republic; Pope Pius dies and is succeeded by Pope John XXIII (who trained in a seminary in neighbouring Roccantica). Also, in this year, the Great Chinese Famine begins; Fidel Castro claims victory in the fight to overthrow US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista; the Bossa Nova is born in Rio de Janeiro; and the Jim Henson Company is founded in the United States. Births of historic or cultural significance in 1958 include those of musical stars: Anita Baker, Andy Gibb, Gary Numan, Prince, Kate Bush, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Tanya Tucker, Alan Jackson and tenor opera sensation Andrea Bocelli; TV and film stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Stone, Gary Oldman, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Bacon, Viggo Mortensen and Jamie Lee Curtis; American artist and activist Keith Haring; Canadian athlete and cancer activist Terry Fox and American film director Tim Burton. Deaths of historic or cultural significance in 1958 include those of: Pope Pius XII; American studio executive Harry Warner; Scottish-born Canadian poet Robert W. Service, American actor Tyrone Power; and Italian anarchist, trade union organizer, writer, and anti-fascist fighter Alberto Meschi.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><p></p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHcY0h5e6knfjYUTUXt9Hh4jYfbBMYWZkZccG27NQSqbJ8dXJRS3tSs5-1-1omwTDxG6jjRThMvIbZWsRP0CxzRghI0OTnZCurtYnqKTNxaXV_cEuyIXPKHrMNbZV3hJHJ1BlqANokVEV/s2048/1967+Via+Guglielmo+Marconi%252C+75JPG.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHcY0h5e6knfjYUTUXt9Hh4jYfbBMYWZkZccG27NQSqbJ8dXJRS3tSs5-1-1omwTDxG6jjRThMvIbZWsRP0CxzRghI0OTnZCurtYnqKTNxaXV_cEuyIXPKHrMNbZV3hJHJ1BlqANokVEV/w640-h480/1967+Via+Guglielmo+Marconi%252C+75JPG.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A date marker in the cement sidewalk in front of Via Guglielmo Marconi, 75<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This is obviously not a proper terracotta pianella, but it is a date marker etched into wet cement in front of a small commercial building on Via Guglielmo Marconi marked <b>December 11, 1967</b>. There was a lot going on in the world in 1967. In the United States, the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War is causing social upheaval and giving birth to a growing anti-war movement. In the Middle East, growing tension between Israel and its Arab neighbours is about to erupt in the Six Day War. In Africa, the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria declare independence from Nigeria and establish the Republic of Biafra which is immediately attacked by Nigeria. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKBJMC7vy5X0x1KtkEc58TdFZU2LF0zRc4L_Uz69dsOpZUamBfykRCMp66Et9MkQIXFPcN-ogxcA666a6XNI3A-avgvMwgMcw4lDSSwNvCzSZPeFn8DBcP-3_DKPuEpGrLUbWsgyaUul9/s2022/Biafra+war.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="2022" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKBJMC7vy5X0x1KtkEc58TdFZU2LF0zRc4L_Uz69dsOpZUamBfykRCMp66Et9MkQIXFPcN-ogxcA666a6XNI3A-avgvMwgMcw4lDSSwNvCzSZPeFn8DBcP-3_DKPuEpGrLUbWsgyaUul9/s320/Biafra+war.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>During two-and-a-half years of war, almost two million Biafran civilians, three quarters of whom were small children, died from starvation caused by the total blockade of the region by the Nigerian government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 1, Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Expo 67 held in Montréal, Québec, Canada's main celebration during its centennial year is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century. On January 14, the Human Be-In takes place in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco; setting the stage for the Summer of Love. On January 15, Louis Leakey announces the discovery of pre-human fossils in Kenya; he names the species <i>Kenyapithecus africanus</i>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 27, U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee are killed when fire breaks out in their Apollo 1 spacecraft during a launch pad test. The same month, the United States, Soviet Union and United Kingdom sign the Outer Space Treaty, prohibiting weapons of mass destruction from space.On February 13, American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain. On March 11, the first phase of the Cambodian Civil War begins between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 26, 10,000 gather in New York City for the Central Park be-in. On April 4, Martin Luther King Jr. denounces the Vietnam War during his sermon at the Riverside Church in New York City. On April 15, large demonstrations are held against the Vietnam War in New York City and San Francisco. The march, organized by the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, from Central Park to the United Nations, drew hundreds of thousands of people, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harry Belafonte, James Bevel, and Dr. Benjamin Spock, who marched and spoke at the event. On April 28, in Houston, Texas, boxer Muhammad Ali refuses military service. He is stripped of his boxing title and barred from professional boxing for the next three years. On May 11, the United Kingdom and Ireland apply officially for European Economic Community membership. On May 23, Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, blockading Israel's southern port of Eilat, and Israel's entire Red Sea coastline.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdfeNF_rENC7Buw5AxIX8t8QsTK5SkuwVAKC9TxEFMVLlR4R4V2O_hd0z7-4FKGTTwf71d475zeMUs_5DDBL3GVoYqdm6LuSGvOXceruGRFYq7NHRbvm8kg4NEWgpyrsFG1tn9gPrRbxE/s976/israel-before-after-6day+war.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="976" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdfeNF_rENC7Buw5AxIX8t8QsTK5SkuwVAKC9TxEFMVLlR4R4V2O_hd0z7-4FKGTTwf71d475zeMUs_5DDBL3GVoYqdm6LuSGvOXceruGRFYq7NHRbvm8kg4NEWgpyrsFG1tn9gPrRbxE/w400-h380/israel-before-after-6day+war.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two weeks later, on June 5, the Six Day War begins. Israel launches Operation Focus, an attack on Egyptian Air Force airfields; the allied armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan invade Israel. On June 7, Israeli forces capture East Jerusalem without the use of artillery in order to avoid damage to the Holy City. The war ends on June 10 when Israel and Syria agree to a United Nations-mediated cease-fire. On June 12, in the case of Loving vs. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court declares all U.S. state laws prohibiting interracial marriage to be unconstitutional. On July 4, the British Parliament decriminalizes homosexuality. On July 6, in response to the declaration of Biafran independence on May 30th, Nigerian forces invade the secessionist Biafra. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4u9BeA2Xzx7rBaLGqskDrcurkx8Qq0bDEsxJBcMuIckyhJwp-3rvRbQiivxKFW8c0E8rzchWXTFypXrp1sxksavGYYDCX7HJH80-I3jt108v-uLP7mKuKjAxjyczVrZup9iqUQnhRdaB/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-27+at+4.32.02+PM.png" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">On July 24, during an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: <i>Vive le Québec libre!</i> On August 8, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded in Bangkok, Thailand. On September 3, at 05:00 local time, all road traffic in Sweden switches from left-hand traffic pattern to right-hand traffic. On October 8, guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia; they are executed the following day. On October 17, the musical <i>Hair</i> opens off-Broadway. It moves to Broadway the following April. On December 11, supersonic airliner Concorde is unveiled in Toulouse, France. On December 12, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, one of the seminal race relations films of the 1960s, is released to theatres.</span></div><p></p><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>1967 was a year of a number of historically important firsts. On January 12, Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with the intent of future resuscitation. On April 9, the first Boeing 737 takes its maiden flight. On May 27, Australia takes its first step in recognizing Indigenous rights when the Australian referendum of 1967 passes with an overwhelming 90% support, removing, from the Australian Constitution, two discriminatory sentences referring to Indigenous Australians. On June 13, Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall is nominated as the first African American justice of the United States Supreme Court. He is confirmed on August 30. On June 17, the People's Republic of China tests its first hydrogen bomb. On June 27, the first automatic cash machine (voucher-based) is installed, in the office of Barclays Bank in Enfield, England. On November 7, Carl B. Stokes is elected mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the first African American elected mayor of a major United States city. On December 3, Christiaan Barnard carries out the world's first heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Also in 1967, St Christopher's Hospice, the world's first purpose-built secular hospice specialising in palliative care of the terminally ill, is established in </span><span>South London.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Births of historic note from 1967 include those of American television journalist, Anderson Cooper;</div></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j7EM2Rh24g9FB4YIp0y1iZJ3eUZypR-Ef0Zf1Bmvlp1UzOw5uteWuzlruvPuBLddZQQe-7kPlfaR0AWcT6I23Cqzy9JXUJIvkpntiTDHDOILtZxKJwl7YDZNlBaKafNCjSDPkJhbQqH6/s320/Jhumpa_Lahiri.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jhumpa Lahiri<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">British-born Indian-American Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winning author and essayist, Jhumpa Lahiri; American gothic/horror author, Poppy Z. Brite; American R&B singer, Toni Braxton; American singer-songwriter and Nirvana frontman, Kurto Cobain; American country singer, Faith Hill; American country singer, Tim McGraw; Australian country music singer, Keith Urban; American rapper, Vanilla Ice; African-American actress Kimberly Elise; African-American actor and singer, Jamie Foxx; American actor, comedian, and screenwriter Will Ferrell; American actors and film directors, Vin Diesel, and Lieb Schreiber; American Actors: George Eads, Matt LeBlanc, Ron Livingston and Mark Ruffalo; American actresses: Julia Roberts, Kate Walsh; Australian actors: Nicole Kidman, and Guy Pearce; English actor and martial artist, Jason Statham; English actress, Emily Watson; Nigerian-British actor and model, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje; Scottish-American actor and singer John Barrowman; Jimmy Kimmel, American comedian and talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel; and Jamaican-born Canadian 100 metre spring world record holder: Donovan Bailey.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Deaths of historic note from 1967 include those of: Puyi,</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQwU8ZaNq8pWWhMy2HcnWQUfpL5JMS1iH1vZacEi-OTp7JfDKtVFKkzuJJFdK82eGfGnK-as3II1ZISaZZmq8z5kNF6CVGZB-rirg9f_yNu52yiYuHOPFtmxrJLgwQz1jhmT2GU0oVqk3/s320/Puyi-Manchukuo.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emperor Puyi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Xuāntǒng Dì, the twelfth and final Emperor of the Qing dynasty, China's last imperial dynasty; Argentine communist revolutionary, Che Guevara; American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist, James Mercer Langston Hughes; American-born Parisian avant-garde salon hostess, cookbook author and lifelong partner to Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas; Jack Ruby, American nightclub owner and convicted assassin of Lee Harvey Oswald; American Astronauts: Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, killed in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire; English playwright, author and diarist, Joe Orton; </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beatles Band Manager, Brian Epstein American singers: Woodie Guthrie, Otis Redding; Italian singer-songwriter, Luigi Tenco; American jazz trumpeter, Red Allen; </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mp9Whw4TpP3rs152wms4_uO4cD5SVPwZtGxXIjpvIxfXIi8v6oYjSZH5jmqAY_TH9hCprxdwyoDcoCL5-6411BtwP3I_5ayZn9ZFuFGRx3m77_ahIGq9ZGQGlluqKcAeK-dHptXwx_Td/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-27+at+4.42.35+PM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totò</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">American jazz trumpeter, Red Allen; American singer and actor, Nelson Eddy, American actors: James Dunn, Jayne Mansfield, Spencer Tracy, Robert Wahlberg; British actors: Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone; and Italian actor, Totò.</div></span><p></p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEkzZO1rp4Pb6CK8fMZIJ5EBlGHtZRUJP2cc1DviXbtFtMWVfkZ8iBp8MhFktnr0G_qqJntUBQ4o56gvPOIZH5aycF-8pCAHh1yFS2E3yOAVtJPD3o3dcHQtNVj7Xaf5K0UhANKJ2Gqql/s1600/Via+Massari%252C++1969+Gianni+Mariani++E+23+anni+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: lime; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEkzZO1rp4Pb6CK8fMZIJ5EBlGHtZRUJP2cc1DviXbtFtMWVfkZ8iBp8MhFktnr0G_qqJntUBQ4o56gvPOIZH5aycF-8pCAHh1yFS2E3yOAVtJPD3o3dcHQtNVj7Xaf5K0UhANKJ2Gqql/s640/Via+Massari%252C++1969+Gianni+Mariani++E+23+anni+.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Via Massari, 35</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This date marker, located at Via Massari, 35, is interesting as it includes the name of the person who made it—Gianni(cola) Mariani—and his age, 23 years old. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaKlYGnrL2DnZC1-7gJmO6HoYOglj-BhFYDDy3xbeUy1SqEvx-ZhCgXn38ezeVsP56AMCVqWB_514vqJRd9HseMpBC71sf1thDgGywuMe94LEcsN0jJgvP9uKq3mCVmWH-W6zP0eklxWh/s320/Presepe+Monumentale+Comune+di+Casperia.jpg" /></a> Giannicola Mariani is famous in Casperia for his 10 year (1992-2002) labour of love, the Presepe Monumentale, a truly monumental Nativity Scene, in the oratory of Casperia's San Giovanni Battista parish church. The wonderful thing about Giannicola's 1:10 scale Bethlehem, is that it replicates twelve very recognizable scenes from Casperia's historic centre. It is truly a wonderful sight. But back to 1969.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">This year, that Gianni worked to repair this section of the wall on Via Massari is, among other things, associated with the Apollo 11 first manned landing on the Moon, the creation of the internet, and the commencement of the LGBT Rights Movement. Early in 1969, Yasser Arafat is elected leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Cairo. In the same year, Golda Meir becomes the first female prime minister of Israel. In 1969, the first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet takes to the air, while across the Atlantic, France conducts its first test flight of the Concorde jet. On May 15, a sixteen year-old African American, Robert Rayford, dies in St. Louis, Missouri of a baffling medical condition. In 1984 it will be identified as the earliest confirmed case of HIV/AIDS in North America. In this year, John Lennon composes and records the song Give Peace a Chance during his and Yoko Ono’s second Bed-In in Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEg_Kua2u_pXwKkHaC6mfPdACqkeyyqyFvvVRkJ1Xe73naBLm9ppN2gEc9EYXa_kGN0Rddi5YJO1L_HpEXnLJbfHbIhNWzAOxo0g2Dsd_5n1qBcqOuNFNjJDPMIKW5Knl2OG1WUkTYg8xr/s1600/Lennon+and+Ono%252C+Montreal.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="924" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEg_Kua2u_pXwKkHaC6mfPdACqkeyyqyFvvVRkJ1Xe73naBLm9ppN2gEc9EYXa_kGN0Rddi5YJO1L_HpEXnLJbfHbIhNWzAOxo0g2Dsd_5n1qBcqOuNFNjJDPMIKW5Knl2OG1WUkTYg8xr/s320/Lennon+and+Ono%252C+Montreal.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">On June 22, Judy Garland dies of a drug overdose in her London home. A week later, on June 28, the Stonewall Riots in New York City mark the start of the modern gay Rights movement in the U.S. On July 1, Charles is invested Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. On July 16, Apollo 11 lifts off from Cape Kennedy in Florida towards the first manned landing on the Moon on July 20. An estimated 500 million people worldwide watch as Neil Armstrong takes his first historic steps on the lunar surface. Back on earth, Pope Paul VI arrives in Entebbe, Uganda for the first visit by a reigning Pope to Africa.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sectarian violence erupts in Northern Ireland. British troops are deployed there to restore order. From August 15 to 18 the Woodstock Festival is held near White Lake, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era. On September 1, Muammar Gaddafi comes to power in Libya in a bloodless coup which ousts the Libyan monarchy. The same day, North Vietnamese president Ho Chi Minh passes away at the age of 79. On September 5, Lieutenant William Calley is charged with six counts of premeditated murder for the 1968 My Lai Massacre deaths of 109 Vietnamese civilians in My Lai, Vietnam. Later in the year the US launches its first draft letter since WWII. 1969 marks the years The Brady Bunch is first aired on ABC, Monty Python’s Flying Circus is first aired on BBC One, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">Sazae-san サザエさん, is first aired on Japan’s Fuji Television and Sesame Street is first aired on the NET network. Births of historic note from 1969 include those of actors Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Renée Zellweger, Cate Blanchett, Anne Heche, Jason Priestley, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Gerald Butler; musical artists Marilyn Manson, Mariah Carey and Gwen Stefani; professional mixed martial artist and actor Dave Bautista, conservative American writer and publisher Andrew Breitbart and British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historical significance from 1969 included those of actors Boris Karloff, Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Taylor, and Sharon Tate; authors John Wyndham and Jack Kerouac, actress and singer Judy Garland; world heavyweight champion boxer Rocky (Marcheggiano) Marciano; Italian lawyer and politician Mario Berlinguer; US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader and first Prime Minister of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh.</span></span></div></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcEJUXrbG6bsm1amI4wWpuXVKz36c4Cs3KVz1y2HvzF9zA8p0x5w4wxhj46CeGxVQl4fPJuB4z97SXmYxqkYyGogXxQsckbw0RWIF-kLn0fFK9eItZJTejJYnTM4OTmC8zYE2aqfyMEEu/s1600/57257023_10156369637374503_5451157163344920576_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcEJUXrbG6bsm1amI4wWpuXVKz36c4Cs3KVz1y2HvzF9zA8p0x5w4wxhj46CeGxVQl4fPJuB4z97SXmYxqkYyGogXxQsckbw0RWIF-kLn0fFK9eItZJTejJYnTM4OTmC8zYE2aqfyMEEu/s640/57257023_10156369637374503_5451157163344920576_n.jpg" width="478" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vicolo degli Archi Oscuri</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6tmcwtH8sxGKaDs-kwvjwm9K4s5vxlkLXuvR0kWuAINIxzoml5QYy81VFVVO4-evhxmOmP9vq-pY3J8hIul9NUuNqiXTJSsKgEKx2r5Kcv49GmOSip0yO-3lBfAF4SHRdvbbssyowtEb/s1600/Via+Nardi-Bruschi+%2528opposite+40%2529+1973.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6tmcwtH8sxGKaDs-kwvjwm9K4s5vxlkLXuvR0kWuAINIxzoml5QYy81VFVVO4-evhxmOmP9vq-pY3J8hIul9NUuNqiXTJSsKgEKx2r5Kcv49GmOSip0yO-3lBfAF4SHRdvbbssyowtEb/s640/Via+Nardi-Bruschi+%2528opposite+40%2529+1973.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Nardi-Bruschi (opposite 40)</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are two restoration date markers from <b>1973</b>. One is located in Vicolo degli Archi Oscuri which connects Via Massari with Piazza Municipio near Via Casperia, and the other is on Via Nardi-Bruschi on the wall opposite No. 40. There is a lot happening in 1973. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On January 1, The United Kingdom, The Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. Also this month, Richard Nixon is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States. 1973 is a bad year for president Nixon as several major revelations and egregious presidential action against the Watergate Investigation later in 1973 prompted the US House of Representatives to commence an impeachment process against Nixon who eventually is forced to resign in 1974. 1973 was the year of the landmark Roe v. Wade case in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturns state bans on access to abortion. In terms of other ‘landmarks”, 1973 was the year that saw construction of Toronto’s CN Tower, the official dedication of New York’s World Trade Center, Chicago’s Sears Tower becoming the world’s tallest building at 442 metres, Sydney’s iconic Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after fourteen years of construction, and with the completion of the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey the first time in history that Europe and Asia and connected over the Bosporus. In terms of other firsts, on February 12, Ohio becomes the first U.S. state to post distance in metric on signs. On May 11, Sweden enacts the first national data protection law. Three days later, the United States launches Skylab, its first space station. Also in the same year, Lite Beer is introduced in the U.S. by the Miller Brewing Company</span>.</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1973, with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, the US is effectively removed from the conflict in Viet Nam. The war between the north and south continues until 1975 culminating in the reunification of the two Vietnams in 1976. Later in 1973, war breaks out in the Middle East when Egypt and Syria launch a coordinated attack against Israel on Yom Kippur. The war ends after 19 days with an Israeli victory. The 1973 energy crisis is triggered when OPEC imposes an oil embargo against several countries supporting Israel. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXeja4GiTkmJnoYRAz63vj3y5kVoQNkBBIOAFzE0NqDeAz_Hhbm-vxMOJI826j3H9H1tzWkmu2PVUMIh3jsVK96rYdWKCAJhZsFVFpDXqyKPunzWYwuKTLxFNKcTSzEeyWEj126LZ7JHG/s320/Flag+of+the+American+Indian+Movement.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Flag of the American Indian Movement</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Back in the Western Hemisphere, about 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement occupy Wounded Knee, South Dakota for 71 days protesting corruption in of local officials and the US government's persistent failures to honour its treaties with Native American nations. Publicity makes the site and action an inspiration to American Indians all over the country. On September 11, Chile's democratically elected government is overthrown in a military coup after serious instability. President Salvador Allende allegedly commits suicide during the coup in the presidential palace, and General Augusto Pinochet heads a US-backed military junta that governs Chile for the next 16 years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also in 1973, The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.</span>
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Births of historic significance in 1973 include those of actors Jim Parsons, Adrien Brody, Tori Spelling, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Wilson, Seth Meyers and Peter Facinelli; American novelist Stephanie Meyers; musical artist Pharrell Williams; Japanese baseball great Ichiro Suzuki 鈴木一朗; American supermodel and TV host Tyra Banks; American political commentator Rachel Maddow, and Italian right wing politician Matteo Salvini. In 1973 a number of historically important people died including: American president Lyndon B. Johnson, Chilean president Salvador Allende and Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion; renowned authors J.R.R. Tolkien and Pearl S. Buck; poets Pablo Neruda and W. H. Auden; artist Pablo Picasso and cartoonist Walt Kelly; actors Edward G. Robinson, Lex Barker, Betty Grable, Lon Chaney Jr., Jack Hawkins and Italian screen legend Anna Magnani; martial artist and actor Bruce Lee; American film director John Ford; American singer-songwriter Jim Croce; English composer and playwright Sir Noël Coward; and Spanish cellist and conductor Pablo Casals. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKzWeWgsz_2crN1pxN-7HROteNX3n8mBWL9yxSyafP_1molVNOnf1yyhA6LYDfboLfpEWn9ex3kZHDRltKm5dfm7R4xixf32UNXMJmmWG8ycITiGOVi7H9WLNaXoLfKNy2Di3V3_UYlOo/s1600/Via+dei+Claudi%252C+6+or+8++Rest%2528aurata%2529+A.D.+1975.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKzWeWgsz_2crN1pxN-7HROteNX3n8mBWL9yxSyafP_1molVNOnf1yyhA6LYDfboLfpEWn9ex3kZHDRltKm5dfm7R4xixf32UNXMJmmWG8ycITiGOVi7H9WLNaXoLfKNy2Di3V3_UYlOo/s640/Via+dei+Claudi%252C+6+or+8++Rest%2528aurata%2529+A.D.+1975.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: large;">Vicolo dei Claudi, 6 Rest(aurata) A.D. 1975</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This decorative restoration marker for the year 1975 is found above a door on Casperia's Vicolo dei Claudi. I would love to know the significance of the crown. 1975 was declared International Women's Year by the United Nations and European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. 1975 was the year that Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the UK Conservative Party becoming Britain’s first female leader of any political party. It is also the year that the the Vietnam war ends with the fall of Saigon on April 30th. Weeks earlier, the Khmer Rouge capture Phnom Penh ending the Cambodian civil war. The Khmer Rouge attempt to turn Cambodia into an Agrarian Socialist Republic forcibly empty the cities and relocating the urban population into rural labour camps. Over the next four years, Cambodia will lose a quarter of its population to mass executions, mistreatment through forced labour, disease and malnutrition. An attack on a bus by Lebanese right wing Christian militias which kill 27 Palestinians triggers a Lebanese Civil War which lasts until 1990. In the South Pacific, Portuguese Timor declares its independence from Portugal as East Timor. Later in the year, Indonesia invades East Timor. The occupation continues until 1999, when U.N. peacekeepers take over control until 2002. In Saudi Arabia, King Faisal is assassinated by his nephew. In Detroit, former Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing. In August, the Banqiao Dam, in China's Henan Province, fails after Typhoon Nina flooding 12,000 square kilometres, creating the third largest flood in history. The death toll is estimated to be as many as 240,000. Later in the year Spanish dictator Francisco Franco dies in Madrid, marking the end of the dictatorship established following the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of Spain's transition to democracy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of very popular TV shows made their debut this year: In the USA, the game show Wheel of Fortune and Saturday Night Live premiere on NBC. In the UK, the comedy sitcom Fawlty Towers airs on BBC Two. Some blockbuster movies are also released in 1975, including Jaws and the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The initially controversial Queen single "Bohemian Rhapsody" is released this year and later becomes one of their most popular songs. In science news, Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico and NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars. In religious news, Elizabeth Seton is canonized, becoming the first American Roman Catholic saint. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Births if historic interest from 1975 include those of: Matteo Renzi, 56th Prime Minister of Italy; actors Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Pedro Pascal, Adam Rodriguez, Angelina Jolie, Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet, Milla Jovovich, Russel Brand, and Italian actress, singer and director Asia Argento; American singer and actress, Fergie; director Richard Kelly; musical artists Enrique Iglesias, Sean Ono Lennon, Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, rapper 50 Cent and Spice Girl, Mel B.; celebrity chef Jamie Oliver; and sports figures David Beckham and Tiger Woods. Deaths of historic interest in 1975 included those of: King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Kuomintang general, politician and 1st President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhO22-vleL1TwKMCdexAuDQsXSCEwTxxamNaY4PrvPpRqnekLKRbjIsJud5G5iouhaMeRbo4F037d7DeFczCInN-riKikmHt9QSfd7qbQYR5w5SQzN9CEzFLPuMNtS-ApX9w09UbuiV0wI/s2048/Pier_Paolo_Pasolini.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhO22-vleL1TwKMCdexAuDQsXSCEwTxxamNaY4PrvPpRqnekLKRbjIsJud5G5iouhaMeRbo4F037d7DeFczCInN-riKikmHt9QSfd7qbQYR5w5SQzN9CEzFLPuMNtS-ApX9w09UbuiV0wI/s320/Pier_Paolo_Pasolini.jpg" /></a></div></div>Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; actors Susan Hayward and Ozzie Nelson; Richard Hollingshead, American inventor of the drive-in theatre; The Twilight Zone tv screenwriter Rod Serling and assassinated Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini.</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Via Latini, 13</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This is not a proper pianella date marker, it is rather the year <b>1976</b> scratched into drying concrete on some steps leading to Via Casperia from Via Latini. 1976 was a year of a number of firsts. On January 21 the first commercial <i>Concorde</i> flight takes off. On June 26, the CN Tower, the tallest free-standing land structure opens to the public in Toronto. On September 13, <i>The Muppet Show</i> is broadcast for the first time on ITV. In the American presidential election, Jimmy Carter defeats incumbent Gerald Ford, becoming the first candidate from the Deep South to win since the Civil War. Also in this year, the first known outbreak of the Ebola virus occurs in Yambuku, Zaire. On January 27 the United States vetoes a United Nations resolution that calls for an independent Palestinian state. This was also the year of the deadliest cable car crash in history when the steel supporting cable of an aerial tramway broke as a fully loaded cable car was descending from Mt. Cermis near the Italian ski resort of Cavalese in the Dolomites. All 44 occupants are killed. The Cavalese tramway will be struck with another disaster in 1998. (See post on 1998 below) In Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, large crowds lay wreaths at Beijing's <i>Monument of the Martyrs</i> to commemorate the death of Premier Zhou Enlai. Poems against the Gang of Four are also displayed, provoking a police crackdown.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The death of Chairman Mao Zedong on September 9 brings the end of an era. A few weeks after Mao’s death the Cultural Revolution in China concludes with the capture of the Gang of Four. The People's Republic of China announces that Hua Guofeng is the successor to Mao Zedong, as Chairman of the Communist Party of China. In Argentina, military forces depose president Isabel Perón establishing the countries last military dictatorship. The dictatorship implements what is called the National Reorganization Process, a set of policies used by the regime to destroy left-wing guerrilla forces and oppress resistance to its rule. Beginning with the so called Night of the Pencils, a series of kidnappings and forced disappearances, followed by the torture, rape, and murder of a number of young students in September 1976, at least 30,000 people disappear in the Dirty War waged by </span><span style="font-size: large;">the military </span><span style="font-size: large;">against anyone they deemed a threat to their rule. Also in this year, Palestinian militants and two German allies hijack an Air France plane in Greece with 246 passengers and 12 crew. They take it to Entebbe, Uganda. The stated objective was to free 40 Palestinian and affiliated militants imprisoned in Israel and 13 prisoners in four other countries in exchange for the hostages. Seven days later, Israeli airborne commandos free 103 hostages being held by Palestinian hijackers of an Air France plane at Uganda's Entebbe Airport; One of the Israeli commando officers, Yonatan Netanyahu and 45 Ugandan soldiers, and all of the hijackers are killed in the raid. Still in Africa, 1976 was the year that </span><i>Star Wars</i><span style="font-size: large;"> begins filming in Tunisia and the year of the Soweto uprising in the Republic of South Africa. In sports news, 1976 was the year of the Montreal Summer Olympics in Montréal, Canada. </span></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Face on Mars</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">In space exploration news, Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars on July 20. On July 31, NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1. On September 3 The Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars, taking the first close-up colour photos of the planet's surface. Perhaps more shocking than that famous photo of Face on Mars was the result of the oenological Judgement of Paris, a blind wine tasting in Paris, France which pits French against California wines. California wines win the contest in both the red and white categories, surprising the wine world and opening the wine industry to newcomers in several countries.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A number of big names in the entertainment world were born in 1976 including actors Freddie Prinze Jr., Corey Stoll, Elliot Cowan, Reese Witherspoon, Colin Farrell, Ryan Hurst, Fred Savage and Adrian Grenier, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Worthington, Alexander Skarsgård, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Kwanten, Dominic Monaghan, Joe Manganiello, and country musical artist Blake Shelton. Deaths of historic note from 1976 include those of Zhou Enlai, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China and Mao Zedong, Chinese revolutionary, political theorist and Chairman of the Communist Party of China; American business magnate Howard Hughes and American industrialist and founder of Getty Oil, John Paul Getty; actors Lee J. Cobb, Sal Mineo and Rosalind Russell; English detective fiction writer Agathie Christie; American screenwriter and film director Charles Lederer and Italian theatre and film director Luchino Visconti; and musical artists Florence Ballard and Freddie King.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7CjXBXcLAYlURbRU0tSSZF23NLG5-aNg5F_wtrWHOFXpK_s7FkhlJHVrFayfL6fnMWTLhuBBh8KU2qVhadF6Met_kDSfrQBv2aF3qUM0ZjjjHf8T8aCO_fBnmvJARSTVj-jOUkxzRSiP/s1600/Via+Mazzini%252C+24+Restaurata+A.D.+MCMLXXXIV+%25281984%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="960" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7CjXBXcLAYlURbRU0tSSZF23NLG5-aNg5F_wtrWHOFXpK_s7FkhlJHVrFayfL6fnMWTLhuBBh8KU2qVhadF6Met_kDSfrQBv2aF3qUM0ZjjjHf8T8aCO_fBnmvJARSTVj-jOUkxzRSiP/s640/Via+Mazzini%252C+24+Restaurata+A.D.+MCMLXXXIV+%25281984%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Mazzini, 24 </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This pianella on Via Mazzini is also decorated with an image of a crown.</span><b> 1984</b><span style="font-size: large;">, the year made famous by George Orwell’s novel, was the year of a number of historical firsts. On February 7, Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk. Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a gas balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean departing Caribou Maine on September 14 and arriving in Montenotte, Italy on September 18. On October 5,</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space, aboard the Space Shuttle </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">Challenger</span></i><span style="font-size: large;">. On October 11, Challenger astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk. It was the first year that a TED Conference is held, and also the year in which the first ever Hackers Conference is held. 1984 is also the first year that crack cocaine, a smokeable form of the drug, is introduced into Los Angeles. It soon spreads across the United States in what becomes known as the crack epidemic. </span></div></span></div>
<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In sports news, the 1984 Winter Olympics are held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia from February 8 to 19. From July 28 to August 12, the 1984 Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles, California. The summer games are boycotted by the Soviet Union and other members of the Soviet bloc in response to the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On June 5, the Indian government begins Operation Blue Star, the planned attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar to dislodge Sikh separatist militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Five months after the operation, Indira Gandhi is assassinated in New Delhi in an act of revenge by her two Sikh bodyguards. Anti-Sikh riots break out, leaving 8,000 to 17,000 Sikhs dead across India. Rajiv Gandhi succeeds his mother as Prime Minister of India. 1984 marks the year that Liechtenstein becomes the last country in Europe to grant women the right to vote. On September 26, the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China sign the initial agreement to return Hong Kong to China in 1997. Later, on December 19, the People's Republic of China and United Kingdom sign the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong. In this year a devastating famine continues to rage in Ethiopia. From 1983 to 1985 1.2 million people die leaving 200,000 children orphaned. The European Economic Community makes £1.8 million available to help combat the famine in Ethiopia. On November 25, Band Aid (assembled by Bob Geldof) records the charity single </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Do They Know It's Christmas?</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> in London to raise money to combat the famine in Ethiopia. It is released on December 3. 1984 is the year that American researchers announce the discovery of the AIDS virus. 1984 was the year of the Bhopal disaster, a methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, that kills more than 8,000 people outright and injures over half a million. The final death toll is 23,000, making it the worst industrial disaster in history.</span></div></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This was the year that the Tetris game was released, as were the movies Ghostbusters and Gremlins. 1984 was the year that the Canadian entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil is founded. It is also the year that Bishop Desmond Tutu wins the Nobel Peace Prize </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Births of historical significance in 1984 include those of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; American internet entrepreneur and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg; North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un; American survey sampling technique pioneers and inventor of the Gallup poll, George Gallup; authors Truman Capote and Irwin Shaw; actors Luke Grimes, Garrett Hedlund, Harry Stockwell and Jackson Rathbone; actresses and singers Ashlee Simpson and Scarlett Johansson; musical artists Avril Levine and Katy Perry; South African-born comedian, actor and political commentator Trevor Noah; American journalist, blogger and columnist Ezra Klein, and American columnist, author, and TV personality Meghan McCain. Deaths of historic note from 1984 include those of Anna Anderson, Pretender to the Russian throne; Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; American competition swimmer and actor Johnny Weissmuller; actors Richard Burton, James Mason, Walter Pigeon, Peter Lawford, Jackie Coogan, Richard Basehart, William Powell, Sam Jaffe, Neil Hamilton, Jack La Rue, Eduardo De Filippo and Carlo Campanini; singers Ethel Merman and Marvin Gaye; musician and composer Count Basie, folk musician and songwriter Steve Goodman; comedian Andy Kaufman, American photographer Ansel Adams; French philosopher Michel Foucault; American public nurse and early AIDS activist Bobbi Campbell; and Baptist pastor, missionary and early American civic rights movement figure Martin Luther King Sr.</div></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Via Casperia, 24 - Restaurata dal proprietario Dott. Prof. Enzo Sapora 1989</span></td></tr>
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<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This particular pianella, dated 1989, is located high on the wall of a house on Via Casperia. It translates, "Restored by the proprietor, Doctor Professor Enzo Sapora, 1989". This year is a turning point in political history because of the wave of revolutions which sweep the Eastern Bloc in Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power sharing, coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin Wall in November, and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the dramatic overthrow of the communist dictatorship in Romania in December. 1989 was also important in terms of technical advances. The first commercial Internet service providers surface in this year, as well as the first written proposal for the World Wide Web. In other news for this year: On January 7, Japanese Emperor Hirohito dies. His son, Akihito, is immediately enthroned as Japan’s 125th Emperor, followed by the change in the era name from Shōwa 昭和 to Heisei 平成 the next day. Across the Pacific, George H. W. Bush is sworn in as the 41st President of the United States on January 20. On February 11, Barbara Harris becomes the first woman consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and also the first woman to become a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion. On March 1, after 74 years, Iceland ends its prohibition on beer; celebrated since as <i>bjórdagur</i> or beer day. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktWQULNSrVnM-cqkl2Ig2iUqrWdaRV5OB85rt5FaUJixmfTrJkDzc-6KyK-XrSUK5vSeRG1Bdu7LMuffSFKuSo-188tn9XZ2GorzrmDm_i5mFamWqyL2VFacxCXnwgYv6cHEROXHFpxby/s320/Goddess_of_Democracy_in_Tiananmen_Square.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On April 15, the death of pro-reform Communist general secretary Hu Yaobang sparks the beginning of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests which last until their bloody suppression in early June. On May 17, the 10 metre high </span><span style="font-size: medium;">自由女神</span><span style="font-size: large;">Goddess of Democracy</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square. After months of indecision, the Chinese government eventually decides to crack down hard on the demonstrators and clear the square on June 4. The following day, an unknown protestor stands in front of a column of military tanks on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing, temporarily halting them, an incident which achieves iconic status internationally through images taken by Western photographers. On July 20, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest. She is finally released in 2010. On October 1, Civil unions between partners in a same-sex relationship become legal in Denmark under a law enacted on June 7, the world's first such legislation. On October 5, HH The Dalai Lama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. On October 17, the 6.9 Mw Loma Prieta earthquake shakes the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Sixty-three people are killed. On December 6, fourteen young women are shot dead at the École Polytechnique de Montréal by anti-feminist gunman Marc Lépine. Another ten women and four men were injured in the attack, the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history at that time. Also in 1989, the first Al-Qaeda-related cell in the United States begins operation in New York City. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshXhv6jYzzDlX_odTnYpX43R_DFN4pLeaDX8Qj65LaKaZwdTZYzPgH_UiYcnpBZQPyoc1wiwK8BjHQC_Q6ZuvnSMcdtxbJHAX-EzLvTZIoykIx4Uk9sh4IqhsxNTvvZYZxur3hQol39QW/s200/Alexandria_Ocasio-Cortez%252C_official_portrait%252C_116th_Congress.jpg" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">1989 births of historic interest include those of American politician and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; South African AIDS awareness campaigner Nkosi Johnson (d. 2001); American pop and country singer-songwriter and record producer Taylor Swift; American actresses Hayden Panettiere and Scout Taylor-Compton; British actors Daniel Radcliffe, and Matthew Lewis; and champion Canadian ice dancer, Tessa Virtue. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;">Deaths of historic interest for 1989 include those of Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Showa); Iranian revolutionary, Shia Muslim religious leader and 1st Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini; Filipino dictator and 10th President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos; Romanian dictator and Communist Party head, Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu (both executed); Spanish artist Salvador Dalí; American activist, artist, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe; Soviet physicist, activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Andrei Sakharov; American actress, comedian, and entertainer Lucille Ball, American actor and director George O’Hanlon; English stage and screen actor and director, Sir Laurence Olivier, Italian actor and dubber Corrado Gaipa, Italian actresses Paola Barbara and Silvana Mangano, American actors Bette Davis, Roland Winters (Charlie Chan), Cornel Wilde, John Payne, Jock Mahoney, Lee Van Cleef, British actors Sir Anthony Quayle and Brian Coburn; American voice actor and radio personality Mel Blanc; American composer Irving Berlin; Italian film director Sergio Leone; British actor, musician, political activist and composer of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, Ewan MacColl; American soldier, singer-songwriter and composer of "The Green Berets", Barry Sadler; Japanese Enka sensation Misora Hibari 美空ひばり; American writer Irving Stone; Italian writer Leonardo Sciascia; American professional boxer Sugar Ray Robinson; and American cartoonist, C. C. Beck. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zxDmXuxEavDu7Z5UTMvzjUbifAhvXjlIi6Q7qERlP6w9eb6uNL-8BEn4FyJJjkANol-F7SIWM2GQqUJhUVgaw1EeLcpmJ3Dt47eHHPWLezzlVmWKSh38shYG_km9PHRluvXb8IzCgakv/s1600/1990+Madoninna+at+the+intersection+of+Via+Fonte+Varoni+and+Via+Molelle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zxDmXuxEavDu7Z5UTMvzjUbifAhvXjlIi6Q7qERlP6w9eb6uNL-8BEn4FyJJjkANol-F7SIWM2GQqUJhUVgaw1EeLcpmJ3Dt47eHHPWLezzlVmWKSh38shYG_km9PHRluvXb8IzCgakv/s1600/1990+Madoninna+at+the+intersection+of+Via+Fonte+Varoni+and+Via+Molelle.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Madoninna at the intersection of Via Fonte Varoni and Via Molelle</td></tr>
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<span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This date marker is on a small roadside shrine located out in the country at the intersection of Via Fonte Varoni and Via Molelle. <b>1990</b> was a year or important political shifts and changes to the world map. In this year, East and West Germany were united, as well as North and South Yemen. In this year the Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declare their independence from the Soviet Union and Namibia gains its independence from the Republic of South Africa. In Yugoslavia, separatist governments are elected in Slovenia and Croatia leading to the bloody dissolution of that country the following year. In 1990, Iran invades Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War of 1991, Nelson Mandela is </div></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fnMktEL_SnIcfEEHRszH63JZNQx2J-FpjxbqENrHGg0kkLn2u_i8kXhI-cZIEk16W5omrMISlQQ54y1WVoh0fiTrEniuXxkx1bMYNq9ky9uKjNAPLZ4JO3DBBDz880peQXLD6QVSDbI_/s320/Nelson+Mandela+freed+from+prison.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">released from prison in South Africa which also starts to dismantle apartheid era racial segregation in public facilities, Margaret Thatcher resigns as U.K. prime minister, J.K. Rowling begins writing Harry Potter, the first internet web page is written, Ireland gets its first female president and Mikhail Gorbachev wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Births of historic note in 1990 include those of Australian actor Liam Hemsworth; British actors: Emma Watson and Dev Patel; American actresses Kristen Stewart and Jennifer Lawrence; Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård; and champion figure skaters: Yuna Kim (South Korea), Mao Asada (Japan), and Patrick Chan (Canada). Deaths of historic note from 1990 include those of: Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh; American publisher Malcolm Forbes; American civil rights activist Ralph Abernathy; American AIDS activist Ryan White; American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein; American pop artist Keith Haring; puppeteer, Muppets creator and filmmaker Jim Henson; African-American singer and actress Pearl Bailey; American actor, dancer, and singer Sammy Davis Jr.; American actors: Alan Hale Jr, Arthur Kennedy, Barbara Stanwyck, Ava Gardner, Gary Merrill, Paulette Goddard, Jack Gilford, Howard Duff, Eve Arden, David White, and Robert Cummings; English actor and comedian Terry-Thomas; British actors: gordon Jackson, Rex Harrison, and Margaret Lockwood; Italian actors: Aldo Fabrizi and Ugo Tognazzi; and Swedish-American actress Greta Garbo.</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcocYJYwW7k5prAWmYAE7aU4Dv5qsOt-ezTj5YUwIRXK-wtyZA5BjQ1B5e-hN4BFrNUEW0HbdJdUOQ0NTEU0xLeYN2h0lGPmkObh12JN0dj8XzR6qGRTJu5FQc8UzXWnq85oNLcjR2pV72/s1600/Via+Tito+Tazio%252C+43+Rest.+A.+D.+1991.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcocYJYwW7k5prAWmYAE7aU4Dv5qsOt-ezTj5YUwIRXK-wtyZA5BjQ1B5e-hN4BFrNUEW0HbdJdUOQ0NTEU0xLeYN2h0lGPmkObh12JN0dj8XzR6qGRTJu5FQc8UzXWnq85oNLcjR2pV72/s640/Via+Tito+Tazio%252C+43+Rest.+A.+D.+1991.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Via Tito Tazio, 47 Rest. A. D. 1991</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>1991</b> was the year that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved leaving fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent States in its place. It is also the year that South African Apartheid is ended. In 1991, the Cold War, which had its beginning in 1947, finally ends. Elsewhere in the world, various wars continue to rage. The Gulf War erupts when Iraq, which invaded and annexed Kuwait the previous year, is attacked by a 34 nation U.N. authorized coalition. This is also the year the terrible decade-long Yugoslav Wars break out between Serbia and other Yugoslav Republics which results in the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. In the Caucasus, the South Osettian Oblast, created in 1922, declares its independence from Georgia. Georgian troops attack the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, starting the two year South Ossetian War. In the Americas, another civil war rages in El Salvador. In Africa, civil war still rages in Ethiopia, eventually resulting in the independence of Eritrea. Nearby in Somalia, another civil war breaks out with the overthrow of its president. On the west coast of Africa yet another civil war breaks out in Sierra Leone. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Back in Europe, the Provisional Irish Republican Army launches several attacks in England, including a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street, and bombings at Paddington Station and Victoria Station. In Sriperumbudur, India, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and fourteen others are killed at a public meeting by a suicide bomber. 1991 was also a year of devastating volcanic eruptions. Mount Unzen in Kyushu erupts killing 43 people in a pyroclastic flow. To the south, in the Philippines, Mt. Pinatubo erupts killing 800 people. Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption is the second largest in the 20th century. Worse than the eruption of Mt. Unzen, 1991 is the year that the Japanese asset price bubble bursts sending the Japanese economy into a period of stagnation. On November 24, Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies in London from AIDS related pneumonia. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct5wbcph_K2Vs68sgHikmF0TDgrkGoQ_K-vpa8bpWCilko0ldd4DN9lqLYaVJ2BDnOvO65vIEZ9a1cTFEfTqLETZ5soefdlFMGqWUEjmMvxCC7q-Qf-075ONgcHWUr_pirlu9Vhbk8qqP/w281-h219/OetzitheIceman02.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otzi<br /> South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, high in the Ötztal Alps on the border between Italy and Austria, the mummified remains of Ötzi, a murdered hunter, are found more than 5000 years after his death. Births of historic note from 1991 include that of: English singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor, Ed Sheeran. Deaths of historic note for 1991 include those of: India’s 6th Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi; Japanese engineer and industrialist, Soichiro Honda; Gestapo “Butcher of Lyon”, and later American-recruited anti-Marxist operative, Klaus Barbie; American singer, comedian, and actor Danny Thomas; American dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham; American jazz saxophonist, Stan Getz; American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, Miles Davis; French singer Serge Gainsbourg; Italian-born American film director, Frank Capra; Star Trek and Star Trek the Next Generation series creator and American TV producer, Gene Roddenberry; American film and television producer and creator or the Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Land of the Giants series’ creator, Irwin Allen; American children’s author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss; Queen lead singer and pianist, Freddie Mercury; and Finnish homoerotic artist, Touko Valio Laaksonen, a.k.a. Tom of Finland; American actors: Brad Davis, Redd Foxx, James Franciscus, John Hoyt, Michael Landon, and Fred MacMurray; American actresses: Jean Arthur, Joan Caulfield, Lee Remick and Gene Tierney; and Italian actor Walter Chiari. Also in 1991, Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi wins the Nobel Peace Prize.</div></span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXtWLbnDBxU2eEjuo7vmgvfl2-fWjlSOnXVf46kllH1fk-EcYQnNcGCHq4Proe3aCwJ4NvHan7XMa0Uh6bOZgdY0xpYotLd_2hYz3YwRmHAhhvxM0aZqmsIaYx-xUD0hUj1tgURG4m_kA/s1600/1993+Madoninna+on+Via+Santa+Maria+2nd+date+marker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXtWLbnDBxU2eEjuo7vmgvfl2-fWjlSOnXVf46kllH1fk-EcYQnNcGCHq4Proe3aCwJ4NvHan7XMa0Uh6bOZgdY0xpYotLd_2hYz3YwRmHAhhvxM0aZqmsIaYx-xUD0hUj1tgURG4m_kA/s640/1993+Madoninna+on+Via+Santa+Maria+2nd+date+marker.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is a second restauration marker on Madonnina on Via Santa Maria dated the 20th of September, <b>1993</b>. </span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">1993 is a year of a number of changes to the world map. On January 1, Czechoslovakia ceases to exist as a country and is replaced by the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the so-called Velvet Divorce. On May 24, Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia. Meanwhile, in Europe the European Economic Community eliminates trade barriers and creates a European single market. Later, on November 1, the Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union. In the former Yugoslavia, the Bosnian War continues to rage with ethnic Serb and Croat militias doing their best to carve up the multi ethnic Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the midst of this bloody conflict, the enclave of Srebrenica is declared a UN-protected "safe area”. On November 9, Bosnian Croat forces destroy the Stari Most, or Old Bridge of Mostar, by tank fire. Across the Atlantic, in New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over one thousand. </span></div></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtH3FCpHdd67liSDogibVokPMvAXafrBa2kRcDiE8ShwjaT3RFmBRAt_TuhotCQQ_xAKV-zWe3_G79gnFWE1DZ-WA9OG7IiSoFTsTjmLiwZRM26bHsinP28akyhT4BRMjOodVcDyOsSamR/s320/Bill_Clinton%252C_Yitzhak_Rabin%252C_Yasser_Arafat_at_the_White_House_1993-09-13.jpg" /></a>In Washington, DC, PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin shake hands after signing the Oslo I Peace Accord. Also in this year, Canada, Mexico and the United States sign into law the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the United Nations General Assembly votes unanimously to appoint a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. 1993 is also the year that the blockbuster Jurassic Park is released.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Births of historic or cultural significance for 1993 include those of American singer, songwriter, and actress, Ariana Grande. Deaths of historic or cultural note from 1993 include those of: Italian film director Federico Fellini; Italian automobile manufacturer, Ferruccio Lamborghini; Mexican American civil rights activist Cesar Chavez; Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev; American jazz musician, Dizzy Gillespie; Frank Zappa, American guitarist and composer, Frank Zappa; Léon Theremin, inventor of the theremin; English writer (Lord of the Flies) and Nobel Prize laureate, William Golding; American preacher and author of The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale; actresses Audrey Hepburn, Lillian Gish, Helen Hayes and Myrna Loy; actors Stewart Granger, Raymond Burr, Leon Ames, Vincent Price, River Phoenix, and Bill Bixby. In 1993 Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and South Africans Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjtoEJM4kspuXRxW3FN6cZr7ogTiODaVuHjcP3Xvhpg9t5V_ulFEIVnuJwwaoFMMBIQkPVGX8djNOZ54seoTNiwt7Y_JlX0qieJWvvqq8i-o6qCXMZ-i9nITlmza4mze6fqTzWFaICaXQ/s1600/1996+Via+Garibaldi%252C+22.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjtoEJM4kspuXRxW3FN6cZr7ogTiODaVuHjcP3Xvhpg9t5V_ulFEIVnuJwwaoFMMBIQkPVGX8djNOZ54seoTNiwt7Y_JlX0qieJWvvqq8i-o6qCXMZ-i9nITlmza4mze6fqTzWFaICaXQ/s640/1996+Via+Garibaldi%252C+22.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Garibaldi, 22</td></tr>
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<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1996</b>, the year in which this restoration marker was installed at Via Garibaldi, 22, was a year dominated by the ongoing Iraqi disarmament crisis and a shocking number of deadly commercial airline crashes. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this year, a 6.6 <span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; text-align: left;">M</span><sub style="background-color: white; color: #202122; line-height: 1; text-align: left;">w</sub></span> earthquake near Lijiang in South-west China kills up to 322 people, injures 17,000, and leaves 300,000 homeless. In Haiti, René Préval succeeds Jean-Bertrand Aristide as President in the first peaceful handover of power since the nation achieved independence in 1804. In Scotland, at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, is born.</div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUersv2Q1dUt_C3nu6u_A97Ke3iTHXCyXnTxuIuLzo7j84xaWPLrmMYtlh9BaMfgzl5BnDlp5nxmwx65SZ7xBPr_HshSrLx4Or4Y_LvMRHIa5XtFI3fGQKc8rqRxE63Qlw0UZkNBs5T2a/w400-h300/Kennewick+Man.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kennewick Man Photo -Smithsonian Magazine</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUersv2Q1dUt_C3nu6u_A97Ke3iTHXCyXnTxuIuLzo7j84xaWPLrmMYtlh9BaMfgzl5BnDlp5nxmwx65SZ7xBPr_HshSrLx4Or4Y_LvMRHIa5XtFI3fGQKc8rqRxE63Qlw0UZkNBs5T2a/s800/Kennewick+Man.png"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">At Kennewick, in Washington State, the remains of a man who lived 8,000 to 9,000 years ago are discovered and are named Kennewick Man. Kennewick Man becomes the subject of a controversial nine-year court case between the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), scientists, and Native American tribes who claim ownership of the remains. Also in this year, Osama bin Laden writes "The Declaration of Jihad on the Americans Occupying the Country of the Two Sacred Places," a call for the removal of American military forces from Saudi Arabia. 1996 was the year that Games of Thrones star (Sansa) Sophie Turner was born. 1996 deaths of historic and cultural significance include those of: British paleo-anthropologist, Mary Douglas Leakey; American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, poet and science communicator, Carl Sagan; American LSD social activist and author Timothy Leary; American jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Eddie Harris, American ukulele musician and falsetto singer Tiny Tim; American dancer, choreographer and actor, Gene Kelly; American comedian George Burns; English author and bookseller, Christopher Robin Milne; American humorist and author, Erma Bombeck; Japanese Roman Catholic author, Shūsaku Endō 遠藤周作; actresses: Claudette Colbert, Margaux Hemingway, Greer Garson, Dana Hill, Dorothy Lamour, Jean Muir, and Juliet Prowse; and actors: Marcello Mastroianni, Greg Morris and McLean Stevenson</span>.</div></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_C7g6yDp8KSG8AZ90qDxCjcbmITY-Cp5p44P9RWAX5P0VpHIF_SrFMVrfdu6kdMRPV71k8H9VZhpkhEGOEeHwi1yml4J43OrFssqeKjBak0VUz7SlN6JLKNkWR4WezqzA5cC8AOy9UIsc/s1600/on+the+south+side+of+the+tower+at+Piazza+Umberto+I%252C+3+D.S.F.V.+20.5.1997.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="960" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_C7g6yDp8KSG8AZ90qDxCjcbmITY-Cp5p44P9RWAX5P0VpHIF_SrFMVrfdu6kdMRPV71k8H9VZhpkhEGOEeHwi1yml4J43OrFssqeKjBak0VUz7SlN6JLKNkWR4WezqzA5cC8AOy9UIsc/s640/on+the+south+side+of+the+tower+at+Piazza+Umberto+I%252C+3+D.S.F.V.+20.5.1997.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">South side of the tower at Piazza Umberto I, 3 - D.S.F.V. 20.5.1997</span></td></tr>
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<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In <b>1997</b>, the Iraq disarmament crisis continues to dominate the news. In 1997, Algeria is at the peak of a brutal civil conflict punctuated by a number of terrible massacres after the Algerian military's cancellation of 1992 elections set to be won by the Islamic Salvation Front. In January of this year, Bill Clinton is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States and appoints Madeleine Albright as the first female Secretary of State.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxCR5hZOxBN8CfO0z4Yrwfmwo1aeRx8R2mBRMP3wXNn2nBX7oSBJUfbQ2EIJlZWHg3FfIRIfjfOHoqxLKBkjFOhtHSAt_YaVkjwcJmHq-kvdu_6MPPeFcnbrIkBTwyHlwOEgTxx2Z1dt3/s640/Halebopp031197.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxCR5hZOxBN8CfO0z4Yrwfmwo1aeRx8R2mBRMP3wXNn2nBX7oSBJUfbQ2EIJlZWHg3FfIRIfjfOHoqxLKBkjFOhtHSAt_YaVkjwcJmHq-kvdu_6MPPeFcnbrIkBTwyHlwOEgTxx2Z1dt3/s320/Halebopp031197.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On March 22, the Comet Hale–Bopp, which became a spectacular sight in the night sky since early 1997, makes its closest approach to Earth. A few days later, in San Diego, thirty-nine members of the Heaven's Gate cult commit mass suicide at their compound with the intention of teleporting to a spaceship which they believed was flying behind the comet. In April, the Pokémon anime debuts in Japan. Later in the year, over 700 Japanese children suffer epileptic attacks due to a Pokemon episode that contained repetitive visual effects. In May’s UK general election, Tony Blair’s Labour Party wins a landslide majority returning Labour to power for the first time in eighteen years. Later in the same month, the 13-kilometre Confederation Bridge, the world's longest bridge spanning ice-covered waters, opens between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada. In June, the UK House of Commons votes for a total ban on handguns. The same month, J.K. Rowling’s <i>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</i> is published in London. On July 1, the United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. The same month, the remains of Che Guevara, who had been executed in Bolivia in 1967, are returned to Cuba for burial. Also in July, spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace dead outside Versace’s Miami residence. On August 31, Diana, Princess of Wales, is taken to a hospital after a car accident shortly after midnight in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. She is pronounced dead at 4:00am.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJefiOoTSK5p0XByB8jNGg7NV6DfhrEJ61HuANLa-56oN13usA6qrYpJ1mWc4g9AnWGlEHc0-2cQ2BrvCkqWFm6xlDzYQbwOBpFCgXccTpAsJnHN7uooU4raedJ_ouwT5y3fwikbv7VFM/s1020/Princess+Diana+funeral.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1020" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJefiOoTSK5p0XByB8jNGg7NV6DfhrEJ61HuANLa-56oN13usA6qrYpJ1mWc4g9AnWGlEHc0-2cQ2BrvCkqWFm6xlDzYQbwOBpFCgXccTpAsJnHN7uooU4raedJ_ouwT5y3fwikbv7VFM/s320/Princess+Diana+funeral.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Princess Diana’s funeral, which takes place in Westminster Abbey on September 6, is watched by over two billion people worldwide. In 1997 both Scotland and Wales vote for a devolved Parliament with the Scottish Parliament forming in Scotland and the National Assembly for Wales forming in Wales. On September 26, two earthquakes: one registering 5.6 and 6.1 on the Richter scale respectively, strike the Italian regions of Umbria and Marche in quick succession, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse. On October 24, the Toyota Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to go into full production, is unveiled in Japan and goes on sale there on December 9. It comes to U.S. showrooms on July 11, 2000. On December 19, James Cameron’s Titanic premieres in the U.S. Ten days later, on December 29, Hong Kong begins to kill all the chickens within its territory (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain., H5N1 avian influenza., which eventually kills six people. The virus was eliminated by killing the entire poultry population of Hong Kong. 1997 was the year in which Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams were born. Deaths of historic note from 1997 include those of: Albanian-born nun, missionary and saint, Mother Theresa; Diana, Princess of Wales; Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, and his American serial killer murderer Andrew Cunanan; French French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, and filmmaker, Jacques-Yves Cousteau; Chinese revolutionary and Architect of Modern China, Deng Xiaoping; Emperor of Vietnam, Bảo Đại; American singer-songwriter, John. Denver; singer-lyricist, musician, and Hawaiian sovereignty activist, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole; American Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg; American Beat writer and visual artist, William S. Burroughs; Soviet writer and dissident, Lev Kopelev; Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, James A. Michener; Japanese film director, Juzo Itami; Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune; American actors: David Doyle (Charlies Angels), Brian Keith, Robert Mitchum, Jimmy Stewart, and Burgess Meredith; and American actor and comedian, Red Skelton.</div></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmCJ3OMh0KwMGYf_BiuhjanPVgp6a3ekUxGWAcGoLzB_-eyk3sEzviGIL4lJK1sn-i9lZica9ZvcqG49Jmr6u4ayWZyHeuuLQwzuYnAyBfkFl0p2TZNYQHSYhvzeLagtygFk8uWngioB5/s1600/1998+San+Vito+Church+courtesy+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmCJ3OMh0KwMGYf_BiuhjanPVgp6a3ekUxGWAcGoLzB_-eyk3sEzviGIL4lJK1sn-i9lZica9ZvcqG49Jmr6u4ayWZyHeuuLQwzuYnAyBfkFl0p2TZNYQHSYhvzeLagtygFk8uWngioB5/s640/1998+San+Vito+Church+courtesy+Lorenzo+Capanna.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Restored roadside church in San Vito dated 1998, courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</span></td></tr>
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<span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This restoration marker, dated <b>1998</b>, is on the wall of the small Church in the hamlet of San Vito. 1998 is designated the International Year of the Ocean but almost all of the news from this year takes place on dry land. In Iraq, the ongoing Disarmament Crisis finally prompts President Clinton to allow airstrikes against Saddad Hussein’s regime. In Algeria, a civil war continues to rage, punctuated by a large number of horrific massacres. In the former Yugoslavia, the aspirations of ethnic Albanians in the Kosovo region are about to precipitate another bloody Balkan war.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzLihw06b0c1oS0ajj14QXTwp3MSIrdDtc2WH879y4i0K-yui3J68yrPWXq1CJ0RJCM2VVu0Psmix68Wjs2W8NFx_BU-YaRTDpNdO6yFv8Qj12bN3dRg0iwUr_5hBiJW1Rpop_kGXX3yR/s1686/Screen+Shot+2020-11-21+at+3.04.26+PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1686" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzLihw06b0c1oS0ajj14QXTwp3MSIrdDtc2WH879y4i0K-yui3J68yrPWXq1CJ0RJCM2VVu0Psmix68Wjs2W8NFx_BU-YaRTDpNdO6yFv8Qj12bN3dRg0iwUr_5hBiJW1Rpop_kGXX3yR/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-21+at+3.04.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the Italian alps, on February 3, twenty people are killed in the Cavalese cable car disaster, also known as the Massacre of Cermis, when a United States Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft, flying too low and against regulations, cuts a cable supporting a gondola of an aerial tramway. In Nagano, Japan, the 1998 Winter Olympics open on February 7 and will close on February 22nd. On February 28, a massacre in Likošan, Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia precipitates the Kosovo War fought between the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army. <span style="font-family: times;">In the UK, a study led by Andrew Wakefield is published suggesting a link between MMR vaccine and autism. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWSNDK7N_tzooEAfJKyEa_RXNn3atCwqXpYQtzXLt9QZhmNct7qYtR-JT5y7wS5Prz4S1RWNT55TAx65F60cgfGYcinnSwEHy586yHQDlKmLb4qg9zu8KGgutECPqByVtYFvtPgMKNO86/s854/The+Lancet.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWSNDK7N_tzooEAfJKyEa_RXNn3atCwqXpYQtzXLt9QZhmNct7qYtR-JT5y7wS5Prz4S1RWNT55TAx65F60cgfGYcinnSwEHy586yHQDlKmLb4qg9zu8KGgutECPqByVtYFvtPgMKNO86/s320/The+Lancet.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Now known to be full of data manipulation, the </span><span style="font-family: times;">study was instantly controversial and fuelled the nascent anti-vaccination movement resulting, during the following years and decades, in a sharp drop in vaccination rates and the resurgence of measles in several countries. The study, fully retracted in 2010, was later characterised as "perhaps the most damaging medical hoax of the 20th Century”. Back in Japan, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge linking the island of Shikoku with Honshū and costing about US$3.8 billion, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world. On April 10, the Good Friday Agreement is signed between the Irish and British governments resulting in the end of most of the violence of The Troubles in Northern Ireland which had been going on since the late 1960s. On July 17, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the bodies of Tsar Nicholas II and his family are buried in St. Catherine Chapel, 80 years after he and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. On August 4, the Second Congo War begins; 5.4 million people die before it ends in 2003, making it the bloodiest war, to date, since World War II. In China the Yangtze river floods. The death toll exceeds 12,000, with many thousands more injured. On August 7, the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya are bombed, killing 224 people and injuring over 4,500. The bombings are linked to Osama bin Laden. On September 2, Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, after taking off from New York City en route to Geneva. All 229 people on board are killed. On October 10, General Augusto Pinochet, Chilean dictator from 1973 to 1990, is indicted for crimes he committed in Chile. Six days later, British police place him under house arrest during his stay for medical treatment in the UK. On December 19, US President Bill Clinton, accused of lying under oath and obstruction of justice during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, becomes the second president to be impeached in US history. Also in 1998, two horrific murders ultimately prompt the US Congress to pass a Hate Crimes Prevention Act.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjX4l_ycp4RbhqrVexSuXWKs9MKi6ncYPTaVZXiXfIZGJ7WO5dvomHrGoiBIPnGLcaeJ5nz-rAjVq1Unrp76z14wXzPK3LhERZ5JaqkpCt8Aj9Nxsenwv0Mw5U84ADXh8zPiJ8P-KL3ra_/s320/James+Byrd+Jr..jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">On June 7, James Byrd Jr., a black man, is beaten and dragged to death for almost five kilometres along an asphalt road behind a pickup truck by three white supremacist men in Jasper, Texas. The murderers dumped what remained of Byrd's body in front of a black church and cemetery in Jasper.</span> Two of the three murderers become the first white men to be sentenced to death for killing a black person in the history of modern Texas.</div></span></div></div></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5c51eUtWpAgnmPO8sPgAYElPmFcoSBZbEZgibSWT3Ak62jlMaFhuU0ssasEVZ25JoBODXori_4VAvHcLlseGboFqhRIV-CfaP0ZzBZrYn0P9uvZfAzrO2I0mq1LNgb0en1AsWcdxsjmK/s313/Matthew+Shepard.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5c51eUtWpAgnmPO8sPgAYElPmFcoSBZbEZgibSWT3Ak62jlMaFhuU0ssasEVZ25JoBODXori_4VAvHcLlseGboFqhRIV-CfaP0ZzBZrYn0P9uvZfAzrO2I0mq1LNgb0en1AsWcdxsjmK/s0/Matthew+Shepard.jpg" /></a></div></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">On October 6, Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, is beaten and left for dead outside of Laramie, Wyoming. The subsequent media coverage, followed by his death on October 12, opens a larger conversation on homophobia in the United States. The US Congress finally passes theMatthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. </div></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historic note from 1998 include those of: American pediatrician, author and Olympic Gold Medal winning rower, Dr. Benjamin Spock; American lawyer, feminist activist, and politician, Bella Abzug; Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader and 30th Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea, Pol Pot; American moon walking astronaut, Alan Shepard; American anthropologist and author, Carlos Castaneda; and Canadian Haida jewellery artist, sculptor and carver, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUuZ9fSpcP1eNLCmUmJVvsz-A8uJkquaqbydubZ5ZrKF7Woo7qQUzNbVdlwBJJKsav_q5Hc6scDZ57LQI0n-so1c7lAedpsmObdsUNHaIGOSVrZ6HOg7Fy9IwsNF6ButMrigvoaQLZjcw/s1024/Lucio+Battisti.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="930" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUuZ9fSpcP1eNLCmUmJVvsz-A8uJkquaqbydubZ5ZrKF7Woo7qQUzNbVdlwBJJKsav_q5Hc6scDZ57LQI0n-so1c7lAedpsmObdsUNHaIGOSVrZ6HOg7Fy9IwsNF6ButMrigvoaQLZjcw/s320/Lucio+Battisti.jpg" /></a></div>Bill Reid; Italian singer/songwriter and composer, Lucio Battisti; American singer and actor, Frank Sinatra; American singer, actor, and politician, Sonny Bono; Austrian rock singer/songwriter and musician (Johann "Hans" Hölzel) Falco; Italian-born French singer-songwriter and author, Nino Ferrer; American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, and rodeo performer, Gene Autry; American singer and actor, Roy Rogers; American country singer, Tammy Wynette; Japanese screenwriter, producer, and director, Akira Kurosawa; Actors: Lloyd Bridges, Jack Lord, E. G. Marshall, Roddy McDowall, and Robert Young; American ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, comedian, and television show host, Shari Lewis; and American comedian and actor, Flip Wilson.</span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzcHA6GzFwPPh2rKcjULkl_0_hUjDfBsuSFyxkwCOyJcdvTeKS4OjXJrqPinmekKPCF9S0lsBJ4vO7sd29Xk2QlyOIukv5cniDG9why_JqEzjuBh1RHD0FlOvRMUpqkMRxs0SnWf5lRLP/s1600/Porta+Reatina+2000.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzcHA6GzFwPPh2rKcjULkl_0_hUjDfBsuSFyxkwCOyJcdvTeKS4OjXJrqPinmekKPCF9S0lsBJ4vO7sd29Xk2QlyOIukv5cniDG9why_JqEzjuBh1RHD0FlOvRMUpqkMRxs0SnWf5lRLP/s1600/Porta+Reatina+2000.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Porta Reatina's Six Hour Clock restored in 2000.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This interesting Six Hour Clock can be seen on the façade of Casperia's Porta Reatina, the gate facing Rieti. Six hour clocks, which would cycle four times during a day, were common in Italy up until Napoleon invaded and introduced a 12 hour system that cycled twice. You can see MM written at the bottom of the pianella, just below the clock, indicating the year <b>2000</b> in Roman numerals.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2000, the Second Chechen War, fought between Chechen Islamist separatists and Russia, is in full swing. In this year Russian and pro-Russian Chechen paramilitary forces capture the Chechen capital Grozny and establish direct control over Chechnya, though violent separatist resistance will continue for quite a few years. On January 18, the Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth in northern British Columbia, Canada. On February 13, the final original Peanuts comic strip is published, following the death of its creator, Charles M. Schulz the day prior. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwMISDsVmV6S79_hXbLG-3MFWsmN1Q0z9s8oWT3SYh76xlfck__l5X4-S7DyvB4CIoGTZyt7VC81etBLR_8JgFDwXCVawsLVhVcY6SqQKF_4Ht6XmJCuHhhyjoEqgPOROqhWHrS9vgeFW/s887/Canonisation+of+the+Tsar+and+his+family.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="597" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwMISDsVmV6S79_hXbLG-3MFWsmN1Q0z9s8oWT3SYh76xlfck__l5X4-S7DyvB4CIoGTZyt7VC81etBLR_8JgFDwXCVawsLVhVcY6SqQKF_4Ht6XmJCuHhhyjoEqgPOROqhWHrS9vgeFW/s320/Canonisation+of+the+Tsar+and+his+family.jpg" /></a></div>On August 14, Tsar Nicholas II and his family are canonized by the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. In environmental news, on October 11, 250 million US gallons (950,000 cubic metres) of coal sludge spill in Martin County, Kentucky (considered a greater environmental disaster than the Exxon Valdez oil spill). On October 12, in Aden, Yemen, the USS COLE is badly damaged by two Al-Qaeda suicide bombers, who place a small boat laden with explosives alongside the United States Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39. On November 2, the first resident crew enters the International Space Station. The next day, no winner can be declared in the 2000 US Presidential election, prompting a controversial recount in Florida. On December 12, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the recount of the 2000 presidential election in Florida should be halted and the original results be certified, thus making George W. Bush the winner. On December 15 the third and final reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down and the station is shut down completely. Also in this year, the 2000 Summer Olympics, held in Sydney, Australia, becomes the last Olympic Games of the 20th century. Meanwhile, in India, that country’s population reaches 1 billion. </div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Deaths of historic significance during the year 2000 include those of: Bettino Craxi, the 45th Prime Minister of Italy; Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the 15th Prime Minister of Canada; Hafez al-Assad, Ba’ath Party leader and 18th President of Syria; Canadian-American science fiction author, A. E. Van Vogt; American science-fiction and fantasy writer, L. Sprague de Camp; American comic strip artist and Peanuts creator, Charles M. Schultz;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK1L2Hxt63izfN_DoKMK5oIBkcD-4pyKvwFmiHEOVVbQiJwwYmbYmp_rPs0uCxXBOKG2wwQZkIQvmhVF6GvfWNuRhVtysWuEessbN19CzuE7dPrLG5jwOjDRQ8WRky4k2mrQHrkKYE3YX/s900/Charles+M+Schulz+and+Charlie+Brown.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK1L2Hxt63izfN_DoKMK5oIBkcD-4pyKvwFmiHEOVVbQiJwwYmbYmp_rPs0uCxXBOKG2wwQZkIQvmhVF6GvfWNuRhVtysWuEessbN19CzuE7dPrLG5jwOjDRQ8WRky4k2mrQHrkKYE3YX/s320/Charles+M+Schulz+and+Charlie+Brown.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>American jazz musician, Tito Puente; Israeli singer, actress and Grammy Award-nominee recording artist, Ofra Haza; Austrian actress, Hedy Lamar; Italian actor, director and screenwriter, Victoria Gassman; British actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud; English actor and writer, Sir Alec Guinness; American actors Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Walter Matthau; Danish-born American comedian and actor, Victor Borge; American comedian and author, Steve Allen; American bodybuilder and sword and saddle epic actor, Steve Reeves; and NHL Hockey Hall of Fame hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice “Rocket” Richard.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCmhcCv6GFVlHUM1Xp9QCjGJOjjPqpJVGQAGQklu2la85DtH-G_ps3DbO6d8n7cCdSPpMDseejqSyGV5BJS1kwnKOJDe3V-SYthfsWlmSP9c9rUUQlZZj1XDiUOwSu7wwLGsKRjXUwgEh/s887/Canonisation+of+the+Tsar+and+his+family.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <br /></a></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZrn61K8EjRfK_aAvUDkcx_QXnTk-qO_5ojwID3YpSc9Cfvluye7JYWRcA5AiW7zUHtVZenu_WO5WZvbxJawYPvCXSJbeNwLcq7_e-iJenOmCIpcWh6Yy3m8APufiWyB9Y-c6m0ODmgV1/s960/2003+-+Via+Meleta.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZrn61K8EjRfK_aAvUDkcx_QXnTk-qO_5ojwID3YpSc9Cfvluye7JYWRcA5AiW7zUHtVZenu_WO5WZvbxJawYPvCXSJbeNwLcq7_e-iJenOmCIpcWh6Yy3m8APufiWyB9Y-c6m0ODmgV1/w640-h360/2003+-+Via+Meleta.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This date marker from 2003 is on a wall outside a house on Via Meleta.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This date marker for 2003 is located on charmingly decorated stone retaining wall below a house on a bend of Via Meleta in the valley below Casperia's centro storico. 2003 is designated the International Year of the Fresh Water. In this year, Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia approve joining the European Union in national referendums. In this year Belgium legally recognizes same-sex marriage, becoming the second country in the world to do so. On February 1, disaster strikes at the end of the STS-107 mission when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board. On February 4, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is renamed to "Serbia and Montenegro" after its constituent states, marking an end to the 73-year-long use of the name “Yugoslavia”. On February 15, an Italian gang steals loose diamonds, gold and jewellery valued at more than $100 million from a vault in Antwerp, Belgian, one of the largest robberies in history. On March 12, the World Health Organization issues a global alert on severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, when it spreads to Hong Kong and Vietnam after originating in China. It is finally declared to be contained by the World Health Organization on July 5th. On March 20, U.S. and allied forces invade Iraq. By April 9, U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending Saddam Hussein’s Ba'athist regime. On May 23, Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M University, is born. Five days later, Prometea, the world's first cloned horse, is born. On July 18, the Convention on the Future of Europe finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution. On October 24, the Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to an end. On November 12 in Iraq, a suicide bombing at the Italian military police headquarters in Nasiriyah, kills seventeen Italian military police officers and nine Iraqi civilians. On December 26, an estimated 30,000 people are killed in southeastern Iran by the 6.6 Mw Bam earthquake. 2003 was the year in which Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was born.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AtlYh4pd8DCilH2jZJM1UMdiaDEZ41Cql54W36JQrSzRU7QP-WkKabDUchwR00MJCtPH6-0TUvTv3plalTk8hWv_AU7YPQJ9cHEHiWQO5ovxrzDWF1oGE5j8WPHOwIW8tpJvxE80kn_D/s320/Greta+Thunberg.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AtlYh4pd8DCilH2jZJM1UMdiaDEZ41Cql54W36JQrSzRU7QP-WkKabDUchwR00MJCtPH6-0TUvTv3plalTk8hWv_AU7YPQJ9cHEHiWQO5ovxrzDWF1oGE5j8WPHOwIW8tpJvxE80kn_D/s0/Greta+Thunberg.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historic note for 2003 include those of: Italian physician and microbiologist, Carlo Urbani; Canadian Nobel physicist, Bertram Brockhouse; American environmentalist and filmmaker, Timothy Treadwell; The Butcher of Uganda, President Idi Amin; </span><span style="font-size: large;">The crew of STS-107, American astronauts: Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Rick Husband, and William McCool; American-born Pulitzer Prize winning Canadian novelist and short story writer, Carol Shields; American historical fiction writer, Leon Uris; American record producer American dancer, actor, choreographer and singer, Gregory Hines; American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist, Nina Simone; <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Italian opera tenor, Franco Corelli; British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, Maurice Gibb; American jazz flautist, Herbie Mann; American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and composer, Barry White; American singer-songwriter and actor, Johnny Cash; English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, Robert Palmer; American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader, Benny Carter; Greek-American director, Elia Kazan; American actor, singer, and dancer, Donald O’Connor; English-American comedian and actor, Bob Hope; American actor and comedian, John Ritter; American actor and dancer, Buddy Ebsen; American actor and choreographer, Gene Anthony Ray; American actors: Alan Bates, Charles Bronson, Art Carney, William Scott “Jack" Elam, Hope Lange, Gregory Peck, Penny Singleton, and Robert Stack, English actor, David Hemmings;</span></span></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3qgI2FLcNqzDLpvvg4AjOD9B7X9lA_42ljGzVWPc6ouCo0f31t1isZvx2j5F08GRca0Mqko_bMtTZAd8fkRRePzfs4HdKEQri7m-pwjIS5yhRswz5EcL7RC-3ldx1pOoKgU6nrSTr-h0/s1637/Alberto+Sordi+-+Unamericano+a+Roma.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1637" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3qgI2FLcNqzDLpvvg4AjOD9B7X9lA_42ljGzVWPc6ouCo0f31t1isZvx2j5F08GRca0Mqko_bMtTZAd8fkRRePzfs4HdKEQri7m-pwjIS5yhRswz5EcL7RC-3ldx1pOoKgU6nrSTr-h0/s320/Alberto+Sordi+-+Unamericano+a+Roma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">German actor, Horst Buchholz; and Italian actor, singer, composer, comedian, director and screenwriter, Alberto Sordi. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Aw2XH_9G5cwEIeCVbj1mkyVhgAjTWUGEqUTANdvkMFYpHKhCFuZcjNAb4HrRBDdDoT_GkOZ_lGIwhpktGxPgo8R3zggtDPXC_jLjhcgAZNWGfYeSFknFUddMKNOryhVBFDwWHzKutvR0/s2048/2014+-+Piazza+Umberto+I%252C+1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Aw2XH_9G5cwEIeCVbj1mkyVhgAjTWUGEqUTANdvkMFYpHKhCFuZcjNAb4HrRBDdDoT_GkOZ_lGIwhpktGxPgo8R3zggtDPXC_jLjhcgAZNWGfYeSFknFUddMKNOryhVBFDwWHzKutvR0/w640-h640/2014+-+Piazza+Umberto+I%252C+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restoration marker outside Osteria Vigna at Piazza Umberto I, 1</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">News from 2014, the year that Richard, I and Smokey moved to Casperia from Vancouver, is dominated by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine—which includes the Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war between Ukraine and the Russian-dominated breakaway eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, the violent Rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a.k.a. ISIL, and the outbreak of the deadly West African Ebola virus epidemic. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">In February, the West African Ebola virus epidemic begins, infecting at least 28,616 people and killing at least 11,310 people. From February 7 to 23, the XXII Olympic Winter Games, the most expensive Games in the history of the Olympics so far, are held in Sochi, Russia. On March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370—a Boeing 777 airliner en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur—disappears over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board. The aircraft is presumed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean. During an emergency meeting on March 24, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada temporarily suspend Russia from the G8 in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea five days after the very controversial Crimean Status Referendum. On March 27, the United Nations General Assembly passes Resolution 68/262, recognizing Crimea within Ukraine's international borders and rejecting the validity of the 2014 Crimean referendum. On April 7, the Donetsk People's Republic unilaterally declares its independence from Ukraine. On April 10, in response to the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passes a resolution to temporarily strip Russia of its voting rights; its rights to be represented in the Bureau of the Assembly, the PACE Presidential Committee, and the PACE Standing Committee; and its right to participate in election-observation missions. On April 14, an estimated 276 girls and women are abducted from a school in Chibok, Nigeria by Boko Haram Islamist militants and held hostage. On April 25, the water source for Flint, Michigan is changed, starting the Flint water crisis.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.8px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMG2F33Fa0IEmYdXJkRGlI0KqpXH_X6Ukkmc6PTTiTw7-Rp2Hu7035vYbQjtRGBWHmwBXwayF7ZpEhUzDHt_8TUTOhviQYonf2SD1ePxE3myD_GiOgQlhEvBv7fT-YE8He7m048amtZy0Y/s920/isis-isil-is-iraq-siria.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="920" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMG2F33Fa0IEmYdXJkRGlI0KqpXH_X6Ukkmc6PTTiTw7-Rp2Hu7035vYbQjtRGBWHmwBXwayF7ZpEhUzDHt_8TUTOhviQYonf2SD1ePxE3myD_GiOgQlhEvBv7fT-YE8He7m048amtZy0Y/w640-h166/isis-isil-is-iraq-siria.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On June 5, a Sunni militant group, calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (a.k.a. ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) begins an offensive through northern Iraq, aiming to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrow the Shiite government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Seven days later, ISIL kills 1,566 Shia Iraqi Air Force cadets in the Camp Speicher massacre, the second deadliest terrorist attack in history and the deadliest attack conducted by ISIL. The following day, an international military intervention against ISIL begins. By June 29, ISIL declares itself a caliphate. On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes in eastern Ukraine after being shot down by a missile launched by pro-Russian Donetsk separatists. All 298 people on board are killed. On August 3, ISIL attacks and captures Sinjar and neighbouring towns during its Northern Iraq offensive resulting in the massacre of over 4,000 Yazidis in Iraq's Sinjar District. The US responds with an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIL militants. This airstrike campaign is expanded to include several Arab partners. On September 18, in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, a little over 55% of Scottish voters vote against independence from the United Kingdom. On November 2, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases the final part of its Fifth Assessment Report, warning that the world faces "severe, pervasive and irreversible" damage from global emissions of carbon dioxide. On November 3, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Trade Center in New York City opens. On November 12, the unmanned Rosetta spacecraft's Philae probe successfully lands on Comet 67P, the first time in history that a spacecraft has landed on such an object. On December 16, the Pakistani Taliban carry out a mass shooting at an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 145 people, mostly schoolchildren. Finally,—and I mean finally—U.S. President Barack Obama announces the resumption of normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deaths of historic significance from 2014 include those of: Ariel Sharon, 11th Prime Minister of Israel; Eduard Shevardnadze, 2nd President of Georgia; Jean-Claude Duvalier, 41st President of Haiti; American poet and author and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou; American actress, poet, playwright and civil rights activist, Ruby Dee; American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist, Pete Seeger; Colombian Nobel Prize winning author, Gabriel García Márquez; Canadian author and environmentalist, Farley Mowat; Indian yoga teacher and author, B. K. S. Iyengar; Dominican-American fashion designer, Oscar de la Renta; Trinidadian-American actor, dancer, </span>choreographer, singer, director and painter, Geoffrey Holder; American actress, dancer, and diplomat, Shirley</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EWbueSBLyDY48CrvUv65TwG5wcAR-111af4grQZ8nijxi5G9x3p3DHuh5TUtPoPQhO6gvyoj7RUIzgZOEzJNf4vnUeaV-dPo3leGo1biVG8RJyQecDHz3D0tLZLo0Z5Hrj4H0rbkTm4Y/s300/Shirley-Temple.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EWbueSBLyDY48CrvUv65TwG5wcAR-111af4grQZ8nijxi5G9x3p3DHuh5TUtPoPQhO6gvyoj7RUIzgZOEzJNf4vnUeaV-dPo3leGo1biVG8RJyQecDHz3D0tLZLo0Z5Hrj4H0rbkTm4Y/s0/Shirley-Temple.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Temple; American actor, singer, and dancer, Mickey Rooney; British actor and film director and producer, Richard Attenborough; American actors: Sid Caesar, James Garner, Russell John, James Shigeta, Eli Wallach, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.; American actresses: Lauren Bacall, Ann B. Davis, and Juanita Moore; Austrian-Swiss actor, Maximilian Schell; British actor, Bob Hoskins; Italian actress, Lorella De Luca; Japanese actor, Takakura Ken; American writer, comedian, actress, and television host, Joan Rivers; American stand-up comedian and actor, Robin Williams; American comedian David Brenner; Italian tenor and actor Carlo Bergonzi; English singer and musician, Joe Cocker O.B.E; and Montreal Canadiens Captain and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Jean Béliveau.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5df2LkE-FypaU0IOoyv7vtjZt81ILWcsE6EQOL4lzcCx8uP9LuwMX2TNvGzXVKOTYXBGGlZn5Ncpb5Ci-4aWWR-nSq4TrNtiDndb-SclYmSB75s_BHOXKlhwmM31T8vleejRjhBFaCAWh/s1275/IMG_0574+2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1275" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5df2LkE-FypaU0IOoyv7vtjZt81ILWcsE6EQOL4lzcCx8uP9LuwMX2TNvGzXVKOTYXBGGlZn5Ncpb5Ci-4aWWR-nSq4TrNtiDndb-SclYmSB75s_BHOXKlhwmM31T8vleejRjhBFaCAWh/w640-h360/IMG_0574+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">So there you have it. Over the course of the six years that I have been living here in Casperia I, with the help of various people, have found and catalogued 67 confirmed date markers—most of them terracotta pianelle—two of which have two dates marked on them. This particular post has taken a long time to complete. One of the reasons it has taken so long is that fact that people keep finding me more date markers. Some of these are located in high, hard to see and difficult to photograph places. Some are located on houses, fountains and shrines out in the countryside. Others still are actually not visible to the general public as they are located inside private houses. I am sure that as soon as I publish this post, more people will come forward with other date markers I haven't seen yet. That suites me just fine. The important thing is to locate, photograph and record as many as we can find. </span><span class="s1"><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></div></span><p></p><span class="s1"><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-kerning: none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyG6ROyFy-xnyQo1BCTn17x56vznIR-nSDW5ESS4OnGm1WnT5VT0AfwGjJ1Yr7VnuQP5ahDcKSkzuZG4F0jcCkSBElKzqjUAY-ElGCwR7dcf7whw7DlMjTUSKWE0kp_d0KeTAr1O-4zEH/s3749/IMG_5113+2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="3749" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyG6ROyFy-xnyQo1BCTn17x56vznIR-nSDW5ESS4OnGm1WnT5VT0AfwGjJ1Yr7VnuQP5ahDcKSkzuZG4F0jcCkSBElKzqjUAY-ElGCwR7dcf7whw7DlMjTUSKWE0kp_d0KeTAr1O-4zEH/w640-h144/IMG_5113+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other day, I was walking home along Via Rivellini and looked up just before the intersection with Via Massari and noticed this terracotta pianella, high on a wall of a house whose entrance must be off Via Latini. If you stand at the intersection and look up at the wall you can see an inverted terracotta roof tile jutting out of the wall like a drainage spout. The pianella is below and to the left of the inverted roof tile. I believe that this is yet another date marker but my cell phone camera doesn't have a good enough zoom to read what might be on the pianella. I will need to get some binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens. Better still, it would be great if someone who has a drone with a camera mounted on it would use it to take a close up of it. As far as I can see, straining my eyes and using my imagination, it looks like there might be the letters IHS: Iota, Eta and a Latinized Sigma—the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek—above a date from the 1700s. Hopefully we can solve this mystery sometime soon. </div></span><span class="s1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-kerning: none; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-kerning: none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5IYbEwaNNmeT_ar18N-dVaVfiKW24Y3AHNXwziFd3QuOtANrHvdggdMG4qzlQHbrVREhMyd-M3xGyEJdT3_QvKQ1jiI-J3GnCi8hIrDLBpyYinACpWS_PwOoyzOoH2l8_EBDGeMcJd0F/s1440/123334286_10157835860534503_4565001486227932315_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5IYbEwaNNmeT_ar18N-dVaVfiKW24Y3AHNXwziFd3QuOtANrHvdggdMG4qzlQHbrVREhMyd-M3xGyEJdT3_QvKQ1jiI-J3GnCi8hIrDLBpyYinACpWS_PwOoyzOoH2l8_EBDGeMcJd0F/w640-h640/123334286_10157835860534503_4565001486227932315_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Over the next while, I hope to revisit all these date markers and, in better light conditions and with a better camera, take higher quality pictures of them. </span></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-kerning: none; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1NE6k1coAbCqw65G1pbuNCeqvth0leDjKaPMFg4lBRXDs1HxLNfaiMeVgT91xFgxEyIajE-5TLdd78rM_OpenLWBAJh0UNUVQzsR7jyZ4usrwqELjr5_Aos3Iy5qwkfZXoNK1a9SEYCh/s2684/IMG_5455.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="2684" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1NE6k1coAbCqw65G1pbuNCeqvth0leDjKaPMFg4lBRXDs1HxLNfaiMeVgT91xFgxEyIajE-5TLdd78rM_OpenLWBAJh0UNUVQzsR7jyZ4usrwqELjr5_Aos3Iy5qwkfZXoNK1a9SEYCh/w640-h280/IMG_5455.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks for taking the time to read this very long post! The next time you visit Casperia, take a wander through the maze of vie and vicoli and see how many pianelle you can find.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /> <br /></span> <br /></div>
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</style><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-667278718336804842018-01-31T15:58:00.015-08:002024-02-06T05:15:22.622-08:00ALLA RICERCA DELLE PIANELLE: A Tour of Casperia's Dated Restoration Markers - PART I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jJDE-Nj845xE12RZnJj1H36hsa1mqXvWAs_IPvoQTiK5TPUowx_LOS1zMrUY2ieBgt8Ap3SrURW8tqYkadPyo7f-Y0On4WN6rZqkteQFWQ0ubxr5CkulUpa3k0iGUwki7SDPoOCtDrNu/s1600/Casperia+courtesy+Alessio+Caffarelli.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jJDE-Nj845xE12RZnJj1H36hsa1mqXvWAs_IPvoQTiK5TPUowx_LOS1zMrUY2ieBgt8Ap3SrURW8tqYkadPyo7f-Y0On4WN6rZqkteQFWQ0ubxr5CkulUpa3k0iGUwki7SDPoOCtDrNu/s640/Casperia+courtesy+Alessio+Caffarelli.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casperia - Photo courtesy of Alessio Caffarelli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We live in Casperia, a small hill town in central Italy's Provincia di Rieti about an hour's drive NNE of Rome. We moved here from a wooden row house unit in the old East End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in September of 2014. In Vancouver I worked as a house genealogist... a house history researcher. I sifted through the building permit and water hook up records at the City of Vancouver Archives to establish the construction date of a client's house and from there I gathered as much information as was available from old City Directories, census records, newspaper clippings, the BC Archives Birth, Marriage and Death records and other resources to piece together, as best I could, the stories of the people who built and lived in the houses I was researching. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In all I ended up researching the social histories of over 800 houses in Vancouver—over 300 of which were located in my East End Vancouver/Strathcona neighbourhood, as well as 40 houses in New Westminster, our old colonial capital.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZQNtPbl_zWrN5eDIt-H-ZfnL6i4bslsU6FwDxgcLHg73vTRv3i-QW_QXxOhx_SOPMetfDtfCi-nSv3rPikUVmYSMVXYyyx6hV0YqirYvSFB3_QVFBNjMSUyNWRh_6BSuO1ILajdaPaa4/s1600/1927598_42691849502_2877_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="500" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZQNtPbl_zWrN5eDIt-H-ZfnL6i4bslsU6FwDxgcLHg73vTRv3i-QW_QXxOhx_SOPMetfDtfCi-nSv3rPikUVmYSMVXYyyx6hV0YqirYvSFB3_QVFBNjMSUyNWRh_6BSuO1ILajdaPaa4/s640/1927598_42691849502_2877_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our row house on Hawks Avenue in Strathcona</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My house in Strathcona was built in 1908, most likely from first growth timber felled and milled a few kilometres away from the house. 1908 was twenty-two years after the newly established City of Vancouver burnt to the ground in the Great Fire of June 13, 1886. Though a few cabins escaped the disastrous fire on the periphery of the city, these were all eventually demolished for newer buildings. As far as we know, the oldest house still standing in Vancouver is the Thomas Dunn house, now a Catholic convent, at 385 East Cordova. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FGoP8LHmGtXl2m8nA2ac19dnuEQFW9RdsjZtxYjOzBBKwgIOUQ3lFJig2tpLKYvc-ON85KFbc_kmSnVfPyMHYJCReS0tJbwdT0BIncqFTv1NyWLcQt1X-hMrS0YizHQ6qXKSabwpZsCb/s1600/CVA+Str+P223+J.+A.+Brock+1887+Cordova+near+Heatley.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="550" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FGoP8LHmGtXl2m8nA2ac19dnuEQFW9RdsjZtxYjOzBBKwgIOUQ3lFJig2tpLKYvc-ON85KFbc_kmSnVfPyMHYJCReS0tJbwdT0BIncqFTv1NyWLcQt1X-hMrS0YizHQ6qXKSabwpZsCb/s640/CVA+Str+P223+J.+A.+Brock+1887+Cordova+near+Heatley.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CVA Photo Str P223 - The Thomas Dunn House with lined roof is the one directly below the third notation from the left</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Dunn House is clearly visible finished and painted in this City of Vancouver Archives photo taken by J. A. Brock in 1887, so construction likely began shortly after the fire in 1886.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I do not know exactly how old the house in which we live is. The original external stone structure is likely at least 500 or 600 years old, probably even older. The interior of the original structure has been divided up and reorganised who knows how many times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I do know though, is that the houses directly across the street from us here on Via Latini are older than 500 years old as there are terracotta panels, both dating from 1563, above two doorways. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5mg1jG2thkTYetvBvNMzMgpe1k3DeqSCrBzXC8r6371PQzmtcVIt0wiZ5o2EAgux33QWuolgJFg1gdytZU2ZL3e8wRXeR2uDs0ReJYM0BNFY3c6jicrqj4Z6bQfjUvWEbHApxs7vxK_n/s1600/1563+Via+Latini.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5mg1jG2thkTYetvBvNMzMgpe1k3DeqSCrBzXC8r6371PQzmtcVIt0wiZ5o2EAgux33QWuolgJFg1gdytZU2ZL3e8wRXeR2uDs0ReJYM0BNFY3c6jicrqj4Z6bQfjUvWEbHApxs7vxK_n/s400/1563+Via+Latini.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianella dated 1563 - Via Latini, 17</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46B9QhqBCDwy_vbMsIJVMdR7eahxLh23RxUzy9IoOFup6RSwV76W-OLc5SdAWbBfTSCOGyq4kJXtvzF5EGE5R430gwhZpFJVal_hCnWtNAZbc-eqmnT6wRO7Ps1WP6oWfPHTkWY1tUGo_/s1600/1563+-+Casperia%252C+Via+Latini%252C+19.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46B9QhqBCDwy_vbMsIJVMdR7eahxLh23RxUzy9IoOFup6RSwV76W-OLc5SdAWbBfTSCOGyq4kJXtvzF5EGE5R430gwhZpFJVal_hCnWtNAZbc-eqmnT6wRO7Ps1WP6oWfPHTkWY1tUGo_/s400/1563+-+Casperia%252C+Via+Latini%252C+19.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianella dated 1563 - Via Latini 19</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;">These dated pianelle—pianella in the singular—do not indicate the year the building was constructed but rather the year in which that section of the wall or building was restored or repaired. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Casperia's original name was Aspra Sabina. No one knows for sure about the the origins of the name. One theory is that it comes from the adjective <i>aspro</i>, a reference to the harshness or ruggedness of the rocky hill on which the town is situated. The other theory is that the name derives from the Asproni family, now extinct, which once ruled here. Aspra Sabina was renamed Casperia in 1947.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Casperia was the name of a Sabine city mentioned in Book VII of Virgil's Aeneid. How much based in fact it is no one knows but during the Middle Ages there arose a belief that Aspra had been indeed founded in the territory of this ancient Sabine city whose remains were evident among the ruins in Paranzano. These ruins are in fact those of a number of Roman villas. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6HIi_jnIOU4V308joblUbJl-rBvcRTvv_Gaitbw8SM6_1ruFuxug_pBoKhmzLshBMN-Lr4Ocu27U45eFzgEg8NH86N6OkfvIGfKrFkyuNZWMoO64XVkphyphenhyphenO1rWysIjzjf9SLuQAmrhxk/s1600/Fontanile+di+Paranzano.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="655" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6HIi_jnIOU4V308joblUbJl-rBvcRTvv_Gaitbw8SM6_1ruFuxug_pBoKhmzLshBMN-Lr4Ocu27U45eFzgEg8NH86N6OkfvIGfKrFkyuNZWMoO64XVkphyphenhyphenO1rWysIjzjf9SLuQAmrhxk/s640/Fontanile+di+Paranzano.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engraving showing the water fountain located opposite today's Il Terebinto restaurant. Montefiolo is seen in the background </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is interesting to note though that a sizeable ancient underwater aqueduct, 1.6 metres high and 60cm wide, which runs underground in a course from Montefiolo to the water fountain just opposite Il Terebinto restaurant in Paranzano, dates to the 5th BCE and is therefore of Sabine and not Roman origin, so who knows? </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aspra's original castle walls, no doubt originally built in wood sometime between the year 900 and 1000, were eventually replaced by stone circuit walls. This ring of walls was superseded by a larger expanded circuit of walls in the 1200s to encompass Aspra's growing population. It is this ring of walls, completed in 1284, that we still see today.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft07xvTag0nJah_wErMH_20S5Tig31eJo2eUl1CU0r9Tk3rM_OqH3VBzPvHOiJ0LBUWWZzfvwqSUb_EuARmgRq_Dnbr9Wsoq_gTmO04O_26Q_bPTJm2fS6LOYhxylm1Iykmm6sVwXmhvT/s1600/Aspra+1874.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="640" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft07xvTag0nJah_wErMH_20S5Tig31eJo2eUl1CU0r9Tk3rM_OqH3VBzPvHOiJ0LBUWWZzfvwqSUb_EuARmgRq_Dnbr9Wsoq_gTmO04O_26Q_bPTJm2fS6LOYhxylm1Iykmm6sVwXmhvT/s640/Aspra+1874.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An engraving dating from 1874 showing the partially ruined walls of Aspra</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Over the three years that we have lived here in Casperia, we have done our best to explore every via and vicolo we can in town. During the course of these explorations we have come across quite a few of these terracotta restoration date markers and I took quite a few pictures of these, but it was all random.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A while back I got into posting pictures on <b>Instagram</b>. My original Instragram handle was househistorian, because of my old job as a house genealogist. However I recently changed it to <b><span style="color: red;">imli</span>vinw<span style="color: lime;">rite</span></b> to more accurately reflect our life here in Italy and the fact that I am a blogger, an aspiring travel writer and newbie YouTuber. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About a month ago I started posting pictures of some of the pianelle on Instagram and Facebook, along with a little story about the world events that took place in the year that particular dated terracotta restoration marker was made. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvjAinriPwyvJTQyvYFr6eih2Baa60kNRr4bwNZLN6kiw5YyWPY6QVAkQiRqaRclJaR1MkmGW_bg1g5oFQYD_PSDOPagrEmMPsRH7F9OHgRrCo7bG-gxTGiOJWS-TZWDJkm2LiIyqsrZF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-01-15+at+00.43.52.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="928" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvjAinriPwyvJTQyvYFr6eih2Baa60kNRr4bwNZLN6kiw5YyWPY6QVAkQiRqaRclJaR1MkmGW_bg1g5oFQYD_PSDOPagrEmMPsRH7F9OHgRrCo7bG-gxTGiOJWS-TZWDJkm2LiIyqsrZF/s640/Screen+Shot+2018-01-15+at+00.43.52.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The more I posted these pictures the more I thought that it would be an interesting project to re-explore all the vie and vicoli of Casperia with the intent of finding, photographing and categorising every single date marker possible, and this is what I have done. I am sure that there are more to be discovered out there. These markers are to be found not just inside Casperia's historic centre, but also in the countryside on restored old fountains and roadside shrines. I am hoping that this post will encourage others living in Casperia, both inside the old town and out in the country, to share their photos of these date markers so I can come up with a complete list. Who knows? When this is all finished it might be a fun idea to create a scavenger hunt or a self-guided tour for residents and tourists alike. The list might end up being used for a school project for the local kids. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, here is what I have so far. What follows is organised in chronological order, from oldest to most recent. Each photo will have an address to help those who might want to to go and find it, as well as a list of historic events that took place in the world during the year in which the restoration marker was made.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTfiGhjV4hSw3KG-N-SGPsNAZzbA1wuKHCn7R0iWz1i9Byn9BhPDpw4xMpGK9VmSIfQ22R3GeG_QnfyETD4CZeb4tPt-tPY7m5HH907irgX2Kt9CR98XQ2TaBcob_F-pR6QVQknQ77H1h/s2048/IMG_4054.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTfiGhjV4hSw3KG-N-SGPsNAZzbA1wuKHCn7R0iWz1i9Byn9BhPDpw4xMpGK9VmSIfQ22R3GeG_QnfyETD4CZeb4tPt-tPY7m5HH907irgX2Kt9CR98XQ2TaBcob_F-pR6QVQknQ77H1h/w640-h480/IMG_4054.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Date marker from 1517 above the door of a house at Via Valle Tassignana, 13 </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This pianella dated 1517, is located above the door of what must be a very old house on Via Valle Tassignana which, before the SP48 was created in modern times, was a section of the old medieval road that linked Aspra Sabina (Casperia) with Poggio Mirteto. There is a second pianella, dated 1873, on the same house.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This Pianella reads:</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">AN(NO)▻D(OMI)NI▻MDX</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">VII▻DOM▻HEC</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">FVN▻F▻F❧</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">So what was happening in the year this house was built? In 1517, Firenze-born Medici Leo X was Pope, Henry VIII was King of England—still with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, François I was King of France, Carlo V Hapsburg was the soon to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor, Selim I was Sultan of a rapidly expanding Ottoman Empire and Zhèngdé Dì 正德帝 was the 11th Emperor of China’s Ming Dynasty. In 1517, Casperia, then known as Aspra Sabina, was governed by Troilo Savelli.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">Elsewhere in the world, at the Battle of Ridaniya, the army of Ottoman sultan Selim I defeat the Mamluk army in Egypt, under Tuman bay II. On February 3, Cairo is captured by the Ottoman Empire, and the Mamluk Sultanate falls.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">The Fifth Council of the Lateran ends. It was held between 1512 and 1517, was the eighteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and was the last council before the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. It was convoked by Pope Julius II to restore peace between Catholic rulers and assert the authority of the Pope.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">On May 1, known as Evil May Day, xenophobic riots break out in London. Apprentices attacked foreign residents. Some of the rioters were later hanged although King Henry VIII granted a pardon for the remainder following public pleadings from his wife, Catherine of Aragon.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">On August 15, Portuguese merchant Fernão Pires de Andrade meets Ming Dynasty Chinese officials through an interpreter, at the Pearl River estuary and lands, at what is now in the jurisdiction of Hong Kong. Andrade's mission, was the first official diplomatic mission of a European power to China commissioned by a European ruler, King Manuel I of Portugal.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">Martin Luther publishes his 95 Theses, also known as Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, posting them on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church). This event was retrospectively considered to signal the birth of Protestantism.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">Also in this year, a third outbreak of the mysterious and deadly sweating sickness in England hits Oxford and Cambridge.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><b>Births of historic note from 1517 include those of:</b> Italian composers, Antonio Scandello, and Gioseffo Zarlino; Italian artists Giacomo Gaggini and Isabella Parasole; and pioneering Flemish botanist Rembert Dodoens.</div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><b>Deaths of historic note from 1517 include those of:</b> Tuman bay II, last Mamluk sultan of Egypt; Joanna of Aragon, Queen of Naples; Italian artists Francesco Raibolini and Fra Bartolomeo; and Flemish composer Heinrich Isaac.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second oldest pianella you can see here in town is located at Via Massari, 46. It took me a while to notice it as it is placed quite high up on the wall.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZunyhvzivEGxa0-0rfiA9Iyak08HrkUl6Qrd_UmqX1afB3-C3McQRTPMv9LW0acJG6tNvoGBQgih7ABvpFKlLBa-SZ9IeYlrZZbcXWVxUryIy6O8QVbrmrx68tp5bRApXJSetNasWrH2/s2044/1523+Via+Massari%252C+48.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2044" data-original-width="2044" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZunyhvzivEGxa0-0rfiA9Iyak08HrkUl6Qrd_UmqX1afB3-C3McQRTPMv9LW0acJG6tNvoGBQgih7ABvpFKlLBa-SZ9IeYlrZZbcXWVxUryIy6O8QVbrmrx68tp5bRApXJSetNasWrH2/w640-h640/1523+Via+Massari%252C+48.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restoration date marker from 1523 located at Via Massari, 46<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">So what were some of the things that were happening in the outside world when this date marker was placed high up on this wall?</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On January 20, Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway. On June 6, Gustav Vasa is elected king of Sweden, finally establishing the full independence of Sweden from Denmark This event marks the end of the Kalmar Union and is also traditionally seen to be the birth of the modern Swedish nation.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In July, Martin Luther's translation of the Pentateuch into German (<i>Das allte Testament Deutsch</i>) is published.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On July 1, ex-Catholic monks Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos become the first Flemish Lutheran martyrs, burned at the stake by Roman Catholic authorities in Brussels.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On November 19, following the death of Pope Adrian VI, the Medici cardinal is elected 219th pope as Clement VII.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also in 1523: The Ming dynasty Chinese navy captures two Western ships with Portuguese breech–loading culverins aboard, which the Chinese call a <i>fo–lang–ji</i> 佛郎機 (Frankish culverin). According to the <i>Ming Shi</i>, these cannons are soon presented to the Jiajing Emperor by Wang Hong, and their design is copied in 1529.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="288" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcySguc16yLcbV1p54n29CeOmwh6lt7vThn14RU5CS29kIsIgo06LmQzZZrZgoeFsDVu1w0xhpPqnwgl3hrzDEwUG6tqaZaHOxxvGwySorKNIXy_meih-yHARt5SOARbR7PxwkplzDUkc/w400-h243/%25E4%25BD%259B%25E9%2583%258E%25E6%25A9%259F.jpeg" width="400" /></div></span><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">In northern Italy, a French army tries to recover Milan but fails due to an offensive by Spanish, Imperial and English troops.</span></li></ul></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Births of historic significance in 1523 include those of:<br /></span></b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="493" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEACA-x1oFgtho7JLbJBlkMBg9Qix88GvS9eoVSeCukPZdCjxX3RsulKwKC_ipvel_G_odM9RJSgDrLmeMzfrklnO7GObEqUTQSaqT0frKjVNN_wC-7IWRJHXPvfdSwdy39mdH3q0YP6Gj/s320/Gaspara+stampa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaspara Stampa</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian poet, Gaspara Stampa </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian engraver, Enea Vico</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">German astronomer and mathematician, Valentin Naboth</span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Italian cardinal and papal nuncio, Giovanni Francesco Commendone</span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">French diplomat, cryptographer, translator and alchemist, Blaise de Vigenère</span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Marco Antonio Bragadin, Venetian lawyer, military officer, Captain-General of Famagusta in Cyprus and leader of the Venetian resistance to the Ottoman–Venetian War</span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pier Francesco Orsini, Italian condottiero, Duke of Bomarzo and art patron</span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gabriele Falloppio, Italian anatomist and physician </span></span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francisco Foreiro, Portuguese Dominican theologian and biblist</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historic note from 1523 include those of:</b></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Antonio Grimani, Venetian admiral and Doge from 1521 to 1523</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Ashikaga Yoshitane 足利義稙, Japanese shōgun</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Prospero Colonna, Italian condottiero</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Johann Esch and Heinrich Voes, Flemish Lutheran martyrs</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Gerard David, Flemish artist</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Domenico Grimani, Italian nobleman</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Pope Adrian VI</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Bartolomeo Montagna, Italian painter</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Pietro Perugino, Italian painter</span></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The third oldest terracotta restoration marker that I have been able to find dates from <b>1524</b> and can be found just inside Casperia's Porta Romana at Via Tomassoli, 3 on the right side of the street.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0y489GbIPzF_pat9FeFwSSJckg79jtgEtRDtX1vsnmm-iuyspyaBcrVONDG5F_0OUZsfAn9UdHsT-L962NRQ4R2WbKB3zuoOvp4lCRJBNbjr7fmjP7C5OzSN5awVluvduRACzGB4T502/s584/Porta+Romana.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="348" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0y489GbIPzF_pat9FeFwSSJckg79jtgEtRDtX1vsnmm-iuyspyaBcrVONDG5F_0OUZsfAn9UdHsT-L962NRQ4R2WbKB3zuoOvp4lCRJBNbjr7fmjP7C5OzSN5awVluvduRACzGB4T502/w382-h640/Porta+Romana.png" width="382" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspra's Porta Romana as it was in the 1880s<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span><div style="font-size: xx-large; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">The engraving above shows how the Porta Romana looked in the 1800s when Aspra's castle walls still had its crenellations. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">So what were some of the things that were happening in the world at the time this piece of castle wall was being restored here in Casperia? </span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, in the service of <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD_JEWobp24ZYEV7N3dzYqmHNpwkeOLeeuJNhifiajbTlhsuK1PSPzzFfwF2ZV01Ik3yyE9HD3izzVozfDZR6vLE1kDA_CICYiGmfZk43ODpWnRshTgYnnYRyZT7ECBm8L0uYl7LY0KY/s1600/Giovanni+da+Verrazzano.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="205" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD_JEWobp24ZYEV7N3dzYqmHNpwkeOLeeuJNhifiajbTlhsuK1PSPzzFfwF2ZV01Ik3yyE9HD3izzVozfDZR6vLE1kDA_CICYiGmfZk43ODpWnRshTgYnnYRyZT7ECBm8L0uYl7LY0KY/s200/Giovanni+da+Verrazzano.jpeg" width="167" /></a></div>
François I of France, sets out from Madeira on board La Dauphine for the New World to seek out a western sea route to the Pacific Ocean. On 17 April Verrazzano's expedition makes the first European entry into what is now New York Bay and sights the island of Manhattan. Verrazzano is renowned as the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba founds the city of Granada, Nicaragua, the oldest Hispanic city in the mainland of the Western Hemisphere. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro begins his invasion expedition near Colombia. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The Great German Peasants’ Revolt begins in Germany's Black Forest. This was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising prior to the French Revolution of 1789. It failed because of the intense opposition by the aristocracy, who slaughtered up to 100,000 of the 300,000 poorly armed peasants and farmers.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historic significance from this year include those of:</b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama, and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">German painter, Hans Holbein the Elder</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnPkk3-ComCG1-qPHyEnpmNifHmJCMZWiiStPFOuowUdh-x2fJouRWZrEJK4ttk_9BNHUjVq-xbPBInj0Ql5sabddLOx7TOf52lTj61gkZWplPyYcQdrl4Auv0eQLnbl_M8GYmMS_WcRv/s1600/1529+Via+Massari%252C+5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnPkk3-ComCG1-qPHyEnpmNifHmJCMZWiiStPFOuowUdh-x2fJouRWZrEJK4ttk_9BNHUjVq-xbPBInj0Ql5sabddLOx7TOf52lTj61gkZWplPyYcQdrl4Auv0eQLnbl_M8GYmMS_WcRv/s640/1529+Via+Massari%252C+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Massari, 5<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The fourth oldest pianella that I have been able to find in Casperia dates from </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1529</b> and is located in a corner on a wall beside a down pipe at Via Massari, 5. </span><span style="font-size: large;">There was a lot going on in the world in 1529. This is only a small selection of what I could find. </span></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Örebro Synod, held in February of this year, provides the theological foundation of the Swedish reformation. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">War rages in the Horn of Africa with Christian Abyssinia increasingly invaded and reduced by Muslim armies from the coast. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Denmark the Flensburg Disputation is held, a debate attended by Stadtholder Christian of Schleswig-Holstein—later King Christian III of Denmark—between Lutherans and the more radical Anabaptists. Johannes Bugenhagen, a close associate of Martin Luther, presides. The Disputation marks the rejection of radical ideas by the Danish Reformation. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On 9 April the pro-Catholic/anti-Reformation Westrogothian rebellion breaks out in Sweden. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Diet of Speyer, a Diet of the Holy Roman Empire held in the Imperial City of Speyer in 1529 condemns the results of a previous Diet of Speyer held in 1526 and prohibits future reformation. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On 22 April the Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern hemisphere between the Spanish and Portuguese empires, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297.5 leagues or 17° east of the Moluccas. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, presides over a legatine court at Blackfriars, London, to rule on the legality of King Henry VIII of England's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In May, the Ottoman army under Suleiman I leaves</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQITEX8UAccz_cNZ3o3R-3n_kt1UIYxtH4IsrmF_00wtMWu8_3n2ue5zNxznz1tpd3Jo_l8BFOgux6v54WnvJaV23xcmgG5Asn4yiUUdNYrdu2tsaKJZbmzdcVYXXVXV-NkoUtwflTBXM/s1600/Suleiman+I.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQITEX8UAccz_cNZ3o3R-3n_kt1UIYxtH4IsrmF_00wtMWu8_3n2ue5zNxznz1tpd3Jo_l8BFOgux6v54WnvJaV23xcmgG5Asn4yiUUdNYrdu2tsaKJZbmzdcVYXXVXV-NkoUtwflTBXM/w181-h320/Suleiman+I.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Constantinople to invade Hungary. Buda is captured by the invading forces of the Ottoman Empire on 8 September. Vienna is besieged for the first time by Ottoman forces under Suleiman the Magnificent. The siege signalled the pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire's power and the maximum extent of Ottoman expansion in central Europe. With the campaign season drawing to a close, Suleiman abandons the siege of Vienna on 15 October, a turning point in the Ottoman wars in Europe. </div></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On 21 June French forces in northern Italy are decisively defeated by Spain in the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac. In August 5 Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V and Francis I of France sign the Treaty of Cambrai, or Ladies' Peace in the War of the League of Cognac. Francis abandons his claims in Italy, but is allowed to retain the Duchy of Burgundy. Henry VIII of England accedes on August 27. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On September 1, local natives destroy Sancti Spiritu, the first European settlement in Argentina. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">German-born conquistador Ambrosius Ehinger founds the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On October 26, Cardinal Wolsey, due to his failure to prevent Habsburg expansion in Europe and obtain an annulment of Henry VIII's marriage, falls from power in England. Thomas More succeeds him as Lord Chancellor. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first sitting of the English Reformation Parliament takes place between 4 November and 17 December of this year. The Reformation Parliament was so-called because it was the Parliament that passed and enabled the major pieces of legislation leading to the English Reformation. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Occultist Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa publishes <b>Declamatio de nobilitate et praecellentia foeminei sexus</b>, “Declamation on the Nobility and Preeminence of the Female Sex", a book pronouncing the theological and moral superiority of women.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of note for this year include those of:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Francesco Patrizi, Venetian philosopher and scientist</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Urbino-born painter Taddeo Zuccari</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian humanist historian and archeologist Fulvio Orsini</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Douai, Flanders-born and later Italy-based sculptor Jean Boulogne, later known as Giambologna</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">George Puttenham, English writer and literary critic</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Historically significant deaths from this year include those of:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Marcaria, Mantua-born courtier, diplomat, soldier, and prominent Renaissance author Baldassare Castiglione</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Cortona-born cardinal and lord of Florence, Silvio Passerini</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Monte San Savino, Arezzo-born Italian sculptor Andrea Sansovino</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Verona-born historian Paulus Aemilius Veronensis</span></li></ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVpgIGtEdV3gYaV144vcv-Ff8G-RcXex2-7TPBTMYcDnjlBCxMNHMBva7Lxe3jo6DM7EoqbZmzjriPPy2wfMsATbnaAxpojyIE_AGXU1XaykjTMrAbr4myNhf_pX3T2Jo_NkqksMO7loC/s1600/1534+Via+Sabo+24+with+1608+as+restoration.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVpgIGtEdV3gYaV144vcv-Ff8G-RcXex2-7TPBTMYcDnjlBCxMNHMBva7Lxe3jo6DM7EoqbZmzjriPPy2wfMsATbnaAxpojyIE_AGXU1XaykjTMrAbr4myNhf_pX3T2Jo_NkqksMO7loC/s640/1534+Via+Sabo+24+with+1608+as+restoration.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The fifth oldest date on a pianella I have been able to find is <b>1534</b> on a tile above a door at the top of the town under the municipal theatre at Via Sabo, 24. This particular tile is interesting in that it actually has two dates on it. It also lists 1608. Perhaps the building was built or restored in 1534 and then restored or altered again in 1608. Does this tile replace an older tile with only 1534 on it?</div></span>
<br />
<ul><span style="font-size: large;">
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">England’s Henry VIII and the politics around his second wife</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9HlhwNCP6H8ekoNrgLdzNHxOuJv9zuXEUs7rnndicTUEx3RX3MdTWX3OBfCfa0fHZVT4unW3tf503EEAfIs2TF-ZdrrvAIxYQwA1MioMk2GPODG8EECM9VHMEyk2V0mfl_2xktSDeB11/s1600/Anne+Boleyn.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9HlhwNCP6H8ekoNrgLdzNHxOuJv9zuXEUs7rnndicTUEx3RX3MdTWX3OBfCfa0fHZVT4unW3tf503EEAfIs2TF-ZdrrvAIxYQwA1MioMk2GPODG8EECM9VHMEyk2V0mfl_2xktSDeB11/w242-h320/Anne+Boleyn.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anne Boleyn figure prominently in 1534. In January the Parliament of England passes the Act Respecting the Oath to the Succession, recognising the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and their children as the legitimate heirs to the throne. Later Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy which recognised Henry VIII as the “Supreme Head of the Church of England.” This act also required an oath of loyalty from English subjects that recognised his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Sir Thomas More, Henry’s former councillor and Lord High Chancellor, who refuses to take the Oath of Supremacy is convicted of treason and confined to the Tower of London. Beheaded the following year. Four hundred years after his death, More is canonised as a martyr of the Catholic Church by Pius XI. </div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">French explorer Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland, while</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMa1UNXQAIQrRA0mf9Dx-bXGKPEkJI2hQj0eIrMbfA5OLNXsquUc3QAlUYDAXjF1cgiBjlNgnZcBIsNdET6_6rMUB4AvkWmWRBZGb6zQNV5CcBVAqBLXdsOsOE4daYy9DJjN6Bie2IR3NI/s1600/Jacques+Cartier.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="367" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMa1UNXQAIQrRA0mf9Dx-bXGKPEkJI2hQj0eIrMbfA5OLNXsquUc3QAlUYDAXjF1cgiBjlNgnZcBIsNdET6_6rMUB4AvkWmWRBZGb6zQNV5CcBVAqBLXdsOsOE4daYy9DJjN6Bie2IR3NI/s200/Jacques+Cartier.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">searching for the Northwest Passage. Later, on June 9, Jacques Cartier becomes the first European to explore the Saint Lawrence River, and one 29 June to see Prince Edward Island. The first recorded exchange occurs between Europeans and the First Nations people of the Gulf of St. Lawrence takes place 7 July in what is now New Brunswick.</div></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">15 August – Ignatius of Loyola and six others take the vows that lead to the establishment of the Society of Jesus, in Montmartre, Paris.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">In October, Huguenots post placards all over France attacking the Catholic Mass, provoking a violent sectarian reaction.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">On 6 December over 200 Spanish colonisers, led by conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar, found what is now Quito, Ecuador.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">In the same year, Manco Inca Yupanqui is crowned as Sapa Inca in Cusco, Peru by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who succeeded his brother Túpac Huallpa, who had been the first puppet Inca Emperor installed by the conquistadors during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cambridge University Press is given a Royal Charter by Henry VIII of England, and becomes the first of the privileged presses.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Gargantua</b> is published by François Rabelais.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Martin Luther's translation of the complete Christian Bible into German is printed by Hans Lufft in Wittenberg, adding the Old Testament and Apocrypha to Luther's 1522 translation of the New Testament, and including woodcut illustrations.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first book in Yiddish, </span><b>Mirkevet ha-Mishneh</b>, a Tanakh concordance by Rabbi Asher Anchel, translating difficult phrases in biblical Hebrew is printed in Kraków, Poland.</li></span></ul><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><ul><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QXh6-LOXrwlRKzct1QlEx4ZMyx5VfTnbc4pgHSJemQUWF2pngQPPezZ5aPiRsq25gggHNOYmv8civ4kl2UTqBQKgqa9XINb3YGJ302E5E5PtLKASqDuenfYhN9PoTJbi1kYLE4ZzL8Cz/s750/IMG_8725.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="750" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QXh6-LOXrwlRKzct1QlEx4ZMyx5VfTnbc4pgHSJemQUWF2pngQPPezZ5aPiRsq25gggHNOYmv8civ4kl2UTqBQKgqa9XINb3YGJ302E5E5PtLKASqDuenfYhN9PoTJbi1kYLE4ZzL8Cz/w640-h584/IMG_8725.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Massari, 24-26<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although it is hard to see well in this photo, there are two pianella date markers placed one on top of the other above Via Massari 24 - 26. The oldest of the two, dated <b>1535</b>, is placed below the more recent one dated <b>1868</b>. 1535 was the year after Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church by passing the Act of Succession and the Act of Supremacy. 1535 was a year of bloody reprisals against those who opposed Henry’s move. Many were martyred. Here is a list of a number of historically significant events which took place in the world outside Casperia—then Aspra—when this first restoration marker was added to this wall on Via Massari, 24-26. </span></div><ul class="ul1"><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On January 18, Lima, Peru, is founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, as Ciudad de los Reyes.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On March 10, Fray Tomás de Berlanga becomes the first European to see the Galápagos Islands when he is blown off course enroute to Peru.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On May 19, French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona's two sons, kidnapped by Cartier during his previous voyage.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On May 20, William Tyndale is arrested in Antwerp for heresy, in relation to his Bible translation, and imprisoned in Vilvoorde.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On June 1, the Conquest of Tunis by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V begins with the defeat of Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha's fleet. 30,000 inhabitants are massacred when the Ottoman city finally falls.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On June 22, Cardinal John Fisher, Bishop of<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSh77UA-W3v41zPh2g2xqASv1dFeXyj8qZ8B6i4ESAdkZXcEGC2ob1FN29iokEbUzrqP7EUBjJULMsA2xQS_IEdiSxZHNt9twxSDd7gVBcsfcA94ehk1217w4LwQBIB8mj9ZhXFeJI1-8D/s500/Beheading+of+John+Fisher+and+the+Countes+of+Salisbury.gif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSh77UA-W3v41zPh2g2xqASv1dFeXyj8qZ8B6i4ESAdkZXcEGC2ob1FN29iokEbUzrqP7EUBjJULMsA2xQS_IEdiSxZHNt9twxSDd7gVBcsfcA94ehk1217w4LwQBIB8mj9ZhXFeJI1-8D/s320/Beheading+of+John+Fisher+and+the+Countes+of+Salisbury.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beheading of Cardinal John Fisher<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Rochester, is executed for his refusal to swear an oath of loyalty to King Henry VIII of England. On July 6, Sir Thomas More, author of Utopia and onetime Lord Chancellor of England, is executed for treason, after refusing to recognize King Henry VIII as head of the English Church and separate from the Roman Catholic Church.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On October 2, Jacques Cartier reaches an island in<br /> the Saint Lawrence River that will later become Montréal.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHC75bpOmCzF6Z7-w6GqDOCBauw3S0pBCDBQveSspKjdmSU6cpViIZ2flUftdZKF9j8W-zw5aC4kY3t58851g10K3i9v7g2eqXPlLnEWoLyvPLby7jyZBoXAaQsAXxbRwsMHpry2w2mM4/s741/Tyndale+Coverdale+English+Bible.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="531" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHC75bpOmCzF6Z7-w6GqDOCBauw3S0pBCDBQveSspKjdmSU6cpViIZ2flUftdZKF9j8W-zw5aC4kY3t58851g10K3i9v7g2eqXPlLnEWoLyvPLby7jyZBoXAaQsAXxbRwsMHpry2w2mM4/w286-h400/Tyndale+Coverdale+English+Bible.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Chapter of Genesis<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>On October 4, the first complete English-language Bible is printed in Antwerp, with translations by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale.</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Also in 1535, Suleiman the Magnificent begins the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></li></ul><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic significance in 1535 include those of:</b></span></span></p><ul class="ul1"><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Pope Gregory XIV</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Italian painter, Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Pope Leo XI</span></span></li></ul><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historic significance in 1535 include those of:</b></span></span></p><ul class="ul1"><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Carthusian monks, Saint John Houghton and Saint Robert Lawrence; Saint Augustine Webster, Prior of the London Charterhouse; Saint Richard Reynolds, Bridgettine monk of Syon; John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, as well as English lawyer, writer, and politician Sir Thomas More—all executed by Henry VIII</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Italian poet, Francesco Berni</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Ippolito de' Medici, ruler of Florence (he was poisoned)</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">45th Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller, Piero de Ponte</span></span></li><li class="li2" style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Italian composer, Bartolomeo Tromboncino</span></span></li></ul></div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQUYlPExk-WAhGiiu45zF9azCArq6wBbjflQ2KtFgpisigX0kCTkX9vXSb43lc2eem8l3GpTIiq2m1hspub-d3ZiUbTQ4x5fD6Ap2bjVMTfQKo_r-aWBTM3dZIG4atB7N7EW-TDqU5gIS/s1600/1536+Via+Casperia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQUYlPExk-WAhGiiu45zF9azCArq6wBbjflQ2KtFgpisigX0kCTkX9vXSb43lc2eem8l3GpTIiq2m1hspub-d3ZiUbTQ4x5fD6Ap2bjVMTfQKo_r-aWBTM3dZIG4atB7N7EW-TDqU5gIS/s640/1536+Via+Casperia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Date Marker from 1536 located at Via Casperia, 21<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The fifth oldest dated restoration tile that I have been able to find at Casperia dates from <b>1536</b> and can be seen above a door at </span><span style="font-size: large;">Via Casperia, 21.</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the two years since the previous pianella was installed more royal drama is unfolding in England. Catherine of Aragon, first queen of England’s Henry <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIYEfjk3ozosDocJENlPcfVrf4L5kjwH6V8SfKjX-C2DJ475sudI6FREX1A2GskGMob-J8Ld3GorurpaiJ93bY4Ff_RK6s3ijFor3eZ1hUNd3yMeY98t60XmUx7a3QUIWHe8nMfvjOmnu/s500/Anne-Boleyns-execution-by-Jan-Luyken.1664-1712-1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIYEfjk3ozosDocJENlPcfVrf4L5kjwH6V8SfKjX-C2DJ475sudI6FREX1A2GskGMob-J8Ld3GorurpaiJ93bY4Ff_RK6s3ijFor3eZ1hUNd3yMeY98t60XmUx7a3QUIWHe8nMfvjOmnu/s320/Anne-Boleyns-execution-by-Jan-Luyken.1664-1712-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beheading of Anne Boleyn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>VIII dies. Meanwhile, his second queen, Anne Boleyn is arrested on the grounds of incest, adultery, and treason then later executed in the Tower of London. Later that year Henry marries Jane Seymour who</span><span style="font-size: large;"> dies the following year of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of her only child, a son who became King Edward VI. Jane Seymour was the only one of Henry's wives to receive a queen's funeral, and his only consort to be buried beside him in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In October of this year a popular uprising against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the policies of the King's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell breaks out in Yorkshire. It will be the most serious of all Tudor rebellions.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Buenos Aires, Argentina is founded by Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Protestantism is introduced in Denmark and Norway, by King Christian III.</span> </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Greek maritime pilot Ioannis Phokas (Greek: Ιωάννης Φωκάς), better known by the Spanish translation of his name Juan de Fuca, is born on the Ionian island of Cefalonia.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgV_7_yu_JQqBwzryLICjJ4wbIWmfFQwzFSM058cXHXNIyCGFTuS3aZMFffqxY8MmX3a4ETMrbV_8IHn75st0gDNUMyp4G_-ASXYH7sPKeUMd7TJH-_FPEGvPtubIXlUUFUyJMrNh9cVse/s1600/1542+-+Via+Tomassoli%252C+7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="960" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgV_7_yu_JQqBwzryLICjJ4wbIWmfFQwzFSM058cXHXNIyCGFTuS3aZMFffqxY8MmX3a4ETMrbV_8IHn75st0gDNUMyp4G_-ASXYH7sPKeUMd7TJH-_FPEGvPtubIXlUUFUyJMrNh9cVse/s640/1542+-+Via+Tomassoli%252C+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sixth oldest pianella I have found can be seen in </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: start;">a section of stone wall facing the steps that lead up from Casperia's Porta Romana to Piazza Macello</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">at Via Tomassoli, 7 and dates from <b>1542</b>. </span><span style="font-size: large;">In this year: </span></div>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">Saint Francis Xavier arrives in Goa, India. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wgq41ghpcdZP1IPOmUhrX7-Zkf17PNQB2Wi5nZC1z-NuIou3v2Eaw1N_ZrhwEmE_Lco8uLHme9y3rQVT_4UFQQau3EciM0maaj0ANCZs4mc22p6-WHllH3T9o3pODfiuQXbvKibWhGfC/s1600/Franciscus+de+Xabier.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wgq41ghpcdZP1IPOmUhrX7-Zkf17PNQB2Wi5nZC1z-NuIou3v2Eaw1N_ZrhwEmE_Lco8uLHme9y3rQVT_4UFQQau3EciM0maaj0ANCZs4mc22p6-WHllH3T9o3pODfiuQXbvKibWhGfC/w250-h320/Franciscus+de+Xabier.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor allied with Henry VIII of England declares war on King Francis I of France. James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. In the Battle of Solway Moss, the English defeat Scotland's James V.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pope Paul III begins the Inquisition against Protestants. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Spaniards found the city of Guadlajara in New Spain. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the Renyin Palace Rebellion a group of Ming dynasty palace women fail to murder the Jiajing Emperor and are executed by slow-slicing. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Princess Mary Stuart succeeds her father James V as Mary I of Scotland. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Catherine Howard, 5th wife of Henry VIII is executed for adultery. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lisa del Giocondo, the woman believed to be the subject of the Mona Lisa, dies. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first contact of Japan with the West occurs when a Portuguese ship, blown off its course to China, lands Fernão Mendes Pinto, Francisco Zeimoto and António Mota in Japan. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spanish explorer, navigator and conquistador Hernando de Soto dies. The Portuguese introduce muskets to Japan which are named Tanegashima 種子島, the location at which the introduction occured. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo lands in what is now San Diego Bay, and names it "San Miguel"; it will later become the city of San Diego. Cabrillo becomes the first European to set foot on Santa Catalina Island, California.</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The seventh oldest terra cotta restoration date marker that I have found dates from <b>1548</b> and can be found on Via Nardi-Bruschi between 29 and 31. The brick is pock marked and the date is hard to read unless the light is perfect. In the year that this section of the street wall was restored or repaired and the pianella inserted:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Firearms are used for the first time on the battlefield in Japan on 14 <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">February 14 at the Battle of Uedahara 上田原の戦い in which warlord Takeda Shingen 武田信玄 experiences defeat for the first time at the hand of Murakami Yoshikiyo 村上義清.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ming Chinese naval forces commanded by Zhu Wan </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">朱紈</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">destroy the pirate haven of Shuangyu, frequented by Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese smugglers.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On 30 June, the Augsburg Interim issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> becomes law. It orders Lutherans to return to Catholic practices with some concessions</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On 7 July a marriage treaty is signed between Scotland and France whereby 5-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, is betrothed to the future King Francis II of France. Mary leaves for France on 7 August.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The city of La Paz, Bolivia, is founded 20 October.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In December Siam attacks Tavoy beginning the Burmese–Siamese <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">War of 1548.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Also in this year, a number of important people were born:</b></span><br />
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giacomo Boncompagni, illegitimate son of Pope Gregory XIII</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Jacopo Mazzoni, Italian philosopher</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, and occultist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Francesco Soriano, Italian composer</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="s1"></span>Deaths of historical note include those of:</b></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bernardo Pisano, the Italian composer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lorenzino de' Medici, Italian writer and assassin</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Catherine Parr, sixth and last Queen of Henry VIII of England</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The eighth oldest dated tile that I have been able to find dates from <b>1557</b> and can be found inside Casperia's Porta Romana at Via Tomassoli, 4. In the year this pianella was mounted:</div></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first Russian Embassy arrives in London on 27 February.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Spanish settlement of Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca, Ecuador is founded by Spanish explorer Gil Ramírez Dávalos. Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, then Viceroy of Peru, had commissioned the founding and ordered the city named after his home town of Cuenca, Spain.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mary I of England joins her husband Philip II of Spain in his war against France.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The New Testament of the <b>Geneva Bible</b>, a Protestant Bible translation into English, is published in Geneva.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">With the permission of the Ming Dynasty government of China, and for the benefit of both Western and Eastern merchants, the Portuguese settle in Macau. Direct Sino-Portuguese trade had existed since 1513, but this is the first official legal treaty port on traditional Chinese soil that will form a long-term Western settlement.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Welsh-born mathematician Robert Recorde publishes <b>The Whetstone of Witte</b> in London, containing the first recorded use of the equals sign and also the first use in English of plus and minus signs.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 December, the First Covenant of Scottish Protestants forms.</span></li>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of historical note include those of:</b></span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tsar Feodor I of Russia</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Leandro Bassano, Italian painter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and graphical artist</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jacques Mauduit, French composer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Antoine Favre, Savoisian lawyer, first President of the Sovereign Senate of Savoy</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giovanni Croce, Italian composer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oda Nobutada 織田信忠, Japanese general</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of historical note this year include those of:</b></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Italian painter Jacopo Carucci "Pontormo". </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anne of Cleves, 4th queen of Henry VIII of England.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">French explorer Jacques Cartier.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Italian-born English explorer Sebastiano Caboto, dies in London.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Italian painter Franceso Ubertini, Il Bacchiacca, dies at 63</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">These two tiles both dating from <b>1563 </b></span><span style="font-size: large;">were shown at the beginning of this post. These are the two tiles closest to our house. The first can be found above the door at Via Latini, 17 and the second is two doors down at Via Latini, 19. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So what happened in 1563 in the world beside these pieces of wall restoration here in Casperia? The things that stand out for me are the ongoing wars of religion in Europe and continued instances of horrific persecution of the Jewish people. In this year:</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Catherine de’ Medici, acting as regent <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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for her son Charles IX of France, signs the Edict of Amboise, according some toleration to the Huguenots, especially to aristocrats, officially ending the first phase of the French Wars of Religion.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">February 27, William Byrd is appointed organist at Lincoln Cathedral</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">August 30, the Jewish community of Neutitschlin, Moravia, expelled. Ivan the Terrible captures Polotsk, one of the oldest Jewish communities in Lithuania, and orders all Jews to be baptised. The 300 Jews who refuse are drowned in the Dvina River.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At Bornholm, the Danish fleet fires on the Swedish navy, leading to a Danish defeat and precipitating the Northern Seven Years' War.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Council of Trent officially closes reaffirming all major Roman Catholic doctrines, and declares the Deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament to be canonical, along with the rest of the Bible. Chapter 1, Session 24, promulgates the decree Tametsi, stipulating that for a marriage to be valid, consent (the essence of marriage) as expressed in the vows has to be given publicly before witnesses, one of whom has to be the parish priest.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Thirty-Nine Articles, which define the doctrine of the Church of England are drawn up at the Convocation of 1563.</span></li>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The next oldest terracotta restoration date marker I found on the other side of town at Via Nardi-Bruschi, 40 and it dates to <b>1567</b>. So what happened in 1567? First of all, this was a very bad year for Mary Queen of Scots.</span></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjY02FTDKhBjYNP_D9MiUHqUuXxefia2UO1npzE2nrj6ganGnDpvXrkKJtB5zQPWbg1z6vGhPOgp6yKfY0Kg2XJ83TLmoGmSaAjnsIhs17OmOqWw66rVWQlYUWtgftiomN5jbhP6Ve166/w206-h320/Franc%25CC%25A7ois+Clouet%2527s+Mary%252C+Queen+of+Scots.jpg" width="206" /></div><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">On 10 February, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, husband of Mary,
Queen of Scots, is murdered at the Provost's House in Kirk o' Field, Edinburgh. Three months later on 15 May, Mary marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. A number of Scottish lords object to Mary’s rule after this marriage as it is widely believed that the Earl of Bothwell had murdered her previous husband. A month later, on 15 June an army of confederate lords faces Queen Mary and Bothwell’s army at Carberry Hill. Tricked into surrending, Mary Queen of Scots is imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. On 24 July Mary is forced to abdicate and replaced by her 1-year-old son James VI. James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling 29 July.</span></li>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In other news:</b> </span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">A Spanish force under the command of Captain Juan Pardo establishes Fort San Juan, in the Native American settlement of Joara. The fort is the first European settlement in present day North Carolina. The city of Santiago de León de Caracas', Venezuela is founded by Diego de Losada on the Feast of Saint James on July 25.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Second War of Religion breaks out in France on September 29, when Louis, Prince of Condé and Gaspard de Coligny fail in an attempt to capture King Charles IX and his mother at Meaux. The Huguenots do capture several cities, including Orleans, and march on Paris. The New Testament is first published in Welsh, in William Salesbury's translation from the Greek.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBTRzW1NO1C6gfnYenyAjSz-45U_aFOoh5VLnLXMPKWgWC8SZtkwUOOtaNgOs2l5UDzMz4Qrkl1r9YMRbWh3PZHvs4WTemzglnuIBmNB9jw5Gd5xw43Adpn0Ncx4Czxvug0_qAsD9Ke7g/s1800/Villa+Capra+detta+La+Rotonda.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1800" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmBTRzW1NO1C6gfnYenyAjSz-45U_aFOoh5VLnLXMPKWgWC8SZtkwUOOtaNgOs2l5UDzMz4Qrkl1r9YMRbWh3PZHvs4WTemzglnuIBmNB9jw5Gd5xw43Adpn0Ncx4Czxvug0_qAsD9Ke7g/w400-h211/Villa+Capra+detta+La+Rotonda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Construction of Villa Capra "La Rotonda" in Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio, begins. It will be one of the most influential designs in architecture.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rugby School, one of the oldest public schools in England, is founded.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also in this year, Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi is born.<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This next date tile is very interesting and I thank Casperia historian Lorenzo Capanna for pointing out its location, otherwise I doubt that I would have found it. The one is located very close to our house above a tiled tettoia, or canopy, over the door at Vicolo Serpenti, 1. The tile is interesting for a number of reasons. First of all there is a lot of text and it is written in a mix of Italian and Latin. </div></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>DOPO VNO CINQVE </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>SETTE Et QVATTRO</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>ANNO▴S▴IVBILEIA </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BAPTISTE ZEZZINO ANTO </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NII ET D LATINI COMMODI </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TATEM HEC FVIT EDIF</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>D O M U S</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Translated roughly</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>AFTER 1574</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>IN THE YEAR OF THE HOLY JUBILEE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>THIS HOUSE WAS BUILT </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BY BATTISTA ZEZZINO </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>FOR THE COMFORT OF ANTONIO AND LORD LATINO</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting that there are two dates mentioned: 1574 and the year of the Holy Jubilee, which was 1575. Perhaps this means that construction began in 1574 and was completed by 1575. So this also is not a restoration marker but a tile showing the actual date of a house's construction.</div></span>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">So we have two years to cover here. In <b>1574</b>:</span></span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fifth French War of Religion against the Huguenots breaks out on February 23rd.</span></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">King Charles IX of France dies on May 30th and is succeeded by his brother King Henry of Poland who becomes King Henry III of France. His mother, Catherine de' Medici, acts as Regent, until Henry arrives from Poland. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa9aDoTaUc0Q1607tgFFujSFcPkvY8KQtS9h1NpeATSaLqGdC9xCc1MttvYPzL-xF-74ZfnJE9RV2FcAXI-UjelxBWa_3IN_AzNzSO9qGQcsalrRWdXxehSS7RF-DZWVws5Wi04wIDdFH/s1600/Guru+Ram+Das.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa9aDoTaUc0Q1607tgFFujSFcPkvY8KQtS9h1NpeATSaLqGdC9xCc1MttvYPzL-xF-74ZfnJE9RV2FcAXI-UjelxBWa_3IN_AzNzSO9qGQcsalrRWdXxehSS7RF-DZWVws5Wi04wIDdFH/s200/Guru+Ram+Das.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">After the death of Guru Amar Das on May 14th, Guru Ram Das becomes the fourth of the Sikh gurus on August 30th.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The epic tug of war between the Spanish and Ottoman Empire over control of North Africa ends 13th September with a final victory by the Turks over the Spanish when the Ottoman fleet recaptures Tunis. Thus ends the Spanish Conquista of Northern Africa begun under Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Henceforward North Africa would be under Muslim rather than Christian rule. Spain’s inability to fend off the Ottoman onslaught was largely the result of stretched resources due to the ongoing 80 Years War being fought in the Low Countries between Spain and Dutch rebels.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Juan Fernández Islands in the South Pacific Ocean are discovered by Spanish sailor Juan Fernández November 22nd.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In December, Murad III succeeds Selim II as Ottoman Emperor.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The battle between the Reformation and Counter Reformation begins in Sweden, and continues until the Uppsala Synod of 1593.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">La Alameda, Europe’s first public garden, is laid out in, Seville, Spain.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Significant births this year include those of:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giovanni Battista Pamphili, later Pope Innocent X</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francesco Rasi, Italian composer, singer, instrumentalist, poet</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">English explorer and geographer Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Luis Sotelo, Spanish Franciscan friar who died in 1624 as a martyr in Japan</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Claudio Achillini, Italian philosopher, theologian, mathematician, poet, and jurist</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sicilian composer Claudio Pari</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Historically significants deaths for this year include those of:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giorgio Vasari, Italian painter and architect</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Italian condottiero Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In <b>1575</b>, the year this house on Vicolo Serpente was completed:</span><br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Queen Elizabeth I of England grants a monopoly on producing printed sheet music, to Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Henry III of France is crowned at Reims on February 13th and marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont the following day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">On June 24, William I of Orange marries Charlotte of Bourbon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">At the Battle of Nagashino 長篠の戦い on the 28th of June, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tPADqUx-PmS7gVOCMlJyDFEhkEyDMLuUA8WjZ6wgiURO0b-BTEpH7FTsbMi9999DPBwLdQxeViCq5cKgGp8S-cYKTrN8du_E9mCjGxdvFqSz0tfALzmIieNCtS7gXVUBxeVhuxgG5Da4/s1600/nagashino+no+tatakai.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="975" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tPADqUx-PmS7gVOCMlJyDFEhkEyDMLuUA8WjZ6wgiURO0b-BTEpH7FTsbMi9999DPBwLdQxeViCq5cKgGp8S-cYKTrN8du_E9mCjGxdvFqSz0tfALzmIieNCtS7gXVUBxeVhuxgG5Da4/s320/nagashino+no+tatakai.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
the forces of Oda Nobunaga 織田信長 and Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 defeat Takeda Katsuyori 武田勝頼 in Japan's first modern battle.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Portugal founds the city of Luanda, Angola.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The seat of the Audiencia Real in Chile moves from Concepción to Santiago.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The bubonic plague decimates Venice.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gaspar da Cruz, a Portuguese Dominican friar, writes about his travels to the Ming Dynasty of China, including the Chinese civil service handbook The Bureaucratic System of the Ming Dynasty, and how the Chinese draw lots, to determine which days of the year are most auspicious or most ill-fated to travel upon.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Captains of vessels flying the Spanish flag are legally required to maintain a logbook.</span></li></ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Significant births this year include those of:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francesco Molin, Doge of Venice</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Marie de' Medici, queen of Henry IV of France</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Guido Reni, Italian painter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giambattista Basile, Italian poet</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Edmund Bolton, English historian and poet</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Vittoria Aleotti, Italian composer</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Significant deaths this year include those of:</b></span><br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Annibale Padovano, Italian composer and organist</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yosef Karo, Spanish-born Jewish rabbi</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francisco de Ibarra, Spanish explorer and colonial governor in Mexico</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Richard Taverner, English Bible translator</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Constantio Varoli, Italian anatomist</span></li></ul><ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHebfodp7NbCE7q1SLe4WjbCPWBp7EDpt9rlav9QTyifKWjMDwbKXYcvFMncmq9UcYaNDXwyU30kWnZP7xKt8nga3qPZfushjpg6Qh8_Npqp0FyBXVtVWEWFze5x96tEfKUPa4TT_9XWZ/s2048/IMG_8722.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="2048" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHebfodp7NbCE7q1SLe4WjbCPWBp7EDpt9rlav9QTyifKWjMDwbKXYcvFMncmq9UcYaNDXwyU30kWnZP7xKt8nga3qPZfushjpg6Qh8_Npqp0FyBXVtVWEWFze5x96tEfKUPa4TT_9XWZ/w640-h468/IMG_8722.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianella date marker from 1574 above the door at Via San Rocco, 30<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is another date marker for the year 1574. This one you will find high on the wall above Via San Rocco, 30.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zYjBl-FzRh_0yXmS9W-6i_7dTdkJ6_LHx2BhI8dZ3BtJEInG-bJrWqyjeRvinnSXoqx-TZ0sNrDKWOj-0ljnNoWoVHJOLurK9xy3ozvP74YqaQFsM236Byod_xu8UWxLtmWy6yph75Ax/s1600/1580+Via+Latini+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="723" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zYjBl-FzRh_0yXmS9W-6i_7dTdkJ6_LHx2BhI8dZ3BtJEInG-bJrWqyjeRvinnSXoqx-TZ0sNrDKWOj-0ljnNoWoVHJOLurK9xy3ozvP74YqaQFsM236Byod_xu8UWxLtmWy6yph75Ax/s640/1580+Via+Latini+cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is yet another pianella on a wall along the street we live on. It dates from the year <b>1580</b> and can be found at Via Latini, 23. If you look carefully at the image, you can see the letters A and D for Anno Domini separated by a cross in the top line. The bottom line reads DIES IIII MAII, May 4th.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On January 31, Henry, King of Portugal dies with no direct heirs. This precipitates a succession crisis and a three year war between the claimants. The eventual winner, King Philip II of Spain is crowned King Philip I of Portugal establishing The Iberian Union, a dynastic union of the Crown of Portugal and the Spanish Crown that will last until 1640. The Union brings the entire Iberian Peninsula, as well as Spanish and Portuguese overseas possessions, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Philip II, Philip III and Philip IV of Spain though maintains Portuguese independence in Europe and throughout the Portuguese Empire. The Union lasts until the Portuguese Restoration War in which the House of Braganza is established as Portugal's new ruling dynasty.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Elsewhere, England signs a commercial treaty with the Ottoman Empire in June.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On June 11, Spanish explorer and conquistador Juan de Garay founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Book of Concord, a collection of Lutheran confessional documents, is published on June 25.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In July, The Ostrog Bible, the first complete printed Bible translation into a Slavic language—Old Church Slavonic—is first printed at Ostroh in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in modern-day Ukraine, by Ivan Fyodorov.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On September 26th, Francis Drake returns to<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Oz3iD9RrtdXfgej96pn_XqBJTd9Fi4gkC7YGGqLHFw0qHCpGGNPj8EdmZ9HZhdGlm8y8bBgJtcH0AP91S3RraifKnRNhHUzULITfmwEXx_Fm-O_o5xHGV-28L3tJHLd5rg_2B6XlugJM/s199/Sir+Francis+Drake.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Oz3iD9RrtdXfgej96pn_XqBJTd9Fi4gkC7YGGqLHFw0qHCpGGNPj8EdmZ9HZhdGlm8y8bBgJtcH0AP91S3RraifKnRNhHUzULITfmwEXx_Fm-O_o5xHGV-28L3tJHLd5rg_2B6XlugJM/s0/Sir+Francis+Drake.jpg" /></a></div>Plymouth, England from his voyage of circumnavigation on the Golden Hind, the second completed in a continuous voyage, and the first under its original commander.</span></div></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesuit missionaries arrive at the court of Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the most earth-shattering event of 1580 is the Dover Straits Earthquake of April 6. It is one of the largest in the recorded history of England, Flanders or northern France. It is estimated to have measured 5.3 to 5.9 on the richter scale. Churches were damaged and houses collapsed over a wide area. In London, half a dozen chimney stacks and a pinnacle on Westminster Abbey came down. Two children were killed by stones falling from the roof of Christ's Church Hospital. Many Puritans blame the emerging theatre scene of the time in London, which was seen as the work of the Devil, as a cause of the quake.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Births of note in 1580 include those of:</b></span><br />
<div class="p2">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stefano Amadei, Italian painter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">English explorer and Virginia settler John Smith</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">English settler in America, founding settler of Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut, Richard Webb</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Carlo Contarini, 100th Doge of Venice</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giovanni Giacomo Semenza, Italian painter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francesco Mochi, Italian early-Baroque sculptor</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">George Percy, English explorer, author, and early Colonial Governor of Virginia</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Francisco de Quevedo, Spanish writer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Robert Gordon of Straloch, Scottish cartographer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Frans Hals, Dutch painter, and</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Adriana Basile, Italian composer</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Deaths of historic significance in 1580 include those of:</b></span><br />
<div class="p2">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Antonio Scandello, Italian composer</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Luca Longhi, Italian painter</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Vincenzo Borghini, Italian monk, artist, philologist, and art collector</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Andrea Palladio, Italian architect, and</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia, Italian anatomist</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<style type="text/css">
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Times; min-height: 16.0px}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Times}
span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px}
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79eytZd06Cvx7qk38QsUTzOHZUR08wN9_W6A0DYxjYF0mjPYPfTE16Y9UERCbQzBqtwTHgZ8gppIITPpSzD4vcyZfCmytUt0CMRsa0bv1F3P5lqrLT1ncUtTE_dmj3bQbNpL_bV7U6wRG/s1600/1582+-+Piazza+Umberto+I%252C+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="960" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79eytZd06Cvx7qk38QsUTzOHZUR08wN9_W6A0DYxjYF0mjPYPfTE16Y9UERCbQzBqtwTHgZ8gppIITPpSzD4vcyZfCmytUt0CMRsa0bv1F3P5lqrLT1ncUtTE_dmj3bQbNpL_bV7U6wRG/s640/1582+-+Piazza+Umberto+I%252C+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This tile is interesting for a number of reasons. I believe that it has been moved from an older section of the wall as it is on a modern stuccoed addition to the old tower on the north end of Piazza Macello, now Piazza Umberto Primo, near the beginning of Via Rivellini. The closest door to this section of the wall is Piazza Umberto I, 3. The other reason it is interesting is the religious inscriptions on the tile. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The top line has the letters IHS, with a cross above the letter H followed by the name Maria. The IHS is a Christogram, a combination of letters representing the name of Jesus. The letters IHS are actually Latinised representations of the Greek letters Iota, Eta and Sigma which are the first three letters in the Greek spelling of Jesus</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">: ΙΗΣΟΥΣ.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> So the first line reads Jesus Maria. The second line, with the date, <b>1582</b> includes the Titulis Crucis, the Latin initials I.N.R.I. which stand for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, that is Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews, the inscription the Pontius Pilate is supposed to have affixed in Latin, Greek and Hebrew on the cross on which Jesus was crucified. One wonders why this particular tile was written this way. Perhaps the building was once owned by the Church... but I wonder if it might have been for another reason. I have heard tell that this tower, at one time, was the home of the Boia, or town executioner. Perhaps the solemn invocation was a prayer for the soul of the man who had such a terrible job... or it might have been something included there to ward off the negativity associated with the location. Who knows?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I am particularly interested in this pianella because 1582 is a date in which many significant events took place in Japan—some that actually took place in the region in which I used to live.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The late sixteenth century in Japan is known as Senkoku Jidai 戦国時代 or the Warring States Period. Emperors reign but do not rule. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4R6XTw1glMu7GqeOrGKZ4A29Qp_5oxya5aZdMpGy5cNt-A2Y4slLZihDEg5XPC4riT2Pb8pQ-hDjKOvKX2hAEr-n4T4DQBlN2mbU_HFENOh8i6JgmxnHkC9Kgyg8knYifEoG-Rd0pxuR/s1600/Oda+Nobunaga.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4R6XTw1glMu7GqeOrGKZ4A29Qp_5oxya5aZdMpGy5cNt-A2Y4slLZihDEg5XPC4riT2Pb8pQ-hDjKOvKX2hAEr-n4T4DQBlN2mbU_HFENOh8i6JgmxnHkC9Kgyg8knYifEoG-Rd0pxuR/s200/Oda+Nobunaga.jpg" width="170" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The power of the Ashikaga Shogunate has diminished and Japan is divided up into various warring polities with various feudal lords each vying for hegemony. The introduction of firearms to Japan by the Portuguese hugely impacts the balance of power. In the midst of all this one feudal lord, Oda Nobunaga 織田信長, seems poised to unify all Japan under his rule.</span><br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Battle of Temmokuzan 天目山の戦い on April 3rd turns into the Takeda clan's last stand against the rising power of Oda Nobunaga and his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu. Takeda Katsuyori 武田勝頼 and his household commit suicide.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oda Nobunaga turns his attention toward western Honshū and the powerful Mōri clan. Oda's general, Hashiba Hideyoshi 羽柴秀吉, attacks a Mōri vassal Shimizu Muneharu 清水宗治laying siege to his stronghold at Bitchū Takamatsu Castle 備中高松城 which he isolates with flood water. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On June 21st, Akechi Mitsuhide明智光秀, a disgruntled Oda vassal, rebels and attacks Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji Temple in Kyoto. Oda's small retinue is overwhelmed and Oda ends his life through Seppuku 切腹, ritual disembowelment, among the flames of the burning temple. Akechi has himself declared Shōgun 将軍.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The news of Akechi's coup d'état reaches Hashiba Hideyoshi who quickly arranges a peace treaty with the Mōri, and with Tokugawa Ieyasu rushs east to be the first to avenge Nobunaga and take his place.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">July 2nd, at the Battle of Yamazaki山崎の戦い, Hashiba Hideyoshi decisively defeats Akechi Mitsuhide's smaller army. Akechi is later killed while retreating to his domain.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Elsewhere in the world:</b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Russia cedes Livonia and southern Estonia, to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on January 15th.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On February 24, Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On April 14, King James VI of Scotland signs a charter creating Tounis College, now the University of Edinburgh.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On July 26, at the Battle of Ponta Delgada during the War of the Portuguese Succession, Spanish admiral Santa Cruz decisively defeats a larger mercenary fleet from France, England, supporters of the Portuguese claimant António, Prior of Crato, and the Dutch Republic, under Filippo di Piero Strozzi. It is the first engagement between large fleets of galleons, operating at any great distance from the mainland.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">A political conspiracy of Presbyterian nobles abduct King James VI of Scotland during the Raid of Ruthven on August 22nd.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On Thursday, October 4 of the Julian calendar Pope Gregory XIII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50LCJIEmoKcNYwNThclm67IbIt-G3XJTG61Kd4DwtoWmMURlqDGYxV-W7IxdZeCZGctHa-n1y5IdWTNaIJX_AAQ-DgoscM4qNC82b7ydELUiJE2qpHuRuKBUpJLXi_pq18fUcJdkOznbh/s1600/Pope+Gregory+XIII.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="347" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50LCJIEmoKcNYwNThclm67IbIt-G3XJTG61Kd4DwtoWmMURlqDGYxV-W7IxdZeCZGctHa-n1y5IdWTNaIJX_AAQ-DgoscM4qNC82b7ydELUiJE2qpHuRuKBUpJLXi_pq18fUcJdkOznbh/w266-h320/Pope+Gregory+XIII.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Saint Teresa of Ávila dies on October 4. She is buried the next day, October 15.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Future English playwright William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway on November 29.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On Sunday, December 9 of the Julian calendar France makes the next day Monday, December 20 of the Gregorian Calendar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Italian-born Jesuit, Matteo Ricci enters Ming Dynasty China via Macau where he begins missionary work. He is instrumental in creating the first Portuguese/Chinese dictionary and will become the first European allowed to enter the Forbidden City in Beijing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Cagayan Battles in the Philippines are the only recorded clashes between European regular soldiers against Samurai warriors.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Douai-Rheims Bible New Testament is published. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occult philosopher, and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee practices angelic magic with scryer Edward Kelley, and develops the angelic Enochian language. Dee devotes much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy. He is also an advocate of England's imperial expansion into a "British Empire", a term he is generally credited with coining.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span class="s1"></span>Notable births in 1582 include those of:</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giovanni Lanfranco, Italian painter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Scottish satirist and Latin poet John Barclay</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Early baroque era Italian composer </span><span style="font-size: large;">Marco da Gagliano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Italian Franciscan friar and saint Humilis of Bisignano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Italian composer Severo Bonini</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giulio Alenio, Italian Jesuit missionary</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Gregorio Allegri, Italian composer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Japanese samurai and warlord Kobayakawa Hideaki 小早川秀</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Deaths of note which occurred in this year include those of:</b> </span><br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Four year old heir to the Tuscan throne, Filippo de' Medici</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Parma-born musician, composer and occultist, Giorgio Mainerio</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Soleto, Lecce-born philsopher, astrologer, alchemist and musician, Matteo Tafuri</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Mōri vassal and castellan at Bitchū Takamatsu Castle, Shimizu Muneharu 清水宗治</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Scottish historian and humanist scholar, George Buchanan,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Eminent French physician, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Laurent Joubert</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Renowned Spanish general and 3rd Duke of Alba, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Fernando Álvarez de Toledo</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.8px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBGMOMarDIcPyYuuBovDvymLv0vXDO3-tPr-WHMylGTXRLwRV4qpM8p7pv9zbW6bthu70PCNk_aP_XKT_NVb1ZDg3LD2vHzQkZkWUu7aB-x9rR4pFx1_tR0m-4PynilM08fYwVnOe_iYB/s2048/1589+Church+of+San+Vito.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBGMOMarDIcPyYuuBovDvymLv0vXDO3-tPr-WHMylGTXRLwRV4qpM8p7pv9zbW6bthu70PCNk_aP_XKT_NVb1ZDg3LD2vHzQkZkWUu7aB-x9rR4pFx1_tR0m-4PynilM08fYwVnOe_iYB/w640-h480/1589+Church+of+San+Vito.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianella dated 1589 in San Vito Church - Courtesy of Lorenzo Capanna</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This restoration date marker from <b>1589</b> is located inside a small church in the hamlet of San Vito. I would like to thank local historian and archivist Lorenzo Capanna for adding this pianella to my list. Here are some of the events that went on in the outside world in the year that San Vito's little church was restored.<br /></span><p></p><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">In France, in the War of the Three Henrys, the Catholic League is in rebellion against King Henry III, in revenge for his murder of Henry I, Duke of Guise in December 1588. The King makes peace with his old rival, the Huguenot Henry of Navarre, his designated successor, and together they besiege Paris. On August 1, King Henry III of France is stabbed by the fanatical Dominican friar Jacques Clément, who is immediately killed. The following day, Henry III of France dies. His army is thrown into confusion and an intended attack to retake Paris is abandoned. Henry of Navarre succeeds to the throne as King Henry IV of France, but is not recognized by the Catholic League, who acclaim the imprisoned Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon, as the rightful King of France, Charles X. On September 21, King Henry IV of France's forces defeat those of the Catholic League, under Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne at the Battle of Arques but on November 1, Henry IV’s forces are repulsed in their attempt to capture Paris from the Catholic League.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">In other news, on April 13, an English Armada, led by Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norreys, and largely financed by private investors, sets sail to attack the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, but fails to achieve any naval advantage. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">On December 25, the Russian Orthodox monks of the Pechenga Monastery, the northernmost in the world, are massacred by Swedes, led by a Finnish peasant chief, in the course of the Russo-Swedish War.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Also in this year: San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, is completed by Domenico Fontana; Hiroshima is founded, by the Japanese warlord Mōri Terumoto; and the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus is founded in Munich by William V, Duke of Bavaria.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Births of historic note from 1589 include those of: </b><br />Dutch explorer and cartographer, Maarten Gerritszoon Vries; Italian painters, Sinibaldo Scorza and Domenico Fiasella; and Giovanni Pesaro, Doge of Venice<br /><br /><b>Deaths of historic note from 1589 include those of:</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSAvvwy-8VDGIeaZxCUMhqjAH7zZiJrJdzOVSnvUdO1-ZDayiPIYawEkVb-j1Vs1PStxSLWY6HOpn3hlfK8XJwpIvLmD6Mh-PVouyTAczV81wpT2JYAKm1iRfd7RJUSbVH6Lc23MTHlUY/s503/Saint+Benedict+the+Moor.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSAvvwy-8VDGIeaZxCUMhqjAH7zZiJrJdzOVSnvUdO1-ZDayiPIYawEkVb-j1Vs1PStxSLWY6HOpn3hlfK8XJwpIvLmD6Mh-PVouyTAczV81wpT2JYAKm1iRfd7RJUSbVH6Lc23MTHlUY/s320/Saint+Benedict+the+Moor.jpg" /></a></div>Catherine de' Medici, queen of Henry II of France; King Henry III of France; Philothei, Greek Orthodox religious sister, martyr and saint; Benedict the Moor, Italian Franciscan friar and saint; Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal; Jacopo Zabarella, Italian philosopher; Pietro de' Mariscalchi, Italian painter; and Francisco Balbi di Correggio, Italian arquebusier and diarist in the service of Spain during the Siege of Malta.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1.8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /></p></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIVZpYWZjAzBA3zff2ZNkTRgrZFIw3qyL2fbY6v5ThAD1QjqjOE3nS7bm_f-IQXQQEYRUKL6Dip4yUYKuEhmYUEbAEh-E719-9UZ1GRzk1aWtFSA92twus2uPrsLwZ35cQ0ZujDzBZf6b/s1600/1590+Via+Tomassoli+10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIVZpYWZjAzBA3zff2ZNkTRgrZFIw3qyL2fbY6v5ThAD1QjqjOE3nS7bm_f-IQXQQEYRUKL6Dip4yUYKuEhmYUEbAEh-E719-9UZ1GRzk1aWtFSA92twus2uPrsLwZ35cQ0ZujDzBZf6b/s640/1590+Via+Tomassoli+10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is yet another restoration date marker from Via Tomassoli, just inside Casperia's Porta Romana. This pianella from <b>1590</b> can be found at </span><span style="font-size: large;">Via Tomassoli, 10. In 1590:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The Cortes of Castile approves the Millones, an indirect tax on food which will stay in effect in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. These taxes, however, are first imposed by Philip II initially as a temporary measure to replace the Spanish Armada lost during the attempted invasion of England.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">At the Battle of Ivry, Henry IV of France defeats the forces of the Catholic League, under Charles, Duke of Mayenne. Later in the year Henry unsuccessfully attempts to besiege Paris. He is forced to raise the siege when Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, comes to its rescue with a Spanish army. Farnese eventually forces Henry to life the siege.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The Treaty of Constantinople, also known as the Peace of Istanbul or the Treaty of Ferhad Pasha, is signed ending the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578-1590.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">John White, governor of the Colony of Roanoke, returns from a supply-trip to England and finds his settlement deserted. After an unsuccessful search he returns to England on October 24.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">On September 15, Urban VII succeeds Sixtus V, as the 228th pope; he dies of malaria twelve days later.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Also on September 15, the Neulengbach earthquake causes significant damage and some loss of life in Lower Austria and Vienna. The effects are felt as far away as Bohemia and Silesia.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">On December 5, Gregory XIV succeeds Urban VII, as the 229th pope.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">During the North Berwick Witch Trials, King James VI of Scotland questions Agnes Sampson who confesses to practising witchcraft.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉 destroys the last major pocket <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMorVOBj7qVPWMnAoBHCDemu8aADlM5ujX-UqAEXhpPciu3PKolc6SXaMcE7uWsq-mjLdmm9K7RQqRFX12vEiPxOHccpQNF20tfUyaPhXS5N3uNkHjOXDxT7enC7xcsZ3KmTUjcFlU9CD/s1600/Toyotomi+Hideyoshi.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMorVOBj7qVPWMnAoBHCDemu8aADlM5ujX-UqAEXhpPciu3PKolc6SXaMcE7uWsq-mjLdmm9K7RQqRFX12vEiPxOHccpQNF20tfUyaPhXS5N3uNkHjOXDxT7enC7xcsZ3KmTUjcFlU9CD/w226-h320/Toyotomi+Hideyoshi.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>of resistance to his rule, the Hōjō clan, at the Siege of Odawara 小田原の征伐. The defeated Hōjō lord, Hōjō Ujimasa 北条氏政and his brother Ujiteru</span><span style="font-size: large;"> 北条氏照 </span><span style="font-size: large;">are forced to commit ritual suicide. Their Tea Master, Yamanoue Sōji 山上宗二 is sentenced by Hideyoshi to have his ears and nose cut off and then decapitated. In destroying the power of the Hōjō, Toyotomi Hideyoshi completes the work begun by Oda Nobunaga 織田信長 uniting all Japan under his rule.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The Eighty Years War continues to rage in the Spanish held Netherlands. In this years between the Spanish are pushed out of southern Gelderland by the Dutch forces.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A group of English merchants gains the right to trade in Ottoman territory, in return for supplying the sultan with iron, steel, brass and tin for his war with Persia.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The compound microscope is invented by Hans and Zacharias Janssen.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Signifi</span><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">cant births during 1590 include those of:</span></b><br />
<div class="p1">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Edward Convers, early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and one of the founders of Woburn, MA.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Spanish and Portuguese historian and poet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Ahmed I, Ottoman Emperor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Lucrezia Orsina Vizzana, Italian singer and composer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, later Pope Clement X</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">William Pynchon, English colonist and fur trader in North America and founder of Springfield, Massachusetts</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="s1"></span>Deaths of historic note from 1590 include those of:</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giambattista Benedetti, Italian mathematician and physicist</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Catherine of Ricci, Catholic prioress and saint</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian music theorist and composer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Asahi no kata <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">朝日の方, </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Japanese lady and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's half-sister, and wife of Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Francis Walsingham, English spymaster</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pope Sixtus V</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Lodovico Agostini, Italian composer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pope Urban VII</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Japanese painter </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Kanō Eitoku 狩野永徳</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Italian Protestant Reformation clergyman, theologian and educator Girolamo Zanchi</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Philipp Nicodemus Frischlin, German philologist, poet, playwright, mathematician and astronomer </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ambroise Paré, considered one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology and a pioneer in surgical techniques and battlefield medicine.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Nicholas Bobadilla, one of the first Spanish Jesuits</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Irish chieftain Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill, a.k.a. Sorley Boy MacDonnell </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Maddalena Casulana, Italian composer, lutenist, and singer. She was the first female composer to have her music printed and published in the history of western music </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div class="p1"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfZBH7dCGaXTCBgG1zYwWrL8HV8eKMco_-pc7kWpWQv_uKxJDAet8nXoj5GfRAMTohMUksoVlfaFoQgUn4HPAaA3CtkpkohOrJsmRqsqdS9xsVbdyPOqyvTBM_ifiWACGZPQAfw9Fhyphenhyphenh3/s2016/Courtesy+Giotto+Masci+-+1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="2016" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfZBH7dCGaXTCBgG1zYwWrL8HV8eKMco_-pc7kWpWQv_uKxJDAet8nXoj5GfRAMTohMUksoVlfaFoQgUn4HPAaA3CtkpkohOrJsmRqsqdS9xsVbdyPOqyvTBM_ifiWACGZPQAfw9Fhyphenhyphenh3/w640-h312/Courtesy+Giotto+Masci+-+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Garibaldi, 14 - Courtesy Giotto Masci</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This highly unusual circular date marker from <b>1591</b>, located in a private courtyard off Via Garibaldi, 14, came to my attention by way of Giotto Masci. The carved stone date marker forms part of the grouping of three recycled stone pieces. The other two being a carving of what looks like a mule or donkey and the third being a stone epigraph with the letters D.O.M./M.B.D.S./R. written in three lines. The D.O.M. is a Latin abbreviation for Deo Optimo Maximo, originally a pagan inscription meaning, <i>To God, Most Good, Most Great, </i>which was later used in church inscriptions. I am not at this point sure what the remaining five letters mean. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">One wonders where these pieces were originally located. </span></div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_F9cdFeLyU33qcj3Hvx0R5AMnFD1dN8W1zzewbcUyWM-Err1eLt9gUfuegSVTgP88Nhusmfeb6nJUKBF1zdQm20eRWIPzlAyMAbjgbPBywVGaBy0DAFn-gS_vurjHc9jHtMEvx9TQm6Sg/s2016/Courtesy+Giotto+Masci+-+2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="2016" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_F9cdFeLyU33qcj3Hvx0R5AMnFD1dN8W1zzewbcUyWM-Err1eLt9gUfuegSVTgP88Nhusmfeb6nJUKBF1zdQm20eRWIPzlAyMAbjgbPBywVGaBy0DAFn-gS_vurjHc9jHtMEvx9TQm6Sg/w640-h312/Courtesy+Giotto+Masci+-+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here is a sampling of world events that took place in 1591:</span></div><div class="p1"><ul><li><span style="font-size: x-large;">On March 13, in Mali, forces sent by the Saadi Dynasty ruler of Morocco, Ahmad al-Mansur, and led by Spanish-Moroccan eunuch general, Judar Pasha, defeat the fractured Songhai Empire in the Battle of Tondibi despite being outnumbered by at least five to one. Later, on May 30, the forces under the command of Judar Pasha capture Timbuktu.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">On April 10, English merchant privateer James Lancaster sets off on a voyage to the East Indies. His Indian voyage was an important factor in the foundation of the East India Company in 1600. Lancaster would command the first East India Company voyage in 1601.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">On April 21, Japanese tea-master Sen no Rikyū 千利休commits seppuku 切腹 (ritual disembowelment, a.k.a. harakiri 腹切), on the order of Japan’s ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉.</span></div></span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">On May 15, in Russia, Tsarevich Dimitri, son of the Ivan the Terrible, is found dead in mysterious circumstances, at the palace in Uglich. The official explanation is that he has cut his own throat during an epileptic seizure. Many believe he has been murdered by his rival, Boris Godunov, who becomes tsar.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">On 9 September 1591, a small English fleet of six ships under Lord Thomas Howard anchored in the bay of Ribeira da Cruz in Flores, is surprised by 53 Spanish ships under Alfonso de Bazán. Five of the English ships slip out to sea, but the Revenge, under Sir Richard Grenville, waits for her sick crew, many of whom had an epidemic of fever, to be returned from the shore, then decides to go straight through the approaching Spanish lines from the east. Revenge fights the Spanish ships for fifteen hours, resisting multiple attempts to board her. Her fatally wounded captain eventually orders her to be scuttled, but her crew instead negotiates an honourable surrender. The "Battle of Flores" culminates in the death of Grenville two days later and the Revenge becomes the only English ship to be captured during the Elizabethan conflict.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">On September 25, the city of Hulst is captured from the Spanish by an Anglo-Dutch force led by Maurice of Orange after a five day siege and bombardment during the Dutch War of Independence.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">On October 8, 1591, the Separation Edict 身分統制令, a law preventing social mobility in Japan, is promulgated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Also in 1591: Pope Innocent IX succeeds Pope Gregory XIV, as the 230th pope.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">The Rialto Bridge in Venice, designed by Antonio da Ponte, is completed. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">In a book by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues concerning the voyages of Theodor de Bry appear the first descriptions of the lives, modes of dress, and the traditions of indigenous North Americans.</span></li></ul></div><div class="p1"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>Births of historic note from 1591 include those of:</b><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">French Tenebrist painter Valentin de Boulogne</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Spanish Tenebrist painter and printmaker, Joseph de Ribera</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian painter Giovanni Francesco Barbieri a.k.a. Guercino</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Flemish painter, Lucas de Wael</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian noblewoman and sister-in-law to Pope Innocent X, Olympia Maidalchini</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian physician, mathematician, and music theorist, Joseph Solomon Delmedigo</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Mustafa I, sultan of the Ottoman empire</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Spanish saint, Michael de Sanctis</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian noble, Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">French Huguenot clergyman, historian and classical scholar, David Blondel.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Polish Jesuit missionary and martyr, Andrew Bobola</span></li></ul><b>Deaths of historic note from 1591 include those of:</b><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian nobleman, diplomat, writer, military engineer and condottiero, Vespasiano I Gonzaga</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6RPWlXnfRaoZraAf1g6k4WG9p4gGwTAD-txj8GbiaiZJDSonoUZfW1HhgSCmr9_09JQDqtQ-kPaR6XTe7JFKHmhiPLNXCclOpvSmp3KxTXCm48HzkGs8VALyJqZj-2V4WbfupWvH1L6S/s1063/Sen_no_Rikyu_JPN.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6RPWlXnfRaoZraAf1g6k4WG9p4gGwTAD-txj8GbiaiZJDSonoUZfW1HhgSCmr9_09JQDqtQ-kPaR6XTe7JFKHmhiPLNXCclOpvSmp3KxTXCm48HzkGs8VALyJqZj-2V4WbfupWvH1L6S/s320/Sen_no_Rikyu_JPN.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sen no Rikyu</td></tr></tbody></table>Japanese Tea Master, Sen no Rikyū 千利休</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Tsarevich Dimitri, of Russia</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian Jesuit and saint, Aloysius Gonzaga</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian lutenist, composer, and music theorist, Vincenzo Galilei</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">English soldier, armed merchant fleet owner, privateer, colonizer, and explorer, Richard Grenville</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Pope Gregory XIV</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Spanish Carmelite friar and poet, Saint John of the Cross</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Marigje Arriens, executed for witchcraft, long thought to be the last to be executed for sorcery in the Dutch Republic</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Pope Innocent IX</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Flemish painter, Crispin van den Broeck</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Scottish religious reformer, John Erskine of Dun</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Japanese nobleman, Toyotomi Hidenaga 豊臣秀長</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Italian poet and courtesan, Veronica Franco</span></li></ul></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="p1"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Here ends Part I of this blog post dedicated to the dated terracotta restoration markers found in Casperia. The second and last section of this blog post will start at the point we left off and continue until 2014. See link below.</span><br />
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<div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Follow this <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.com/2020/05/alla-ricerca-delle-pianelle-tour-of.html" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #04ff00;">LINK</span><span style="background-color: white;"> for P</span><span style="background-color: red;">art II</span></a> of this post.</span></div><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Credits:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The majority of the information concerning the events which took place in the world at the time these restorations were taking place here in Aspra, later Casperia, were gleaned from </span><a href="https://www.wikipedia.org/" style="font-size: x-large;">Wikipedia</a><span style="font-size: large;">, also the site called </span><a href="https://www.onthisday.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">On This Day</a><span style="font-size: large;">, and the online </span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Encyclopedia Britannica</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Photo Credits:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of the images in this post are mine. I would like to thank Alessio Caffarelli and local historian Lorenzo Capanna for other images found in these posts. Some other images were scanned from the book </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">Aspra e gli aspresi nella leggenda e nella storia</b><span style="font-size: large;"> by Giorgio Perrini. </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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</style>lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-88838582317410537752017-12-02T15:48:00.001-08:002017-12-03T05:07:17.646-08:00DUE PAZZI CANADESI in ITALIA: We are branching out into YouTube!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmj2GYyhZ7yZ1LnCJauVGLucWdufe-hOiAs1JWKzAlWdu_JBPTqkuThZWTzMP_tq4kU8PFv55J2o3F2fiwwmLh69MixruFw4M28jRrctizA7hgMIYjPcFpDWWNqgrCjtRrVhKv6gz-ykcn/s1600/duepazzicanadesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmj2GYyhZ7yZ1LnCJauVGLucWdufe-hOiAs1JWKzAlWdu_JBPTqkuThZWTzMP_tq4kU8PFv55J2o3F2fiwwmLh69MixruFw4M28jRrctizA7hgMIYjPcFpDWWNqgrCjtRrVhKv6gz-ykcn/s640/duepazzicanadesi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ciao Ragazzi! Richard and I would like to announce the "soft" launch of a collaborative effort to share more of our experiences and perspectives about our life here in Sabina through videos on YouTube. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a lot of careful thought—ha ha!—we have chosen a channel name: </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>DUE PAZZI</b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> CANADES<span style="color: lime;">I in ITALIA</span></b></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">which, for those of you who do not speak Italian, means: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: red;">TWO CRAZ</span>Y CANADIA<span style="color: lime;">NS in ITALY</span></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are five very "rough cut" videos uploaded now. Two are about salt and smoke curing Leccino olives and the other concern our adventures foraging for wild greens. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the future we will be posting videos introducing Casperia and other amazing hill towns, archeological sites and attractions here in Sabina. We will take you to the Sagras, the local food festivals, and will take you to our favourite restaurants and bars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Together, we will visit L'Ulivone di Canneto, the oldest and largest olive tree in continental Europe. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMS36uOayudZ_hMtc2vPVmqSM6JGKW550rwLHQYmz_NB512FPVtK_nXdAbz3WUEVbtwDJVd57mzXSZIyScVmGQu86XNtm1oCkBAxXnVzKKD_rItYr56iiAJjMj-OOBn4zcwnqa81B9TYt/s1600/JamesRichardLulivone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMS36uOayudZ_hMtc2vPVmqSM6JGKW550rwLHQYmz_NB512FPVtK_nXdAbz3WUEVbtwDJVd57mzXSZIyScVmGQu86XNtm1oCkBAxXnVzKKD_rItYr56iiAJjMj-OOBn4zcwnqa81B9TYt/s640/JamesRichardLulivone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will visit the historic Abbazia di Farfa, once the most powerful Abbeys in Medieval Europe and the inspiration for Umberto Eco's <b>The Name of the Rose</b>.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA2QcC_eb7X22sXJjW7mI9UjHwfl1BX_9xnv-tusXk66gjn9JTo3Ale0mItcDyZWQeT8PBulwnFLc4eCgqXdWjyf-Rldx3CwQRy5z3w-lQGCr7bsjNjO1LeX8zA4cHjuQ0xbivU3LQMBG/s1600/Interior+of+Abbazia+di+farfa+courtesy+of+vagabondo+net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA2QcC_eb7X22sXJjW7mI9UjHwfl1BX_9xnv-tusXk66gjn9JTo3Ale0mItcDyZWQeT8PBulwnFLc4eCgqXdWjyf-Rldx3CwQRy5z3w-lQGCr7bsjNjO1LeX8zA4cHjuQ0xbivU3LQMBG/s640/Interior+of+Abbazia+di+farfa+courtesy+of+vagabondo+net.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Farfa's Abbey Church courtesy of Vagabondo.net</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And we will take you on a tour of Europe's second largest garden of roses, the fascinating <b>Vacunae Rosae</b> at Tenuta La Tacita in Roccantica.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1ocDOjwS6Ntx0kIT_loUM4bcYzeCb-Lknp3o489NfF63xifZ9sU1GSKof_fyjxpzo-hO4PzNTCGui7ReLqzyv8tZrPdVdCiZP2s-5bzI8TOVfT-FdjsGAIy4_PPRa4gZaYaGWUawIZG5/s1600/18557082_10154727704394503_4776213881844200125_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1ocDOjwS6Ntx0kIT_loUM4bcYzeCb-Lknp3o489NfF63xifZ9sU1GSKof_fyjxpzo-hO4PzNTCGui7ReLqzyv8tZrPdVdCiZP2s-5bzI8TOVfT-FdjsGAIy4_PPRa4gZaYaGWUawIZG5/s640/18557082_10154727704394503_4776213881844200125_n.jpg" width="352" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyA6ys4XyLrLHGivGD8bPoBcJF9EVVBGzvXIWPFNqbi49CE3rvWLElI_WmdHFPJ4RBReJTHUpfiruCmRAcazTTkTJedu8NjEPN0CjLi83PHS0BBlUWml7gA9BcD_2REOCzQcN5kpNQcfvQ/s1600/18556240_10154727707914503_2502826026970191028_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyA6ys4XyLrLHGivGD8bPoBcJF9EVVBGzvXIWPFNqbi49CE3rvWLElI_WmdHFPJ4RBReJTHUpfiruCmRAcazTTkTJedu8NjEPN0CjLi83PHS0BBlUWml7gA9BcD_2REOCzQcN5kpNQcfvQ/s400/18556240_10154727707914503_2502826026970191028_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd5FxkYp_HOE2wfD5fllhEwxgWhOVQF4JrFTYlcUP7qBjeUigH-6oPOU9s1jg8nFCBp4fPLyNOGDUBD02FuHccD7MwTHLzFwa_keP5ZaXsU6ROpxdf657HH9KC4uuACKd-99iNR6f2MfU/s1600/18556974_10154727705994503_6538941086518297734_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd5FxkYp_HOE2wfD5fllhEwxgWhOVQF4JrFTYlcUP7qBjeUigH-6oPOU9s1jg8nFCBp4fPLyNOGDUBD02FuHccD7MwTHLzFwa_keP5ZaXsU6ROpxdf657HH9KC4uuACKd-99iNR6f2MfU/s640/18556974_10154727705994503_6538941086518297734_n.jpg" width="352" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will be posting interviews of some of the key people, the movers and shakers in our region: authors, photographers, historians, writers, film-makers, wine-makers, olive oil experts, ecologists, farmers, activists, teachers, crafts people, artists, poets, gattare—read "cat ladies"... </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmlyCliT0Byav4eB0PLFoXX83fyuXiNgjq0xgjgSSTPGDsgIQtCZ5crR2yckgGUA9Ypf8mq0jxG1pK5ndYKPPIq7DM7OBz3XKWGOiM2oT_-KBeqBzXFWWFHHWV4Z3dZYPwVaHJgTX-m70/s1600/Maria+and+Smokey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmlyCliT0Byav4eB0PLFoXX83fyuXiNgjq0xgjgSSTPGDsgIQtCZ5crR2yckgGUA9Ypf8mq0jxG1pK5ndYKPPIq7DM7OBz3XKWGOiM2oT_-KBeqBzXFWWFHHWV4Z3dZYPwVaHJgTX-m70/s400/Maria+and+Smokey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqAUXnHdo04n2ZC8IKM7ru5UxSwyQYfwlu1cvousXjn0X8l1IdHsp5unbwc5lBHoSMb-dE8JY44ntvzpmUBJ6gqoU08NnX9ES1nrlllpCEiasxZXehzRayllOlqgQjQwhGqrptg9L7Fz8/s1600/Paola+and+Stella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqAUXnHdo04n2ZC8IKM7ru5UxSwyQYfwlu1cvousXjn0X8l1IdHsp5unbwc5lBHoSMb-dE8JY44ntvzpmUBJ6gqoU08NnX9ES1nrlllpCEiasxZXehzRayllOlqgQjQwhGqrptg9L7Fz8/s400/Paola+and+Stella.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...real estate agents, restaurateurs, bar owners, businessmen, shop owners, dancers, jazz singers, our neighbours and friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will take you hunting for wild asparagus...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJy8yNdVbRXRIYnkhixSlueTCItPemEeRkyC3jksf5vTdHqaJjmxMwA9W1zJ5CLhWpdkxncrWHzIUoyPQPOjwAPaD-gbvqremyiootohk9LXBJZ8KXntebvsLGFltUmQ3uxhADzemizrm/s1600/Richard%252C+asparagi+selvatici.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJy8yNdVbRXRIYnkhixSlueTCItPemEeRkyC3jksf5vTdHqaJjmxMwA9W1zJ5CLhWpdkxncrWHzIUoyPQPOjwAPaD-gbvqremyiootohk9LXBJZ8KXntebvsLGFltUmQ3uxhADzemizrm/s640/Richard%252C+asparagi+selvatici.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...and teach you how to make traditional Italian digestivi—liqueurs made from lemons, wild oranges, walnuts, wild fennel, even bay leaves.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIyateRhLIcU0FaeLZe44tFPPtnojUTGCgZZ75t0NAaMGkZliMWl-OGaxnLEs-NCj451Fbv-ooK4IaxTPYwDX7w6wzlOkS2D8bOIMQf8ErXp8rY0ZUMQF8fxO3J0N6kA8upaZtPGW0zyZ/s1600/IMG_9625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIyateRhLIcU0FaeLZe44tFPPtnojUTGCgZZ75t0NAaMGkZliMWl-OGaxnLEs-NCj451Fbv-ooK4IaxTPYwDX7w6wzlOkS2D8bOIMQf8ErXp8rY0ZUMQF8fxO3J0N6kA8upaZtPGW0zyZ/s320/IMG_9625.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-EpTJXMJGfw8BBhvgwRfVRVFxJvhoL7i0gMsfs2yMRRMo4ToLSunB99eBYRO73H_pxI_rJ4WqgJ7NhH_dw7TaJL2qHZR5OTVPFkoHENy2jMkn32K0DnfEOWqzJwzlG5Q3AvoAJIfXw7X/s1600/IMG_9636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-EpTJXMJGfw8BBhvgwRfVRVFxJvhoL7i0gMsfs2yMRRMo4ToLSunB99eBYRO73H_pxI_rJ4WqgJ7NhH_dw7TaJL2qHZR5OTVPFkoHENy2jMkn32K0DnfEOWqzJwzlG5Q3AvoAJIfXw7X/s400/IMG_9636.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvkGdS0ESWoVT-bHxR2cdaz9R0u5YOxl1JeObtsAUmNFGbnDX0nPFlAVINkOuNUVwB7uArX2ah8RgntmaFIUx_rA2ejSKiUUrQ_BsMvpA3FscAC6Io8uRgfKkeGUPIccDCeyIOVz6JPXg/s1600/IMG_9641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvkGdS0ESWoVT-bHxR2cdaz9R0u5YOxl1JeObtsAUmNFGbnDX0nPFlAVINkOuNUVwB7uArX2ah8RgntmaFIUx_rA2ejSKiUUrQ_BsMvpA3FscAC6Io8uRgfKkeGUPIccDCeyIOVz6JPXg/s320/IMG_9641.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And, of course, we will share videos on how the people here in Sabina make their famous stringozzi...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiglF5KqBXhScPR5xN7KbvUWm3lYJAC0aBCeS3T5BusOe-N3rypeQ3xcmIF-BXCk3RhjoqtG63r6DzhzRR1rCFPi0xxcJkaJdrDRhW05eaQ2ulq7pf04k9-frMVrp2JB-04snYhtoE7dl/s1600/12376020_10153349793124503_9122384177066291408_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiglF5KqBXhScPR5xN7KbvUWm3lYJAC0aBCeS3T5BusOe-N3rypeQ3xcmIF-BXCk3RhjoqtG63r6DzhzRR1rCFPi0xxcJkaJdrDRhW05eaQ2ulq7pf04k9-frMVrp2JB-04snYhtoE7dl/s320/12376020_10153349793124503_9122384177066291408_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...fregnacce, pizzicotti and other pastas typical of the region we live in... and we will teach you the recipes we have learned from friends here that go best with these pastas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And we will include lots of practical information about places to stay, how to maximise your time here...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7LzvUc9JWdLZ47-MOHEXKjk1eDzK4KhNmoL1NjHaBDtUd0W_7X-8St418FETLp7ESKYgcfpmzNufycUBbKhmzklWqblrfwBIluuXcCx9nJmpeqfrRi4Gi3fEcXAr5_Z0XQPJXoXx3W1M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-02+at+23.51.44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="1076" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7LzvUc9JWdLZ47-MOHEXKjk1eDzK4KhNmoL1NjHaBDtUd0W_7X-8St418FETLp7ESKYgcfpmzNufycUBbKhmzklWqblrfwBIluuXcCx9nJmpeqfrRi4Gi3fEcXAr5_Z0XQPJXoXx3W1M/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-12-02+at+23.51.44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">...and while you are driving around Sabina, how to avoid getting trapped in traffic!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4YTFmZUJfmpBMr9QgypnfiIvHgrzZp2AbWFYtmrZRL_FBAnPdn34jbhGIjOqxn6ZGm-jGfiU7hHFg1iiFJHucWuD8krQ_lCfro2y_uh6XqrShJ0Ry_4CIkW3SqS3WflM5xn5hWNAPaK0/s1600/1496633_10152098118609503_820397441615944518_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4YTFmZUJfmpBMr9QgypnfiIvHgrzZp2AbWFYtmrZRL_FBAnPdn34jbhGIjOqxn6ZGm-jGfiU7hHFg1iiFJHucWuD8krQ_lCfro2y_uh6XqrShJ0Ry_4CIkW3SqS3WflM5xn5hWNAPaK0/s640/1496633_10152098118609503_820397441615944518_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We want our YouTube channel to be fun as well as informative. We have lived more than three years now in this amazing, though still relatively unknown and under-visited region of Italy. Living here has truly changed and enriched our lives. The many wonderful people we have met have given us so much and we hope that through this YouTube channel we will be able to give something back. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrVMCn_emVUnvVl2PXJgQttwpbmzXQ-I4B6yDwMqtOrSszxQv12X219zV1-16oyknaOtqxXXNvK87UiYHNNY5yq6MNuXflJLs6CLbE6LwmGu-saa-CyM8B4Pphgx_jjDSgScBqxP3LmyX/s1600/13178708_10153688584489503_7135885797663146874_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrVMCn_emVUnvVl2PXJgQttwpbmzXQ-I4B6yDwMqtOrSszxQv12X219zV1-16oyknaOtqxXXNvK87UiYHNNY5yq6MNuXflJLs6CLbE6LwmGu-saa-CyM8B4Pphgx_jjDSgScBqxP3LmyX/s640/13178708_10153688584489503_7135885797663146874_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we would really love for you to </span><u style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvdhBR3LhAJou32OoBg_h5w">subscribe</a></u><span style="font-size: large;"> to our channel. You can find <span style="color: red;">Due Pazz</span>i Canadesi <span style="color: lime;">in Italia</span> by clicking on the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvdhBR3LhAJou32OoBg_h5w" style="font-size: x-large;">link</a><span style="font-size: large;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remember, the first few videos are rough cuts. We have never tried to make proper videos before and we still have a lot to learn about filming and editing, so please bear with us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks in advance for subscribing to and spreading the word about </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">DUE PAZZ</span>I CANADESI <span style="color: lime;">IN ITALIA</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></div>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-9503867864177470152017-11-19T17:19:00.001-08:002017-11-19T17:19:52.377-08:00HARVESTING GREEN GOLD/OLIVES for OIL: THE HEART & SOUL of SABINA - Part1<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7SNWOBgeapHzwG2Tac8EmDUbOBVs2Ht98v9TIul28TZQRYbfv1aAMTKbzh338onUcf4PQ_NxxNv165-PxFhufrp4VyBfHjbLax_V6krnh7ehHtrlBVIHwTDjyl8Nc0S_lCpjDBBleN8w/s1600/Mix+of+olives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7SNWOBgeapHzwG2Tac8EmDUbOBVs2Ht98v9TIul28TZQRYbfv1aAMTKbzh338onUcf4PQ_NxxNv165-PxFhufrp4VyBfHjbLax_V6krnh7ehHtrlBVIHwTDjyl8Nc0S_lCpjDBBleN8w/s640/Mix+of+olives.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This year we have been having a lot of fun helping friends harvest their olives. It is an amazing experience! A few years back</span><span style="font-size: large;"> we were fortunate enough to be able to assist our friend Pino for a few hours over two days while he was harvesting in an olive grove </span><span style="font-size: large;">located </span><span style="font-size: large;">just below Casperia's town wall </span><span style="font-size: large;">that belonged to the town butcher, Armando Sileri</span><span style="font-size: large;">. I am not sure how much we actually helped. It was our first time. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIMWE7lyYUHm0C9oO2CKrLNrfmMra-jcKGrfGQ7tzcaXyDBl80p_QDInMwnA8p9mBpiYHYisfNam3iBGjTRr3m38dihc2iqIa46mPNAzNBJFAX11ikPT_VOeqhUw4-AXcYTNFbtveFDTf/s1600/Richard+with+the+mechanized+rake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIMWE7lyYUHm0C9oO2CKrLNrfmMra-jcKGrfGQ7tzcaXyDBl80p_QDInMwnA8p9mBpiYHYisfNam3iBGjTRr3m38dihc2iqIa46mPNAzNBJFAX11ikPT_VOeqhUw4-AXcYTNFbtveFDTf/s400/Richard+with+the+mechanized+rake.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We went down with our English friends Helen and Ritchie. The long mechanised rake Pino was using was a bit of a noisy mystery. We did our best passing it up and down through the olive laden branches but it seemed that we harvested as many leaves and twigs as olives. I think that we were more help cleaning the twigs and leaves from the olives in the nets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bottom line I think that Pino, who was working by himself, was just glad of some company. Either way, a couple of days later, there was a knock on our door, and there was Pino with a tin of precious oil, freshly pressed from the olives we had helped him harvest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2016 was a bad year for the olive growers here in central Italy so, even if we had wanted to, there were no opportunities to help with the olive harvest last year. More to the point though, there was very little new olive oil last year. The olives that were harvestable after a year of very uncooperative weather—spring rains had interfered with the pollination and those that developed ended up being badly hit by the olive fly—obviously were not in any condition to produce excellent oil.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The 2016 bad olive harvest caused panic. Those, like us, who did not have a large stock of Sabine oil from the previous year sought out producers who did and bought as many litres of oil that they could afford to tide them over until this year's harvest. As there was only so much Sabine oil from the previous year to go around, many were forced to purchase their oil outside Sabina... like from across the Tiber in the Province of Viterbo, or across the mountains in Umbria, or—<i>gulp</i>—even in Toscana. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All this year we were anxiously checking the local olive groves to see if the flowers had opened and, later, how much fruit had set. Every time Richard and I would go for a walk in the country and would bump into an uliveto-owning contadino we would solicit their opinion: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Quest'anno, ci saranno olive? Quest'anno, ci sarà d'olio?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Will there be olives this year? This year, will there by any oil? And each time the response would be a pair of raised weathered hands and a resigned shrug. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sinceramente non lo so. Speriamo bene.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Who could tell? The summer had been incredibly hot this year. By the time late September rolled around the hills you could see around Casperia were red with what looked like early autumn colours but in reality the leaves of the holm oak, oak, beech and chestnut trees trees of the Colli Sabini had been burnt by the torrid summer heat and lack of rain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But what did that mean for this year's olive harvest? We asked a number of friends who had olive groves and the answer was inconsistent: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Quest'anno poca roba.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some had few or no olives. Others said that there were less olives than usual, but what was there seemed free from the mosca dell'olivo—the olive fly. The previous cold winter and the intense summer heat had spared what there was of this year's crop from the fly's larva's devastation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Quest'anno le olive sono sincere,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">was another woman's response as we talked in a line up at the tobacconist. This year, the olives are 'sincere', which I took to mean that they were healthy and worm free. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">So what follows is a bit of an olive harvest journal written over a number of weeks which covers the two raccolte delle olive that we helped with. There is of course so added commentary to add some flow. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what is involved and the learning curve we went through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">HAND PICKING O</span>LIVES with GILES & F<span style="color: lime;">IONA - CASPERIA</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and Meg, Johnny and Fiona hard at work</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Friday, 28 October 2017</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today we are heading north of Casperia's fortified historic centre to help our friends Fiona and Giles to harvest their olives. Giles and Fiona are from England but for a number of months out of the year live in their charming country house which is nestled among some olive covered rolling hills a few kilometres north of the centro storico. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you follow our cat Smokey's blog you will be familiar with Giles and Fiona. It was they who very kindly saved us—not only Smokey, Richard and I—but a number of other friends from what would have been a very unhappy day when Casperia was temporarily evacuated during last year's earthquake. It may seem odd, but for Smokey that afternoon in the green of the Sabine countryside was probably one of the happiest days of his life here in Italy. If you haven't read it already you can find Smokey's account of the day <a href="http://ex-patcat.blogspot.it/2016/10/volevo-che-voi-sappiate-che-sono-okay-i.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We get a ride to Giles and Fiona's place with our friends Chris and Meg Phillips. They are the owners of the beautifully restored stone house at the top of the town called <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2012/11/il-sogno-how-our-love-affair-with.html">Il Sogno</a> where Richard and I stayed during our first visits to Sabina... and here we are eight years later, living in Casperia, and going to pick olives together. What a strange and wonderful world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Waiting for us, along with Giles and Fiona, was one more harvester, the seventh of our team... </span><a href="http://www.johnnymadge.com/viewpage.php?page_id=1" style="font-size: x-large;">Johnny Madge</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Johnny Madge is a bit of a <a href="https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/johnny-madge/24667">local legend</a>. An Englishman who has lived in Italy for over half his life, Johnny is not only an accomplished sculptor, he is also a self-made olive oil expert, an internationally respected olive oil taster and judge, and since 2010, a very popular <a href="http://www.johnnymadge.com/viewpage.php?page_id=3">olive oil and wine tour</a> guide here in Sabina. Johnny is just plain popular. More than anything, he is a great guy with a wicked sense of humour so it was a real treat to be picking with him on many levels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giles and Fiona have owned their </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1/4 hectare of property with about 500 square metres dedicated to olives since November of 2015.</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Besides their twenty-three olive trees they have twenty-two fruit and nut trees which include apricot, pear, apple, plum, persimmon and walnut. The first harvested their olives and made oil in 2015 but there were not enough good olives to harvest in 2016. They have high hopes for this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">When we arrived shortly after 09:30 Giles had the </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">tele</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">―olive nets―already spread out below a row of trees and Giles, Fiona and Johnny were already hard at work hand harvesting the olives with yellow plastic olive rakes called </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">rastrelli</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Johnny had brought the equipment; the nets and the olive rakes. There were a number of hand rakes that had been mounted on long poles in order to reach the olives lurking in the higher branches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And of course Giles had a couple of ladders for those willing to climb into the trees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before an uliveto can be harvested, all the high grass, weeds and random shrubs that have grown up around the trees during the summer have to be cut down and cleared away. This is not only to make it easier to spread the tele under the olive trees, but it also helps protect the nylon tele from and rips or tears that can be caused if they are caught on something sharp growing out of the ground. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuy3Huink9PYi-CyytkfTjjrUhPxAeuK3mlSBTS-bOg7_O1bZWhmFR_5Kiet6rglgFTthjgBDIJBami8CjIgrZKH31cQFguxQv1gHGYc8SiM49NH_4G1qladpQpk9NXWAj4YLYi-8cYrzN/s1600/tele.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuy3Huink9PYi-CyytkfTjjrUhPxAeuK3mlSBTS-bOg7_O1bZWhmFR_5Kiet6rglgFTthjgBDIJBami8CjIgrZKH31cQFguxQv1gHGYc8SiM49NH_4G1qladpQpk9NXWAj4YLYi-8cYrzN/s640/tele.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to what can be gleaned from images of the olive harvest on ancient Greek pottery, early methods of harvesting olives involved hand picking and beating the upper branches with poles and gathering the fallen olives by hand.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGNcJyPUlZpydxhj0xJkh2pXvtJtcosR4VZxx4r4fj2fKzQKBpzZ0tICvXbQyHVZDF2oitg-NcTSh8ZCJ-QuGEO1ifG4en8RfWal39iiedyCojUU4pHTKLk2lPlBF6J4opzdhAmyKKhlV/s1600/olive+harvest+ancient+Greece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGNcJyPUlZpydxhj0xJkh2pXvtJtcosR4VZxx4r4fj2fKzQKBpzZ0tICvXbQyHVZDF2oitg-NcTSh8ZCJ-QuGEO1ifG4en8RfWal39iiedyCojUU4pHTKLk2lPlBF6J4opzdhAmyKKhlV/s640/olive+harvest+ancient+Greece.jpg" width="548" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vase B226: Ancient Greek amphora depicting the olive harvest, circa 520BC - courtesy British Museum</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I remember when I was nine or ten years old seeing this image of the harvest in National Geographic's <b>Everyday Life In Ancient Times</b>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpexTdxEumBar62Lzg0fJ1e_fTK2j_7tsVcE6SwuTqBOnOyIby3VJjg8mVuhFktvnykqT84UtPwULxFwdqHibQpbZyeAHkepkVP2NroNuHzpxcRAzdhyeVq8hNIj1Dd6xJlIzUdWcgCLtl/s1600/greekolivescene.adapt.1190.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1190" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpexTdxEumBar62Lzg0fJ1e_fTK2j_7tsVcE6SwuTqBOnOyIby3VJjg8mVuhFktvnykqT84UtPwULxFwdqHibQpbZyeAHkepkVP2NroNuHzpxcRAzdhyeVq8hNIj1Dd6xJlIzUdWcgCLtl/s640/greekolivescene.adapt.1190.1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like the image on the amphora cited above, naked youths are beating the olives free from the branches while others gather the fallen drupes on the ground. The olives are gathered in a pile in the left foreground, while to the right stones and human weight are used to press and extract oil from stacked nets of olives. Though sunny, it is a cool day here in Sabina so there is not going to be any nudity at this harvest!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rather than beating the olives to the ground with sticks, today we will be harvesting by hand and rakes, pulling the olives from the branches so that they fall onto the tele nets waiting below. When the trees above the nets are picked clean, the olives in the nets will be carefully gathered together in a pile, any leaves and twigs that can be picked from the nets will be extracted and the olives then poured from the nets into plastic crates. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTSDReHe3VUqyBvMIX2LmOXHgschqy0wyv2QRx19dM5Kiyy0Abo0WgflULy6ohTqyFPWueMFi8mWlk2SLk4id6u_yk2SNyw0W8Gq2VhFMzoVG-Eyzd3iaZVOUEnPhce2Z3nUQvYX8nR9A/s1600/22815185_10155175294004503_4171540878513670592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTSDReHe3VUqyBvMIX2LmOXHgschqy0wyv2QRx19dM5Kiyy0Abo0WgflULy6ohTqyFPWueMFi8mWlk2SLk4id6u_yk2SNyw0W8Gq2VhFMzoVG-Eyzd3iaZVOUEnPhce2Z3nUQvYX8nR9A/s640/22815185_10155175294004503_4171540878513670592_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each full crate will equal roughly twenty-five kilos of olives with four crates equalling a quintale, or hundredweight, of olives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am not sure when people in Sabina started using nets to harvest olives. Less than a hundred years ago, people were still harvesting like this, hand harvesting into baskets.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8WMU7AuV25a4XmXBdEmK8dTI9gPQ5WqRKkWOLCP2j11uXt4hoW5IvGGlwqetemC8Rc3h5VwQolyIUpP0I3-pLHgBs6najtxTW9f4wPeU_HvM9vhkHVrWTPwrV0CEwhvBsLJcpWmV_i7N/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-17+at+22.43.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="444" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8WMU7AuV25a4XmXBdEmK8dTI9gPQ5WqRKkWOLCP2j11uXt4hoW5IvGGlwqetemC8Rc3h5VwQolyIUpP0I3-pLHgBs6najtxTW9f4wPeU_HvM9vhkHVrWTPwrV0CEwhvBsLJcpWmV_i7N/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-11-17+at+22.43.56.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I noticed two different tela shapes being used at today's harvest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Una tela. Due tele...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One is a long rectangle. Wide enough to be spread between two lines of olive trees and long enough to be used under one side of two, sometimes three trees. Most of the olive groves here around Casperia are on slopes so the tele are laid on both sides of a line of trees descending the slope. Usually the tele are pinned together with mollette—clothespins—to keep the olives that fall into the net from slipping under and getting lost. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second type of tela being used is another rectangle but this has a slit running two thirds of the way up the middle and is designed so one tela can be used to harvest a number of trees in a line at the same time. The longer, split end points downhill and ideally the overlapping edges of the split part are fastened together by clothes pins. There is usually one person in the team who takes responsibility for the clothes pins. Today, it was Johnny.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYD5P-L7t4fkmgluVxoac0J0bRLNwXI6XKOvS6hNjU4KY2qE6SGjTETJhq-Lx7nuItmLkbeVRDmWCJg3h1VYAd7pV5j5b-_4iVdyR546LK4MhUz9n6pdk4FIOp868Z73PocB6SRGDHdaG/s1600/22814282_10155175110329503_2805574704196316511_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYD5P-L7t4fkmgluVxoac0J0bRLNwXI6XKOvS6hNjU4KY2qE6SGjTETJhq-Lx7nuItmLkbeVRDmWCJg3h1VYAd7pV5j5b-_4iVdyR546LK4MhUz9n6pdk4FIOp868Z73PocB6SRGDHdaG/s640/22814282_10155175110329503_2805574704196316511_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, since you are usually harvesting on a slope, there is a danger that olives loosed from the branches by people working with the hand rakes will fall from the tree and roll down the slope so fast that they overshoot the net. To prevent this the lower ends of the tele are raised, sometimes using empty olive crates, but more often using stakes hammered into the ground. If it is a steeper slope and mechanical rakes are being used sometimes it is best to have the ends held up high by people in the harvesting team. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPek5G1zz0QKFtnWhX-dW6eh-hJmijP0cFSC3VVkEV0ivmv0ggtSlBvL034l8U5Y4pQ7p5lId3U5r24w7DHvfk30VMR_2qtJY8iTjygWbLfn94Ff47c3SbAbsWUU9Gs83XGLGCtn4Oeot/s1600/SAM_2127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPek5G1zz0QKFtnWhX-dW6eh-hJmijP0cFSC3VVkEV0ivmv0ggtSlBvL034l8U5Y4pQ7p5lId3U5r24w7DHvfk30VMR_2qtJY8iTjygWbLfn94Ff47c3SbAbsWUU9Gs83XGLGCtn4Oeot/s400/SAM_2127.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen and Richard hold the tele up as Pino harvests with a mechanised rake</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Giles and Johnny were very organised and had a number of sharpened wooden stakes ready for the lower edges of the tele.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of the twenty-three olive trees on Giles and Fiona's property, only fourteen had enough olives to harvest this year. There is usually a mix of different types of olive trees in any given uliveto as some olive varieties are self pollinating, and others, to varying degrees, require the pollen of other olives to produce fruit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The predominant varietal here in Sabina is the Carboncella. When the tree is full of ripe black fruit it is easily recognisable, even to novice, as the tree is covered with a myriad of small roundish coal-black drupes. Despite their small size, the Carboncella has a relatively high resa, or oil percentage of 22 up to 26% and is therefore highly prized. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OzIuEgGxoX_tUYKxoIXSiB0PyZ8SSUHd0RxMQb49bKPD17M8l8Ditx70jkoIOMHkQLIMil7ePVb9b7mVSzHFpw58LzwLi141k-RHdtZ_MaUUE0kXR_AIu8HPHY6G5F8uT-57vGf8Heo9/s1600/Carboncella+at+Giles+and+Fiona%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OzIuEgGxoX_tUYKxoIXSiB0PyZ8SSUHd0RxMQb49bKPD17M8l8Ditx70jkoIOMHkQLIMil7ePVb9b7mVSzHFpw58LzwLi141k-RHdtZ_MaUUE0kXR_AIu8HPHY6G5F8uT-57vGf8Heo9/s640/Carboncella+at+Giles+and+Fiona%2527s.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Carboncella is not self pollinating and therefore must be planted with other pollinating varietals of olives such as Leccino, Pendolino and Frantoio. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A good number of Giles and Fiona's trees were Carboncella, but obviously, there were others but at first these were hard to identify. At least for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the more you harvest, the more you pass your rake through the branches and touch the branches and leaves, as you dislodge the olives with your fingers, you begin to notice differences. Different olives even feel different as you pull them from their branches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most obvious differences you notice are the size, shapes, colours and even textures of the olives you are picking. Think of apples. You don't need to read the grocery store labels to differentiate between a Delicious and a Granny Smith, or a Russet and a Cox's Orange Pippin or McIntosh. I found it was the same with olives. Even though I could only distinguish with confidence which was the Carboncella, I started to be able to see that there were at least three, four, maybe even more different varietals in Giles and Fiona's Uliveto. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If Carboncella is small, roundish and black when ripe there were some olives that were quite large, plump and pointed at the bottom. There were some olives that were almost pear shaped and others shaped like a rugby ball. The colour range was surprising. If some were bright, almost kelly or parakeet green, there were some which were a blend of green and rosy pink, even purple, and some that were even speckled. It was fascinating.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjSmIgikIOeuNiqA9UIiLmKculpLrVLNEkJ0h6E4LL2T8FcfFgcVhmGcd3fG3TrUxqelbbeqrvTkySg5DFSpcYoqVLpxQgwApwj05EFm3B6G3qn3k5FkYsMF3AsykZtY118cen0mqxvMz/s1600/22815542_10155175106479503_2460648878958499057_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="960" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjSmIgikIOeuNiqA9UIiLmKculpLrVLNEkJ0h6E4LL2T8FcfFgcVhmGcd3fG3TrUxqelbbeqrvTkySg5DFSpcYoqVLpxQgwApwj05EFm3B6G3qn3k5FkYsMF3AsykZtY118cen0mqxvMz/s640/22815542_10155175106479503_2460648878958499057_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We went from tree to tree, using our rastrelli or hand raking the olives into the nets. As the olives accumulate on the ground it becomes harder and harder to move without stepping on them and crushing them. You have to look up to pick the olives on one branch and look down before you dare move to go to reach the olives on another. Even if seconds before there were no olives anywhere near your foot, the sloping ground lets bouncing and rolling olives which first touched ground metres away suddenly accumulate around your feet. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZR9MuWwpWQgwOv5kKjamALx277vE6cSeTeitml4cMUBk4dtSTFphfeQzEJSH5WOxv01ckBQJ6Xr0D268JJyvod6ZBE_sYp9PDosEf_N4PoGwLjSaaZEwJc3wIwlxemiOuwWrYT6W8tTC8/s1600/23031160_10155177920509503_8318021612878672753_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZR9MuWwpWQgwOv5kKjamALx277vE6cSeTeitml4cMUBk4dtSTFphfeQzEJSH5WOxv01ckBQJ6Xr0D268JJyvod6ZBE_sYp9PDosEf_N4PoGwLjSaaZEwJc3wIwlxemiOuwWrYT6W8tTC8/s640/23031160_10155177920509503_8318021612878672753_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once you get the olives from a number of trees down into the nets, you next have to carefully gather the olives in the nets into one pile and then clean out the twigs and leaves before they you can put them in the crates. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is important to clear as much of the twigs and leaves from the olives before they go into the cases. Though these are mechanically separated from the olives at the frantoio, producers have to pay for the milling of their olives based on the weight of the olives in their crates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see from this photo, this stage of the work was a chance to tell stories and joke around a bit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had a coffee and tea break half way through the morning then started on another row of trees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At one point Johnny pointed out an interesting looking yellow shrub which he called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inula">Inula</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9Q2kgW_ENND4Z4C9xH-IOX0dTXrd0q7i5VcHe42dk9wbdtaYOaD6q46u2SNir5A97V1U4f2el5GyejVUayaIaKoZ4W_HwZ8ksmaIvD7f3yZZpJB3WNLwSTIe2ouvghac8ne396Ho08cL/s1600/Inula+-+a+yellow+flowered+plant+that+attracts+a+wasp+that+kills+the+olive+fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9Q2kgW_ENND4Z4C9xH-IOX0dTXrd0q7i5VcHe42dk9wbdtaYOaD6q46u2SNir5A97V1U4f2el5GyejVUayaIaKoZ4W_HwZ8ksmaIvD7f3yZZpJB3WNLwSTIe2ouvghac8ne396Ho08cL/s640/Inula+-+a+yellow+flowered+plant+that+attracts+a+wasp+that+kills+the+olive+fly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to Johnny, this plant is very important to have in an uliveto because it attracts a particular type of wasp which is the natural enemy and scourge of the olive fly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Work continues for the rest of the morning. We rake the olives into the nets, gather the nets, clean the olives and dump them into crates then move the nets to the next row of trees. Johnny and Giles to most of the net placing. At times the nets are filled with black olives, then some with a mix of colours. Every so often we hit a tree with larger green olives. I have no idea what they are but they are beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then, all of a sudden, it is lunch time. Fiona has made a gorgeous pasta, fettuccine dressed with toasted hazelnuts and sautéed cavolo nero. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We savour the warm bowl of pasta and the gorgeous view. It is good to rest but there are more olive trees to harvest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Johnny reckons that there are six types of olives in this uliveto: </span></div>
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Carboncella</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Frantoio</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;"><b>Leccino</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Ascolana Tenera and</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;"><b>Itrana</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Frantoio is a Tuscan varietal. It is self pollinating and has a high oil yield, usually around 23 percent. Leccino is another Tuscan varietal. It is a good producer with a yield of 18 to 20 percent. It is not a self pollinator. Pendolino is another Tuscan varietal and another olive that cannot pollinate itself but its pollen is invaluable to the Carboncella, Frantoio and Leccino. The Ascolana Tenera </span><span style="font-size: large;">is native to the Marche region from the area around Ascoli Picena and</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">is actually an <i>olive di mensa</i> or eating olive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The olive all'Ascolana is a favourite bar snack. The pit of the cured olive is removed and the space filled with a pre-cooked minced meat mixture. The olive is then dipped in flour, beaten egg, then bread crumbs before being fried in olive oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sixth varietal in the oliveto, and Johnny was really excited to find this, is the Itrana or Gaeta olive. The Itrana is a large green olive with a purply-red blush which gets more purple as it matures and is used both as an eating olive and to make oil. It comes from the province of Latina in southern Lazio. It is not self pollinating so it is usually planted in the company of Ascolana Tenera, Pendolino or Leccino trees. Johnny showed us how when the olive was crushed that it had an amazing tomato aroma. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We continue working through the afternoon, finishing up the last row of trees below the house before we head up to deal with the last and largest of the trees. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CMt5Y0QYJ7dfb8t7aaEeGqxbNwvSmK1TFJVCL1fl6vsheu3Xq1wjZO9obh-beTMLLUMHHS3h9xpMfPh58_1qaeuJvAQAs3OqzUbGVf1rSKo-wTv6LywyRIHDb8-kLcJiEVrWQwnoRopT/s1600/22788898_10155175122094503_207196126576272685_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CMt5Y0QYJ7dfb8t7aaEeGqxbNwvSmK1TFJVCL1fl6vsheu3Xq1wjZO9obh-beTMLLUMHHS3h9xpMfPh58_1qaeuJvAQAs3OqzUbGVf1rSKo-wTv6LywyRIHDb8-kLcJiEVrWQwnoRopT/s400/22788898_10155175122094503_207196126576272685_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNC_F_ffNzh8uDyRXH_EfcpCbrEoglWv5vc6FUY5WdSWLNNJIIegF6z6PS-My2l_PoTMrHabZOG3fp-v9dqArgVJOEDKzTHoQGO8-7-NDH6dw1jywl9YsCPBoNApSNs6Ps8Nys1ri8qNUP/s1600/22852253_10155175126054503_3151550676569373627_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNC_F_ffNzh8uDyRXH_EfcpCbrEoglWv5vc6FUY5WdSWLNNJIIegF6z6PS-My2l_PoTMrHabZOG3fp-v9dqArgVJOEDKzTHoQGO8-7-NDH6dw1jywl9YsCPBoNApSNs6Ps8Nys1ri8qNUP/s640/22852253_10155175126054503_3151550676569373627_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the end of the day we have filled four cases with olives. Giles suggests that we all bet how many kilograms we have collected and then how many litres of oil they will ultimately produce. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOirvtlot4XMX1ETlpe9VZc0vFpCSKu8pGJ48V5nV9eTWXr2P2IpaUSG4VXSL3kiBl1QWiwc_5qMAjmoM1CVl9RN4lPmSE5Oh8uPu4Xyh4K5BKkQznaKod1kHmukRScm2v0EoAtHiumgZA/s1600/22815081_10155175111204503_2929690036475596890_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOirvtlot4XMX1ETlpe9VZc0vFpCSKu8pGJ48V5nV9eTWXr2P2IpaUSG4VXSL3kiBl1QWiwc_5qMAjmoM1CVl9RN4lPmSE5Oh8uPu4Xyh4K5BKkQznaKod1kHmukRScm2v0EoAtHiumgZA/s640/22815081_10155175111204503_2929690036475596890_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We all make our bets. Giles writes everything down in a notebook but before he heads off to the frantoio in Montopoli with the olives we gather the nets and tools together and help load everything in Johnny's truck.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7iHIT7Vvqr3ovCsjktK2HrmzazlQpKcVHyu7RUVV-NcpmWXu3Sahs0SqVRLBbFdj_dCqT5IsOPugybRLjdn8-3OmKekZZtcY9TIJ8YBKDvgDx3g0dSgczrMLou34Luj-an3UYgS0NwAE/s1600/22789050_10155175111844503_6786575598799891256_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7iHIT7Vvqr3ovCsjktK2HrmzazlQpKcVHyu7RUVV-NcpmWXu3Sahs0SqVRLBbFdj_dCqT5IsOPugybRLjdn8-3OmKekZZtcY9TIJ8YBKDvgDx3g0dSgczrMLou34Luj-an3UYgS0NwAE/s640/22789050_10155175111844503_6786575598799891256_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI9TGsPt70WP98DQImEkFCsUUv7ykv0wtn7Z0FK0zBCsc2wd6GppOkwKEGL6HiVOgSbnd4ixhCgcGZ-ytptNRUKyrCDS7ILa2AY_rBNgu0uiVMW8cryr3W9RYp5Bo0EQcB1ZgN6-ZiopT/s1600/22814150_10155175121849503_4344382024274123196_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI9TGsPt70WP98DQImEkFCsUUv7ykv0wtn7Z0FK0zBCsc2wd6GppOkwKEGL6HiVOgSbnd4ixhCgcGZ-ytptNRUKyrCDS7ILa2AY_rBNgu0uiVMW8cryr3W9RYp5Bo0EQcB1ZgN6-ZiopT/s400/22814150_10155175121849503_4344382024274123196_n.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAIlg49-Z5ZZLHnublB8f7iLzFLrF8YzpBsmaIr0-sZC8l0pb8dHJ7b3DUrfl7eGq03Nqdvi1-F8ZrDYi6u-lQSrjekfmq0wXGYiInbqfypvmngPsEZcDzB2G8wmtCARJFsYc-wZYWObM/s1600/22788857_10155175112034503_5209009642903404565_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAIlg49-Z5ZZLHnublB8f7iLzFLrF8YzpBsmaIr0-sZC8l0pb8dHJ7b3DUrfl7eGq03Nqdvi1-F8ZrDYi6u-lQSrjekfmq0wXGYiInbqfypvmngPsEZcDzB2G8wmtCARJFsYc-wZYWObM/s400/22788857_10155175112034503_5209009642903404565_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While Giles was off delivering the crates of olives to the Frantoio, the rest of us relaxed and enjoyed our first glass of wine for the day and watched the sunset. Down in the valley to the east of us other people were still labouring in their uliveto. Richard and I went for a walk along the gravel road on the edge of Giles and Fiona's property and admired the neighbour's olive trees. They looked like dancing Ents.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i0jlY-iGpnneXV0pNfQTRtpGpI8Y_TPZ27fmRVLPocSar6_ixm4W-W4oPYRErCE1E57IQFoiF_v7ksb3uJAqKMPHqdrtgBDFtaqgDkAcQkDAzmGf16s_Wncf-o871ezXU_aCeXiMgIAJ/s1600/22789013_10155175112264503_7889975200558724556_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i0jlY-iGpnneXV0pNfQTRtpGpI8Y_TPZ27fmRVLPocSar6_ixm4W-W4oPYRErCE1E57IQFoiF_v7ksb3uJAqKMPHqdrtgBDFtaqgDkAcQkDAzmGf16s_Wncf-o871ezXU_aCeXiMgIAJ/s640/22789013_10155175112264503_7889975200558724556_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Giles got back later that night we all sat down and enjoyed a lovely dinner together, a chicken stew that Giles had made earlier. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttLxj7dTIkOMQWBMwT-KEPFSHBrbqV5FCAlb4mSH20lb8z9iXb-OdL9XdQ8Q6APd8QJ9mhLugyJwT5ry5tcN93sn2JnfAu1Cos6X6iOIm9X-9iM52q7qdgYmiH_h8To48NNDIOXAuY5Zk/s1600/23756319_10155228325814503_425445569_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttLxj7dTIkOMQWBMwT-KEPFSHBrbqV5FCAlb4mSH20lb8z9iXb-OdL9XdQ8Q6APd8QJ9mhLugyJwT5ry5tcN93sn2JnfAu1Cos6X6iOIm9X-9iM52q7qdgYmiH_h8To48NNDIOXAuY5Zk/s640/23756319_10155228325814503_425445569_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Working for most of a day hand harvesting fourteen olive trees with a team of seven friends: three Brits, two Americans and two Canadians was an amazing experience. When you touch an olive tree here in Sabina. When you work your fingers through its curtain of branches and you pull the plump drupes from the twigs that hold them, you are not just touching a tree or playing at being a farmer. You are inserting yourself into something old. You are touching an agricultural history that in this part of Italy stretches back at least 2600 years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A half hour's drive to the west of Giles and Fiona's olive grove, almost visible from their house, is a small hill town called Poggio Sommavilla. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mz4MITMWroSohPQlznhMW1s9qAxJ-P3d2rHn10QJ9fH2_R9fembN9bWmOMuaTUPNY7ZVGhu273IgoTyGs6JYcTFoSe7Z0D9OIZE5t9ZRAI0dnDc6618YleZFko6Llb-jBrt2opgAH0Gj/s1600/Poggio_Sommavilla+wikipedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mz4MITMWroSohPQlznhMW1s9qAxJ-P3d2rHn10QJ9fH2_R9fembN9bWmOMuaTUPNY7ZVGhu273IgoTyGs6JYcTFoSe7Z0D9OIZE5t9ZRAI0dnDc6618YleZFko6Llb-jBrt2opgAH0Gj/s400/Poggio_Sommavilla+wikipedia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poggio Sommavilla - Courtesy Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1896 a ceramic flask inscribed with what is thought to be the earliest example of Sabine writing was discovered in a necropolis there. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjbQ5J0QuTmQyDEoC1ymClvAWQcomY-2qjqkLKogVydVx95LuarQHo-NdSwgfyw-iCcgPuKjj9ZIRlFK6ufY2nUXO7FAapf_n4K-KJEKWN-Y5r_PEU07BnaqnC9wPa7qcHjnUuR1-Ror_/s1600/Sabina+oil+flask+from+Poggio+Sommavilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjbQ5J0QuTmQyDEoC1ymClvAWQcomY-2qjqkLKogVydVx95LuarQHo-NdSwgfyw-iCcgPuKjj9ZIRlFK6ufY2nUXO7FAapf_n4K-KJEKWN-Y5r_PEU07BnaqnC9wPa7qcHjnUuR1-Ror_/s320/Sabina+oil+flask+from+Poggio+Sommavilla.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The flask, which dates to the 7th century BCE and is now part of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts' collection, when tested was found to contain traces of olive oil!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A 30 minute drive south of Giles and Fiona's olive grove, their olives were being pressed and turned into oil in a modern mill in Montopoli. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpucQCk0w1OcimyeCaRL2Ojc2JeUuqNJFmx8lOFvpplrR3uA5ZGK9t-ipxEblH5xqsiLWKaQ_Vft9wCeHHEGOYgv7CRExv82Xe6KOcxjSnLgr57tlollH2nZ2TkzXR8JQEtNK5z4MRzzZE/s1600/Giles+and+Fiona%2527s+freshly+pressed+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpucQCk0w1OcimyeCaRL2Ojc2JeUuqNJFmx8lOFvpplrR3uA5ZGK9t-ipxEblH5xqsiLWKaQ_Vft9wCeHHEGOYgv7CRExv82Xe6KOcxjSnLgr57tlollH2nZ2TkzXR8JQEtNK5z4MRzzZE/s640/Giles+and+Fiona%2527s+freshly+pressed+oil.jpg" width="356" /></a></span></div>
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In the end, it turns out that our four crates of olives weighed 92 kilograms, just under a quintale. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4KENX8W1bqROm43K0mbqpUUTDVsCC39Lp8ksMsoPBZT5E-oVNEyRXxt4n1iJcOlVcqjrw-R7fdRqTVWa64QtuTdqbcH7Z0OFu_P__K-54GzWrsb3ifaO1tK84yjRAoiUOgcwV3TsBCnJ/s1600/22814312_10155175127074503_6459676116120168530_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4KENX8W1bqROm43K0mbqpUUTDVsCC39Lp8ksMsoPBZT5E-oVNEyRXxt4n1iJcOlVcqjrw-R7fdRqTVWa64QtuTdqbcH7Z0OFu_P__K-54GzWrsb3ifaO1tK84yjRAoiUOgcwV3TsBCnJ/s640/22814312_10155175127074503_6459676116120168530_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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And you can see below who won the lottery. Richard was closest as far as the weight of the olives went and Meg was closest in her guess of how much oil they would make. In the end, 92kg of olives produced 14kg or 15.12 litres of delicious Sabine olive oil.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJ4HgHpIT7lvp-4Yxqi2rUctcqg2FFoAPuEXT2JEtd2FVEve6B3etiDdofnv9vcAtHe2FvCMEmV_Bt6V357BLvMOYULyvuVQG_Dd10dtQJWQXSyyJ1ddeuJ6LAYSBp_Mth5fjChKON43p/s1600/The+winner+of+the+lottery+is....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJ4HgHpIT7lvp-4Yxqi2rUctcqg2FFoAPuEXT2JEtd2FVEve6B3etiDdofnv9vcAtHe2FvCMEmV_Bt6V357BLvMOYULyvuVQG_Dd10dtQJWQXSyyJ1ddeuJ6LAYSBp_Mth5fjChKON43p/s640/The+winner+of+the+lottery+is....jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the harvest we all tried very hard to schedule a get-together to taste the oil but sadly that didn't work out. Instead, Giles turned up at our door with two half-litre bottles of the oil we helped make. What a thrill!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4GAew-ryPrHaKZGW1ymJSToJUDUhPQJ_-0RoHKReX1qolIrHejkSqLszgPRyolzx6LHpCqNP-jfPOBQRJWRao6bbqrx88hp7kpBGarT2MwOcArXIcizTWruwClS0oz0CVOXtCPIa7zl1/s1600/Our+litre+of+precious+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4GAew-ryPrHaKZGW1ymJSToJUDUhPQJ_-0RoHKReX1qolIrHejkSqLszgPRyolzx6LHpCqNP-jfPOBQRJWRao6bbqrx88hp7kpBGarT2MwOcArXIcizTWruwClS0oz0CVOXtCPIa7zl1/s640/Our+litre+of+precious+oil.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We opened a bottle and sniffed. The aroma was intense, grassy. We couldn't wait to do our own tasting so we made some bruschette.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found out later from Giles that Johnny had blind taste-tested their oil with six others. I asked Giles if it would be okay to have Johnny's tasting notes. Here is the text that Giles sent me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"<i>Ciao caro. Here are Johnboy’s tasting notes: </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>'Nice fruit on nose. Appley, full; lettuce, escarole, grass (the legal one), raw peas. Long burn. Bitterness was not offensive. In a couple of months I’d like to taste again.'</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>He also said he gave it a 6 out of 10!</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like I said, </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Y</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">U</span><span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;">M!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope that you enjoyed reading this post about our time helping our friends Giles and Fiona with their olive harvest. Our olive oil adventures continue, this time in Poggio Mirteto. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stay tuned for Part 2 of </span><span style="font-size: large;">HARVESTING GREEN GOLD/OLIVES for OIL: THE HEART & SOUL of SABINA which will follow soon.</span></div>
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</style>lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-71837603004061943302017-10-25T16:46:00.001-07:002017-10-26T11:39:38.955-07:00"SO... WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY DO HERE?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRT-3lW7yedNtYVjCaznFGWtZhgbkQ43ePfibpLKNWrGtWjlNW9G1oDCv_-9g_CVjDI0q2FcUK-XGAYQlFDwCM7ON9d4M2XkYesYt5h2o_FcSvARq7PUERXsl6LkkSJPXzXCJ7LD8Lk-R/s1600/Casperia+from+the+east.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="960" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRT-3lW7yedNtYVjCaznFGWtZhgbkQ43ePfibpLKNWrGtWjlNW9G1oDCv_-9g_CVjDI0q2FcUK-XGAYQlFDwCM7ON9d4M2XkYesYt5h2o_FcSvARq7PUERXsl6LkkSJPXzXCJ7LD8Lk-R/s640/Casperia+from+the+east.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have been living here in Casperia, a small, rustic hill town nestled in the Colli Sabini about an hour's drive NNE of Rome, for a little more than three years now. The story of how we first found and fell in love with Casperia has been recounted in previous posts. Suffice it to say, we are very happy here and more and more Casperia... Sabina... Italy, feels like home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is not that these three years haven't been without their challenges and moments of frustration: astronomical—by Canadian standards anyway—utility bills, the hoops you have to jump through caused by Italian bureaucracy, learning to live without regular access to a car and the challenges of hill town internet, not to mention the trials of learning Italian later in life... but these have all been a small price to pay for the life we enjoy here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though we will always be <i>stranieri,</i> at this point we feel pretty well an integral part of the community here. Our determination to speak and improve our Italian and our commitment to involve ourselves in the daily life of the town has paid off in ways we could only have imagined before we moved here. And there is not a day that goes by without us turning to one another and commenting on how lucky we are to have found Casperia, and to have ultimately moved here.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jTCY_j_r-h_izLUPzY_90_miMaS4ETL-1PGUcuKBrc34KiAxS2GjDAvsfl_dsFo9M8fNpSKBFa_ND09WnFXzambLPUkGLxm8fp6y5EQb_ozpLyzgpkjJUAAZLHlh67H52zlw9aYiT0Tj/s1600/15178181_10154224382849503_7671974873997329239_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jTCY_j_r-h_izLUPzY_90_miMaS4ETL-1PGUcuKBrc34KiAxS2GjDAvsfl_dsFo9M8fNpSKBFa_ND09WnFXzambLPUkGLxm8fp6y5EQb_ozpLyzgpkjJUAAZLHlh67H52zlw9aYiT0Tj/s640/15178181_10154224382849503_7671974873997329239_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Casperia has become a bit of a tourist destination over the past decades. First </span><a href="http://www.latorrettabandb.com/en/" style="font-size: x-large;">La Torretta B&B</a><span style="font-size: large;"> and then </span><a href="https://www.sunflowerretreats.com/yoga-holidays-in-italy-casperia/" style="font-size: x-large;">Sunflower Retreats</a><span style="font-size: large;"> has brought many foreign visitors to this town, and many, like us, fall in love with Casperia and Sabina and end up coming back again and again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every so often we bump into some first time visitors wandering through the town or enjoying an <a href="http://www.aperol.com/int/en/aperol-world/product/product">Aperol Spritz</a> or a glass of Prosecco at the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1199275-d6614666-Reviews-Osteria_Vigna-Casperia_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">Osteria Vigna</a> and when they find that we actually live in Casperia during the ensuing conversation inevitably this question arises: "So what do you actually do here?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first response, at least for me, that comes is, "Well, we <i>live</i> here..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We get up in the morning, have our coffee and breakfast, feed and water the cat—these days <a href="http://ex-patcat.blogspot.it/2014/12/ciao-mi-chiamo-smokey-miao-my-name-is.html">Smokey</a> demands to drink running water from one of three taps—turn on the TV to watch RAI news, give Smokey his first brushing of the morning... and it goes from there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Usually in the morning I go for a 45 to 60-minute power walk up and down the stone stairs of the town. Sometimes we take the nine o'clock Cotral bus to the neighbouring town of Roccantica and have a workout at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/centrosportivosabinafitness/about/">gym</a> there. To get back to Casperia we take the Terni-bound Troaini bus which gets us back into Casperia by 12:30 leaving us a half an hour to shop for food at the Conad Grocery Store or Armando's butcher shop, just outside the Porta Romana.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes we stop at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Osteria-VIGNA-Casperia-455769424569529/">Osteria Vigna</a> or at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASP.daRosita/">Al Solito Posto</a> for a pre-pranzo<i> </i>aperitivo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we get home, we make lunch. These days we are trying to eat healthier so if we are going to have a meal with pasta we usually have it at lunch time. Here in Italy, most people don't start lunch until about one, but some people eat later. Outside of Italy, when you think about having a pasta meal it usually involves a red tomato-based sauce or a meat ragù, sometimes a basil pesto. But since moving to Casperia our eyes have been opened to endless pasta possibilities. Italians use a lot of greens in their pasta. The other day when we were helping with some friends' olive harvest we were served a delicious plate of fettuccine tossed with sautéed Tuscan black cabbage and toasted almonds. Yesterday, I made orecchiette di </span><a href="http://www.hungrycravings.com/2012/09/grano-arso.html" style="font-size: x-large;">grano arso</a><span style="font-size: large;"> which I dressed with broccoletti and sausage meat. I chopped up parboiled and drained broccoletti and mixed it in with sautéed sausage meat which I seasoned with a clove of garlic, peperoncino chili flakes, some crushed anchovies, a bit of chicken stock and white wine. It is one of my favourite fall dishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here in Casperia the grocery store, the tabaccaio, the butcher, and the other small shops close from about 1 to 4:30 or 5pm. During the summer months, especially, when it gets oppressively hot outside, this is the perfect time for a siesta, the mid-afternoon nap. Around 5pm the shops reopen and the town springs back to life again. Depending on what we have on and how we are feeling, sometimes we head down to Al Solito Posto or Osteria Vigna for an aperitivo and to catch up with friends. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsm4y2B5Qv66-XQTcUAM98AxRYRGoT8nKt4cvEc85_EE8G5ZVWb47wLtQNlhCE6Qqji1hgZVeOBixbAyZUEIf6pf4pdh6m-yd7VY4LYgbnNwwKHPPKFH2mFan_9A27b6QmyQi4coI4QtC/s1600/12788278_10153542293122804_1236852547_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsm4y2B5Qv66-XQTcUAM98AxRYRGoT8nKt4cvEc85_EE8G5ZVWb47wLtQNlhCE6Qqji1hgZVeOBixbAyZUEIf6pf4pdh6m-yd7VY4LYgbnNwwKHPPKFH2mFan_9A27b6QmyQi4coI4QtC/s640/12788278_10153542293122804_1236852547_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I usually drink prosecco or have a glass of crisp </span><a href="https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-352-pecorino" style="font-size: x-large;">pecorino</a><span style="font-size: large;"> or </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/11/wine-vermentino-challenge-sauvignon-blanc" style="font-size: x-large;">vermentino</a><span style="font-size: large;">, but in the summer months I enjoy the odd Aperol Spritz... When the weather cools down though I love to have a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negroni" style="font-size: x-large;">Negroni</a><span style="font-size: large;">, that super alcoholic sunset-coloured blend of one third gin, one third Campari and one third red vermouth served on the rocks with a slice of orange. Heaven in a glass!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then there is dinner... and after dinner, time with Smokey on the couch watching Italian TV—good, bad or mediocre—it's all a free Italian lesson. And so it goes...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that is really not what it is all about... there is more, of course. Things we have learned here, things that we have experienced, that we have made a part of our life here which we do in their proper season, that make life here truly special. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Let me describe what we did on a recent day here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have written in older posts about our love of foraging. Even before we moved here we had learned about the spring hunt for asparagi selvatici, the very prized wild asparagus. In the three springs that we have lived here we have gone on many a country walk on the look for these delicious green sprigs... and thankfully, over the years that we have foraged for wild asparagus, we have become better at it. <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2016/03/un-pommeriggio-con-pino-alla-ricerca.html">Not as good as the locals</a>, mind you, but much better than before.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xYMA5WhFZrLGcO7jIYsXSX3mXlpHZa1GDsFZjlvsIer0dDevkmE4VatthWblcuU0iiZzBM5tacWtriZqm4sjUu3b2RPLeqfstSH4tih7FtOxclyT5C-MsanJW99x7C4lGbO79nVA_KN8/s1600/IMG_9236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xYMA5WhFZrLGcO7jIYsXSX3mXlpHZa1GDsFZjlvsIer0dDevkmE4VatthWblcuU0iiZzBM5tacWtriZqm4sjUu3b2RPLeqfstSH4tih7FtOxclyT5C-MsanJW99x7C4lGbO79nVA_KN8/s400/IMG_9236.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Pino with a huge bunch of wild asparagus. Click link above for the story</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over the years we have learned to recognise and harvest a number of other wild greens, herbs and tree fruit. Out in the fields around Casperia you can find rughetta selvatica (wild </span><span style="font-size: large;">arugula), mentastro verde (spearmint), caccialepre (common brighteyes), grespino (sow thistle), menta romana (Roman mint), mentuccia (lesser calamint), farinello (lamb's quarters), purcacchia (purslane), ortica (stinging nettle), piscialetto (dandelion), luppoli (wild hops), vitappie (clematis tips), and alloro (bay laurel). If you search Casperia's castle walls you will even find capperi (caper bushes). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But of all the wild greens out in the campi, the one that we have been interested in, after wild asparagus, is cicoria—wild chicory. I have always liked cicoria, but </span><span style="font-size: large;">Richard is absolutely nuts about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About a month after moving to Casperia, one the weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving 2014, Richard and I were out for a walk in the country the town along Via Valle Tassignana. It was a beautiful sunny autumn day and we were walking along at a good pace when, all of a sudden, Richard noticed two women out in the fields.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjFdd4c5Kx8wRWpZ9ZTrMsZDHuc8lPaJNreDIOyO-550k-Zbr6Rp-UcsUSNWC9QyOFrpQDeoCckcyapKt90DEzwDVOlO-DTZNmxY1b4I2JmXPLYyjd2Fhh4MUKZbVsCEoI9vqAZxac190/s1600/Marisa+and+friend+hunting+chicory+Oct+13+14+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjFdd4c5Kx8wRWpZ9ZTrMsZDHuc8lPaJNreDIOyO-550k-Zbr6Rp-UcsUSNWC9QyOFrpQDeoCckcyapKt90DEzwDVOlO-DTZNmxY1b4I2JmXPLYyjd2Fhh4MUKZbVsCEoI9vqAZxac190/s400/Marisa+and+friend+hunting+chicory+Oct+13+14+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGUiarcGXEgs22O-ppH_4ypNo_lVkUx_4OejTQIuLFwkfh8m_N_dwli1u7c5aEigzsRTFEWybhcbuQ2p36yoTdojIJjS-rk7SvFImY0D_xVSth0Kxoi4mXep1snk-dyO8gLZJj-sYvjg6/s1600/Marisa+e+amica+October+13+e+14+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGUiarcGXEgs22O-ppH_4ypNo_lVkUx_4OejTQIuLFwkfh8m_N_dwli1u7c5aEigzsRTFEWybhcbuQ2p36yoTdojIJjS-rk7SvFImY0D_xVSth0Kxoi4mXep1snk-dyO8gLZJj-sYvjg6/s400/Marisa+e+amica+October+13+e+14+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"I bet they are collecting cicoria!" he said and made a beeline for the women. And Richard was right. When I caught up with him he was already having an animated conversation with a lovely woman named Marisa. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMuDtLCHTGzH7g-_6SdO_fJZ-M4lKkaYE8uQCyPu_0hPZkoYuuxDGfLHeI0C1NszEN3kekIuMNDSkKmIAedK9QiyVpeA2znI-WO8JvYLAhrRSi4459EQ0pZ3elWfsOmfPGjzw-nzEaY-A/s1600/Marisa+and+Richard+with+chicory+Oct+22+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMuDtLCHTGzH7g-_6SdO_fJZ-M4lKkaYE8uQCyPu_0hPZkoYuuxDGfLHeI0C1NszEN3kekIuMNDSkKmIAedK9QiyVpeA2znI-WO8JvYLAhrRSi4459EQ0pZ3elWfsOmfPGjzw-nzEaY-A/s640/Marisa+and+Richard+with+chicory+Oct+22+2014.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She explained that the field was not theirs but that they had been given permission by the owner to forage for the chicory. According to Marisa, there were two types of cicoria that they were collecting. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Marisa and her friend had sacks of them.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">To my untrained eye, they both looked a lot like large dandelions. When I mentioned this, Marisa pointed out that cicoria too had a flower, but instead of yellow, that it was a beautiful pale blue. Richard was in seventh heaven. I could just imagine us heading out the next day on our own cicoria hunt but it took three more years before that would happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Earlier this month we were at a memorial lunch for a friend at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1199275-d7159327-Reviews-Il_Terebinto-Casperia_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">Il Terebinto</a>, a great agriturismo located atop the ruins of an ancient Roman Villa 2 kilometres south of us in Paranzano on Via Roma. This is the former location of Gusto al Borgo, the legendary agriturismo and cooking school where in March of 2009 Richard, Candace and I toasted our pact to "grab life by the balls"... a turning point in all our lives because it was in that moment in that place that I think our fate was sealed and that we were destined to ultimately move to Casperia. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a touching memorial and a lovely lunch made even more special because during a pause in the programme Richard and I took a little walk through the grounds with our friend Rosanna who is a forager per eccellenza. Rosanna taught us how to properly identify cicoria and also showed us another dandelion-like wild green called caccialepre, known in English as Common Brighteyes.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16UDTUD7erjwGMGY-T5iCvzBA0FLsblvpcyE5qHAC3b9sszYwk2vvTyaRCFcyYXGLFaYpS6DizL__ZlljqlTTMC989xenIfhDKXbxehUjALUtS4omJ1M8n-0UlZVBtfaknyvwn4LtLAJZ/s1600/rosanna+caccialepre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16UDTUD7erjwGMGY-T5iCvzBA0FLsblvpcyE5qHAC3b9sszYwk2vvTyaRCFcyYXGLFaYpS6DizL__ZlljqlTTMC989xenIfhDKXbxehUjALUtS4omJ1M8n-0UlZVBtfaknyvwn4LtLAJZ/s640/rosanna+caccialepre.jpg" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosanna with a sample of caccialepre</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, thanks to Rosanna, we felt confident in our ability to safely forage for cicoria. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A week or so after our impromptu lesson, on a bright shiny day when we had nothing else planned, Richard and I set out on a mission... a double mission actually. We packed a couple of heavy-duty shopping bags, some smaller plastic bags and a pair of serrated kitchen knives and descended into the valley below Casperia on the hunt for twigs and small dead branches to use for kindling <i>and</i> to look for cicoria. We headed out the Porta Reatina, Casperia's back door, and walked along Via Valle Tassignana toward the spot where we encountered Marisa and her friend three years before. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PeIGyaGlKHlL72HbUTFqw1phXDkDgDfyQQJFfo1x_Mb6U3usll0imf6AR54qG3zj0rYF_pLW3_-rLlL5NnRkSsUNw8-a43e1LWWNKKUKpBweKIzd6FghoIifRRQhWdOgfi5TEN9oZa4h/s1600/22552456_10155152783794503_5227787892259083305_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PeIGyaGlKHlL72HbUTFqw1phXDkDgDfyQQJFfo1x_Mb6U3usll0imf6AR54qG3zj0rYF_pLW3_-rLlL5NnRkSsUNw8-a43e1LWWNKKUKpBweKIzd6FghoIifRRQhWdOgfi5TEN9oZa4h/s640/22552456_10155152783794503_5227787892259083305_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The valley is very lush. Scrub and bushes, including some sizeable bay laurel trees clutter the ditches on either side of the road and the local people repeatedly cut this back, often leaving what has been trimmed lying dry alongside our path. Very soon we have our two large shopping bags full of kindling. See soon turned our attention to looking for cicoria and other things to harvest alongside the road. Every couple of metres there were stray walnuts which have fallen on to the road from the trees above. I gathered about two dozen walnuts and threw them into the large shopping bags for sorting later.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCFjTUzn_lW3myC6mvZZDuDWjMbYfxp_vjPLizFz8Plwqhv1vljchHn0Ham-f0XjpnKYWNRB3pbCHuh74oq7agSS9gUIacn723Ve7pZuTG74M76DH2VtIg8yA1XdnVCbY7JXFwEVpNRz3/s1600/22491723_10155152784489503_1855848874449784577_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCFjTUzn_lW3myC6mvZZDuDWjMbYfxp_vjPLizFz8Plwqhv1vljchHn0Ham-f0XjpnKYWNRB3pbCHuh74oq7agSS9gUIacn723Ve7pZuTG74M76DH2VtIg8yA1XdnVCbY7JXFwEVpNRz3/s640/22491723_10155152784489503_1855848874449784577_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We passed by the fields where we met Marisa and her friend years ago. Though we knew that we could find cicoria in abundance in the fields we did not know the owner and therefore limited ourselves to harvesting what we could access along the sides of the roads, outside of what was obviously private property. Though we don't know many of the people who live outside Casperia's walls, many people recognise us and know who we are and where we come from. The last thing we want is to be inconsiderate neighbours and give Canadians a bad name here.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwWXAfnfHh28axJJ_-7Ex1SKOjj_fHJh9B7MRAiQ1bIwLP9FRN1BJqL9uear3n9MrCLjuWSuOJiPdVRkkwIG2RND6C9A7SPOby_S5riVNXRVTZ3b5T6VN4Sl7D8PrYaSuLq8IPMvyNejp/s1600/22519058_10155152782509503_4711945033948684497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwWXAfnfHh28axJJ_-7Ex1SKOjj_fHJh9B7MRAiQ1bIwLP9FRN1BJqL9uear3n9MrCLjuWSuOJiPdVRkkwIG2RND6C9A7SPOby_S5riVNXRVTZ3b5T6VN4Sl7D8PrYaSuLq8IPMvyNejp/s640/22519058_10155152782509503_4711945033948684497_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At a certain point we found one of the many marked hiking trails that crisscross Casperia's hills and valleys. We followed a trail which we thought would take us west toward Montefiolo and Via Roma but at a certain point the path became impassable and we had to abandon our path. We got lost a couple of times, but we didn't care. We were on an adventure and it was a gorgeous day out. Here and there there were pungent patches of mentuccia and different varieties of fragrant mint.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTK6rYISnEfH2wjfGWIiNcu27oC_jZkS6RmoXA_Kz9-QNDwp3PI5oQXmADGWz8pcMmnoeT-ST_JKONIgPfVRFJBjRRmKsQv3heyWn4jP0FMz_M-zLbCCWfHcJwMAcH_AKYsd5r2jUWJHx9/s1600/22540139_10155152782654503_9068803209871790181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTK6rYISnEfH2wjfGWIiNcu27oC_jZkS6RmoXA_Kz9-QNDwp3PI5oQXmADGWz8pcMmnoeT-ST_JKONIgPfVRFJBjRRmKsQv3heyWn4jP0FMz_M-zLbCCWfHcJwMAcH_AKYsd5r2jUWJHx9/s640/22540139_10155152782654503_9068803209871790181_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At one point, while following a trail that skirted a wooded hill, we came across a corbezzolo tree. </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_unedo" style="font-size: x-large;">Corbezzolo</a><span style="font-size: large;"> produce beautiful fruit which are bright red when ripe called tree strawberries in English. Here in Italy people use them to make jam but we collected what we could to put in alcohol to make a digestivo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf7EjsbLkAv0Ul9agPKhaJoNdSLxqfMrN-WO35945vyzhGEengVZxE8Y89IAYR71eV9nv2qiTbgNMEW9JKwTQjMV2S2UfY6e-bA-4sTIS3MXV70jTZCfABmGLjV1GNILv_dnbsq9Y5I-X/s1600/22519595_10155152783599503_2757627088255445836_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf7EjsbLkAv0Ul9agPKhaJoNdSLxqfMrN-WO35945vyzhGEengVZxE8Y89IAYR71eV9nv2qiTbgNMEW9JKwTQjMV2S2UfY6e-bA-4sTIS3MXV70jTZCfABmGLjV1GNILv_dnbsq9Y5I-X/s640/22519595_10155152783599503_2757627088255445836_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We passed a number of unoccupied farm houses and saw a lot of beautiful melograno (pomegranate) trees but only admired them. Again, here in Casperia, we are the only Canadians and therefore represent Canada. We took some pictures but left the fruit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfPO8d1S_A_EvGLjqIVbKOSMcui2KM6WAgunRI-2EL9svnNvbm9wjj89YSR5fGiYJgFl475zd5jPJzvCBPby3stcyMj4iYPWM2L2H-_LQr7QpYu2BVJvhAJoeriCdNx0mPU7e3BX8zZ-D/s1600/22539935_10155152783154503_8243730577927551583_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfPO8d1S_A_EvGLjqIVbKOSMcui2KM6WAgunRI-2EL9svnNvbm9wjj89YSR5fGiYJgFl475zd5jPJzvCBPby3stcyMj4iYPWM2L2H-_LQr7QpYu2BVJvhAJoeriCdNx0mPU7e3BX8zZ-D/s640/22539935_10155152783154503_8243730577927551583_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Eventually we were able to make our way to Via Roma and followed the road around Montefiolo toward the hamlet of Paranzano. In a small triangle of land around a sign advertising Sunflower Retreats we found a good patch of cicoria and filled half a bag. We then proceeded south toward the San Vito crossroad where there is a large triangular patch of open grass and there we hit the mother load. There was cicoria everywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In no time at all we had enough wild greens for at least two dinners. We couldn't wait to get home and clean and prepare the cicoria for cooking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we got back to Casperia we carefully removed any dead or yellow leaves from the cicoria and soaked them in a big pot full of cool water. I gave the cicoria a good rinse, turning the purple veined green mass over and over in the cold water which I changed a number of times to clean off any dirt that might have been attached to the chicory. When you leave cicoria in cold water, after a half an hour or so, the leaves arch back towards the roots and form a ball. This cam make it a bit difficult when you get to the point where you are removing the roots but for me it also is a confirmation that the plants we harvested are indeed chicory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We came across some plants that were a bit rough, almost raspy to the touch and I decided to err on the side of caution and tossed them. Later I found out that these were sow thistle, called grespino in Italian, and would have been totally edible but at the time I thought it would be better to be safe than sorry. Next time I will know though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, when all the leaves had been properly clean and prepared, i boiled them in salted water until they were tender. I then drained off the hot water and doused the cooked greens in cold water them squeezed them dry. At this point you can freeze any excess cicoria in freezer bags for later use. My next step was to drizzle some olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. I them added minced garlic and peperoncino chili flakes then tossed in the cicoria and sautéed it for a couple of minutes. I know it is not traditional in our area but I added two anchovies to the frypan and mashed them into the greens. I then splashed some white wine in the pan and let that cook down until there was no liquid left. Just before serving I sprinkled on some salt, drizzled on some Sabina DOP extra virgin olive oil and added a squeeze of lemon juice and served the cicoria with some sausages which Richard had grilled in the fireplace and a couple of slices of tomato... healthy and delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And that is an example of what we do here!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdGVN0_LigavVP_FoFcFgrhwP8B0ocNzDSYJKqal7MGb2loBMaC7hBeRKg3Xf4CrZWKmFL879itr_r9HKWSEjbd5kH9Tk8DwknobB_87M-mJ1r4DdTQlmjnNfTw61mFMtxzVAyzjOutek/s1600/22279677_10155126135589503_8523010776585582802_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdGVN0_LigavVP_FoFcFgrhwP8B0ocNzDSYJKqal7MGb2loBMaC7hBeRKg3Xf4CrZWKmFL879itr_r9HKWSEjbd5kH9Tk8DwknobB_87M-mJ1r4DdTQlmjnNfTw61mFMtxzVAyzjOutek/s640/22279677_10155126135589503_8523010776585582802_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remember, when you are hiking out in the countryside please do not litter. And if you have an extra bag and come across some discarded glass or plastic bottles, cigarette packs and other ephemera, why not pick it up and dispose of it in the recycling and the garbage when you get back home? It feels good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in learning about harvesting wild greens and edible weeds, there are lots of books out there and resources on the internet. Be very careful about what you harvest and eat. If you are not sure that you have harvested an edible plant, don't risk it. Toss it in the compost, or, if you have time, consult an expert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are two links that I liked:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://eattheinvaders.org/blue-plate-special-sow-thistle/">Eat The Invaders</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.eattheweeds.com/">Eat The Weeds</a></b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, now that we have learned how to hunt for wild chicory, what next? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our friend Marco who is a writer and lives near Monte Soratte is always posting these great pictures of the wild mushrooms he harvests on his hillside property... I know that there are courses here that you can take that will teach you what is safe to harvest. Then again, we could always go for a walk in the forest with Marco. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5FFGgmzHPUOjoVGFrgxpgum9bP5E937-54_RnDlT3NcVHopvVy8Q6xfUfksKf1JaeQxxPoKfRABuaiMkiZGxbmSe8_x_ZHhgcgJHv6E_9KH8npjGROEYA-Y4tQ-or_kKo0F1x6qHKkXR/s1600/22730558_10210523976071071_7354622623935049120_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="960" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5FFGgmzHPUOjoVGFrgxpgum9bP5E937-54_RnDlT3NcVHopvVy8Q6xfUfksKf1JaeQxxPoKfRABuaiMkiZGxbmSe8_x_ZHhgcgJHv6E_9KH8npjGROEYA-Y4tQ-or_kKo0F1x6qHKkXR/s640/22730558_10210523976071071_7354622623935049120_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marco's Wild Mushrooms - Photo courtesy of Marco Tarquinio Vello</td></tr>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-61398780615909534972016-12-07T12:50:00.004-08:002017-03-05T14:37:51.236-08:00カスペーリアに戻ってきた。SIAMO TORNATI A CASPERIA - A Guest Post in Japanese by my Friend Gaku Saito<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">①SIAMO TORNATI A CASPERIA...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">カスペーリアに戻ってきた。二度目は一度目よりも素晴らしかった。こんもりとした丘に建つ町がどんどん大きくなる。私たちはカスペーリアとの久しぶりの再会を車の後部座席から果たした。思いもよらない出会いがあり、私たち二人はその時自家用車に相乗りさせてもらっていたのだった。</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">ポッジョミレット駅でバスを待っていると、西洋人の家族が時刻表を見に来た。会釈を交わすと、自然と会話が始まった。向こうは何かピンと来たようで「カスペーリアに行くの?」と聞いてくる。そうですと頷くと車で一緒に送って行ってあげると申し出てくれた。親切である。次回はバスで来たいからと時刻表を確認しに来たそうだ。小学生の男の子と、野球帽が似合っているお母さんと運転手はおじいさん。カスペーリアで留守番をしているお父さんを加えた四人でカスペーリアにのんびりと長期滞在しているという。拙い英語で色々話しをする。窓の外はサビーナの緑が豊かに広がっている。石造りの古い家がぽつんぽつんと建っている。<br /><br />普段ロンドンに住んでいるという彼らは、日本にも来たことがあり、日本のことがとても好きなようだ。「東京都と京都に行きました」「私もイギリスには是非行ってみたいと思っているんです。きっと行きます。また日本に来て下さいね」<br /><br />カスペーリアへの道すがら、思いがけなく日英の交流が進んだ。この様な出会いは旅人の心を励ましてくれるし、滞在中サビーナの地の様々な人からこういった友愛の情を感じることが出来た様に思う。<br /><br />流れる車窓の景色を横目で見ながら、私は再びこの地を訪れることが出来た喜びに胸を踊らせていた。そしてこの地と縁を持つことが出来た不思議さを感じていた。</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />②James Johnstoneさんとの再会</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">城壁で降ろしてもらい一家と再会を誓い、私達はカスペーリアの門をくぐった。起伏に溢れるカスペーリアは階段の町だ。車も入ることは出来ない。歯をくいしばりキャリーケースを運ぶ。昔はロバが運搬用の労働力として使われていたそうだ。不便に思われるかもしれないし、現に重い荷物を運ぶのは大変労力のいる作業だった。しかしこの難儀に思われるところが、カスペーリアのの素晴らしさを生み出しているのかもしれない。この町に排気ガスの臭いは無いし、ねこたちは気ままに散歩している。</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">階段をしばらく昇り、息を切らし、Osteria Vignaのテラス席に目をやると、素敵な笑顔が私達を待っていてくれた。このブログの執筆者であるJames Johnstoneさんとの再会である。まさかVignaで待っていてくれるとは思ってもいないことで、とても嬉しい驚きだった。今回のカスペーリアでの滞在では、ジェームズさんに本当にお世話になった。当人を前に賛辞を書き連ねるのは不粋であろうから、本当に素敵な人で感謝、感謝である、とだけここに記させていただこう。ジェームズさんありがとう。 <br /><br />Vignaのスプマンテで乾杯し、一息付く。晴れた日、Vignaのテラス席でこのお酒を飲むと、スプマンテはこの様に味わうべきお酒なのかもしれないなと思われてくる。乾いた喉が炭酸で心地よく刺激され、体をめぐり、イタリアの空に溶けだして行くようだ。グラスを傾けながらJamesさんにサビーナ地方を楽しむ為の様々な情報を教わった。<br /><br />まず最も旅行者が注意しなければならないことは移動手段である。自分たちで車を運転し、移動出来るのが一番望ましいだろう。隣町を行くことを考えた場合でも、徒歩ではかなり時間がかかり現実的ではないし(特に夏の厳しい日差しの下では)、バスの本数がとても少ないからだ。海外でのレンタカーは私達には敷居が高く感じられ、今回は主にバスでの移動となった。バスは主に、住民の方々の通勤用に走っている様で、また乗ってみて分かったが、曲がりくねった道が多く、運転は大変だろう。バスの本数が少ないのも致し方ないのかもしれない。その分観光地化されていないイタリアを楽しめる。<br /><br />ウェルカムスプマンテを飲み終えると、ジェームズさんがご自宅での昼食に誘ってくれた。思えば朝食を食べたきりである。願ったり叶ったりの申し出に快諾し、Vignaを後にした。<br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />③ジェームズさんとの昼食、そして買い出し<br /><br />ジェームズさんの案内でカスペーリアの階段を上がる。カスペーリアの階段の幅はそれ程広くない。ロバサイズである。町の人とすれ違う時に距離が近くなり、自然と挨拶の言葉が口に出る。町を歩くと色々な人と親しくなっていけそうである。滞在中、窓から顔を出した女性に話しかけられ、会話が始まったこともある。</span><br />
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素敵な小さな赤い花が壁を飾っているジェイムズさんのお家に到着した。そこには私達二人を歓迎してくれた新しい友達が待っていてくれた。スモーキーである。スモーキーはジェイムズさんが長年大事にされているねこだ。本当に可愛い。日本にいても、スモーキーはどうしているかなと思い出すほどだ。</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">さて昼食である。特に印象に残ったのはトマトだ。イタリアのトマトは色が鮮やかで、その味もまた鮮烈である。そのトマトを焼いたパンに載せるクロスティーニは、あるだけどんどん食べてしまいそうであった。美味しいものには自然と手が伸びてしまう。ジェームズさんに伺ったところ、今食べているトマトより10倍もおいしいトマトがあるという。ジェームズさんのお家にはこの後何度もお邪魔させていただいき。心のこもったおもてなしをいただいた。深く感謝しています。<br /><br />宿に戻った。楽しみにしていたアリメンターリ、食料品店に私達は向かうことにした。<br /><br />コナッドは広かった。日本でPietre di Aspraのロベルトさんとフランチェスカさんにメールで教えていただいた時に勝手な想像をしていた。もっともっと小じんまりとしたお店だと思っていたのだ。しかしそれは大きな間違いだった。食料品だけではなく、生活雑貨も一通り揃っているお店で、カスペーリアの毎日には欠かせないお店なのかもしれない。料理器具や歯ブラシ、ペットのエサ、色々なものが売っていた。<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jLRVEHCZ04yN-6g6PRU0hdiB8ypKiy-ofW-z9U_nBNEYtcQmFZgz1v4FR_LD9aXQg2M44Qki3nqPEpStniBko2XGgqrM8geO8YaX-IF4dHNmy0SN5q2SHuzIb0ROk4sb5dcsSSzZmz1I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-12-07+at+13.57.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jLRVEHCZ04yN-6g6PRU0hdiB8ypKiy-ofW-z9U_nBNEYtcQmFZgz1v4FR_LD9aXQg2M44Qki3nqPEpStniBko2XGgqrM8geO8YaX-IF4dHNmy0SN5q2SHuzIb0ROk4sb5dcsSSzZmz1I/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-12-07+at+13.57.21.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conad マーケットの入口は銀行の左側に見えます</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">日本のスーパーと比べると、お店の照明は少し暗かったが、働いている人の表情は何倍も明るい。ほとんどが常連客なのだろうか、お店の方と楽しそうに話しながら買い物をしている。私達も日本から覚えてきたイタリア語でお店の方に話しかけ、サラミ、トマト、オリーブ、オレンジ、卵を購入出来た。オリーブは様々な種類のものを少しずつ入れてもらった。Un po' un po' un po'! 店員さんの笑顔とともに、少しという意味のun po'という単語を忘れることはないだろう。この地方を旅してみたい方は簡単なイタリア語をいくつか頭に入れるか、旅の指差し帳の様な会話フレーズが載った本を持って行くとこをお勧めする。買い物や食事をするたびに、新しいイタリア語を覚えていける。英語だけで会話をするよりも、下手でも良いからイタリア語でも話しかける方が良い。明らかに心を開いた表情を見せてくれるからだ。滞在がより魅力的なものになるだろう。<br /><br />翌日の朝食の材料も購入出来たことだし、宿へとゆっくり向かった。<br /><br /> <br />④ジェームズさんとの夕食<br /><br />帰り道に夕立にあった。幸いにしてあまり濡れることなく宿についた。少し気温が下がり、過ごしやすくなった。後で聞いたところ、久しぶりの雨だったようだ。 <br /><br />イタリアでは雨にあたった花嫁には幸運が訪れるという。私はイタリアで雨にあうと、自身の結婚式を思い出す。縁あって私達は二月にカスペーリアで結婚式を挙げたのである。その日も雨が降った。記念写真をカメラマンのルイージさんと撮りながら、Vignaに向かった。その時にジェイムズさんと初めて出会ったのだ。確かに雨にあたった花嫁には幸運が訪れるのかもしれない。</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />ジェームズさんのお家に着いた。テラス席で白ワインとオリーブで乾杯する。スモーキーも夜風にあたれて気持ちが良さそうだ。夕方から夜になる、ほんの短い間が私は好きだ。昼間の活動の充実感と、これからの夜への期待感が白ワインによって解け合わさっていくようである。日本での生活のテンポとは違うゆったりとしたリズムに乗って、夕食の準備が進んでいく。パンツァネッラとインゲン豆の炒め物、そして野生のアスパラガスのパスタがテーブルに並ぶ。ジェームズさんの作る料理は最高だ。野生のアスパラガスを初めて口にした。一般的なアスパラガスよりもかなり細く、つくしのようである。料理の味をとても豊かにしてくれた。パスタの形も初めて口にするもので、味がよく乗り、軽く、食が非常に進んだ。イタリアを旅すると、食材が豊富で美味しいものに囲まれてしまうから、ウェストが少しきつくなる。だがそれは幸せな時間を過ごした結果なのだから良いではないか、と思う。そして満腹でもう食べることが出来ない自分の胃の小ささを少しうらむのだ。<br /><br />会話も弾み、満ち足りた気分で頬を緩ませていると、ジェームズさんが食後酒を出してくれた。今回のカスペーリアでの滞在における収穫の一つは、食後酒を知ったことかもしれない。この楽しみを私は今まで知らなかった。</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">色鮮やかな瓶が机を飾った。オレンジ、緑にビンサント。グラッパの様なお酒を想像していたが違った。アルコール分は強いが、オレンジはほんのり甘く、緑色のお酒は薬草、ハーブの味、ビンサントもとても口にあった。胃がきゅっと締まり、食事に素敵な幕を降ろすことが出来た。</span><br />
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スモーキーに挨拶をして、ジェームズさんの家を後にする。カスペーリアの夜は本当に静かだ。夜中にふと目を覚まし、窓を開けると月がとても美しかった。<br /><br />第一日目完(二日目に続く)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> [美味しい朝食]<br /><br />カスペーリアの朝。とても良い目覚めだった。窓から顔を出して深呼吸する。空気が本当に美味しいことが分かる。木や草、お花、まわりの緑のにおいがして、元気になる。体から力が沸き上がってくるのを感じた。<br /><br />昨日コナッドで購入した食材で簡単な朝ご飯を作った。Pietre di Aspraにはキッチンと調理器具、オリーブオイルなどの調味料が備えられていて、滞在中楽しく料理が出来た。<br /><br />メニューはパンとトマトのサラダ、オムレツ、オリーブ。特にオムレツの卵の味は瞠目に値するものだった。卵の黄身はまるで梅の実の様にゴロンゴロンと立派でしっかりしていた。お皿に盛ったオムレツからはいかにも美味しそうな香りがし、とても濃厚な味がした。卵一つでイタリアの豊かさを感じられた様だった。ごちそうさまをし、食材に感謝をした。カスペーリアでの二日目がはじまった。<br /><br />[ルイージさんとの再会]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">今回の滞在の楽しみの一つは、ルイージさんとの再会だった。ルイージさんは、私達の結婚式の写真を撮影してくれたカスペーリアに住んでいるカメラマンの方である。少し固くなってしまっている私達を、明るい人柄でリラックスさせてくれたルイージさん。<br /><br />おかげで結婚式当日はとても楽しく、和やかな雰囲気で撮影が出来たのだった。アルバムの撮影が、結婚式でのとても大事な思い出の一つとなった。<br /><br />日本からのお土産を手に、ルイージさんのスタジオを訪ねることにした。カスペーリアの門を出て、教会の横の道を少し上ったところにルイージさんの素敵なスタジオはある。<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFmFgSOzs1zHoaS6YlPQT8EA_SLyiouqXqQ0MbW0EFGP13qjZEIC9F8gwWZCS-jcQc4ZfndBNeWP1Gy8GirICtTDGmvRp5wNp_EwObMIY9Bn0sC4h0GFVeU4NAGDfGwHf-4VqeGDnFq2k/s1600/Casperia+from+the+church.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFmFgSOzs1zHoaS6YlPQT8EA_SLyiouqXqQ0MbW0EFGP13qjZEIC9F8gwWZCS-jcQc4ZfndBNeWP1Gy8GirICtTDGmvRp5wNp_EwObMIY9Bn0sC4h0GFVeU4NAGDfGwHf-4VqeGDnFq2k/s640/Casperia+from+the+church.JPG" /></a><br /><br />結婚式当日、撮影が完了すると、私達の出発に間に合う様に走ってスタジオに戻り、アルバムの作成作業を眠らずにしてくれたのだった。ルイージさんありがとう。</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">結婚式以来の再会に少し胸を高鳴らせてスタジオに入ると、ルイージさんと弟のピノさん達がとても温かく迎えてくれた。お土産に持参した麦酒もとても気に入ってくれた様だった。お返しにとカスペーリアの写真をいただいた。今、額に入れて自分たちの部屋に飾る準備をしているところだ。<br /><br />スタジオにいる皆は、私達がサビーナ地方を楽しめているか、どんなところに行ってみたいのかを、とても気に掛けてくれている様だった。</span><span style="font-size: large;">ファルファ修道院に行ってみたいと伝えると、バス会社の友人に電話してくれたり、時刻表を熱心に調べてくれ、大きな助けとなった。(ファルファ修道院へは三日目に訪れる。)<br /><br />四日目の夕方に今回の記念に写真を撮ってもらう約束をし、スタジオを後にした。</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi366gypbOmJ9l-RYqXpmrQkbsjSlZncSZbI8JCc-46pjM_9DQNttc4Z36m4BUVrcqIXDcBOmSYeD7AwVSn4OqdQ6aCEGLdz-hzH0pfDmBbzgkOrprLEvEoEWHvG3rF0zR3opr80IwAG3lz/s1600/roccantica+panoramica+giorgio+clementi+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi366gypbOmJ9l-RYqXpmrQkbsjSlZncSZbI8JCc-46pjM_9DQNttc4Z36m4BUVrcqIXDcBOmSYeD7AwVSn4OqdQ6aCEGLdz-hzH0pfDmBbzgkOrprLEvEoEWHvG3rF0zR3opr80IwAG3lz/s640/roccantica+panoramica+giorgio+clementi+.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roccantica この写真は、Giorgio Clementi様の親切な許可を得て使用されています </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">[ロッカンティーカ散策と素晴らしい夕食]<br /><br />Vignaで昼食を食べ、カスペーリアの周りを散歩した後、ジェームズさんとロッカンティーカへ向かった。町を散策し、トラットリア・デル・コンパーレで夕食をいただく計画である。<br /><br />カスペーリアはこんもりとした丘に出来た町であり、一方ロッカンティーカは山の斜面に沿って出来た町である。カスペーリアからロッカンティーカは目視出来る。お互い隣町として意識しながら様々な時代を生き、そうした日々の痕跡を色々な場所に残してきたのではないだろうか。<br /><br />ロッカンティーカの町の入り口に着いた。斜面に沿って出来ているので入り口は一合目といった感じだ。</span><br />
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奥の方に時計台がある。その下の碑は第二次大戦で犠牲になったロッカンティーカの方々の慰霊の碑だそうだ。行きの飛行機でヴィットリオ・デ・シーカ監督の『ひまわり』(『l Girasoli』)を見たこともあり、思うものも深かった。<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3NWDQZtoCDJQnkMgP76a2-8c9oL0NeqBJdqWPVeDWpv6AX5Hzu_NAfhzdBJGNVWho9NCcYbMlsnieVcU5pkze6zWPG3k7KW-ZeYSmmO_ZxqQHQlc4FYJvwwFkDx-PvwHQkOxzVcaxT8/s1600/2-2.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3NWDQZtoCDJQnkMgP76a2-8c9oL0NeqBJdqWPVeDWpv6AX5Hzu_NAfhzdBJGNVWho9NCcYbMlsnieVcU5pkze6zWPG3k7KW-ZeYSmmO_ZxqQHQlc4FYJvwwFkDx-PvwHQkOxzVcaxT8/s640/2-2.jpeg" /></a><br /><br />しばらく階段を上がって行くと、ロッカンティーカの教会があった。鐘の音色は教会によって様々だそうだ。イタリアの人々は町の教会の鐘の音が聞こえる範囲が自分たちの地域だと感じるそうである。教会の存在がイタリアの人々の心の中でどの様な存在であるか、少し理解出来た気がした。小さな頃から慣れ親しんだ鐘の音はその町で育った人にとって自分を形作ってきた特別なものの一つなのかもしれない。『ジョンの魂』というジョンレノンのアルバムは鐘の音から始まったことを思い出した。東京という都会で生まれ育った私に、そういったものはあるだろうか。</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">サビーナ地方を旅することで、より自分自身を省みていきたいと思った。東京に住むと世界中の多種多様なものを食べたり、見たりすることが出来る。しかし、どこか自分自身が漂流している様な感覚を持つこともある。サビーナ地方の人々は自分自身の地域の人々やものと、とても温かく結ばれているように思う。イタリアの方々の生活から学ぶことはとても多いと感じた。</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">夕日に照らされた美しいロッカンティーカの町を楽しく歩き、Trattoria del Compare に到着した。ここでの食事はトリップアドバイザーに詳しい<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.jp/ShowUserReviews-g3793626-d5851183-r406395742-Trattoria_del_Compare-Roccantica_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html#REVIEWS">レビュー</a>を記した。</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xqk51Ron6fKsZPLviTGjfyeULVTtgYVwflJhWxKKs-k8JlY4eRk_A9f_UWOgVDJUM_6xRmT4omar_oyD4lgk1J2JOp7bkIH-Luc2xKR7__3NFnKopGbznAnoHYbzx-YJiPOQX9hAA474/s1600/13654315_10153852176949503_3786939721734479786_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xqk51Ron6fKsZPLviTGjfyeULVTtgYVwflJhWxKKs-k8JlY4eRk_A9f_UWOgVDJUM_6xRmT4omar_oyD4lgk1J2JOp7bkIH-Luc2xKR7__3NFnKopGbznAnoHYbzx-YJiPOQX9hAA474/s640/13654315_10153852176949503_3786939721734479786_n.jpg" width="352" /></a></span></div>
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<br /><br />↓レビュー<br /><br />[ロッカンティーカは楽しい街です。<br />西に傾く太陽がほおずき色に家々を染める、その中を私たちは人々が積み重ねてきた日々を感じ、陽気な足取りで会話に花を咲かせ、Trattoria del Compareに向かいました。<br /><br />お店の方々にとても温かな歓迎を受け、席に座り、キリッと冷えた白ワインで喉の乾きを癒やせば、食事への準備は万端です。</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">アンティパストは四皿、プリモピアットはラビオリ、</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKndyb4NNAvfOA1dIy2JVrE-xZ_J6pxsBaSUnHRIAbTvYr3ceRxakYBJ-gJ8sGbSUXximN_xDXC_KV7DgR4irvKEcqz2EOYo85xU4eTUn-Nf10Rol0VExe24Alps9DjDF7-32s0clFBf_/s1600/13729017_10153852177394503_6586882225303433981_n.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKndyb4NNAvfOA1dIy2JVrE-xZ_J6pxsBaSUnHRIAbTvYr3ceRxakYBJ-gJ8sGbSUXximN_xDXC_KV7DgR4irvKEcqz2EOYo85xU4eTUn-Nf10Rol0VExe24Alps9DjDF7-32s0clFBf_/s640/13729017_10153852177394503_6586882225303433981_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br />チコリのコントルノとセコンドピアットは豚骨付き肉。皆で思い出に残る食事が出来ました。<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3P-vKMFUDxYqForkSRjsfnhduzoxlWQN8cwjPxG8DPXi9yAoxVbqYN-qL9itjY9RhSD3pFggGa23dOOqdp_Hq7rB4d-1aBfJpGcgqZBEdaXiVhonVUOJsD-apmbOMgPcu-gOQQtp2iby/s1600/Del+Compare.jpg"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3P-vKMFUDxYqForkSRjsfnhduzoxlWQN8cwjPxG8DPXi9yAoxVbqYN-qL9itjY9RhSD3pFggGa23dOOqdp_Hq7rB4d-1aBfJpGcgqZBEdaXiVhonVUOJsD-apmbOMgPcu-gOQQtp2iby/s320/Del+Compare.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />シェフのサルヴァトーレさんの立ち姿や表情からは料理への誇りと情熱を感じ、そこにイタリア語で言う”bello”を見た様に思います。またサルヴァトーレさんがおっしゃっていた“Solo sale”という印象に残った言葉があります。塩だけという意味だと思いますが、私には塩だけではない、目には見えない何かが、サルヴァトーレさんの料理にはあると思いました。素晴らしい食材と、焼き加減や切り方、長年培ってきた料理の知識、そして最後にふりかける“Solo sale”が一体となり、Trattoria del Compareの料理は私の心を打つのだと思います。一皿一皿はシンプルであるがしかし、どこまでも豊穣、複雑、深遠です。口にするとそこにイタリアの人々が何世紀にも渡り耕してきた大地への畏敬と豊かさを感じることが出来たように思います。<br />人参は確かに人参の味がしました。しかし、その味は今まで経験したことのない鮮やかさをもって私に迫ってきました。またラビオリはどこか懐かしい子ども時代を思い出す味がしました。<br />私はそこで日本のお米に思いを馳せました。ラビオリと米はもちろん違うものですが、そこに人々を育んでいく何かを感じたのかもしれません。何度も食べ、自分の中に沁み込ませていきたい味でした。<br />食事が終わると、サビーナにはもう夜の帳が下り、宿に戻った私たちの傷一つない完璧な一日は完結しました。<br />今、日本で現地の地図を広げ、次の旅の計画を立てています。もちろんロッカンティーカには、大きな印を付けるつもりです。]<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUsPgX8AP1ZF2SMxKqCyb40NBZxIcosT0qtfNws6dY7agq9ZB8ZUXNZkHAMfSFregRmtjPzuB720d8YfSb-hQ4NEL-XJb-SqrJI8jXprzIlr6yFY5zC0Mt3C00xdwbbd8AbIG1XRlRy6k/s1600/284351_279657385477572_637044646_n.jpg"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUsPgX8AP1ZF2SMxKqCyb40NBZxIcosT0qtfNws6dY7agq9ZB8ZUXNZkHAMfSFregRmtjPzuB720d8YfSb-hQ4NEL-XJb-SqrJI8jXprzIlr6yFY5zC0Mt3C00xdwbbd8AbIG1XRlRy6k/s640/284351_279657385477572_637044646_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />私達は最高の夕食をいただくことが出来た。オーナーのサルバトーレさんに挨拶をしカスペーリアに戻る。美味しい食事をありがとうございました。<br /><br />夜のVignaとその前の広場では多くの人が夜風を楽しみ、楽しげな雰囲気で会話をしていた。ここで一日の締めくくりにグラッパを飲んだ。日本には町に広場をもうける伝統がないので、この様な雰囲気は新鮮でとても居心地が良かった。自分の住んでいるところにも、少し足を止め休憩したり、知人と出会い話せる場所があれば、どんなに楽しいことだろう。ついに明日はファルファ修道院へ行く日である。バスに乗っての遠出だ。明日の予定を相談しながら、帰路についた。<br /><br />(二日目完)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(1)ポッジョミレット<br /><br />頭をしっかり前に向け、手すりをぎゅっと掴む。視線は次々に訪れるカーブを追う。道は蛇の様にぐにゃぐにゃと曲がり、車内はさながら軽いジェットコースターの様だった。</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">しかしサイドミラーに写る女性運転手さんの表情は真剣かつ自信にあふれ。私達は安心してバスの揺れに身を委ねることが出来た。 </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">三日目の朝、私達はポッジョミレットに向かうバスに乗っていた。</span><span style="font-size: large;">カスペーリアからバスでポッジョミレットに行き、そこでバスを乗り換え、ファルファ修道院へ向かうのである。</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />イタリアでバスに乗るのは初めてのことで、車窓から見えるサビーナ地方も美しく、快適とは言えないものの、車中はとても楽しかった。ジェームズさんがファルファ修道院の歴史を教えてくれ、貴重な勉強になった。カール大帝もファルファ修道院を訪れたことがあり、玉座が置かれた場所が残っているという。運転手さんの確かなハンドルさばきで、ポッジョミレットには三十分ほどで到着した。</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGjKAqFLcrL6LFne71zxJkNHb_D_ecf-n9hEom-JA-PNQaSeKKYS9VcouQ0zSN63rIJIQghmLkMh3UiiVCOqy5HyZWfjfpzk1UXRNjB9lxRBtLuZBXH7kq4ROOCMzHUXuaDtQWaoVKBvR/s1600/3-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGjKAqFLcrL6LFne71zxJkNHb_D_ecf-n9hEom-JA-PNQaSeKKYS9VcouQ0zSN63rIJIQghmLkMh3UiiVCOqy5HyZWfjfpzk1UXRNjB9lxRBtLuZBXH7kq4ROOCMzHUXuaDtQWaoVKBvR/s400/3-1.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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ポッジョミレットはこの辺りでは一番大きな町で毎週市場が開かれているそうだ。ファルファ修道院へのバスにはまだ時間があるので、町を散策し昼食をいただくことにした。ジェームズさんの案内で散策をスタートした。この町は道も広く車も目立つ、お店も多いし、とても賑やかだ。</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOHRvkYMCNZXI2eTtmvZMuDd2ObAiU_g4hjAMBv1Ypa4LQb0DVgpdd5d420qzg6uA0hnPJS889qjw-aOFNZHuHwH9zd6C55vXKQfcDDHNq4qdTTRWjOuRc-NlTxVLQINzZYtI_poc28B7/s1600/3-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOHRvkYMCNZXI2eTtmvZMuDd2ObAiU_g4hjAMBv1Ypa4LQb0DVgpdd5d420qzg6uA0hnPJS889qjw-aOFNZHuHwH9zd6C55vXKQfcDDHNq4qdTTRWjOuRc-NlTxVLQINzZYtI_poc28B7/s400/3-2.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<br />蛇行続きの隘路を走ってきて到着した町のようには思われない。侵略者から身を守る為に、この様な所に町を建設したのだという。<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7oDrnazgxYHCG5Qdw_Es7qmAmX3ujI54huBojWWsS-yvkdfFMwH_RIxxxQ1S7vnX-yRUv-npG3Flc7QYMCRk0gxffuH7Jg7M_SJUWTpeXfcppFWxV0hDVKHyq5C8gC6jKzZr9nWXwaKA/s1600/3-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7oDrnazgxYHCG5Qdw_Es7qmAmX3ujI54huBojWWsS-yvkdfFMwH_RIxxxQ1S7vnX-yRUv-npG3Flc7QYMCRk0gxffuH7Jg7M_SJUWTpeXfcppFWxV0hDVKHyq5C8gC6jKzZr9nWXwaKA/s400/3-3.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<br /> 昔は、水を得たり、生活必需品を運び入れるのも大変だったのではないだろうか。今では多くのねこ達が町の各所でお昼寝をしており、平和そのものだ。何軒かのお店に入り、オリーブオイルとお塩、サビーナ地方の地図と歴史の本を購入した。オリーブオイルはお土産として非常に喜ばれた。八百屋さんの店先を覗くと、見たことも無いほどに色の濃い野菜が、所狭しと並んでいた。色や形、大きさがとても野性的で食べたらさぞかし美味しいだろうと思う。イタリアの太陽に映える強烈な色彩だった。ここでは食事と幸せは同義に違いないという思いが日々確かになる。<br /><br />ポッジョミレットではのんびりしたイタリアの人々の日常の空気、時間の流れを感じることが出来たと思う。健全で堅実、爽やかな街という印象を持った。ジェームズさん行きつけのピザ屋さんで昼食を摂ることにした。ファルファ修道院への腹ごしらえである。お店に入ると、ショーケースの中に様々な種類のピザやお惣菜が並び、どれも魅力的だった。<br /><br />私は丁度焼き上がったモッツァレラと生ハム、トマト等が載っているものにした。<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKzTppQ18BnSpG-mDodUs1YPz9kfnB3UubxzEjG6rqsP4oGOPsv0dulT7RZOP_Uh-nBXRG2xZ_wHq2Go1z7rk_kL1OFY6nZA6RsKFi3BlJlpUovOwjpV5EQnpS31qamUwy9lk9PrnH8UH/s1600/3-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKzTppQ18BnSpG-mDodUs1YPz9kfnB3UubxzEjG6rqsP4oGOPsv0dulT7RZOP_Uh-nBXRG2xZ_wHq2Go1z7rk_kL1OFY6nZA6RsKFi3BlJlpUovOwjpV5EQnpS31qamUwy9lk9PrnH8UH/s400/3-4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">パン自身に深みのある味わいがあり、揚げ物もぱくぱくと平らげた。とても美味しかった。</span><span style="font-size: large;">ジェームズさんの御蔭で滞在中は美味しいものを沢山食べることが出来た。</span><span style="font-size: large;">腹ごしらえも済み、バス停までジェイムズさんに案内していただいた。ジェイムズさんとはこのバス停でしばしのお別れだ。</span><span style="font-size: large;">ファルファ修道院に向かうバスが来た。</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Q2s6HZWkXuZinQVcmwdgDsnz9_Qsy7T11gU0_UKKP61CtCicmNtR1Zc0RWYqbmY0hx4JoiBUDfIW-akOFig8ghMWwYQqPcM-ErmCRz3TOyDvtOVSuVb4lxCFidr1GNODWjxl7iCIAVg/s1600/farfa+abbey.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Q2s6HZWkXuZinQVcmwdgDsnz9_Qsy7T11gU0_UKKP61CtCicmNtR1Zc0RWYqbmY0hx4JoiBUDfIW-akOFig8ghMWwYQqPcM-ErmCRz3TOyDvtOVSuVb4lxCFidr1GNODWjxl7iCIAVg/s400/farfa+abbey.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<br />(2)ファルファ修道院<br /><br />到着すると、修道院も周囲のお店も扉を固く閉ざしていた。丁度お昼休みの時間だったのである。人も全く出歩いておらず、建物の中でじっと静かに休息をしているようだ。日光と日陰のコントラストが強烈で、じりじりと日差しが周囲を焼く音が聞こえる様だった。</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5mcvuU3CPfeF3WIgzuLmZ1BI3BBpUABXFlAu_fm-1uGU1TIwizEINGJJQlKj63u57Llxj25sodh4N03U7Z5jx3ID4anJ3wjosGbDpHrojxUsenUVngcxv6h1Jhcd1ns3pnbReuku1k5q/s1600/3-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5mcvuU3CPfeF3WIgzuLmZ1BI3BBpUABXFlAu_fm-1uGU1TIwizEINGJJQlKj63u57Llxj25sodh4N03U7Z5jx3ID4anJ3wjosGbDpHrojxUsenUVngcxv6h1Jhcd1ns3pnbReuku1k5q/s400/3-6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<br />通りの向こうから犬が一匹一心不乱に走ってきたが、私達のことなどまるで見えていないかの様にどこかへ走り去ってしまった。太陽も真上で動かず、時間が止まってしまった様な、ジョルジョ・デ・キリコの絵に似た不思議な感覚をもった。<br /><br />シエスタの時間を初めて体験したが、この様な強烈な太陽の下では、休息するという選択肢を採らざるをえないのだろうなという印象をもった。<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALeF0Gjm2Nfrm-8GlhqEFDAEoAzIND780Ac67u12ATcP7dsjS7v2Rgs5UJehnIuRY0Wxa0blMNHysSEo-ltYiKiDwY1Ary75hsEvnQlXxlBn7F45qehEf1Ryg2eynFO3lDIBvrtb0T5FR/s1600/3-5.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALeF0Gjm2Nfrm-8GlhqEFDAEoAzIND780Ac67u12ATcP7dsjS7v2Rgs5UJehnIuRY0Wxa0blMNHysSEo-ltYiKiDwY1Ary75hsEvnQlXxlBn7F45qehEf1Ryg2eynFO3lDIBvrtb0T5FR/s640/3-5.jpeg" /></a><br /><br />この日差しの下で活動するのは、肉体にとってかなり過酷なことだと思う。開館時間まで貴重な時間を過ごすことが出来た。<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko-126t2caVBm1BoGLexQ1c7es61sws65nt6pG9Mz4FEPt1Nrhka55lVdp8cY9KcxX4thCrf-AGowLjEphikoWoTmL-NCoZ4kSmahgPAadhARnu4__oASC8nIQFZ5ZS0-Paw4_2zKdVmc/s1600/Abbazia_di_Farfa_-_interno_%25282%2529_-_gennaio_2010.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko-126t2caVBm1BoGLexQ1c7es61sws65nt6pG9Mz4FEPt1Nrhka55lVdp8cY9KcxX4thCrf-AGowLjEphikoWoTmL-NCoZ4kSmahgPAadhARnu4__oASC8nIQFZ5ZS0-Paw4_2zKdVmc/s640/Abbazia_di_Farfa_-_interno_%25282%2529_-_gennaio_2010.jpg" /></a><br /><br />ファルファ修道院に入れる時間が来た。ガイドの方と一緒に修道院を見学する。ガイドはイタリア語で進んだ。特に印象に残ったのは写本だった。修道士さんたちが一生懸命写した本は、挿絵や文字の一つ一つがとても美しかった。教会に行くと聞いていた通りにカール大帝が座った場所があった。また大きな油絵も見応えがあった。<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-_bJSpxPFgxgDscX_9ZRzQkm7IgDQWxAlteYAc450o093hUcx_UwZvr9iImzQV76g33fq69yb8aH2x5grphDfiRx9SxunvkOkpqg8g150imZs2xoArAqn8bK6PrvXmUTowWWOSViXs0g/s1600/basilica_navata.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-_bJSpxPFgxgDscX_9ZRzQkm7IgDQWxAlteYAc450o093hUcx_UwZvr9iImzQV76g33fq69yb8aH2x5grphDfiRx9SxunvkOkpqg8g150imZs2xoArAqn8bK6PrvXmUTowWWOSViXs0g/s640/basilica_navata.jpg" /></a><br /><br />もっとじっくり見学をしたかったのだが、帰りのバスが迫ってきていた。ガイドの方や修道院の方にお礼を言い、足早に停留所に向かった。バスを待ちながら、ぼーっとファルファの風景を眺める。すると「夏草や兵どもが夢の後」という芭蕉の句が思い出された。</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">空が少し暗くなり、ぽつりぽつりと小粒の雨が降ってきた。バスに乗ると雨は雹に変わり、フロントガラスを激しく叩いた。<br /><br />帰りは行きとは違う道でカスペーリアを目指す。電車の乗り継ぎもうまくいき、無事カスペーリアに戻ることが出来た。</span><span style="font-size: large;">ファルファ修道院には是非また行こうと思う。</span></div>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-69443168691057631242016-07-24T13:02:00.001-07:002017-10-26T14:13:24.457-07:00SABINA'S TALENTED YOUNG FILM MAKERS FLAUNT POGGIO CATINO'S DARK SIDE in "LA DAMA" and "LA BELVA"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpUHfz2yUXoMcmt-rHt7Fxj3TcNqbuXPevO4mWb4g4sal664InoW79-XoOAsiSoVunkKN8Bsu-bXyQUaYxWSfaH7NXlGHQdD1NkQBm53nZbP6bpubPyaIM9y3XzCklgCl4fuW2I99vzzp/s1600/13235696_10207699504343767_6386680839243283110_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpUHfz2yUXoMcmt-rHt7Fxj3TcNqbuXPevO4mWb4g4sal664InoW79-XoOAsiSoVunkKN8Bsu-bXyQUaYxWSfaH7NXlGHQdD1NkQBm53nZbP6bpubPyaIM9y3XzCklgCl4fuW2I99vzzp/s1600/13235696_10207699504343767_6386680839243283110_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Catino and its Lombard tower - Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With its two castle ruins and an impressive Langobard-era watch tower that dominates this section of the Tiber Valley, there is probably not a more evocative hill town in the Bassa Sabina than Poggio Catino. Our love affair with this jewel of a town began in March of 2012 with our first visit there. We had the great fortune to be taken on a walking tour of the town with renowned photographer Giorgio Clementi. If you are interested to read my original post concerning our visit with Giorgio, here is the <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-7-march-26.html">link</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since our original escorted history walk with Giorgio we have had the pleasure of visiting Poggio Catino many times, and no matter how often I visit, my original fascination with and appreciation for the town has never diminished... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But is not just the town's look that is enchanting... I have to say it is the town's "view" and the delicious things that you can eat and drink while you enjoy Poggio Catino's view of the Tiber Valley that make this town so special. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxsVttVkqpYwirvtLY9xLaF9Lgg9O3FzsCs1EQITGyeCzj1Wqi6x59bS1VTVzIPmy3A3-hUNQlaG0ZCb9EIctfNKtdFqmXVoeobHj5NlzYeUpR6YjFmHeXpslA1cMLkc3vqXnuDSaKF-3/s1600/Bar+C%25E2%2580%2599%25C3%25A8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxsVttVkqpYwirvtLY9xLaF9Lgg9O3FzsCs1EQITGyeCzj1Wqi6x59bS1VTVzIPmy3A3-hUNQlaG0ZCb9EIctfNKtdFqmXVoeobHj5NlzYeUpR6YjFmHeXpslA1cMLkc3vqXnuDSaKF-3/s400/Bar+C%25E2%2580%2599%25C3%25A8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bar C’è, besides serving some of the best food in the region</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">—</span><span style="font-size: large;">I had the best fish I have ever eaten in my life outside of Japan here</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">—</span><span style="font-size: large;">and very generous drinks, has perhaps the best panoramic view of the Tiber valley of any restaurant in the Bassa Sabina. When there is no Orata (gilt-head sea bream) or Tuna on the menu I always opt for their pasta all'Amatriciana, a traditional Sabine recipe. Bar C’è's pizza is also amazing... I would have to say that some of my happiest moments here in Italy have been made while I have been eating and drinking with friends here. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Catino\s Castle and pentagonal Lombard watchtower - Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, Poggio Catino and sleepy smaller Catino<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 27.6px;">—</span>the older original section of town perched on vertiginous edge of a limestone karst formation cliff<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 27.6px;">—</span>seem idyllic to the eye of the casual visitor. However, there is a bloody dark history that courses like a forgotten, ancient, underground river through the stones beneath the breathtaking views and tasty offerings of the bar.</span></div>
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Aperitivo time at <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Bar C’è</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Catino</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not 100 paces from my favourite place to drink an Aperol Spritz is the main gate of Catino. Just inside the gate is a large door that leads to a room in which a grizzly assassination took place. The bloody remains of Pierluigi di Sant'Eustachio, the hated Duke of Poggio Catino, who was hacked to pieces by his unhappy subjects in that room, were displayed for weeks in a metal cage just outside the gate in a spot on the wall in plain view from where now stands the client-filled bar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But even more famous than this grizzly historical event is the mystery of La Dama Bianca</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 27.6px;">—</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 27.6px;">the White Lady... a female skeleton discovered in 1933, chained to a wall and sealed up in a stone chamber in Poggio Catino's Palazzo Olgiati.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI4cRtKnySsFYoPgDfuLZS-MJMr_g9g5CSos8KNd7VOBHwMX-vT0DCrs7uRnvoKC6cpApsstb4cLOUB3sT69b8aE7jnEVj58BE2UGHRw9u0Uwv6xbmXrez7XNay8Gevpk7lKI4-yXMOhm/s1600/dama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI4cRtKnySsFYoPgDfuLZS-MJMr_g9g5CSos8KNd7VOBHwMX-vT0DCrs7uRnvoKC6cpApsstb4cLOUB3sT69b8aE7jnEVj58BE2UGHRw9u0Uwv6xbmXrez7XNay8Gevpk7lKI4-yXMOhm/s320/dama.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">La Dama Bianca is a true enigma. No historical records concerning this event have been found. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Various theories as to who this unfortunate person was exist, but no one knows for sure... Was she a Colonna prirtransoner or hostage held and then cruelly killed by their enemies the Orsini who ruled Poggio Catino between 1484 and 1525? Or was she an inconvenient wife or mistress of some ruthless castelan? Whoever she was, La Dama Bianca's skeletal remains, her iron chains, the terracotta oil lamp and water jug that were walled in with her and even a section of the castle walls that surrounded her were carefully removed and transferred to the <a href="http://www.museocriminologico.it/">Museum of Criminology </a>in Rome. She is the first display to welcome you after you have paid your 2 euro entrance fee.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scriptwriter Manuelle Grilli, Director Manuel Montanari, and actor Geronimo Brengola</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 2014, a young filmmaker and director from Poggio Catino named Manuel Montenari, with the support of the Comune of Poggio Catino and the collaboration of the local youth committee, </span><span style="font-size: large;">created a short historical drama, </span><span style="font-size: large;">a fictional account of the mystery, </span><span style="font-size: large;">called </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V___FOxUvq4" style="font-size: x-large;">La Dama</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The script for the film was written by Manuele Grilli. Our friend, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Giorgio Clementi, worked as Director of Photography, while the editing was handled by the film's Executive Producer, Fabrizio Fazio. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Director Manuel Montanari and Directory of Photography, Giorgio Clementi hard at work - Photo courtesy of Manuele Grilli </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This film offers one of the explanations of the <i>who</i>, <i>when</i> and <i>why</i> of the Dama Bianca. The story takes place during a time when the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonna_family">Colonna</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsini_family">Orsini</a>, two bitter rivals among the leading noble houses of renaissance Italy, were involved in a prolonged bloody feud. A beautiful young Colonna noblewoman held </span><span style="font-size: large;">captive</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">by the Orsini ruler of Poggio Catino falls prey to the jealousy of the ambitious mistress of the Castelan when the Castelan falls in love with the victim. The short was filmed in several locations in and around Poggio Catino and Catino using local amateur actors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The film was launched in Poggio Catino on August 15, 2014. The success of this first film sparked interest in making another historical short film based on an even bloodier, and this time well-documented, dark episode in the history of Poggio Catino: the story of the rise and fall of La Belva</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">—</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Beast, in English</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">—</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">the tyrannical Pierluigi di Sant'Eustachio, or</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">—</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">as he demanded to be known</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">—</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">Aeloisius Secundus Dux Catini. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mock up of the promotional poster for La Belva - Courtesy of Manuele Grilli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you can guess by the title, Pierluigi di Sant'Eustachio was in no way a sympathetic character. It is said that he came to rule the castles and lands of Poggio Catino, Catino and Tancia through the murder of his father, followed by the murder of one brother and the imprisonment of another. Once he had established his absolute rule over his territory, he exercised his power to the extreme, confiscating the lands and goods of his richer vassals at whim, and forcefully kidnapping and having his way with any woman or girl in his territory that he took a fancy to. There was no resisting him. Those that tried to stand up to him were beaten up, imprisoned, or often outright killed. Things got so bad that eventually a large part of the population of his lands fled across his borders to Poggio Mirteto and other neighbouring towns to save themselves.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOVLrn2BIcHQd2HJ7W7skICAzSCvyNNWG2nfbk2Imv1k0Csx9mdtod2oos00EIyBDA4fszVa6zQ1-ww2dwTM9QLS6uo-ILw3ije-_zDMxHC6QKbtbcEf6IALmZ98GEr0JOs1fp_DZ7Ve5/s1600/13227046_10208143209049546_7901721637034675420_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOVLrn2BIcHQd2HJ7W7skICAzSCvyNNWG2nfbk2Imv1k0Csx9mdtod2oos00EIyBDA4fszVa6zQ1-ww2dwTM9QLS6uo-ILw3ije-_zDMxHC6QKbtbcEf6IALmZ98GEr0JOs1fp_DZ7Ve5/s640/13227046_10208143209049546_7901721637034675420_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scene from La Belva filmed at Sant'Agostino Church - Courtesy Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I first found out about this second film project by chance in October 2014. A friend of mine and I were taking a walk around Poggio Catino trying to build up an appetite for a lovely pasta lunch at Bar C'</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 27.6px;">è</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. We were exploring an area of Poggio Catino's old castle, looking for the spot where La Dama Bianca had been discovered, when we bumped into Manuele Grilli, just outside the Comune office. This was a happy coincidence for a number of reasons as we discovered, through talking about La Dama, that not only did we have a number of friends and acquaintances in common, including Giorgio Clementi and Manuel Montanari, but that Manuele had been another key collaborator in the La Dama project, as he had written the screenplay.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemP9ewd2EFiBHS4XSZS-25pTcr56yaFIKaLjwYeojBMztflhsK8f-hyJ1Cf6gXTXiilQr0HBuiEmCsOoCZq7KKS2KzLjkhUk5kUZDepB7ipox5UpoalwvO5YrJt0KmDMFUlN3CD0dMT23/s1600/Manuele+Oct+15%252C+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemP9ewd2EFiBHS4XSZS-25pTcr56yaFIKaLjwYeojBMztflhsK8f-hyJ1Cf6gXTXiilQr0HBuiEmCsOoCZq7KKS2KzLjkhUk5kUZDepB7ipox5UpoalwvO5YrJt0KmDMFUlN3CD0dMT23/s640/Manuele+Oct+15%252C+2014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manuele Grilli, showing us the section of the Castle wall where the Dama Bianca was found in 1933</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Manuele very kindly took my friend and I on a tour through the Comune offices, which in fact is what is left of the noble residence inside the old castle. Among the sumptuously frescoed and decorated rooms there were many that had been used as a film set for La Dama, some that were even still being used to store a number of the props from the filming.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV0LmKkUXL0exPOO8MMNv5T14-Fk3bcRgMUXfCHXA07UCAB0uytpe0yAf7CYyf6Gxqj5bVKDGwv7PeczPjrHjxpsP4tOmrfA52knhDAZljWZ8LZLZ6y1y3w67oDm8SfynqXIQbo379gl5/s1600/props.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV0LmKkUXL0exPOO8MMNv5T14-Fk3bcRgMUXfCHXA07UCAB0uytpe0yAf7CYyf6Gxqj5bVKDGwv7PeczPjrHjxpsP4tOmrfA52knhDAZljWZ8LZLZ6y1y3w67oDm8SfynqXIQbo379gl5/s400/props.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramic props for La Dama</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manuele and I exchanged contact information and "friended" each other on Facebook</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">. In subsequent messages he told me about the upcoming second film project. I told him that I would be interested in writing something about the film for my blog... Then Manuele asked me if I might be interested in a small part of the cast.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course I was intrigued with the idea. It was a lovely gesture on Manuele's part, but I didn't really think too much about it until May of this year when<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px;">—</span>out of the blue<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px;">—</span>I received a message from Manuele asking if I was still interested in being involved. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1vgTqCRoT_WTYsNUMgH-KhS5yqtJ2a4Wo_dxRy-hZj9GkVZX7hPdOUBM3SjvuYFMo9QpuoXQ-1N4KAAKwUwSYKnOMF1QTR1AAVE9Nh8IgDEpxxalWKt_IWVsIoSxkZkJtPVYzVB3XKWp/s1600/Il+Messagero+4+Maggio+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1vgTqCRoT_WTYsNUMgH-KhS5yqtJ2a4Wo_dxRy-hZj9GkVZX7hPdOUBM3SjvuYFMo9QpuoXQ-1N4KAAKwUwSYKnOMF1QTR1AAVE9Nh8IgDEpxxalWKt_IWVsIoSxkZkJtPVYzVB3XKWp/s640/Il+Messagero+4+Maggio+2016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article in Il Messagero newspaper about the filming of La Belva 4 may 2016</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well how could I pass up an opportunity like this? Long story short, what I thought would be an "extra" part, turned out to be a speaking part... Due to a scheduling conflict, the original person who had agreed to play my role had to duck out... Instead of a native Italian speaker, a Canadian with a very questionable Italian accent, took the role of a father whose young daughter was taken away forcibly by La Belva's evil henchmen, because, "<i>I</i></span></span><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">l Conte ha bisogno di donne </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>questa sera</i>!</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">It felt a little strange parachuting into the cast towards the latter part of the filming, but everyone was very welcoming... It turns out that many in the cast were friends of friends, so I was not a totally unknown commodity. Everyone was friendly.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I participated in an afternoon of rehearsals in which I met the people who I would be doing my scenes with: Daniela Schiavona, who played the role of my lovely wife, </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFVxEBaFOEoH1Xyf4-IBRxBI5SwmNmE_NVVSLC7nkxxT52c11SPP1jcQhaccUz8RfJ5pw8TefE72DyK611h-zKX4DRbQahzm1atAQL2CZneBOJfa4JAFgZNhkA3qwhiivyldHlGKwx6yU/s1600/13221700_10153690006474503_2763147294614078445_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFVxEBaFOEoH1Xyf4-IBRxBI5SwmNmE_NVVSLC7nkxxT52c11SPP1jcQhaccUz8RfJ5pw8TefE72DyK611h-zKX4DRbQahzm1atAQL2CZneBOJfa4JAFgZNhkA3qwhiivyldHlGKwx6yU/s640/13221700_10153690006474503_2763147294614078445_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamming it up in a selfie with my lovely "wife" Daniela</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sofia Placidi, who played the role of my beautiful, and therefore ultimately unfortunate daughter,</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5i7LzfsbZ9yBVyCdVzRnpKLvTYt9iMdphYP3-xMplc3gB1yeWVQXM8gr8-xNma61EKtirFW-6wwqs89AjduXq8ihvWduD4uC_1yUomb8JlrDRbdiOefvQXMZN1wYZQLpjcXePesj-nxB/s1600/Me+and+Sofia+Placidi+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5i7LzfsbZ9yBVyCdVzRnpKLvTYt9iMdphYP3-xMplc3gB1yeWVQXM8gr8-xNma61EKtirFW-6wwqs89AjduXq8ihvWduD4uC_1yUomb8JlrDRbdiOefvQXMZN1wYZQLpjcXePesj-nxB/s640/Me+and+Sofia+Placidi+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my "daughter" Sofia on set on the last day of filming at the church of Sant'Agostino - Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">and Michele Manili, who played La Belva's most evil evil<u> </u>henchman. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYIHIKh4iu6xa5GFonM0HGEYCG1ita2ESwSFW21ZH9fplE9MBL-gacqOfqRva-qtJPMmYmbLB2ytXRhpovtvmN8MyIMvoAoiqtpjoM8FOn1c1RSv5kqim7dLVg7VqcvstXwasu-iNFKf0/s1600/evil+henchmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYIHIKh4iu6xa5GFonM0HGEYCG1ita2ESwSFW21ZH9fplE9MBL-gacqOfqRva-qtJPMmYmbLB2ytXRhpovtvmN8MyIMvoAoiqtpjoM8FOn1c1RSv5kqim7dLVg7VqcvstXwasu-iNFKf0/s640/evil+henchmen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michele Manili, a.k.a. Guardia X, at right - Photo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It sure was an eye opener being on set. Putting together a production like this takes an awful lot of work, patience, and especially time. There is a lot of waiting around...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the time I got involved in the filming, most of the scenes had already been shot in the previous weeks. The three scenes that I was involved with were filmed just outside the castle walls in Poggio Catino, and down in the countryside below the hill town beside the venerable Chiesa di Sant'Agostino. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The speaking scene that I did was filmed, along with a number of others, at night in the dark, in and around the Poggio Catino's castle walls. We all met in the comune office where we each changed into our costumes and then went for make up. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0B1ylXJrQH3RCnSCiKgy1wh8pkeoZB-L18owXPJDmHYvCHp6OyFvo7ljNzVXD61v6lvGp-lRqutB-bPSrTKfy1m6IoetfTZJm9-5FqhZ_mb3HOplvjyxFODfDeSpTa0C1q5C-Jdd4osW/s1600/Romina+Rosati+-+makeup+artist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0B1ylXJrQH3RCnSCiKgy1wh8pkeoZB-L18owXPJDmHYvCHp6OyFvo7ljNzVXD61v6lvGp-lRqutB-bPSrTKfy1m6IoetfTZJm9-5FqhZ_mb3HOplvjyxFODfDeSpTa0C1q5C-Jdd4osW/s640/Romina+Rosati+-+makeup+artist.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The talent, busy, and very patient Romina Rosati, our mapeup artist at work</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can't remember when we actually got started filming that evening, but we finished somewhere between three thirty and four in the morning. My scene was filmed nearer the end. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF4IUUEeV544qhvsou3e3BFIFb9iCsU97i2xeldhRVhrmJLXFrGmXq21vkahkQ5CVdc1XqMr0CLVKk4qvSMr4HW5RjkJYQuhc3WRSXDyBQN5xDdEWkgu7_iblBhpDLraVEojl6HVD0J_r/s1600/13838396_10208643908166711_1835792255_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF4IUUEeV544qhvsou3e3BFIFb9iCsU97i2xeldhRVhrmJLXFrGmXq21vkahkQ5CVdc1XqMr0CLVKk4qvSMr4HW5RjkJYQuhc3WRSXDyBQN5xDdEWkgu7_iblBhpDLraVEojl6HVD0J_r/s640/13838396_10208643908166711_1835792255_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A to H, my speaking scene, i<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">n which my daughter is kidnapped at knife-point</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> - Courtesy of Manuele Grilli</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In it two of La Belva's evil henchmen come to our house to take our daughter for a night with the Duke. My three short lines in Italian were:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>"Vi prego! Dove la portate? Lasciatela stare!" </b></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which translates:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>"I beg you. Where are you taking her? Leave her be!"</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To this, Michele, the evil Guardia X draws a knife, pushes me to the ground, and hisses his response: </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>"Il Conte ha bisogno di donne
questa sera, e ringrazia il cielo
che non ti uccida." </b></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Which translates:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>"The Count needs women tonight, and thank heaven that he does not kill you."</b></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dkdiQA-ZHpm28sdS0VHqv41V5ynnSkD9_P5qrUmmn9bcsQ4c3JqNFOnXF8dFOUaQx24theg-ioe5hjXIKufc30K-alK7IMlR3hEVL53qzedt30ltsa_XmsEuNpd8veTI9H46P2ZTFqqg/s1600/13529176_10208437266960810_9020479285012230637_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dkdiQA-ZHpm28sdS0VHqv41V5ynnSkD9_P5qrUmmn9bcsQ4c3JqNFOnXF8dFOUaQx24theg-ioe5hjXIKufc30K-alK7IMlR3hEVL53qzedt30ltsa_XmsEuNpd8veTI9H46P2ZTFqqg/s640/13529176_10208437266960810_9020479285012230637_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"...E ringrazia il cielo che non ti uccida!"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know how many takes it took. Of course I screwed up my lines a number of times, and there was once or twice where Michele couldn't help laughing... Maybe it was my Canadian accent. Anyway, it was an experience.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I second scene I was involved in was when our daughter returns bruised, disheveled and in a terrible daze the morning after being raped by the duke. The camera was on a rolling track following Sofia as she stumbled barefoot toward Daniela and I. Sofia is so badly traumatised that she does not seem to recognise us. I take hold of her shoulders, look into her eyes and gently shake her while Daniela throws a shawl over Sofia's shoulders.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMkx2cVn-BmzTfmIKFSLf84u2m2L3sUXz7AE_QKoPfYyktmxeTto4N-T5YLpiPdjJerew1s8ZG9O50ZspuQeI-SJLoEbGrYh83RG1cHJPGhd9gR0FuiSXJneVH46PntKalAy5x5kQJvFX/s1600/13438926_10208438212064437_1964150034236402011_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMkx2cVn-BmzTfmIKFSLf84u2m2L3sUXz7AE_QKoPfYyktmxeTto4N-T5YLpiPdjJerew1s8ZG9O50ZspuQeI-SJLoEbGrYh83RG1cHJPGhd9gR0FuiSXJneVH46PntKalAy5x5kQJvFX/s640/13438926_10208438212064437_1964150034236402011_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was very interesting to see this scene through the camera after it was filmed. It is one thing to be an actor in the scene and see all the rest of the crew, the camera and camera man, the director, other actors in the background when you act the scene, and then when you see it as it was filmed, the framing, of course changes everything.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRv9xEzkhrKsbTjtI0rBAToNZxx-2CgTXV6WREhwm2L1L6F_R-j68sI8DJN4whREMFT3-m_nvTyXtfxyYnZeXkf0icmTl_WWoYu609mMa9u-I2-CxVsX8JG1qs6JtmHVuWDZtTOScU8iXq/s1600/13243991_10208143191889117_8093918913047088638_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRv9xEzkhrKsbTjtI0rBAToNZxx-2CgTXV6WREhwm2L1L6F_R-j68sI8DJN4whREMFT3-m_nvTyXtfxyYnZeXkf0icmTl_WWoYu609mMa9u-I2-CxVsX8JG1qs6JtmHVuWDZtTOScU8iXq/s400/13243991_10208143191889117_8093918913047088638_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The director consults his notes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The last day of filming took place beside the grey stone walls of a country church called Sant'Agostino. A number of scenes were filmed there. The one I was involved in showed my family joining a number of other people leaving Poggio Catino for safety in Poggio Mirteto. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another scene involved a group of what was left of the leading citizens of Poggio Catino discussing what to do about the terrible situation. Two of them Ludovico and Manfredo agree to make one last ditch effort to reason with the Duke. Each of these men in turn is murdered... </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnapr_ppExsu66j2mvlpVbNpncpyOrydcdZvh63qEP1TnEnXa3ff2kJllFN5kx4vJA4EdAu8rmihurzQ-k4p_fIfK1fhHBkbNq1JOxMG7z1AgOvMZyhi-MUwqRrpcZKBkjtn9ZvjzUZhyphenhyphen/s1600/Matteo+drowning+in+his+wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnapr_ppExsu66j2mvlpVbNpncpyOrydcdZvh63qEP1TnEnXa3ff2kJllFN5kx4vJA4EdAu8rmihurzQ-k4p_fIfK1fhHBkbNq1JOxMG7z1AgOvMZyhi-MUwqRrpcZKBkjtn9ZvjzUZhyphenhyphen/s640/Matteo+drowning+in+his+wine.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Ludovico's drowning courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Ludovico is drowned in a butt of his own wine, and Manfredo is chocked to death while being force fed by one of La Belva's guards. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Another key scene filmed that day involved the invitation of three of the remaining townspeople to dinner with the Duke. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTuXj9A_OS3_10ZXRxg_MwxFBFuNNcchr0eUfi6BFKNLHAuopK88C8QgNr9w_hB0Do_o2a9RIqzN9h-J6d2yOAM7Af9pfQjIXSXeLFKahM4FFkqhWNxWAWKngB5gQ05u9ysP85icfZ9SV/s1600/The+invitation+to+a+poisoned+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTuXj9A_OS3_10ZXRxg_MwxFBFuNNcchr0eUfi6BFKNLHAuopK88C8QgNr9w_hB0Do_o2a9RIqzN9h-J6d2yOAM7Af9pfQjIXSXeLFKahM4FFkqhWNxWAWKngB5gQ05u9ysP85icfZ9SV/s640/The+invitation+to+a+poisoned+dinner.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giorgio Clementi takes some still shots during the scene when the three townspeople are invited to a poisoned dinner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On the menu for these three special guests were poisoned snails and mushrooms. The Duke had caught wind that there was a plot to assassinate him when the plotters were betrayed by an eavesdropping innkeeper. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkzK4aehZ8bS-UyHaRTKwxkxq2S0ehep61tm0rrpvbwoIYCsZKWEvYSudQUWSiO4fzSTjTO1wSR9S-2kGdSrPnc9kQ3YurDPZf0O4m1eJWFgF3nAILt8vj2EkPHH_1M3VAY4oQibNPqav/s1600/Non+parlate+al%2527Oste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkzK4aehZ8bS-UyHaRTKwxkxq2S0ehep61tm0rrpvbwoIYCsZKWEvYSudQUWSiO4fzSTjTO1wSR9S-2kGdSrPnc9kQ3YurDPZf0O4m1eJWFgF3nAILt8vj2EkPHH_1M3VAY4oQibNPqav/s640/Non+parlate+al%2527Oste.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plotters' plans are overheard by the evil innkeeper, a friend of the Duke</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are so many plot twists in this story, it is mind-boggling. I won't go any further into the details but suffice it to say, the betrayed plotters are forewarned and survive this attempt on their lives and, </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A toast! Snails anyone? How about those mushrooms, a special treat from my friend, the innkeeper? </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...with their help, La Belva gets what he deserves in the end. I still can't believe that so much of this story, the bloodiest bits anyway, occurred just a hundred paces from my favourite place for an aperitivo... You just don't know, do you?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOYLnjGLzQibTwrWvXx4ioKc8SNxkUwj9LCw7veBiAnL6bUnyPHt74gibtOvKRP8NFyzNaESIa1bFi8sTvdOcxWVDRaXNQI8Qal4hk9h1hsCEX2rd89LxMARgVtE8twY23nwewo4kYtp7/s1600/12715751_10153464432809503_210703385484390904_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOYLnjGLzQibTwrWvXx4ioKc8SNxkUwj9LCw7veBiAnL6bUnyPHt74gibtOvKRP8NFyzNaESIa1bFi8sTvdOcxWVDRaXNQI8Qal4hk9h1hsCEX2rd89LxMARgVtE8twY23nwewo4kYtp7/s640/12715751_10153464432809503_210703385484390904_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If the stones of this castle wall could talk...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All in all, this was a wonderful experience for me. I so appreciate being included in this amazing project. Thank you Manuele Grilli (Director), Giorgio Clementi (Director of Photography), Fabrizio Fazio (Executive Producer and Cameraman), and all the cast and crew. You guys are the greatest! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29TT5BkzWqWQGWSaB9yc3OXdaBm7YLHMLSfhpY1sd1FTlQVs5rFdReNtupfVisuP3DAPfnfUcj22ti4LSZWK7jWD-DAIj753S9fFbbYMaAzlGiCw67V7Spu8g0AXoQHrQFw8ll-hZyUG8/s1600/At+the+wrap+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29TT5BkzWqWQGWSaB9yc3OXdaBm7YLHMLSfhpY1sd1FTlQVs5rFdReNtupfVisuP3DAPfnfUcj22ti4LSZWK7jWD-DAIj753S9fFbbYMaAzlGiCw67V7Spu8g0AXoQHrQFw8ll-hZyUG8/s640/At+the+wrap+party.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the wrap party</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I can't wait to see the launch of this film. It will premiere on August 15th, 2016 in Poggio Catino's main piazza. There will be DVDs with English language subtitles for sale... </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>and</i> a special menu of snails and mushrooms! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scherzo! Just kidding! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The official promotional trailer (</span><span style="font-size: large;">with English subtitles) </span><span style="font-size: large;">for the film is now out! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://vimeo.com/177994924"><span style="color: red;">Click this LI</span><span style="color: white;">NK to see the</span><span style="color: lime;"> TRAILER</span></a>.</b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9Uy6IWGSCinKapG0vEnVXkprccANvKQDRblLV1GVzs0DYjXkJrdQyvZCzTqYZ0ebNiYV5N61LYPDVvPxt58DJMxLOdyX6rwq6IP7AJ5VkxGJh-Esi8gCi0j9NY8j9C0mXRXbwUj8CgOi/s1600/13255912_10153690006389503_7701007268827654857_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9Uy6IWGSCinKapG0vEnVXkprccANvKQDRblLV1GVzs0DYjXkJrdQyvZCzTqYZ0ebNiYV5N61LYPDVvPxt58DJMxLOdyX6rwq6IP7AJ5VkxGJh-Esi8gCi0j9NY8j9C0mXRXbwUj8CgOi/s320/13255912_10153690006389503_7701007268827654857_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am ready for my close up</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And click this link below for</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C--lgktxj9s"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">THE FULL </span><span style="color: white;">VERSION O</span></span><span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;">F THE FILM</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though I appear in the film three times, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">9:05 is where my big moment with three lines in Italian starts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There is also a </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cBruUEU-dU"><span style="color: red;">Backsta</span><span style="color: white;">ge/Bloop</span><span style="color: lime;">er Reel</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Check out 5:30 where I screw up and swear in English </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I hear rumours that there is a third film in the works... I wonder if they need an extra...</span></div>
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<b>Note:</b> I would like to thank Manuele Grilli and the cast and crew, particularly Giorgio Clementi for the use of many of the photos included in this post.<br />
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<br />lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com202040 Poggio Catino RI, Italy42.295742399999988 12.6910222000000242.295742399999988 12.69102220000002 42.295742399999988 12.69102220000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-68647663727381479992016-05-19T15:10:00.003-07:002016-05-19T15:10:28.254-07:00Boared in Orvieto - Posted on Facebook - Painted in Vancouver - Framed in Casperia: THE STORY BEHIND A PORTRAIT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHizaVE1hLY2wzZvEx7OJ7iUBxUkiVjOtjqi1-rOTKyN_9WEhkJmAIgJsnSjmGoHzppSAMryUs5bgoxit4EfXJiyTqTt7e6ZAoI8vx2X__vk8nmxJZ5mCj5lI30QZ87CqcDh7n_sRcPQLJ/s1600/12716220_10153456688884503_5761820520361320762_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHizaVE1hLY2wzZvEx7OJ7iUBxUkiVjOtjqi1-rOTKyN_9WEhkJmAIgJsnSjmGoHzppSAMryUs5bgoxit4EfXJiyTqTt7e6ZAoI8vx2X__vk8nmxJZ5mCj5lI30QZ87CqcDh7n_sRcPQLJ/s640/12716220_10153456688884503_5761820520361320762_o.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a slightly different post than usual as it has to do with a piece of art that I bought during a recent visit to Vancouver. This portrait of my partner and I has its origin in a selfie, one of many we took around midnight during New Year 2016 celebrations in Orvieto... </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsUc5zt-oMdxsEl0_N2NrZsV6zMmwzZHmUW_B7Bnva_4pUBR1RS70165fV4r4MUcA7eRFcrgLHUvtqpFoQ5nmLFJLtq42SlWN04YGebBFTrAcUEc82vlkb8wHzDJ6Kuxxbj7iBChyphenhyphenNAB7/s1600/12473734_10153385836979503_2236902859885892129_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsUc5zt-oMdxsEl0_N2NrZsV6zMmwzZHmUW_B7Bnva_4pUBR1RS70165fV4r4MUcA7eRFcrgLHUvtqpFoQ5nmLFJLtq42SlWN04YGebBFTrAcUEc82vlkb8wHzDJ6Kuxxbj7iBChyphenhyphenNAB7/s640/12473734_10153385836979503_2236902859885892129_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...but it ultimately does have a Casperia connection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My partner and I were in Orvieto for the last couple of days of 2015, staying at a friend's tower house in the town's lovely medieval quarter. We had cooked and eaten at home, a simple but hearty panful of mezze maniche <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amatriciana_sauce">all'Amatriciana</a> downed with a couple of bottles of good Orvieto Classico white wine. We wanted to see how Italians celebrated New Year's Eve so we decided to take a bottle of prosecco and a couple of plastic glasses up to the piazza in front of Orvieto's Duomo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Winter nights in Orvieto can be bone-chillingly damp and cold so we bundled up as best we could and headed out towards the cathedral. Eating, as you can imagine, is a big part of any Italian celebration, and the streets of Orvieto were emptier than we expected, probably because people were still at home, lingering over their Cenone, the traditional "Big Supper" Italians eat at Capodanno... Or maybe everyone was napping after their lentils. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, we got to the piazza in front of Orvieto's spectacular gothic cathedral and waited for the crowds to gather. At first, the only other people in the piazza was a small group of teenagers on the cathedral steps and, across the way, a half a dozen camouflaged soldiers armed with machine guns—a regular siting now in front of all major churches and tourist attractions here in Italy since Daesh has threatened the country. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About 10 minutes to midnight, the piazza began to fill up. It was mostly a young crowd, and we were a little unnerved to find that, though there had been a clear directive banning the use of the traditional fire crackers due to heightened security concerns, not only did a lot of people have fire crackers and fireworks, but some of the more rambunctious were lighting them and tossing them in the direction of the machine gun-toting guards. I have to say that this raised my anxiety level a little. It felt a little like being on an amusement park ride that was more frightening than amusing, and I wanted off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But of course we stayed, and nothing happened. Midnight rolled around and all of Orvieto's bells started tolling. There were firecrackers and fireworks going off everywhere. We opened our bottle of prosecco, two Canadians in an Italian raucous crowd, and toasted the new year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our way back to our friend's house in the medieval quarter we took a couple of selfies. We were happy, tired, <i>un po' ubriaco</i>—a little drunk, giddy, and acting more than a little bit goofy, and that shows in the pictures.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9y4pIuoEPzRjGBQQuCSIasJLynIjEts6rDrlRHGOEgxiBnrWOeAJBwrapMz20akcVVVma6cWJLQs6HF-mCWxj6-Nns22xLDLnIEWJk2rcqUQxo9L9Pz39i_DrU6SAsoJatYThiEh-wPA/s1600/12440321_10153385837279503_3834816016105828928_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9y4pIuoEPzRjGBQQuCSIasJLynIjEts6rDrlRHGOEgxiBnrWOeAJBwrapMz20akcVVVma6cWJLQs6HF-mCWxj6-Nns22xLDLnIEWJk2rcqUQxo9L9Pz39i_DrU6SAsoJatYThiEh-wPA/s400/12440321_10153385837279503_3834816016105828928_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few days later when we were back in Casperia I posted all my Orvieto pictures on Facebook and then I basically forgot about them for a while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Flash forward to February of 2016... I started noticing posts on Facebook by a friend of mine, an ex-co-worker from the Gourmet Warehouse, named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Smith">Jean Smith</a>. I always loved working with Jean. She was a fascinating character... a published author, a singer in a two piece indie rock band that has been around since the 80s called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_Normal">Mecca Normal</a> and, as I found out later, a very accomplished artist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jean began posting a series of portraits of women in various head gear called "The Hat Series", offering what I thought to be rather Modiglianiesque painters for $100US plus shipping. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJm5BbfLSk2V_m9_kCF_IKkQqRdk8C2buFCxngyXzh4467wZH6woH7mq-TSkBWCrSG8ffIdhm5t53UHL5X8yukhpF0C95q-6glH-U8yx3ozG2txWIkoqXNXZz5BxGfp2oIRpmxGT5p8nI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-19+at+11.35.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJm5BbfLSk2V_m9_kCF_IKkQqRdk8C2buFCxngyXzh4467wZH6woH7mq-TSkBWCrSG8ffIdhm5t53UHL5X8yukhpF0C95q-6glH-U8yx3ozG2txWIkoqXNXZz5BxGfp2oIRpmxGT5p8nI/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-19+at+11.35.10.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was totally blown away by the paintings and by Jean's newly revealed talent. I of course "liked" these postings and started adding comments to the ones I particularly liked.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBcsIbGo6zk81fau9HjD-tCrvekGGJ07QagCnBLudmflptJ0FQ3-AaG1p5bOH8xoASoAtop7vBQyRiQpU4lvxPNRsSalLL0kz4pjlbNr3_pO_yTJnIGIOcNJuQu7c-mqaTN0Y8sM7rnL5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-19+at+11.36.12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBcsIbGo6zk81fau9HjD-tCrvekGGJ07QagCnBLudmflptJ0FQ3-AaG1p5bOH8xoASoAtop7vBQyRiQpU4lvxPNRsSalLL0kz4pjlbNr3_pO_yTJnIGIOcNJuQu7c-mqaTN0Y8sM7rnL5/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-19+at+11.36.12.png" width="639" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This turned into a conversation with Jean on Facebook and at one point I asked her if she ever did commissions. It was truly a hypothetical question. Though I knew she was selling these portraits from among the paintings she had on hand for $100US, I knew that a commissioned portrait would and should cost way more. A commissioned portrait was a luxury that I knew we really couldn't afford at the moment, but it was an idea I thought would be fun to entertain sometime in the future. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So the next day I opened Facebook and, lo and behold, I found this image posted on my timeline.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS05J49tIwB19t3SCIyodZLT0n7ERxE04SXr5sDjiW1u1Aps9HNfGYAluBsE6u7OEvgnf-X8QWxs-tbkewR7SVmm4JaQFPJbzwvCbpGv9y7RmqwUzIS4Mo8LJjdUrqvybNxiXedW5m872/s1600/12736561_10153251498981916_2032024642_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS05J49tIwB19t3SCIyodZLT0n7ERxE04SXr5sDjiW1u1Aps9HNfGYAluBsE6u7OEvgnf-X8QWxs-tbkewR7SVmm4JaQFPJbzwvCbpGv9y7RmqwUzIS4Mo8LJjdUrqvybNxiXedW5m872/s640/12736561_10153251498981916_2032024642_o.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was flabbergasted and at the same time chuffed as hell. If I remember correctly, my reaction to Jean's post was a series of OMG! OMG! OMG!s probably followed by a Wow!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I just couldn't believe it. Jean had gone through my timeline and found one of the goofy selfies that I had taken back in Orvieto on New Year's Eve. Richard and I had stopped under a stuffed boar's head on Via del Duomo near where it intersects Corso Cavour, mugged it up and took a selfie. I really doubt that I would have chosen such a photo myself for a commissioned portrait but, after the fact, I couldn't imagine a more perfect image. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejaePUCFv9xR6GOfX53MKbqWoPiNeXwlp9E5gb9lOIzOAI-5-L6VwisnznoPabSAMNb5YZJpcW7eLSOoTz4MLtuPy25uINK6zEAD_f5b0bTExG5ms8ZHw2vVcgSkWWjJaNDEbVrcE5iaQ/s1600/12717729_10153456696794503_4071710227978340200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejaePUCFv9xR6GOfX53MKbqWoPiNeXwlp9E5gb9lOIzOAI-5-L6VwisnznoPabSAMNb5YZJpcW7eLSOoTz4MLtuPy25uINK6zEAD_f5b0bTExG5ms8ZHw2vVcgSkWWjJaNDEbVrcE5iaQ/s640/12717729_10153456696794503_4071710227978340200_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I actually found the Facebook interchange between Jean and I. Here it is:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKR8QxUtsGOuEM8RXh7IJzn19uw30VEx2u9EnEhGeK7EmuSaEEYCwLmXtY3KTqzHAgS0kA0GVT-GxVIsyJS5OEwjZ7ncldEaBe-RhZpu-EEuKNIUWlIwVyv8e6DXnZAKyByyF41iyobv5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-19+at+16.54.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKR8QxUtsGOuEM8RXh7IJzn19uw30VEx2u9EnEhGeK7EmuSaEEYCwLmXtY3KTqzHAgS0kA0GVT-GxVIsyJS5OEwjZ7ncldEaBe-RhZpu-EEuKNIUWlIwVyv8e6DXnZAKyByyF41iyobv5/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-05-19+at+16.54.49.png" width="380" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few weeks later I was back in Vancouver. I return for a month every six months to teach ESL to Japanese students. On weekends I operate my "<a href="http://historywalksinvancouver.blogspot.it/">History Walks in Vancouver</a>", a series of walking tours I escort through a number of Vancouver's historic neighbourhoods, mostly in my old neighbourhood, Strathcona, in Vancouver's old East End, but also in Grandview, the West End and Mount Pleasant. Jean and I had arranged to meet on Commercial Drive after I finished a tour of Grandview. We found a bench on the NW corner of Commercial and Second Avenue and sat down an chatted for a while, catching up. Then finally she reached inside her bag and there was the picture.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s0dGcNusnObqaB3P3EKBaTqXKgnoD8FP8HmhcfoUOJS9zW_uWUYf3TRrK4vg78jFa1pPznQUKxkYTfDIEgM6MOM_lx2AeoFZ0wqTC7LkGcVII46SM25juwkYruR32iNc7fUge5-MJwoV/s1600/SAM_4686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4s0dGcNusnObqaB3P3EKBaTqXKgnoD8FP8HmhcfoUOJS9zW_uWUYf3TRrK4vg78jFa1pPznQUKxkYTfDIEgM6MOM_lx2AeoFZ0wqTC7LkGcVII46SM25juwkYruR32iNc7fUge5-MJwoV/s640/SAM_4686.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was such a thrill to have the piece of art in my hands. Jean told me that when she posted a photo of the painting that someone else had actually wanted to buy it. I thought that was funny but I guess that means that means that the painting stands on its own as a piece of art. For me though, it is very personal. It make me smile every time I look at it. It brings </span><span style="font-size: large;">back not only the memories of that crazy, noisy, <i>ubriaco</i> Italian New Year's in Umbria, but also very fond memories of my times working together with Jean. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGSkRPjFyjOO2axTgKb6tJLvlz4Gx1OgVTuHoU51L8dAqiyBlTl6hFfJvCSQ8pE_06t6Mp1aKsrsanlvNEYhslk4hyqv4LsKegeA0vKzoyNB_nNsu-6CwwZzuplwr5-w5Jey1O0syGJdR/s1600/12670371_10153503856704503_4443103758242152926_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGSkRPjFyjOO2axTgKb6tJLvlz4Gx1OgVTuHoU51L8dAqiyBlTl6hFfJvCSQ8pE_06t6Mp1aKsrsanlvNEYhslk4hyqv4LsKegeA0vKzoyNB_nNsu-6CwwZzuplwr5-w5Jey1O0syGJdR/s640/12670371_10153503856704503_4443103758242152926_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was so exciting to see Jean's portrait art taking off and to know that when she becomes very rich and famous from her artwork that I can point to this picture and say that this was one of her very first commissioned portraits and to be able to tell its story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a link to Jean Smith's <a href="https://jeansmithpainter.wordpress.com/">Art website</a>, and y</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">ou will be able to see a large number of Jean's portraits in this </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVXopVEyVkg" style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">YouTube video</a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">. She has a lot of her 11x14 portraits, some with hats, and some without, for sale still. If you are not on Facebook and are interested in purchasing her artwork or discussing commissioning a piece, here is her <a href="mailto:meccanormal@hotmail.com">contact information</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">By late March I was back in Casperia, just in time to celebrate my 60th birthday. For a number of weeks Jean's portrait of Richard and I and the wild boar rested on the mantle piece. It needed a frame but we didn't know what to do. We knew we could buy ready made frames at the Ikea in Porto di Roma but I didn't really like that idea. We knew there was an art shop that did frames on the main piazza in Poggio Mirteto but we wondered about the expense. More than anything we wanted the frame to be unique, special... something that was worthy of the art.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">And then I remembered our friend Massimo Romani. We have known Massimetto, as his friends call him, ever since we started coming to Casperia in 2009. A stonemason, roofer and a general handyman, we hired Massimetto shortly after we moved here to build two stone flower beds outside our front door. One of the biggest things we missed about our house in Vancouver was having a garden, and Massimetto was able to not only build us two beautiful raised beds from stones that Richard and I had collected from the valley floor, but was also able to attach a number of terracotta pots to the wall outside our house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see, he did an amazing job and the price he charged us was very reasonable considering the time the job took and the level of craftsmanship involved. Anyway, recently Massimetto has returned to a long time love, that of wood working. Between contracts doing roofing, building stone walls or repairing patios Massimetto has been holed up in his workshop in the family cantina off Via San Rocco working on a number of carpentry and furniture restoration projects as well as having fun building wooden lamp bases out of stumps and even constructing scale model Japanese junks out of scrap wood and toothpicks. Like his stone and masonry work, Massimetto takes immense pride in his woodworking projects. Recently I asked Massimetto to restore and antique wooden tray I bought for 15 euros at the rigattiere or second hand/junk shop in Forano. I wish I had taken a before picture so you could see the difference. The tray, which measures about a metre long and and about 60 centimetres wide was constructed from a single piece of oak and was so dried out, worm eaten and cracked that Richard questioned me buying it. One of the long edges was almost cracked right off, had a piece of wood missing and had been repaired with a metal staple. There was another crack starting on the other side. When I first bought it I thought I would clean it up and revarnish it myself, but I decided I wanted the job well done, and I could think of no one better to look after this project than Massimo. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here above you can see the perfectly restored tray. There is no evidence of the earlier damage at all. He even found a piece of matching wood to replace the piece missing near one of the corners. The tray has a place of honour on our dining room table where it is used mostly as a fruit bowl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So yes, we asked Massimo to look after the framing of Jean's painting. I dropped the portrait off at Massimetto's workshop and after a day or two, this is what I picked up... a beautiful hand made frame that has been burned an amber brown to match some of the colours in the painting. He added a darker stained trim along the edge. The effect is similar to having a frame with a proper mat. He even added a touch of whimsey by adding antique furniture tacks on each corner. I couldn't have been more delighted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These two pictures were taken in Massimetto's workshop. The one above shows the painting laid flat on the Romani family summer dining table in the cantina, and the one below, of course, shows Jean Smith's portrait held by the artisan that </span><span style="font-size: large;">framed it so beautifully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, Jean's portrait of the two tipsy Canadians based on a selfie taken under a wild boar's head on Via del Duomo in Orvieto after midnight on New Year's Day 2016 hangs proudly over our mantle in our house here in Casperia. So there you have it, the story behind the portrait.</span></div>
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<br />lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-65186787054808657322016-03-29T15:47:00.001-07:002016-04-01T15:49:05.083-07:00Un Pommeriggio con Pino alla ricerca degli Mitici Asparagi Selvatici della Sabina - A Guest Post by Richard Rooney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our pal Pino</td></tr>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1459276961721_2038" style="font-size: 17pt;">Today I had one of those days that after living in Italy in a small hilltop town for over a year and a half stood out as one of the best. I went asparagus</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;"> hunting! </span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym18_1_1459276961721_2979" style="font-size: 17pt;">In 2012, we discovered, or should I say, we were introduced to Asparagi selvatici, Italy's <i>wild</i> asparagus, by our friend Fiorenzo Francioli from Montebuono.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>Before he found me my first sprig, I had looked at all of these nonni and nonne happily ambling along the country roads we were driving on who were carrying home bag loads of wild asparagus... And I couldn't even find my first sprig.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>I don't know why, but I was obsessed with finding it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first wild asparagus sprig in 2012 found for us in Montebuono by our friend Fiorenzo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">After that first green sprig I was totally hooked.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">Every spring James and I would walk in the countryside picking up the odd piece here and there, but still nothing could compare to what the locals were getting.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the days when I was happy to find two sprigs on the road to Santa Maria in Legarano</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">I have to admit, there were times I almost wanted to stick my head out our rental car window and grab a bag of it from some poor contadina!</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">It was just a thought, but seriously, I was tempted.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9b8O_Ps_9mIDrGHY5xT8WJ6vZ0cf0v3kbngsewcwpY_yBO2eMnCr6Wn00RNejHuqEbkSfHNQMo64-eqkXdC-f3jquuqEz9gvJBfhDp3qHhS0xYL-8JodmzDrZ2qJt1ru17erDPU4s5Bm/s1600/11083760_10152825857529503_8631011127941502153_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9b8O_Ps_9mIDrGHY5xT8WJ6vZ0cf0v3kbngsewcwpY_yBO2eMnCr6Wn00RNejHuqEbkSfHNQMo64-eqkXdC-f3jquuqEz9gvJBfhDp3qHhS0xYL-8JodmzDrZ2qJt1ru17erDPU4s5Bm/s400/11083760_10152825857529503_8631011127941502153_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 17pt;">We first really connected with our friend, Pino Perilli a couple of years ago at the Sagra del Frittello (Deep Fried Cauliflower Festival) in Roccantica.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">He was dancing with his wife Donatella, and James and I were mesmerised by how beautifully they danced.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">They danced the two step, the fox trot, the tango, you name it they knew it and danced it well.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">They have something here called Ballo di Gruppo... </span><br />
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">It's the Italian version of line danci</span><span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">ng—to me a lot sexier than our Western boot scoot dancing! </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">I got up to give it a try, and Pino taught me a dance in two minutes. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Sponge Bob Square Pants does Ballo di Gruppo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">He is an amazing teacher: patient, steady, and very clear on instruction.</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">Anyway, the dancing is a whole other story. Hopefully I can write about that in the near future.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">Back to wild asparagus hunting<span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">—</span>and it <i>is</i> a hunt... </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">Spring is here, and lately we have been seeing photos on Facebook of Pino with wadges of wild asparagus... huge bunches of it.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">As much as I admired his bounty of the green treasure</span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">—</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">so delicious</span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">—</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">I must say I was a bit envious.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">The other day while I was sick in bed, Pino phoned and said he was coming over.. that he had to drop something off.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ten minutes later he was at our door with a huge bouquet of asparagus, telling me to share half with our good friends Helen and Ritchie Dakin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">We were so grateful, because if you have not had the immense pleasure, the taste wild asparagus is like nothing like any store-bought asparagus you have ever had before.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">There are different kinds. Some a little more bitter, some sweeter.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">Chopped up and sautéed with eggs, tossed in pasta, or mixed in with a delicate risotto, anything... It is an earthy, sweet taste that exalts any dish. Highly prized by cooks and buongustai all over Italy, if you try to buy it in the markets, you pay a pretty penny.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild asparagus at 39 Euros a kilogram at a vegetable store in Poggio Mirteto</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">I then asked Pino if he wouldn't mind if I came with him on one of his hunts, and he said, "Certo!" </span><i style="font-size: 17pt;">No problem!</i><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">I promised not to tell anyone about his secret places. He just laughed and said "Va bene, va bene!"</span><span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;"></span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">So today was our day. I thought that we would be walking to where we would be foraging but it was about a twenty minute tractor ride out in the countryside, which I absolutely loved.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is something about riding on a tractor that brings back wonderful memories of being on the farm in Saskatchewan and riding one with my Uncle Bill during the harvest. It made me feel like I was 10 years old again.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">We arrived at our destination, parked the tractor in an olive grove at the base of a hill, then climbed through the grove up into the wild.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">Pino explained that if I was foraging where there was dense growth, for safety's sake, before I picked any asparagus, that I should poke around a bit with a stick... In case there were any serpenti</span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">—poisonous </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">snakes!</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">Springtime is apparently the time you should really watch out for them, so I had a bastone</span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">—</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">big stick</span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">—</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">to fight off the vipers.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><br />
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">I asked Pino, "What about you?" but he said no. They flee when they see him... And if they're not fast enough, he picks them up and takes a bite out of them!</span><br />
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">So, for the next two and a half hours, we traversed a hill with some paths, but also a lot of dense growth...<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>As Pino said, "Quando si sporca, si trova!" It's when you get dirty—meaning hiking in dense growth—that you find them.</span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">Pino has eyes like a falcon.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>He could spot a piece of asparagus a block away.<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>We went our separate ways for a while, and I actually was doing pretty good, and thought, wow, I've actually got a few here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">About half an hour later, I met up with him, saying, "Hey!</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">I've got a few!" He said, "Me too, just a few." In his hand, he was holding about 100 pieces !</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pino's bunch on the left, mine on the right</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">Near the end of our hike, he would say, "Richard, look there, there's one. Richard, look over there, there's another one!</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">I was really being trained by the Master! </span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">I was getting a little tired, and very very thirsty—I can't believe I hadn't thought to bring water. Finally, we headed back down the hill and soon we were back on Pino's tractor, riding </span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">happily through the </span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">beauty of the Sabine countryside </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">back to Casperia. Pino drove us right up into town, through the Porta Romana. As Pino's tractor rumbled up the steps heading toward Via Massari I turned and looked across the valley to where we had been foraging and </span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">breathed in the amazingly clean air. </span><span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">I felt blessed and so lucky. At Via Massari I hopped off the tractor, thanked Pino, then turned and </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">wearily made my way up Casperia's stone steps to Via Latini to show James my fistful of heaven. </span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 22.6667px;">Tonight, James is cooking freshly made Stringozzi with sausage and pancetta, and, oh, of course, asparagus !</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">Thank you Pino, il Re</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">degli Asparagi, for showing us so many things here in Casperia: dancing, olive picking, and asparagus hunting.</span><span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 17pt;"> It is h</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">ard to put into words but these are gifts to me, and I am so grateful...</span></div>
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<span class="yiv6022772138s1" style="font-size: 17pt;">We are so lucky to be here, and so glad that we embarked on this journey of moving to Italy and having these very simple, but amazing<span class="yiv6022772138Apple-converted-space"> </span>experiences!</span><br />
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-35245715744741171282016-01-12T10:23:00.002-08:002016-01-12T15:46:54.908-08:00SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 19 - ALESSANDRA'S COTTANELLO - March 23, 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sabine hilltown of Cottanello as seen from L'Eremo di San Cataldo, courtesy of Alessandra Finiti </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In late March of 2013 a dear friend from high school and university years, Fern, came to visit us in Casperia with a friend of hers from Norway, Heidi. Richard and I were staying at <a href="http://rentcasperia.com/">Il Sogno</a>, with Ina, a friend of our friend Candace, so Fern and Heidi shared a room at the beautiful <a href="http://www.latorrettabandb.com/">La Torretta B&B</a> just down the road from us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Heidi, Fern and Ina hit it off really well and actually spent a lot of time together. They travelled to Poggio Mirteto and to Farfa Abbey with the help of the staff from La Torretta (we were without a rent-a-car at the time). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The one time we actually got to go on an excursion all together was thanks to our friend Alessandra Finiti who arranged with staff from the Comune of Cottanello, Alessandra's old home town, for a tour of the local attractions there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0OOCfcclqWv8kleYzxMXGSLPhDbSK1sJlWTLMm0AaOUQQK9CCZG1q1ONSP1LHIpErCiQYjVJ1aNGAsxYNFOueF6AP2BdtNpQXbrw8TmWwwwH45zCAEgT-pGq1fZrlpxxJJGjTNqFso3z/s1600/SAM_2711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0OOCfcclqWv8kleYzxMXGSLPhDbSK1sJlWTLMm0AaOUQQK9CCZG1q1ONSP1LHIpErCiQYjVJ1aNGAsxYNFOueF6AP2BdtNpQXbrw8TmWwwwH45zCAEgT-pGq1fZrlpxxJJGjTNqFso3z/s1600/SAM_2711.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This collage of images from the excavations at Cottanello's Roman Villa courtesy of Alessandra Finiti.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cottanello sits on a spur of a hill guarding a mountain pass that connects the Bassa Sabina, or the Sabina of the Tiber, with the Rieti Valley. The name Cottanello derives from an ancient Roman family name, Cotta, the Aurelii Cottae were an important branch of gens Aurelia who claimed descent from King Numa Pompilius. Prominent personalities from this family served Rome in political and military life from the third century BC to the first century A.D.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After their conquest of the Sabina, the Romans subdivided the land into farms and villas. Many of Rome's patrician and senatorial families had villas in Sabina. The Aurelii Cottae, Julius Caesar's wife's family, owned a large villa complex on the south facing slopes below the present day village known today as Collesecco, which translates as "Dry Hill". This Villa, which over the past decades has been excavated and maintained by the comune of Cottanello, was our first destination in our specially arranged itinerary.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgE65OI3YRH5Q0wgQteQFRS1IoqNw3eFIwNq0rQYIt7MOCt8WrcYsXLAH_3PHmUN4lkW1u8l8IfvHtWmFMZCXKv8RHX9kWqknPR5jJ0jQtTkeh179L7-ilD2pG4Wz2kcxSXp88OUwLA9-/s1600/SAM_2712+by+AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgE65OI3YRH5Q0wgQteQFRS1IoqNw3eFIwNq0rQYIt7MOCt8WrcYsXLAH_3PHmUN4lkW1u8l8IfvHtWmFMZCXKv8RHX9kWqknPR5jJ0jQtTkeh179L7-ilD2pG4Wz2kcxSXp88OUwLA9-/s1600/SAM_2712+by+AF.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Cotta mausoleum on the Via Appia Antica south of Rome courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were five of us needing a ride from Casperia to Cottanello and Alessandra's car could not fit all of us. In the end we were able to get a ride for half of the group from Franco Angelelli, the owner of <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1199275-d1818030-Reviews-Gusto_al_Borgo-Casperia_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">Gusto Al Borgo</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRS1XC_zH-dIi1NrtwSAkfJCUM2x1DFHfh5pBMtAlOKZmICye9kO9D2hzQzj_B7y79N2IJwDYr_M_1mPw4XPsObdblj2YxcgkI12UVtzIzhZi1BfWryXovmokWPydKy4lOx9MFDJyak_Vi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-10+at+23.50.29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRS1XC_zH-dIi1NrtwSAkfJCUM2x1DFHfh5pBMtAlOKZmICye9kO9D2hzQzj_B7y79N2IJwDYr_M_1mPw4XPsObdblj2YxcgkI12UVtzIzhZi1BfWryXovmokWPydKy4lOx9MFDJyak_Vi/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-01-10+at+23.50.29.png" width="554" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Depending on who is behind the wheel, Italian or Canadian, the drive from Casperia to Collesecco can take from 14 to 20 minutes. Franco had us at our destination in no time. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcRonmkWR1rMiVExD5Cx7K_ovq_QGMaar7vgFd9Hfk9eHfTguMLYANI2qngv-A8ISjQ1VKYqFSScqsMcHQhP7cK8uC9OSXb1msZmc6lyj0zFPjXcekfv-6832cw8MeJI2HiSCwwPzbUgZ/s1600/SAM_2713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcRonmkWR1rMiVExD5Cx7K_ovq_QGMaar7vgFd9Hfk9eHfTguMLYANI2qngv-A8ISjQ1VKYqFSScqsMcHQhP7cK8uC9OSXb1msZmc6lyj0zFPjXcekfv-6832cw8MeJI2HiSCwwPzbUgZ/s640/SAM_2713.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We all piled out of the car and headed down through the field past a ruined farm house to the villa site.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpQegd4ucidKueJAQcATAWwj4jg8DjMwnqUGS2LLyUFfaq_szYT4wz1y6dMdIApUYhxOklIWusaLXb8q1G8Ve2ylm0qYSxthZ-HnFM0nae8TFaVkbl74xrCEA7KZXU7jN8Bqaf2WMumhJ/s1600/SAM_2713a+by+AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpQegd4ucidKueJAQcATAWwj4jg8DjMwnqUGS2LLyUFfaq_szYT4wz1y6dMdIApUYhxOklIWusaLXb8q1G8Ve2ylm0qYSxthZ-HnFM0nae8TFaVkbl74xrCEA7KZXU7jN8Bqaf2WMumhJ/s640/SAM_2713a+by+AF.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L. to R. Me, Ina and Richard heading toward the villa ruins</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfFDheYGJ1o8EAzlBqzqB07zFpNrlKCTX9US5dOpGnih2HhQog-MJziq5e9pkm2LGP6URoPVOSVayoARD9LB4gVnFZI5bE91061sYKL-ZO4tcXNNqUade30fYDAfnxf7CwUTtRToG19xF/s1600/SAM_2715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfFDheYGJ1o8EAzlBqzqB07zFpNrlKCTX9US5dOpGnih2HhQog-MJziq5e9pkm2LGP6URoPVOSVayoARD9LB4gVnFZI5bE91061sYKL-ZO4tcXNNqUade30fYDAfnxf7CwUTtRToG19xF/s640/SAM_2715.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This farmhouse which sit directly above and behind the villa excavation site is for sale. It very likely sits atop more buried villa ruins as only part of the villa has been excavated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The villa was discovered in the late 1960s during agricultural work. Intermittent excavations were carried out by volunteers from Cottanello's Pro Loco under the supervision of the Archaeological Superintendency of Rome. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqP5398QYwZbrUzXw0gM86rpIqSthnEc3ZCJptdcdng1ZiL-Xfd8PuapgSvRRoPgB9wvOpgpnrwwdNgSCHm1BjWw0Uvw0LBxKR0ls3Hjsq_VWzqrz1XyPqv-TM2lYxujwqwIR99W7Yxp2/s1600/cottanello_83.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqP5398QYwZbrUzXw0gM86rpIqSthnEc3ZCJptdcdng1ZiL-Xfd8PuapgSvRRoPgB9wvOpgpnrwwdNgSCHm1BjWw0Uvw0LBxKR0ls3Hjsq_VWzqrz1XyPqv-TM2lYxujwqwIR99W7Yxp2/s640/cottanello_83.jpg" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layout of the Villa Excavation from <a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_000011.htm">Cottanello town website</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over the decades a large section of the ruins were uncovered revealing a working agricultural villa which, however, had a number of rooms with richly mosaic covered floors. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIo5QYI4K-nhS_Hxr1N0m2GLaJHEWYOLlKTd5nV4XsjYSYSUl948wQx34Rxgacpm4Lc-s05K4P1hudJTiplbVAf2xXJvGkxJIKGWGUlLBB1vtEHIKjhbIfJVFiXTLfILxj1wEmNvJHyngH/s1600/mosaics+cottanello+Alessandra+Finiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIo5QYI4K-nhS_Hxr1N0m2GLaJHEWYOLlKTd5nV4XsjYSYSUl948wQx34Rxgacpm4Lc-s05K4P1hudJTiplbVAf2xXJvGkxJIKGWGUlLBB1vtEHIKjhbIfJVFiXTLfILxj1wEmNvJHyngH/s640/mosaics+cottanello+Alessandra+Finiti.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaics at Cottanello's Roman Villa - Photo courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In one section of the villa fragments of massive terracotta dolia, or storage jars, were uncovered. The discovery of the words </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>M. Cottae</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> stamped on one of the jar rims furnished proof that this villa was indeed the country farm of the illustrious Cotta family. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidofUG37NiXgnqEv3KUxRS1ZhidahRffmnB7wlg902S9gfsSvItWS_5VJlj2nCgl0s_c9n80IyxCYJdTTjRdTXe_hyphenhyphenB65NE6vZkoTgRB3UXpsQM0CcDku14dCykNxj701OGpkewHEBDX0M/s1600/Alessandra+Finiti%2527s+foto+of+the+dolina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidofUG37NiXgnqEv3KUxRS1ZhidahRffmnB7wlg902S9gfsSvItWS_5VJlj2nCgl0s_c9n80IyxCYJdTTjRdTXe_hyphenhyphenB65NE6vZkoTgRB3UXpsQM0CcDku14dCykNxj701OGpkewHEBDX0M/s640/Alessandra+Finiti%2527s+foto+of+the+dolina.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the villa gate, our group was met by Monica Volpe, our guide from Cottanello's town office. She escorted us inside the roofed enclosure and gave our group an overview of the history of the villa, then took us through the villa complex room by room explaining each location. Our group was mixed, Italian, Canadian, Russian and Norwegian. I ended up interpreting, as best as I could, Monica's Italian for the non-Italian speakers in the group.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Monica arrived I noticed that she carried with her a plastic spray bottle full of water. I wondered what it was for. We soon found out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Something that was not readily apparent at first, because of an accumulation of dust, was the fact that most of the floors we were walking on were covered with intricate mosaic designs. Even after we noticed them, the mosaics seemed to be muted work in black and white. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of them indeed were, but here and there when Monica crouched down and sprayed a section with the water in her bottle, vivid colours would spring to life from beneath the dust. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were not only black and white, but rich reds and browns, ochres and grey blues. There were not only intricate geometric patterns in repetition but also whimsical portraits of human faces, little birds, as well as floral and leaf designs.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica getting ready to work her magic</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qCV7H7NYXpZTlYNGstTX7NypYpLnO_hjrNmK33gHj0UhZvN8eMJq79uNX1SGoeFMjyamCE_xsMizXheU65KqIB9plifvOQQJ_oubJ0KzZWNKKitb-a8qjbGHDmdsUmwM_YPYBHMhpS3_/s1600/SAM_2736+by+AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qCV7H7NYXpZTlYNGstTX7NypYpLnO_hjrNmK33gHj0UhZvN8eMJq79uNX1SGoeFMjyamCE_xsMizXheU65KqIB9plifvOQQJ_oubJ0KzZWNKKitb-a8qjbGHDmdsUmwM_YPYBHMhpS3_/s640/SAM_2736+by+AF.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the villa tabbies sneaking up behind Heidi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All the while Monica guided us through the various rooms, corridors, the atrium and peristyle of the villa two semi-feral tabby cats, possibly the hired guardians of the villa site, accompanied us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Alessandra tried her hand with Monica's spray bottle. This site was very small but we were just gobsmacked by the richness in the decoration of the rooms. Here and there the original plaster still stuck to the opus reticulatum walls, some with the reds and black of fresco colours still evident. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the villa cats comes to listen to Alessandra and Monica's conversation about the mosaic</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got shown so many amazing things during the visit. One fascinating element were the square holes on either side of the thresholds in which at one point either metal or wooden blocks with sockets for doors once had been. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of these thresholds had a very interesting mosaic, that of a cock chasing after a hen. If I remember the explanation correctly, it seems that the meaning of this mosaic was that the room behind the door was the master bedroom.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCKwVdyPq_nTk4Ut1oip2omxbVUiOBrB6bUYISkOWu12sAipRRMwqR6VJq4IuZCIeBpgbkQPQi_rJrfpLBj9rARl9z8k4QK3hEDvsJlUjt13uMt4sWxYSsoQYzXpH82633toYKTZ6wrgu/s1600/SAM_2766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCKwVdyPq_nTk4Ut1oip2omxbVUiOBrB6bUYISkOWu12sAipRRMwqR6VJq4IuZCIeBpgbkQPQi_rJrfpLBj9rARl9z8k4QK3hEDvsJlUjt13uMt4sWxYSsoQYzXpH82633toYKTZ6wrgu/s400/SAM_2766.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnYc1DAlP35wP0ijmJz8-bgFTGVy_Ag4-dJ4EkiASIn3ydJ6tIflaVoOko5OlXtTy-xQAas-9AxdmY6l41ig3FYu08OeONgHYegiTSaYP4sE3nI6R53f75q6_4HYHivshzBKdeIZzLymp/s1600/SAM_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnYc1DAlP35wP0ijmJz8-bgFTGVy_Ag4-dJ4EkiASIn3ydJ6tIflaVoOko5OlXtTy-xQAas-9AxdmY6l41ig3FYu08OeONgHYegiTSaYP4sE3nI6R53f75q6_4HYHivshzBKdeIZzLymp/s640/SAM_2769.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another fascinating feature of the villa was the cryptoporticus, a large storage vault, that ran beneath the villa.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQAWBLuiizyS5guU7N_F0ZwBrU911RXrzpy0NdUpKi7WLjIxpPy-WymRa7c17UxFktqxBLlqzWTpD54RZdApsny1HAKfCOGZBYV4FjwcuqpI0k8xpIa-2esSODuK4x2kauWtJMGfCDCp4/s1600/SAM_2783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQAWBLuiizyS5guU7N_F0ZwBrU911RXrzpy0NdUpKi7WLjIxpPy-WymRa7c17UxFktqxBLlqzWTpD54RZdApsny1HAKfCOGZBYV4FjwcuqpI0k8xpIa-2esSODuK4x2kauWtJMGfCDCp4/s640/SAM_2783.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was likely in this extensive underground chamber that the fragments of the terracotta dolia with the M. Cottae stamp were discovered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was almost time to leave the villa and head off to our next stop on our Cottanello itinerary, the Hermitage of San Cataldo, but the sun was so nice and warm that we couldn't resist sitting down on the stone walls with the cats and enjoy the Sabine sunshine for a few moments before we headed back up the hill.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpoUCzmXwrDgaJdfh0t8zyUIYMVb0gbGFsd0HtPeag-bW77byRxJQc-tHQVbvXvarFNgkEYSB0MtOc8We3cinzHTrkzQr3ygfsCijZh_9-FeA_69h8ubL1q4g-GVkE0fn8HHO9Dhd4Pg-/s1600/SAM_2772+by+Ina+Dennekamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpoUCzmXwrDgaJdfh0t8zyUIYMVb0gbGFsd0HtPeag-bW77byRxJQc-tHQVbvXvarFNgkEYSB0MtOc8We3cinzHTrkzQr3ygfsCijZh_9-FeA_69h8ubL1q4g-GVkE0fn8HHO9Dhd4Pg-/s640/SAM_2772+by+Ina+Dennekamp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this picture of Alessandra and the cats... I think they were priming her for getting some tabbies of her own...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Fern getting in a pat before we had to leave</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just as we were about to leave for the Hermitage Monica presented each of us with a pamphlet on the villa excavations produced by the town of Cottanello. We posed happily together: Italians, Canadians, Russians and Norwegians, for a formal group shot before we headed back to the cars. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L. to R. Marco, Irina, Heidi, Richard, Ina, Alessandra, me, and Fern</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the next leg of our journey we split into two cars, Alessandra's and Marco's, and drove the seven minute windy uphill road to the carpark outside the walled town of Cottanello. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kRJO34ukP037PZ16-YVElu4xZb8FaNVg_XCFtGSwDzJ3yq_bKsbt8fkqxwftkHh6dDUjLJKahTDAyLjgBF6MHre6w4ZyNRpHgiXsOOWXuE9pMoSFbnC_ObSIEhYCVYnDxOsRsw2dbOj9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-11+at+19.44.45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kRJO34ukP037PZ16-YVElu4xZb8FaNVg_XCFtGSwDzJ3yq_bKsbt8fkqxwftkHh6dDUjLJKahTDAyLjgBF6MHre6w4ZyNRpHgiXsOOWXuE9pMoSFbnC_ObSIEhYCVYnDxOsRsw2dbOj9/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-01-11+at+19.44.45.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the Cottanello's car park to the Hermitage was a five minute walk... according to Google Maps, but I remember it taking a little longer.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXVJeatFnIBkt2Bn-2jUqhES1U4g5WINAWhWJcbE4MXWkA_G6ZRu_DVSQ23mNyibYBSGHQFaHNc4L4M41uQRjTB6N3hkIj6FSI1prThF4x_ItxuJFIsFa6K-0ZOclrkv4CBjtpWDfdWnA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-11+at+19.50.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXVJeatFnIBkt2Bn-2jUqhES1U4g5WINAWhWJcbE4MXWkA_G6ZRu_DVSQ23mNyibYBSGHQFaHNc4L4M41uQRjTB6N3hkIj6FSI1prThF4x_ItxuJFIsFa6K-0ZOclrkv4CBjtpWDfdWnA/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-01-11+at+19.50.35.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Five minutes away from civilisation seems a bit close for a hermitage. In actual fact, up until 1888 when the current road linking Bassa Sabina and Rieti was built, the original access to the hermitage was not from the road below as it is today, but from a treacherous goat path which descended along the shear rock slopes toward the hermitage from the mountain above. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9O3_-U0IsE3KkNblB7U6urxBB4xUQTyHK21PNauTC6YHWReXCj5zAXx4L-8EFQFx5dfY5F7Sy6Us4TRre1vXHVAYC3ZWcPzEd86miO_OrflzGSALQHxARewzL1g8mAE17dn8V9M50wIr/s1600/SAM_2793a+by+AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9O3_-U0IsE3KkNblB7U6urxBB4xUQTyHK21PNauTC6YHWReXCj5zAXx4L-8EFQFx5dfY5F7Sy6Us4TRre1vXHVAYC3ZWcPzEd86miO_OrflzGSALQHxARewzL1g8mAE17dn8V9M50wIr/s640/SAM_2793a+by+AF.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of me, Ina, Fern, Richard and Heidi courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, we took the modern easy route. If you are driving from the Bassa Sabina over the pass behind Cottanello toward the Rieti valley many motorists might not even notice the hermitage or stop to think about what it is if they do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perched in a cleft among the granite rock of the cliffs, L'Eremo di San Cataldo has stood guard over Cottanello for over a thousand years. Built originally by Benedictine monks preaching in the area, the hermitage is dedicated to Saint Cataldus, an Irish monk who lived during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Cataldus, while returning to Ireland from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, was shipwrecked near Taranto in Puglia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The holiness of the shipwrecked Irish monk prompted the local population to beg him to be their bishop. He eventually became Archbishop of Taranto, dying there around the year 685. Apparently San Cataldo is invoked for protection agains plague, drought and storms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why the hermitage is dedicated to this transplanted Irish saint is not certain. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Legend has it that the saint took refuge in the hermitage to escape during the Arian persecution but there is no historical confirmation to corroborate this hypothesis. Though the official patron saint of Cottanello is Saint Andrew, the people of Cottanello have a particular fondness for San Cataldo whose feast day is celebrated on May 10th.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Inside the hermitage's small chapel are housed the most ancient Byzantine-style frescoes of Sabina. Particularly beautiful is the age-old painting of The Redeemer and other beautiful paintings from the fifteenth century that depict the Madonna and Child with saints and bishops. The fresco of The Redeemer dates from the ninth to tenth century and shows a seated Jesus in the act of blessing flanked by the apostles and saints. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This fresco, with its Franciscan Tau cross painted on Jesus's right leg in the late 1200s during a time when Saint Francis evangelised in the area, lay forgotten and hidden from view under a more recent layer of fresco and would have remained hidden if not for a strange twist in history. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1944, during the last months of the war in Italy, a rear guard of young German sappers were charged with the destruction of the road connecting the Bassa Sabina and Rieti in order to slow the advance of Allied forces who were hot on the heals of the retreating Nazi and Fascist government troops. The point where the sappers were laying their mines was a bridge directly below the hermitage. If everything went according to plan the road would indeed have been cut but the bombs would have destroyed Cottanello's beloved hermitage as well. By some miracle—the weeping townspeople were all on their knees watching and praying—the blast did not go as planned. Some of the bombs exploded, but when the dust cleared the astonished people of Cottanello saw their hermitage intact. The only damage to the chapel was where the shock of the blast knocked off a layer of newer fresco revealing the precious older fresco beneath.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a corner of the same wall is the fresco of the Virgin that dates back to 1443. Some assert that the face of the baby Jesus is reminiscent of the appearance of Saint Francis.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Heidi admires a rustic altar made of the famous local red Cottanello marble</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The views of Cottanello from the hermitage were stunning. We took lots of pictures of both inside the hermitage chapel and of the beautiful surrounding countryside. My stomach clock though was telling me it was time for lunch. History always makes me hungry. Luckily for all of us, a spectacular meal had been arranged for the group at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g2306312-d3377350-Reviews-La_Foresteria-Cottanello_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">La Foresteria</a>, Cottanello's premier restaurant.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alessandra is obviously very happy with the tour so far...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monica and Alessandra led our hungry group back down the road toward Cottanello.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way Alessandra led us on a small detour during which she showed us Cottanello's old communal laundry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love the atmosphere of these old laundries. It feels almost as if you can hear the echoes of the laughter of the women who once gathered, worked and gossipped there still ringing off the walls. Unfortunately, Casperia's old communal laundry just outside the centro storico has been closed for a number of decades and is now being used as the pro loco's office, but a number of communal laundries are still functioning in the countryside around the paese. Every so often, when Richard and I have been out walking in the countryside foraging we have come across ladies of the older generation still using them. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marco, Richard and Fern in front of La Foresteria look ready for lunch!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though it might have been a bit early for Italians to dine al fresco, there were Canadians, a Norwegian and a Russian in the group. To our great joy our Italian friends agreed to dine outside. La Foresteria has a wonderful large terrazzo. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cin cin! L to R: Richard, Fern, Alessandra, Marco, Irina, Heidi, me, Monica. Thanks for the photo, Ina!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were all relaxed and happy and ready to eat and drink. As soon as our table was set, out came large blue bottles of sparkling and still water. La Foresteria's home-made red wine was absolutely stunning! This was my first clue that this was going to be one the the best and most memorable meals of my life. What follows is an excerpt from my TripAdvisor review of the restaurant. You will find the full review with pictures posted June 18, 2013. You can't miss the title: <i>“The first words out of our mouthes were "O.M.G.!"</i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O.M.G.!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>O.M.G. indeed!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In March a number of friends were staying with us for a week in Casperia, a small hill town outside Rome that we like to visit. It was the last full day for two of our friends, one from Canada, and one from Norway, and a friend from Rome had arranged a special excursion for us to the neighbouring hill town of Cottanello. We had just finished a fascinating visit at an archeological dig of an ancient Roman villa, followed by a tour of the cliffside hermitage of San Cataldo when our host guided our happy but weary feet to La Foresteria. We were mostly Canadians and Norwegians so when we saw a table open in the outside patio we asked to eat there. On the patio, surrounded by an amazing view of the Sabine hills and listening to birds singing their spring love songs, we were treated to what has to be one of the best meals of my life... Stringozzi is the traditional hand made pasta in Sabina. After a nice plate of local Sabine antipasti, out comes a plate of stringozzi, but stringozzi like we have never tasted before. Instead of a hearty red sauce, this pasta was dressed simply with a mix of garlic infused Sabina D.O.P. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, red chili (peperoncino) flakes, and a mix of pecorino and parmigiano cheese. Quite literally there was a chorus of "O.M.G.!" when we tasted it</i>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Stringozzi Piccante alla Cottanellese a.k.a. Stringozzi O.M.G</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</i></td></tr>
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<i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then followed a traditional meat course with arrosticini (lamb skewers), pork cutlets and grilled sausage.</span></i></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything was done to perfection, but it gets better. Roberto, the owner, makes his own red wine from local grapes. It was so delicious we begged to buy bottles of it after. It was poured from a keg into empty water bottles, but we got our wine all the same. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a day! Cottanello is way outside the regular range of tourists visiting Rome. It has none of the tourist infrastructure that places like Tuscany or the Veneto boasts. What it does have is fascinating, small scale local attractions explained to you by proud local town staff and a restaurant, that if it were closer to Rome would have lines out the door every night. As it is, it is a jewel of a restaurant enjoyed by the 800 inhabitants of Cottanello and visitors lucky enough to stumble across it. If you go there, ask for Stringozzi alla Cottanellese or Stringozzi Picante. And if you can't remember that, ask for what the Canadian group had. I can't wait to go back for a visit.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With full and very happy bellies we headed out for the next stage of our Cottanello odyssey. This was a car trip up a narrow country road, the old road that linked Bassa Sabina and the Rieti valley before the modern road was built in the 1880s, followed by hike. At a turn in the road there was a small car park and an unpaved mountain road leading off to our right. We parked the cars and got out. There was absolutely nothing to indicate that this fork in the road was important... that the mountain path we were about to take led to one of central Italy's most important quarries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the Renaissance, massive rough-hewn columns of so-called Cottanello Marble were quarried in this location, then dragged down the mountain all the way to Stimigliano on the Tiber. From there they were barged and ferried down to Rome where today they adorn, among other prominent baroque churches, Saint Peter's Basilica, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale and Sant'Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like the mosaics at the villa in the valley below, the beautiful marbled reds and browns of the Cottanello Marble are not so readily visible unless the stone is wet, or has been freshly broken.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monica took us to a section of the quarry where there was a rough cut pillar abandoned by 17th century workers. Who knows why... Perhaps there was a crack or the colour pattern was off. As far as Roman stone pillars go it was not huge... nothing like the massive red granite pillars brought from Egypt for the Pantheon, but you have to marvel that people back then could and did quarry and move stones this big on the slopes of a mountain and were able to transport them by the existing roads down to the Tiber and then load it on a boat to take to Rome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monica explained that the pillars were carved into shape as much as possible at the quarry to make the pieces of stone more portable.</span></div>
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Cottanello Marble is not a true marble. It is rather a multicoloured marled limestone. It was discovered by the Romans in the first century BC. Quarrying of the rock by the Romans was in full swing by the third century AD around which time a number of quarries were in operation in the two and a half kilometre stretch between modern day Cottanello and the hamlet of Castiglione.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottanello slab image courtesy of Wikipedia</td></tr>
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In Roman times it was used mostly to make wall veneer panels and for floor tiles for public buildings and villas scattered in the surrounding area. Evidence of its use was found at the Cotta family villa at Collesecco but Cottanello marble was also found as far away as the villa of Lucullus in Terracina, 76 kilometres southeast of Rome, where it was used in some of the floors.</div>
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One of the best preserved ancient Roman artefacts in Cottanello marble, a beautifully preserved 3rd century AD columned basin, was sold for US$266,500 in June of 2009 by Christies Auction.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottanello marble basin sold in 2009 by Christies auction</td></tr>
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After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the quarries, seven in all, remained closed and abandoned for a long time. The value of Cottanello marble was rediscovered in the 17th century when it was used extensively to create columns, altars and altar railings in many churches throughout Lazio and Umbria. It is in fact one of the most popular materials used in Roman Baroque churches.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have visited Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome you might have noticed quite a lot of Cottanello marble there. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gian_Lorenzo_Bernini">Gian Lorenzo Bernini</a> used Cottanello marble for the 44 massive columns with which he framed the side altars there. Who knows, the workers who abandoned the pillar were most likely quarrying material for one of Bernini's projects.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottanello Marble used in Bernini's Tomb of Pope alexander VII in St. Peter's Basilica</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back down the hill to the cars each of us kept and eye out for a small piece of red Cottanello marble to keep as a memento of our visit. But our tour of Cottanello was not finished. We slowly drove back down the hill toward Cottanello where we said our thanks and goodbye to Monica before heading into the centro storico for a final piccola passeggiata. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We wandered though the winding vie and vicoli of Cottanello marvelling again at how each of these hill towns has a different feel, a different atmosphere. Here and there pieces of ancient Roman and medieval marble decorated the walls of some of the principle buildings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also evident here and there were decorative pieces of Cottanello marble. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We saw it used in arches, as a keystone, in door frames, as a threshold, and even worked in among the stone cobbles we were walking on. As we rounded the corner we saw a barber shop open for business. Richard couldn't resist. We all had fun taking photos and videos of Richard getting a hair cut and beard trimmed by Benito "Benito like Mussolini," the affable barber... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see, Richard got the full treatment from Benito. He gave Richard a haircut, trimmed his beard and moustache. He trimmed his eyebrows, and even his nose hairs, and at the end of it all would not accept any money in payment! What a sweet guy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The sun was slowly descending toward Monte Soratte with promises of yet another stunning Sabine sunset. Happy, and still very full from our wonderful lunch at La Foresteria, we headed down towards the town gate and the parcheggio taking even more photos as we went. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Near the town gate are two windows with a panoramic view of the Sabine hills and the valley below. According to Alessandra, when she was a young girl, she used to climb up and sit in one of these windows and daydream. As we paused for a moment beside the windows Alessandra climbed up onto the rose-coloured stone frame, assuming the position she had taken so many times as a child. As Alessandra looked out of the window to the view below I imagined just how filled with nostalgia she must be at that moment. Cottanello holds so many powerful memories for her... And thanks to our wonderful day with Alessandra and Monica it does for us as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I would like to thank Heidi Økern, Ina Dennekamp, Fern Braein Teleglow, and Alessandra Finiti for their kind permission to use of their images throughout this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For more information (in Italian) on the Villa Romana in Collesecco near Cottanello, please check out these two websites:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_000011.htm">http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_000011.htm</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://cottanello.isma.cnr.it/">http://cottanello.isma.cnr.it/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are also English language links for the <a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_eng_000011.htm">Roman Villa</a>, the <span id="goog_2065196738"></span><a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_eng_000012.htm">Hermitage of San Cataldo</a><span id="goog_2065196739"></span>, and the <a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_eng_000013.htm">Cottanello Marble Quarry</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in a guided tour of any of Cottanello's historic attractions, this link will give you access to contact numbers for Monica and Alessio at the <a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_00001f.htm">Cottanello Tourism Office</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">...<span style="color: red;">and that i</span><span style="color: white;">s the end o</span><span style="color: lime;">f my tale!</span></span></div>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-45755640571734479962015-12-22T15:52:00.001-08:002016-01-26T11:00:10.030-08:00OLIVE OIL FROM SABINA - The Green Gold of 2015 is Fresh, Green, Grassy, Peppery, Pleasantly Bitter, absolutely Delicious and Available at a Store Near You!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNPjLQjOlho0NRIzxe4CpX1l-xE0fK1MIFD9ROet-ai93vfEsvtTAwXgelTDF9W7lpPPGP96o4rFjFzWHaxDbLKJTxjPNXU6XgJhTIxKInCOfXtA5JnFZUjpHItcjosXiHwP4BT75Dk92/s1600/SAM_2500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNPjLQjOlho0NRIzxe4CpX1l-xE0fK1MIFD9ROet-ai93vfEsvtTAwXgelTDF9W7lpPPGP96o4rFjFzWHaxDbLKJTxjPNXU6XgJhTIxKInCOfXtA5JnFZUjpHItcjosXiHwP4BT75Dk92/s640/SAM_2500.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a follow-up from my previous post on Sabina's olive oil harvest of 2015. Since our forays out into the oliveti in the valley below Casperia to help our friend Pino, we have had a number of opportunities to taste and buy excellent oil from the region. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remember, last year's olive harvest in central Italy was a complete disaster. Up until a couple of months ago, we have had to get by with oil from elsewhere, and that usually came in bottles with labels that read "100% oil from the EU". It was olive oil, but it was not of the quality we were used to from our time here in Sabina. When you read our friend Giuseppe Bizzaro's tongue in cheek history of the rise and fall of ancient Rome and its connection to ancient Rome's desperate obsession with Sabine olive oil, you will find stories that echo our sense of disappointment and depression having to go without Sabine olive oil for so long. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At this point, however, we have in our possession the largest amount of olive oil we have ever had at one time, all from different producers in Sabina. We have amazing oil from Montebuono, Farfa, Cantalupo, Vescovio, and a number of different oils from Casperia. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many of you who are reading this post have likely read, or at least heard of, the book called "<b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_Virginity">Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil</a></i></b>" b</span><span style="font-size: large;">y Tom Mueller, and if you haven't read the book, you have likely read similarly themed articles in magazines and newspapers about the terrible olive oil fraud scandals here in Italy and elsewhere. Remember though, that these inferior, sometimes doctored oils are brought to you by big name producers that foist their fake product on an interested but uneducated public via grocery stores and supermarket, all over the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is a whole other experience though to face a producer across a table at a country fair and look him in the eye as you taste his oil and then buy product directly from him. </span><span style="font-size: large;">This is what we did last weekend at the annual winter Fiera at Farfa Abbey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have been friends on Facebook for a while now, known each other through our mutual love of Sabina and our love of photography, but had never had the chance to meet face to face. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the spring I had stumbled upon Fabrizio Mei's farm during a visit to Farfa Abbey. I had noticed some signs up advertising fresh cherries and was surprised to find that the beautiful red cherries being advertised were from Mr. Mei's farm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, when Richard and I visited the Winter Fair at Farfa, there was Fabrizio with a table just inside the Abbey grounds selling not only his oil but some of his honey as well. His oil, which he advertises as "the only olive oil from Farfa," was exquisite. It had all the qualities we look for in a Sabine olive oil: fresh, golden green, peppery, with a lovely bitter tingle in the throat aftertaste, evidence of a healthy high polyphenol count. </span><span style="font-size: large;">So of course, we bought a tin and expanded our growing collection. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think I wrote about this in some previous posts. In past years, when we were visiting Casperia for short visits, we were shocked to find that local Sabine oil didn't seem to be available at the local Conad supermarket. Here we were in the heart of Sabina D.O.P. country, with signs at major intersections proclaiming Casperia as the home of Sabina D.O.P. and the only shopping outlet available to people without a car didn't carry Sabine olive oil. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We of course found out later that all we had to do is ask Massimo, the owner of the local franchise, and he would be able to sell us some of his own oil. We also found out later that the G.S. Market in neighbouring Cantalupo sells some spectacular oils, some made in Casperia and others in Cantalupo, but for the first couple of visits here the only good local oil we were able to source was through Massimo at Casperia's Conad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The good news is that there are lots of opportunities to buy very good oil here in Sabina. And for those visitors who are interested in experiencing this local delight, here are some sources we can heartily recommend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In Casperia: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Conad Supermarket</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b>Via Roma, 7</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02041 Casperia (RI) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> This little market is our go to place for every day shopping. They have a great deli counter and fruit and vegetable stand. The owners and staff are very friendly and have been instrumental in expanding our culinary horizons while living here in Italy. As of this year Massimo has started selling his delicious olive oil in bottles. Look for the squat 500ml bottles labelled as Sabinae Naturalia Extra Vergine d'Oliva. The labelling is a bit confusing as it is actually for an oil from Poggio Nativo to the south of us, but it is indeed Massimo's delicious oil from Casperia. If you cannot find them on the shelf, ask one of the staff working behind the deli counter. If you are interested in buying larger amounts, the oil can be bought in larger tins as well. It is sometimes a good idea to ask ahead for the larger sizes as they are not always in the store. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Ortofrutta di Sara e Paolo</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Via Tomassoli, 20</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">02041 Casperia (RI)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Tel: 329 232 5996 </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> In May of 2015, I wrote <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2015/05/a-new-store-selling-organic-seasonal.html">a post in my blog</a> about this great little shop located on the main street linking Casperia's Porta Romana with Piazza del Comune. Since its opening, we have enjoyed buying delicious organic produce, both fruit and vegetables, at Paolo and Sara's shop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Right now we are in citrus season and we have used their organic lemons and clementines to make Limoncello and Clemoncello, and their lemons to make our famous herbed salt. I'll write more on that in another post. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Sara and Paolo's shop is usually only open on Friday's, Saturdays and Sundays and their hours fluctuate from season to season. Here is a link to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ortofruttacasperia">their facebook page</a> which will give you up to date hours. Remember, most shops here close for the afternoon lunch and siesta between 13:00 and 16:00, sometimes as late as 16:30 and reopen in the late afternoon. Paolo and Sara have two different types of organic Sabine olive oil pressed from different cultivars of olives harvested from their oliveto below Monte Caprignano. These can be bought in tins of various sizes. The one we particularly like is the one labelled "Luma Frutti Antichi".</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In Cantalupo:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoarHvGF0PZtQGJOJx3Uhv8Mgakzw97Zh1p9OEoQFT7rzN1YlSn6XGiDtdt08pYy1QjwRkBM9TniJNzC49xOoEI0f9MgICKB9MX_FBSAwGDRySD9zpyouXrd5qIckWOsM0SpPrc3tAfOF5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-02+at+9.28.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoarHvGF0PZtQGJOJx3Uhv8Mgakzw97Zh1p9OEoQFT7rzN1YlSn6XGiDtdt08pYy1QjwRkBM9TniJNzC49xOoEI0f9MgICKB9MX_FBSAwGDRySD9zpyouXrd5qIckWOsM0SpPrc3tAfOF5/s640/Screen+Shot+2014-12-02+at+9.28.29+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>G.S. Market</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Km 21.400 SS 313</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02040 Cantalupo in Sabina (RI)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The G.S. supermarket located below and to the west of Cantalupo's historic centre on the Via Ternana, also known as SS 313, is a great place to shop if you have access to a car. It is larger than the Conad in Casperia so there is a wider variety of things to buy. I wrote a <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2014/12/sabina-travelogue-2013-part-21-scirocco.html">post on Amadeo</a>, the owner and the market's chief butcher, and his prize chianina bull Scirocco a number of years ago. Amadeo lives on a beautiful farm a kilometre or so south of the market, close to the recently restored Church of Sant'Adamo. Besides raising cows, sheep and goats, he also has extensive olive groves around his farm. The Galena and Sant'Adamo brand olive oil for sale at the G.S. Market is his. We have tried both in past years and they are wonderful oils. This year so far we have had a couple of bottles of the Galena, and it is spectacular. Besides these two oils from Cantalupo, the G.S. Market also sells an oil from Casperia labelled "Casperia". How simple is that? All of these oils are available in a number of sizes, from 750ml bottles to three litre tins.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Azienda Agricola Biologica Settimi Dante</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Vocabolo Fonte Taverna 57/B</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02040 Cantalupo in Sabina (RI)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Tel: 347 456 5660</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> E-mail: <a href="mailto:dantesettimik@gmail.com">dantesettimik@gmail.com</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have ever had the pleasure of staying in Casperia's signature B&B, <a href="http://www.latorrettabandb.com/">La Torreta</a>, you will most likely have tasted this delicious oil. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dante Settimi, the producer, is the owner's son-in-law. Dante's delicious oil is used in the meals served at this historic B&B and is also used in their very popular cooking classes. Dante's oliveto is located just west of Casperia in neighbouring Cantalupo and is certified organic. His oil is a full flavoured blend made from mostly the Carboncella cultivar with some Leccino and Frantoio as well. Dante also grows organic produce. Here is a little </span><a href="https://vimeo.com/78925315" style="font-size: x-large;">vimeo video</a><span style="font-size: large;"> to give you an idea of what his property looks like.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8SVRIiQHCqt3ZovLKlwb3NCtPITBUiN7rBoM-Bb9dQjLPADrb3nJQRi08oOOcINVO7FNqs7V85WvmH6fMALpYHoO5BNU9lp8m0mjc9uv3gKYIxyRCWrvoMkLKCHuD_MYA9EABY0_fs1W/s1600/Dante%2527s+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8SVRIiQHCqt3ZovLKlwb3NCtPITBUiN7rBoM-Bb9dQjLPADrb3nJQRi08oOOcINVO7FNqs7V85WvmH6fMALpYHoO5BNU9lp8m0mjc9uv3gKYIxyRCWrvoMkLKCHuD_MYA9EABY0_fs1W/s640/Dante%2527s+oil.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">At Farfa:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b> Olio Mei</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> via di Porta Montopoli, 31</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02032 Fara in Sabina (RI)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Tel: 0765 277156</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Web: <a href="http://www.oliomei.it/">www.oliomei.it</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> E-mail: <a href="mailto:info@oliomei.com">info@oliomei.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This Sabine olive oil touts itself as the only olive oil from Farfa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If Fabrizio says so, it must be true. Beyond the history and the caché though, I can assure you that Fabrizio Mei's oil is delicious. It has all the wonderful freshness, fruit, tickley pepper and pleasant bitterness typical of the better oils of the region. If you are visiting the Imperial Abbey of Farfa and are looking for a delicious souvenir of your visit, a bottle or tin of Olio Mei is a perfect solution. Remember to swing by in cherry season for some truly spectacular cherries! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In Montebuono:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Frantoio Oleario Minicucci Cairo SRL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 1, Via Sargnano, 2 </span></span><br />
<ol data-ved="0ahUKEwiRxqOK3O_JAhWBORQKHQcODXwQ_xcIag" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="mod" data-md="1002" data-ved="0ahUKEwiRxqOK3O_JAhWBORQKHQcODXwQkCkIeSgEMA4" style="clear: none; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">
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<div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwiRxqOK3O_JAhWBORQKHQcODXwQghwIeigAMA4" style="margin-top: 7px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> 02040 Montebuono (RI)<br /> Tel:0765 607059<br /> Fax: 0765-609021</span></div>
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</ol>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Web: <a href="http://www.frantoiominicucci.com.spazioweb.it/">http://www.frantoiominicucci.com.spazioweb.it/</a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I wrote about this frantoio in <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2015/11/harvesting-sabinas-olive-oil.html">my previous post</a>. It was one of two modern, very clean and busy operations we visited during our very informative and memorable motorcycle olive oil and culture tour hosted by the Pro Loco of Montebuono and the Sabinacci Motorcycle Club in November of 2015. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was here that we ended our tour with a BBQ lunch and bought two litre tins of the golden green fragrant oil produced at this mill. Olive growers come from as far away as Casperia and possibly farther to mill their olives here. It is one of a select number of olive mills licensed to mill organic olive oil. Our friends Sara and Paolo take their organic olives to be milled here. If you are planning a tour of the Montebuono area and have made arrangements with the Comune to have a tour of the historic San Pietro ad Muricentum Church with its breathtaking frescoes, this frantoio is a hop, skip and a jump further along the road leading to the church from the town centre.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Olio Sapora</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Azienda Agricola D. Di Mario</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Via S. Andrea, 7</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02040 Montebuono (RI)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Tel: </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">0765-607663</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> E-mail: <a href="mailto:oliosapora@libero.it">oliosapora@libero.it</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Web: <a href="http://www.oliosapora.com/">http://www.oliosapora.com/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I wrote about this modern, clean, and very busy frantoio in my earlier post as well. It was the first olive mill we visited during our memorable "<b>Andar per Olio e per Cultura in Motocicletta</b>" motorcycle tour of the area around Montebuono and Cottanello. It was here that we enjoyed our first taste of this year's freshly pressed olive oil on a piping hot bruschetta. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This frantoio sells their own certified organic extra virgin olive oil in three size options: bottles of 500 and 750ml and in five litre tins. The oil is uniquely fruity and comes from a blend of four cultivars: Moraiolo, Leccino, Frantoio and the local favourite, Carboncella, which adds a pleasant light bitter element to the oil. Remember, if you are looking for not only a delicious but a healthy extra virgin olive oil, that it is this bitter, almost peppery flavour of the high polyphenol content that you should be looking for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In Poggio Mirteto:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>E Non Solo Carne</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> via Giacomo Matteotti, 23</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02047 Poggio Mirteto (RI)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Tel: 0765 22197</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The name of this very highly regarded butcher shop situated one floor above Poggio Mirteto's popular La Chianina Restaurant means, "And Not Only Meat", and it's true. This remarkable little store is a dream for the <i>buon gustaio</i>. First of all, yes! Their meat is truly excellent, from their fresh beef, veal, pork, and lamb to their sausages and cured meats. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Recently we were treated to one of their specialties. This is a beautiful herb and olive oil dressed pork loin wrapped in a long bread loaf, most likely a baguette, then wrapped in pancetta, and tied up in string. You roast it on a baking pan covered in parchment paper at 180 C for 60 minutes turning it over after 30 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so before slicing and serving. Mamma mia! My mouth is watering just writing this. This store also sells all sorts of artisanal pasta, polenta, jams, marmalades, compotes, lentils, farro, cheeses, as well as an amazing sourdough bread produced from a 90 year-old starter!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">They also sell though delicious Sabina D.O.P. Olive Oil produced by the Sabina D.O.P. Consortium in tins of various sizes as well as some bottled Sabine olive oil from select individual producers. There are so many amazing things in this store make sure you have enough cash on you or your credit card handy as you will walk out with more than you intended when you went in. Here is a link to their</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Enon-solo-carne-452723684782885/" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Facebook Page</a>.<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Ecofattorie Sabine</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> Via Ternana, 2<br /> 02047 Poggio Mirteto (RI)<br /> Tel: 0765.26016<br /> E-mail: <a href="mailto:info@ecofattorie.it">info@ecofattorie.it</a> <br /> Web: <a href="http://www.ecofattorie.it/index.html">http://www.ecofattorie.it/index.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the other end of Poggio Mirteto, more to the west and closer to the Tiber River and the Poggio Mirteto Scalo railway station, you will find another gourmet's paradise, Ecofattorie Sabine cooperative. We have been going to Ecofattorie Sabine for 10 years now. They have excellent local cheeses--the first time I tried their ricotta al forno I thought I had died and gone to heaven--salumi, local organic meat, pasta, and the best rye bread you will sink a tooth into this side of the Tiber. They also sell honey, marmalades, jams and wine. We recently visited their newly expanded operations and were very impressed with what we saw, tasted and bought. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ecofattorie Sabine offers </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">two different extra-virgin olive oils: "Capofarfa", which is fruity, sweet, traditionally pressed in the ancient family mill, and "Podere Moricelli", which is medium fruity, from handpicked organic olives, traditionally milled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In Torri in Sabina:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Colle Magrini</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Vocabolo Carpinete, 30/B</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> 02049 Torri in Sabina (RI)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Tel: 076562381</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Web: <a href="http://www.collemagrini.it/">www.collemagrini.it</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">E-mail: <a href="mailto:info@collemagrini.it">info@collemagrini.it</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This producer in Torri makes oil of extremely high quality pressed in a modern clean mill. Their oil is a blend of three types of olives: Frantoio, Leccino and Carboncella and comes highly recommended by our friend and internationally renowned olive oil expert, <a href="http://www.johnnymadge.com/viewpage.php?page_id=1">Johnny Madge</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">In Vescovio/Tarano:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Fattorie San Biagio di Marcheggiani Marco</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> via Palica Tiburzi, snc</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 02047 San Polo di Tarano (RI)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> (Available at <a href="http://www.loasidivescovio.it/web/">L'Oasi Restaurant</a> in Vescovio) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This amazing oil has a <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2014/06/sabina-travelogue-2013-part-5-rocchette.html">funny story</a> behind it. Some years back we discovered the amazing restaurant called <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g2244783-d2328706-Reviews-Ristorante_L_Oasi_di_Vescovio-Torri_in_Sabina_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">L'Oasi</a> situated beside the beautiful romanesque former cathedral church of Sabina at Santa Maria in Vescovio in Torri in Sabina. It was a beautiful warm March day in 2012. We were in awe of the beauty of our natural surroundings and were very hungry. I remember sitting outside in the beautiful courtyard beside the church and enjoying an amazing meal of trofie con salsa di noci which was a Ligurian twisted short pasta with walnut pesto (white, not green) followed by a dish of perfectly grilled sea bream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It had to be one of the best meals of my life. The following year when we visited Sabina again we wanted to repeat this experience. This second time we visited, it was cooler outside so we opted to dine inside. There was a welcoming fire burning in the fire place. As we were going over the menu, a man, we found out later he was the proprietor, Marco, came by with our wine, water and a plate for freshly toasted bruschette. We were so focussed on deciding what to order</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">—</i><i style="font-size: x-large;">Should I risk something new, or do I order the delicious trofie again?—</i><span style="font-size: large;">that we did not eat the bruschette right away. All of a sudden Marco comes by and whisks away our uneaten bruschette replacing them with some fresh from the fireplace. "These should be eaten while they are still warm!" he reprimanded us in Italian then walked away. Richard and I looked at each other, astonished, then burst out laughing. Of course, Marco was right. The oil on the beautifully toasted and salted bread was his own, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Fattorie San Biagio</span><span style="font-size: large;"> and it was delicious. Later we went over to talk to Marco and I explained why we had committed the unforgivable error. I explained that I we were huge fans of his restaurant and that I had written a <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-9-march-28-torri.html">blog post</a> about our experience. That seemed to mollify him. As we were standing talking, we noted a display of his olive oil and bought some bottles to take back to Canada. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Every time we shared some of his precious oil on freshly toasted bruschette with friends in Vancouver we would tell the story, laugh, and order them to eat the bruschette while they hot!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_6YAWo_SASn-b009y6reM2A35POqkQ6UtrVJZW58AOKXnDp7pB1i4K3ZkiysQBfPSy5JSMHF3-_04SEGy6MdIY1eePWoXWopo_QMaJfXReyt5qlL0HdmoSHxgg7ty1zncTynMYRXpYDt/s1600/SAM_3674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_6YAWo_SASn-b009y6reM2A35POqkQ6UtrVJZW58AOKXnDp7pB1i4K3ZkiysQBfPSy5JSMHF3-_04SEGy6MdIY1eePWoXWopo_QMaJfXReyt5qlL0HdmoSHxgg7ty1zncTynMYRXpYDt/s640/SAM_3674.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marco stands proudly beside his beautiful oil. Eat his bruschette while they are hot!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are a number of other producers which should be featured and will be soon. In the meantime, I would like to announce that the English language version of my friend Giuseppe Bizzaro's book on the history of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and its connection to Sabina's olive oil is now printed and will be for sale in a number of places including Osteria Vigna and La Torretta B&B in Casperia. I will add other information as it becomes available. Be on the lookout for this title: <b>Sabine Divine Nectar: The Hidden History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and the World's First Oil Crisis</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Italian language version, which is named <b>Delizia Sabina, Maledizione Romana: Il Ruolo Nascosto dell'Olio d'Olive Sabina nel Destino dell'Impero Romano</b> is available in a number of places in Sabina including <b>E Non Solo Carne</b> at Poggio Mirteto.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFQskGvQjWHlhguc0a_BLTlm7jyl4NJPA2h0j8y9kaJzEMBReXJXlBHO-mDtg8OOVdd0LyafWuxi6ywNCPTGz2ljJwJxKJk6noE-UW8Y3LKA7Taw_nrg1Kqi33vD7qquet-aVCd21yCI1/s1600/SAM_3181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFQskGvQjWHlhguc0a_BLTlm7jyl4NJPA2h0j8y9kaJzEMBReXJXlBHO-mDtg8OOVdd0LyafWuxi6ywNCPTGz2ljJwJxKJk6noE-UW8Y3LKA7Taw_nrg1Kqi33vD7qquet-aVCd21yCI1/s320/SAM_3181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For those of you wishing to explore further the wonderful world of Sabine olive oil, there are a number of options including Johnny Madge's highly rated </span><a href="http://www.johnnymadge.com/viewpage.php?page_id=3" style="font-size: x-large;">Olive Oil Tours</a><span style="font-size: large;">, as well as the recently reopened </span><a href="http://www.culturalazio.it/musei/castelnuovoDiFarfa/" style="font-size: x-large;">Sabine Olive Oil Museum</a><span style="font-size: large;"> at Castelnuovo di Farfa. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An antique olive press</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I recently had the opportunity to visit the museum after a special reopening ceremony a few weeks back and I was very impressed with the antique olive presses and other related paraphernalia. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are some interesting art and musical exhibits as well. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This exhibit concerns music created by the sound of dropping olive oil</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWI3OOkfspKFyaQCCVdVCJp5EbjR7nPsbofqaR17k2WGoQtUqOn6fsqEZ9jadUalxSC9qAdGf3_2tSK1wRMAB0ZpVmr-ozqdEsMpf6z0MWHaX5K_vY0tqXBgEkaX5l013wmX1hR4VbN1X/s1600/SAM_2895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWI3OOkfspKFyaQCCVdVCJp5EbjR7nPsbofqaR17k2WGoQtUqOn6fsqEZ9jadUalxSC9qAdGf3_2tSK1wRMAB0ZpVmr-ozqdEsMpf6z0MWHaX5K_vY0tqXBgEkaX5l013wmX1hR4VbN1X/s400/SAM_2895.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This revolving olive tree actually creates an eerie type of music</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So far the museum is only open on weekends and other days by special appointment. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This olive crushing stone wheel was once powered by mules or donkeys who were much stronger than the average Canadian</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you were planning to visit the museum, a good idea would be to combine it with a visit to Farfa Abbey. Nearby Castlenuovo di Farfa is the ancient church of <a href="http://www.salutepiu.info/la-chiesa-di-san-donato-castelnuovo-di-farfa-ri/">San Donato</a> built on the site of an old fortress. The ancient Roman spoglia incorporated into the church's walls are interesting. </span><br />
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-53864954436262747652015-11-25T04:24:00.003-08:002015-11-25T15:20:04.058-08:00Sabina's Olive Oil Harvest and how it relates to Motorcycles, and The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">It has been a little more than a year since we made our move to Italy. We have experienced the colours, different shades of light, the wild range of temperatures and weather, and an amazing array of food festivals through all of Sabina’s four seasons. Last winter we experienced the culinary and community joys of our first Casperia Christmas. We even made our own home-made Nativity Scene complete with a macaroni roofed stable. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluing the pasta "tiles" on the cardboard roof</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished roof after a paint job and some moss added</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished project. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have foraged for and cooked with asparagi selvatici (wild asparagus), </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHEms0X3lVNjduglYb4OAyxiFs09R6Jp1vJlErLxJ2gAVnh8NYHbmiT-YF0ZvX914l5oXv9Q-fwF-Q9EfrwoaYRp68yQKXCgAYc4-fXXWUBZb9TRzUL1dbOfCYjv3nPI23jXWaD8pEZrt/s1600/asparagi+selvatici.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHEms0X3lVNjduglYb4OAyxiFs09R6Jp1vJlErLxJ2gAVnh8NYHbmiT-YF0ZvX914l5oXv9Q-fwF-Q9EfrwoaYRp68yQKXCgAYc4-fXXWUBZb9TRzUL1dbOfCYjv3nPI23jXWaD8pEZrt/s320/asparagi+selvatici.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of a wild asparagus frittata!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">...ortica (stinging nettle), and lupoli—known in the local dialect as vitapia (wild hop tips) in Spring. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBRWo3Bh2Skm73BI-orpz5l0PW-sXmjI0fkKdi11gneO4Wn2ugiJSlwnXcsf9JHg_wnfXDQFDAcn_Ypa1WY-o0hyphenhyphenFb6hrugSW5RuBqwJafNmJS44yrxsykeXOus0zxFtiJyOEVG091Hke/s1600/lupoli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBRWo3Bh2Skm73BI-orpz5l0PW-sXmjI0fkKdi11gneO4Wn2ugiJSlwnXcsf9JHg_wnfXDQFDAcn_Ypa1WY-o0hyphenhyphenFb6hrugSW5RuBqwJafNmJS44yrxsykeXOus0zxFtiJyOEVG091Hke/s320/lupoli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bowl full of vitapia. These can be used like wild asparagus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have survived the hottest Summer temperatures—a humid40+ degrees—I have ever experienced in my life by exploring and frolicking in the tree shaded, cool, refreshing waters of Sabina’s spectacular Farfa River Gorge. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaS6WGCJUjZDljBl03BlXIu71qtaNNXyqsp71MDS9uAYazpVDsf2ee7B7vD2Jb0eEOxa3LWvOe1uy11E0zG9ZX66zWQFMfGiGiIPMaSx0lyzZyTQf6FS60z8vPUD5QE42BVuRCocqEqfL/s1600/gola+di+farfa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaS6WGCJUjZDljBl03BlXIu71qtaNNXyqsp71MDS9uAYazpVDsf2ee7B7vD2Jb0eEOxa3LWvOe1uy11E0zG9ZX66zWQFMfGiGiIPMaSx0lyzZyTQf6FS60z8vPUD5QE42BVuRCocqEqfL/s400/gola+di+farfa.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 degrees? What 40 degrees?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This Autumn, we had an amazing hands on experience helping our friend Pino with his olive harvest. We gathered olives from trees that we can see in the valley below our window.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYrXOSEKUqV9OkT6Ydp62RmzLND_NFJtidNToZDuDR_yREg_LHNH_np4r-T6Pl2HBhNKSygDtaomGOF861_yZ_ufWtF_CWPfdxLeFpItZmnU9qAAzY1WdKu2KC9BCKtP0CH7tKgVLiaIF/s1600/SAM_2178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYrXOSEKUqV9OkT6Ydp62RmzLND_NFJtidNToZDuDR_yREg_LHNH_np4r-T6Pl2HBhNKSygDtaomGOF861_yZ_ufWtF_CWPfdxLeFpItZmnU9qAAzY1WdKu2KC9BCKtP0CH7tKgVLiaIF/s640/SAM_2178.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pino's olives with Casperia in the background </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was a first for us, and would have been an unforgettable experience in and of itself, except this was made all the more precious when Pino turned up at our door and handed us a litre tin of emerald green peppery Sabine oil that came from the olives we picked! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I find it very hard to put in words the feelings these experiences evoked in us. First of all, we were participating in a harvest that goes back about 2700 years here in Italy. The ancient Phoenicians and Greeks spread olive cultivation and different olive varietals throughout their colonies in Sicily, Sardegna and mainland Italy. </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Traces of olive oil were found inside a ceramic flask—now in the Boston Museum</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">—found in Poggio Sommavilla, a Sabine settlement site a 30 minute drive west-southwest of Casperia</span><span style="font-size: large;">. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAepSG2MwA7rPbxcH-D783LqlGhLeV1Cm74gLYIaheFPZZofMTq-QiW6LtFD6zt7WCTxVicUjr74vT2hli-1EvJn1Ht_13h-WidC9If73zsAahWhriS_Qts3O3z_KWSzgYmCl0rXfItN7/s1600/Flask+Poggio+Sommavilla.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAepSG2MwA7rPbxcH-D783LqlGhLeV1Cm74gLYIaheFPZZofMTq-QiW6LtFD6zt7WCTxVicUjr74vT2hli-1EvJn1Ht_13h-WidC9If73zsAahWhriS_Qts3O3z_KWSzgYmCl0rXfItN7/s400/Flask+Poggio+Sommavilla.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Flask of Poggio Sommavilla</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The flask, which is inscribed with Sabine writing has been carbon dated to the 7th century BCE so at least olive oil appreciation, and likely olive oil production, goes back that far here in Sabina. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However last year, 2014, was a disaster for olives and olive oil production here in Central Italy. This was brought on by a perfect storm of strange weather patterns. A freezing cold spring interfered with proper pollination. This was followed by a scalding summer that caused much of the fruit to drop. What olives survived these conditions were first battered by hail storms in autumn and any that remained suffered an unusually strong attack by the olive fly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A friend of ours here in Casperia, <a href="http://www.johnnymadge.com/viewpage.php?page_id=3">Johnny Madge</a>, is an olive oil expert who offers exceedingly popular Olive Oil Tours in Sabina. At the time of this writing, <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d1592525-Reviews-Johnny_Madge_Olive_Oil_Tour-Rome_Lazio.html">TripAdvisor</a> rates his Olive Oil Tours #17 of 160 Food and Drink activities in the Rome area. Johnny has a very acute sense of smell and palate. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv7gIJE0lmP9JJ1OPwfIQEBZ04PIjSmPaVX7HxV_yJ8ZAEl2oYOsE0RwmfhyyhAEEVSwCI3M5Xz5_uIPSad8T4wuFJKmqlSUM9X1rBIHJTFaAi4Mciz8_lr8nnHJ4lsLaum5zuXLP55EZ/s1600/johnny+madge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv7gIJE0lmP9JJ1OPwfIQEBZ04PIjSmPaVX7HxV_yJ8ZAEl2oYOsE0RwmfhyyhAEEVSwCI3M5Xz5_uIPSad8T4wuFJKmqlSUM9X1rBIHJTFaAi4Mciz8_lr8nnHJ4lsLaum5zuXLP55EZ/s320/johnny+madge.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">He is the only Englishman to participate on a tasting panel for Slow Food's Extravergini Olive Oil Guide. According to Johnny, even oils made from early harvest olives from award winning producers in higher altitudes—usually untouched by the olive fly—had problems in 2014. Imagine having a palate so acute that you could identify the flavour of fly worm in expensive oil! Luckily, most of us are not so gifted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So as the summer of 2015 progressed we watched the weather and the olive trees around us with some anxiety, wondering if last year's pattern would repeat itself. I remember checking the branches of the olive trees we would pass by on our daily walks in the country looking for evidence of pollination, then small fruit. Each stage of the process seemed like a miracle. Every so often we would ask people we knew who had olives how things were going, and people would answer philosophically, "<i>Quest'anno ci sono olive... Speriamo bene</i>." This year there are olives. Let's hope for the best.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYuFTfFg8NPApy5JaSrv1kolKIm-kf1q57mqxsJWJXlSiqOcuP4cdNEQapHhLWFl4mVfrleTQRPsOzFAD2nlzrt-KEViYAtd7Hep3TMn4cQ4OERqvZi7QN46uDmD4jzi9LSdikk6akRYc/s1600/olives1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYuFTfFg8NPApy5JaSrv1kolKIm-kf1q57mqxsJWJXlSiqOcuP4cdNEQapHhLWFl4mVfrleTQRPsOzFAD2nlzrt-KEViYAtd7Hep3TMn4cQ4OERqvZi7QN46uDmD4jzi9LSdikk6akRYc/s400/olives1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As autumn progressed we could see the olives on the branches begin to change colour as they matured. Some turned almost a reddish colour. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN_ZmLU7BrB6V-8vudIft55Jap8RAiQWM-J5ME1qF7lSQlQCItmVYesnXQ_oWOXMZ0u2B_zqdzcx_gR1FAAtQ4FQAEjx1_Er61LRiz5TDlCA3n3WDwtSYaS_O4Oga_CfHrIXsYUaS_-FY/s1600/red+olives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN_ZmLU7BrB6V-8vudIft55Jap8RAiQWM-J5ME1qF7lSQlQCItmVYesnXQ_oWOXMZ0u2B_zqdzcx_gR1FAAtQ4FQAEjx1_Er61LRiz5TDlCA3n3WDwtSYaS_O4Oga_CfHrIXsYUaS_-FY/s400/red+olives.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Others turned purply black. There are at least nine varieties of olives grown in Sabina that can be used in the Sabina D.O.P designated olive oil. These are Carboncella, Leccino, Raja, Frantoio, Olivastrone, Moraiolo, Olivago, Salviana and Rosciola. Each one of these olives produces a different tasting oil. Some varieties have a more fruity or grassy flavour, while others are more bitter or peppery. Most olive growers here in Sabina have a number of different varieties of olives in their orchards so from farm to farm, each producer with have a unique tasting blend depending what olives the grower has.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I recently bought an interesting book on olive growing called Coltivare l'Olivo by Pierluigi Villa. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8kAbakneAKmNXRH-TWQoKPAkU-C5Po9MW_0KoK86IYwf8-vELN_9pr1zos8oCpaCSNyOgWe088sZ68PcvNI9PatBAH1GbGyfkrmXy0kEgIvRds36ElogzNu7gy15MtdtcEy31dxTCaD9/s1600/Coltivare+L%2527Olive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8kAbakneAKmNXRH-TWQoKPAkU-C5Po9MW_0KoK86IYwf8-vELN_9pr1zos8oCpaCSNyOgWe088sZ68PcvNI9PatBAH1GbGyfkrmXy0kEgIvRds36ElogzNu7gy15MtdtcEy31dxTCaD9/s640/Coltivare+L%2527Olive.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One thing I learned reading this very interesting book is that certain olive cultivars have to be cross pollinated by pollen from other varieties. For instance, if you were to plant a new field of olives here in central Italy where there is a tendency for the wind to blow from north to south, especially in the pollinating season, that from a mix of local varietals that you would plant a line or two of Moraiolo olive trees on the north end as they are self compatible, that is, they don't require pollen from other trees. The Pendolino olive cultivar is often planted among a mix of other olives as it not only produces good olives for oil but also produces a lot of pollen that will help neighbouring trees produce a good crop of olives. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifl5QjOl7t0TZU49yJd6pVR3IwsbHtzZ-3KzEctMlJ0Bjyc0sInw9003FqGfbGEZuLl9g9A1C-PA2HZzHK9ASsBsj39D7vlFNjY7YFmF2PDbNh7s5R47Ki2vVQAtDMyIRHu_Slsh3A_i27/s1600/10155048_10152100390424503_3116905930629869892_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifl5QjOl7t0TZU49yJd6pVR3IwsbHtzZ-3KzEctMlJ0Bjyc0sInw9003FqGfbGEZuLl9g9A1C-PA2HZzHK9ASsBsj39D7vlFNjY7YFmF2PDbNh7s5R47Ki2vVQAtDMyIRHu_Slsh3A_i27/s320/10155048_10152100390424503_3116905930629869892_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four different shaped leaves from four Umbrian cultivars</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many of the people here can recognise which variety of olive it is from the form of the tree, even the shape and colour of the leaves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were once given a demonstration of this by a friend who makes olive oil in Orvieto but I can't remember how to tell what from what. In Umbria, the four varieties they were using were Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino and I think Monaco.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The weekend before we actually got to help pick olives with our friend Pino, we had actually been invited to come help pick at our friend Giuseppe's property which is located 22 minutes drive south of us in the frazione, or sub-village, of San Valentino in the town of Poggio Mirteto. Sadly, a combination of circumstances, including a very late night return from the October 31st annual Stregate della Torre festival in the village of Catino the evening before we were to pick, prevented us from helping with Giuseppe's harvest. Hopefully next year. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I bring up Giuseppe because he is a historian and a writer. He is currently working on a comprehensive tourism guide for Sabina which I can't wait to see published and read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is really exciting though is that Giuseppe has just published an amazing book that links Sabine olive oil with many of the key events associated with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. It is a tongue in cheek history, very much in the spirit of a British book called <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1066_and_All_That">1066 And All That</a></b>, which was an all time favourite of mine. Giuseppe wrote the book in Italian first and then rewrote the book in English. Giuseppe, whose family hails from Poggio Mirteto was actually born and raised in Malawi in Africa. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZKAerl4crSIAhHEVt-orsJeZtEEUsFwljUrv2h078lxHJIJmfZiNTM4w_CvBzUBDt66ge_GA1oVUxO46byl4EUpiJsY4-jqe5H333xIb_RvDT_t0Kg2-fODL-5JwRLo-qurk8brPCO_3/s1600/Italian+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZKAerl4crSIAhHEVt-orsJeZtEEUsFwljUrv2h078lxHJIJmfZiNTM4w_CvBzUBDt66ge_GA1oVUxO46byl4EUpiJsY4-jqe5H333xIb_RvDT_t0Kg2-fODL-5JwRLo-qurk8brPCO_3/s640/Italian+cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had a lot of fun first reading the Italian version, then going through Giuseppe's final English draft helping him tweak it here and there, and to come up with the English language title: <b>Sabine Divine Nectar - the Hidden History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and the World's first Oil Crisis</b>. I also was very honoured to be asked to write the introduction to the English version of the book which follows below:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Thousands of years ago the ancient Roman’s ruled an empire that spanned three continents that entirely engulfed the sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean, to the point that Rome referred to it smugly as Mare Nostrum, “Our Sea”. Over 1500 years after the collapse of the Western Empire, Rome’s imperial shadow still looms large in our modern imagination. We stand in awe of Rome’s architectural, engineering and other technological achievements, not to mention ancient Rome’s artistic, intellectual, literary and legal legacy. Any way you look at it, Rome’s influence on Western culture is immeasurable, and like the City of the Seven Hills itself, eternal.</span></i><br />
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span> So you may wonder, why Rome? Why of all the towns and cultures that once flourished on the Italian peninsula did Rome come to dominate? What motivated and sustained her people and their leaders? What inspired them to fight, conquer and eventually rule their immense intercontinental empire? And then why, after being so brilliantly successful for so many centuries, did Rome falter and eventually fail? Read this book and find out the shocking truth. It was all about oil. </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span> Oil you say? Yes oil. But this oil that fuelled the mighty Roman state with her conquering legions that campaigned to the ends of the known world was no ordinary oil, but olive oil. More specifically, it was olive oil pressed from the mythic fruit harvested from the silver green olive groves in the happy arcadian paradise known as Sabina.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span> Sabina, you ask? Yes, you have probably never heard about Sabina. Located in the hills to the northeast of the Eternal City it still is Rome’s most carefully guarded secret, and it is all because of her precious oil, Sabina’s divine nectar—ancient Rome and modern Italy’s supreme and sublime condiment. </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span> There is nothing quite like it. Sad but true,<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>it can only be produced in one place in the world, and on this bitter fact hangs the entire story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Why did Rome’s long march to world conquest begin with the conquest of Sabina, and what was the reason behind Rome’s frenzy for territorial expansion? How did the hero Horatius keep at bay an entire Etruscan army at the Sublician Bridge? Why were the Carthaginians so desperate to conquer Rome? What was the real reason behind Rome’s obsession with bloody gladiatorial games, and what is the sinister secret behind the assassination of Julius Caesar? </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span> Read this book and all will be revealed. A precious green gold liquid link connects every major character and event in ancient Roman history. Edward Gibbon and every eminent ancient Roman scholar before and since got the history all wrong. Or did they? Wait, maybe they too were guardians of a secret! </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;">James C. Johnstone</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Sabina: A Stunning Land - My Secret Italy</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Giuseppe's book will be available for sale in the next few days, right in time for Christmas! The cost, as far as I know, will be 12 Euros. It is a great little read and would make a wonderful souvenir gift for any visitor to Sabina and would be a perfect companion to any olive oil event or tour you might take here.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">So with all the anxiety and anticipation of the 2015 olive harvest, combined with my reading Giuseppe's new book, and the fact that we had missed an opportunity to pick olives with Giuseppe's family in Poggio Mirteto, we were thrilled to find out that a friend of ours, Pino, was picking olives in the valley below Casperia on a piece of property in full view of our west-facing apartment window.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casperia, framed by olive trees in the valley below</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">We set out with our friends, Helen and Ritchie, in search of Pino in the valley below. We headed down using a rocky trail that connects Casperia's parking lot to the valley below. It is a route we like to take on a lot of our walks, especially in Spring, when there are lots of opportunity to forage for wild asparagus, wild hop tips, stinging nettles, mentuccia, and other wild herbs. During the summer, it was one of our favourite places to visit in the dark of night in search of fireflies, called lucciole in Italian.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen, Ritchie and Richard with his bag for sticks we would gather on the way home to use as kindling. Winter is coming!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got down to the bottom of the valley but when we got there it was unclear which way we should turn to find the olive grove where Pino was working. It seemed so clear from our apartment window, but once we got to the valley floor we lost sight of all the landmarks we could see from above.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We went across one field where we could see people harvesting but it was not Pino, but Massimo Petrucci, the owner of our local Conad Grocery Store, his brother and their families harvesting their own olives. Pino! Where are you? We called him on his cell, but even then it was a bit difficult to find him. But find him we did. He had been working for more than an hour and had already filled a number of plastic boxes with beautiful green, purple and black olives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is probably fair to say that Pino Pirelli is one of the hardest working men in Casperia. Besides being our volunteer dance teacher (more on that later in another post later), by merit of his owning one of the few tractor vehicles that can negotiate the stone stairs inside the castle walls Pino not only works three mornings a week helping collect Casperia's garbage and recycling, but when you need to move furniture, transport a large purchase of groceries, move building materials, buy a load of firewood for your cantina or haul away junk, Pino is one of a few people you can go to, so he's a very busy guy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pino comes from Montenero Sabino, a hill town to the south of us across the Via Salaria. His family has olive orchards still in Montenero and his brother looks after harvesting those. The olives that Pino harvests here in Casperia are not actually his own but are owned by our butcher Armando Sileri. Armando is too busy with his Macelleria to be able to harvest his own olives so he has worked out a deal whereby Pino harvests his olives, hauls them to the frantoio (oil press) for crushing and gets a share of the resulting oil. Win/win! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pino explains the harvesting technique and gets Richard, Helen and Ritchie to help remove large twigs from the <i>tela</i> or net.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pino explained to us how the harvesting techniques have changed in his lifetime. When Pino was a youngster, the olive harvest was all done by hand. The people gathering the olives would have a large wicker basket strapped to their chest and pull the olives from the branches, often while standing on ladders, and drop them into their baskets. Nowadays the olive harvest starts earlier than traditionally. This is largely due to an effort to avoid the olive fly getting to the ripe fruit. When Pino was a school boy, Christmas holidays were not so much holidays but time for the young folk of the village to spend all their time helping their parents with the harvest. As the harvest was done with bare hands, the winter cold made the work sometimes painful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later, a sort of hand rake was invented that speed up the process and allowed people working in the cold to wear gloves if they wanted. Nowadays small landholders use an extendable mechanical rake called an <i>asta</i>. Instead of using wicker baskets, where possible, nets called <i>tela</i> are spread around the tree being harvested and the <i>asta</i> makes the olives drop into the net which is then gathered up much like a fish net to facilitate the dumping of the olives into the 25kilo size plastic boxes. Of course larger estates that have land that allows it sometimes use larger mechanical harvesters but as far as I know they are not used here in Sabina. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before the olives are dumped into the boxes large twigs and any other extraneous objects that have fallen with the olives are picked through and discarded. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the adjoining olive orchard to the north, the Petrucci family were hard at work at their harvest. Richard and I took a moment to take a short break to go over and say hello. The ground was littered with olive filled plastic boxes. On our way toward where we could see Massimo using his mechanical rake to drop this olives into the tela, we heard someone calling our names off to the right. We looked up the slope and there we saw Massimo and Irene's daughter Valeria enjoying a rest with her cousin Daniele. Daniele is a regular with his brother Federico and their mother at our dance lessons and Valeria comes every now and again too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We said hello, talked for a bit, and then went over to see the adults hard at work among the trees. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massimo demonstrates how the mechanical rake moves as his brother looks on... </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The mechanical rake called the </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">asta</i><span style="font-size: large;"> if powered by electricity which is generated from the harvester's car or tractor battery therefore it is a bit noisy when you use an </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">asta</i><span style="font-size: large;"> but it sure speeds up the work. In year's past, when we visited Casperia, we would often ask Massimo if we could purchase some of his local oil. Conad is a national chain and sadly only national brands are usually sold there, but we wanted the good stuff. Massimo's oil is dark green, powerful, peppery... beautiful on a bruschetta, a salad, or on fresh grilled meat. It was great to finally see where that oil which we have enjoyed over the years has its origins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Everyone was busy at work, except for Daniele and Valeria, so we said our <i>ciao</i>s and headed back to where Pino, Helen and Ritchie were hard at work. Richard asked if he could try out the <i>asta</i>. You have to be careful when you do this work and remember to look down when you move your feet across the <i>tela</i> otherwise you will step on and damage the olives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a few minutes of Richard raking through the branches Pino looked at Richard with a big smile took back the <i>asta</i> and teased him saying, "Richard, you are a great dancer, but out here, you need a little practice." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Richard laughed and handed Pino back the rake. He and I hand picked olives while Helen and Ritchie did quality control making sure no twigs went into the plastic boxes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every so often we would help Pino move the <i>tele</i> to a new tree where the process would start all over again. Sometimes, when the tree being harvested was on a steeper slope we would help hold the nets so that the dropping olives would not roll outside the net.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am not sure exactly how long we spent helping in the harvest but at some point in the early afternoon Pino said it was time for him to quit for the day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Richard and I asked Pino if he was going to pick more olives the next day. He said he was, so we said we'd be happy to come again and help in the morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning we had no trouble finding Pino. He was already hard at work filling boxes from the olive filled <i>tele</i>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmptk-UZUriCpY7FNLC9UaG4Wj_nAL1HtJ2hLSTybs3baujE66Z3dHUBIcuaCBbw-_ATEONGHXtCBz7DOWzGNNVN4H45Vm67klMYvYdvO-HVCaWm7_OCPN06JYwUdeF_AKG5mUJ7hN9eNT/s1600/SAM_2160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmptk-UZUriCpY7FNLC9UaG4Wj_nAL1HtJ2hLSTybs3baujE66Z3dHUBIcuaCBbw-_ATEONGHXtCBz7DOWzGNNVN4H45Vm67klMYvYdvO-HVCaWm7_OCPN06JYwUdeF_AKG5mUJ7hN9eNT/s640/SAM_2160.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We helped Pino move the empty <i>tele</i> to the next tree where he started raking the branches in long smooth motions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Armando's trees were in need of a good pruning. Pino explained that it was very important to be careful with the asta as the tines could break if they got caught among the thicker branches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Richard and I took turns holding the net when needed. I did a lot of hand picking inside the tree where the <i>asta</i> could not reach and Richard worked cleaning out the twigs from the olives and helping Pino transfer the olives from the <i>tele</i> to the plastic boxes.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pino rakes olives from the branches with Casperia in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard with his "Here's a big one off the bucket list look"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more box full</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuSiS3GQzQiqh-qy9SfUCE36DLIammmNgjcIXcaFYQYF6CYLtPGjrBqk2Y0g6H0GI7iTnJ2CNDVkFFNwEYpNjlVjWyOurQbhevT_9zJaco5BXgounmT4GglUP7jiXf7lwtSigBHdSK36o/s1600/SAM_2177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuSiS3GQzQiqh-qy9SfUCE36DLIammmNgjcIXcaFYQYF6CYLtPGjrBqk2Y0g6H0GI7iTnJ2CNDVkFFNwEYpNjlVjWyOurQbhevT_9zJaco5BXgounmT4GglUP7jiXf7lwtSigBHdSK36o/s640/SAM_2177.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost ready to go home</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Shortly after noon Pino indicated he was finished. It was time to go home for lunch. Richard and I were ready for a nice leisurely walk back home but Pino said, no, that we should all go home in his tractor. Tractor? We couldn't believe it. It was like being kids again, except with older bones and joints... I wasn't very graceful getting in the back</span><span style="font-size: large;">—</span><span style="font-size: large;">Richard rode up in the front with Pino</span><span style="font-size: large;">—</span><span style="font-size: large;">but it sure was a wonderful ride. I swear I saw a number of people do double takes as they saw us ride into town. What a hoot! It was so fun. </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Pino drove us right up to the Porta Romana where we hopped off and walked up the basalt and limestone cobbled steps back to home. What a day! I can't wait to do this next year.</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">A couple of nights later there was a knock on our door. It was Pino. In his hands he had two litre tins of the olive oil made from the olives we helped harvest, one for us and one for Helen and Ritchie. Thank you Pino. Grazie di cuore! </span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Later that night we toasted bread on the fire and tasted Pino's oil... our oil, for the first time. The colour was an intense green and it had a fresh fruity aroma. I don't know which of the nine Sabina cultivars were included in the blend but the flavour was bold, intense, grassy, with a beautiful bitter pepperiness at the finish. Just how we like it. <i>Assolutamente strepitoso.</i> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghT8NQYEseBz8OlVBiiQukyHWwWGyC_URc3qGbIjBlPa9KVVeksiDMsgi5ViqK70wan2EMXS_kVlUbMF1ISmS0jXMG7rqz8jm8VG7VX615M0Ux08-tpJqvKnen6Jx-28KiDpxUe-6pzfmH/s1600/SAM_1459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghT8NQYEseBz8OlVBiiQukyHWwWGyC_URc3qGbIjBlPa9KVVeksiDMsgi5ViqK70wan2EMXS_kVlUbMF1ISmS0jXMG7rqz8jm8VG7VX615M0Ux08-tpJqvKnen6Jx-28KiDpxUe-6pzfmH/s200/SAM_1459.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnlyv-rO3Nb0sYD0gtT4Yr_6u8FJf-bMejsBzbaw5wrNr88pelZCZGn_TSgWu8RvyXSIGbjgzIDIO_yAYOVmjfryYj7nmnbqZ_YCheeRqtRHY5-i1YtWbdTDAuTTNRYW3rBMFSl1TOmNi/s1600/12182542_10153280767099503_8057336555034482399_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-size: large;">But wait! There is more. Our hands-on harvest experience over, we had one more event related to Sabine Olive Oil on our bucket list. This was a motorcycle tour of Sabina featuring visits to a number of <i>Frantoi</i>, olive oil mills in the nearby town of Montebuono, and some historic sites in the neighbouring hill town of Cottanello.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This tour was organised by our friend Fiorenzo Francioli who works for the town of Montebuono, the Pro Loco of Montebuono, and a local motorcycle club called the Sabinacci. If you have been following this blog you will be familiar with Fiorenzo and his work in Montebuono from </span><a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.it/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-9-march-28-torri.html" style="font-size: x-large;">this blogpost</a><span style="font-size: large;"> that I wrote a number of years back. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiorenzo guiding us on our first tour of Montebuono and Fianello</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vv33zvA4edwwsYcBOZUUJ3m8SGOSP5KMuiMGADkmnE0rh0dxeEu3hvJmx5FQlRA8hREiSsFT078od3aR_q-a717g9pKZnR_skQ1BubAVXvcV-koPk4i0PcIlEN6O9BS1zJ67se4rIK34/s1600/Fiorenzo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vv33zvA4edwwsYcBOZUUJ3m8SGOSP5KMuiMGADkmnE0rh0dxeEu3hvJmx5FQlRA8hREiSsFT078od3aR_q-a717g9pKZnR_skQ1BubAVXvcV-koPk4i0PcIlEN6O9BS1zJ67se4rIK34/s400/Fiorenzo1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiorenzo and I at Fianello some years back</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fiorenzo has been organising this tour for a while. Though neither of us can drive motorcycles, ever since we found out about it, both Richard and I have been intrigued with the idea of going on this tour. We had thought that we would find a way to go last year but the event was cancelled due to the fact that there was no olive oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This year, not only was there olive oil, but the promotional information for the tour indicated that for those not yet cool enough to be able to drive a motorcycle, that coming along by car was okay as well. When we found out this, we called our friends Helen and Ritchie to see if they were interested and they were so on November 9th of this year, bright and early, we took the winding road to Montebuono.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a beautiful sunny day by the time when we arrived.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The plan was for everybody to meet at the small <i>parcheggio</i> outside Montebuono's town walls. There was already a crowd of people in the parking lot when we arrived. We were not sure which way the group would be leaving when we headed out so we parked along the edge in the parking lot, got out and went to the registration table to pay and have breakfast. The entire tour which lasted from 9am to 3pm, and included visits to two olive oil mills, guided tours of two historic sites, breakfast, lunch, and a complimentary little bottle of freshly pressed Sabina DOP olive oil from Montebuono cost only TEN EURO!!! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkRMltIZT7kPMcP-0ckxdYKI8iTbEfuqI9B8HRdItV2QmKysXfaHlyA1mXF9atPYjEZHEfhDudIKEQatMK5KPpULC-hjmKISWKddT-GRldmHOE8xidS5wI2cEan51jAy4wH3MADctkH2h/s1600/SAM_2442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkRMltIZT7kPMcP-0ckxdYKI8iTbEfuqI9B8HRdItV2QmKysXfaHlyA1mXF9atPYjEZHEfhDudIKEQatMK5KPpULC-hjmKISWKddT-GRldmHOE8xidS5wI2cEan51jAy4wH3MADctkH2h/s400/SAM_2442.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each participant got one of these</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The complimentary breakfast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQ3H7YZPot5hi8sZdTaquBrIVs8ng4epinf5fUDMZSicYwJpD-6XUu9Jc-yA8sLoXPadO8VeOlM8SGkOEvBd5lD6hpUW_Re5uQzY0QY20zKFV4pKixtLIv79RLpN_78utJ5pGjj07_S8k/s1600/SAM_2448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQ3H7YZPot5hi8sZdTaquBrIVs8ng4epinf5fUDMZSicYwJpD-6XUu9Jc-yA8sLoXPadO8VeOlM8SGkOEvBd5lD6hpUW_Re5uQzY0QY20zKFV4pKixtLIv79RLpN_78utJ5pGjj07_S8k/s400/SAM_2448.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh my!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We found Fiorenzo in the midst of the growing crowd and went over to say hello. We had not seen each other since September of 2014. It was so good to see him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we waited for everyone to arrive, we milled through the crowd, taking pictures. We met four Japanese women from Collevecchio coming on the tour. They were travelling by car too so we were not alone.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ritchie and Richard hamming it up, striking a pose... It would be a little more convincing if they actually had a motorbike</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At about 9:30 Fiorenzo made a formal welcome to everyone, explained the day's schedule, laid out some ground rules, and then we were off...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We followed the long line of motorcyclists to our first destination, an olive mill in Montebuono called <a href="http://www.oliosapora.com/">"Olio Sapora" di Daniela di Mario</a>. Group movement was very well organised. At each intersection, one of the members of the Sabinacci would stop their bike and direct traffic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we arrived at Olio Sapora, work was in full swing. The place was a hive of activity. Not only did they have to cope with 130 visitors on motorcycles, but there we dozens of local producers with their trucks and three-wheel api dropping off their olives or picking up their oil. The frantoio was on a hill facing the Tiber valley with an amazing view of Monte Soratte. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With everything going on, it would have been impossible to have a properly guided tour of the mill. The line of operation, however, was pretty clear. People would arrive with their olives, presumably at a pre-appointed time, dump them in a large hopper, from which the olives would be carried into the mill on a conveyor belt, washed, leaves and twigs extracted, then crushed in various stages and pressed into oil. The smell of the freshly pressed oil was intoxicating. There was a large fire in a <i>camino</i> (fireplace) on one side of the mill where bread was being toasted for bruschette. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a huge line up at the table where the toasted bread, fresh off the coals, was drizzled with freshly pressed fragrant green olive oil and lightly salted. Forget the lineups for free samples at CostCo. People were circling like sharks waiting their turn for a precious slice of oil soaked toast. It was well worth the wait. In the first 30 minutes of this amazing tour, I got my 10 euro's worth! Yum! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But then someone started handing our plastic glasses of farm-made red wine! This tour was getting off to an excellent start. Cin cin!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we drank our wine in the crowd of bikers an elderly contadino drove up with his <i>ape</i>, pronounced ah-pay, the three wheeled mini truck so ubiquitous here in the countryside, whose name means "bee". He patiently manoeuvered through the milling bikers and proceeded to load up his <i>ape</i> with his freshly pressed oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When it came time for him to leave he just backed up into the crowd, people moved, and with a friendly push from one of the bikers, the old contadino was off with his precious oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we got ready to head off to our next destination I went into the mill for one last look at the fragrant liquid gold, Giuseppe's "Divine Nectar" streaming out of the press. No wonder the ancient Romans were crazy about Sabina... not just for their women, but for this precious green gold liquid so central to the life of every Italian, and that of all Mediterranean people. Maybe Giuseppe's book is not so tongue-in-cheek after all!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was time to head off. Different clubs took last minute group photos in front of the olives, and then Vroooom! Vroooom! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were off to Cottanello to see the ruins if its ancient Roman villa. Cottanello is one of Sabina's most imposing hill towns. Situated high on a hill at the entrance to a strategic pass leading to the Rieti valley, Cottanello has had a turbulent history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The villa we were about to visit was owned by Aurelia Cotta's family. Aurelia Cotta was the mother of Julius Caesar. Richard and I had visited the villa, along with the Hermitage of San Cataldo and the Cottanello marble quarry a few years back with our friends Fern and Ina from Canada, Heidi from Norway, Alessandra from Rome, Marco from Ponzano and Irina from Cottanello. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2sosRz0FTCZBOIxen0BlDwfTEMR2LFk8QJjHWwQo2RymsrGDO1ghwzMxmvjSWQmeS31zOoN7d_C6-QrsYavGaK4Yp7zRqMD9GkYTm1uYyx_guCR2XxPo8RVzu-tP5RlPl5-b8XmiqkC1/s1600/Cottanello%252C+Alessadra+Finiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2sosRz0FTCZBOIxen0BlDwfTEMR2LFk8QJjHWwQo2RymsrGDO1ghwzMxmvjSWQmeS31zOoN7d_C6-QrsYavGaK4Yp7zRqMD9GkYTm1uYyx_guCR2XxPo8RVzu-tP5RlPl5-b8XmiqkC1/s640/Cottanello%252C+Alessadra+Finiti.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Montage of Cottanello images courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a marvellous excursion guided by Monica Volpi from the Cottanello town office crowned by an unforgettable luxurious long lunch at La Foresteria in the same town. As we had taken the tour before, and it was crowded, Richard and I left the group in the good hands of Luigi, the town guide, and we went off by ourself to reacquaint ourselves with our favourite mosaics in the villa.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJSiuF9rteiAUByKhrW4kVa64GK_L9HgXO1anUPDonadapp-GiHx5wyQmTJ_TYHIeolIC6TQyHpLq9x8c4MzSagXhcsrOf5V0Aiev52sDVthOEy039I7im9aAuZ-ewXG26raAEJaHdh9M/s1600/SAM_2520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJSiuF9rteiAUByKhrW4kVa64GK_L9HgXO1anUPDonadapp-GiHx5wyQmTJ_TYHIeolIC6TQyHpLq9x8c4MzSagXhcsrOf5V0Aiev52sDVthOEy039I7im9aAuZ-ewXG26raAEJaHdh9M/s640/SAM_2520.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luigi, the expert and very patient guide from the town of Cottanello</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cock and the hen mosaic on the threshold of a private room... The square holes held the door post mechanism</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Villa of Cottanello is well worth a visit. For more information on the history of the villa and the archeological excavations, please follow this <a href="http://www.comunecottanello.it/cottanello_eng_000011.htm">link</a>. Guided visits of the villa, the Hermitage of San Cataldo and the Cottanello marble quarry can be arranged through the Cottanello town office. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Originally, the plan was to visit the Hermitage of San Cataldo as well as the villa but we were getting behind schedule and people's tummy were starting to rumble as loud as motorcycle engines so it was agreed that we would skip the hermitage and head to our next Frantoio where lunch was waiting for us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.frantoiominicucci.com.spazioweb.it/">Frantoio Minicucci Cairo</a> in Montebuono, just a couple of hundred metres beyond the famous medieval frescoed church of San Pietro ad Centum Murum (well worth the visit which you can arrange with the Montebuono town office) was even larger than the mill we visited in the morning and seemed even busier. Half the parking lot was taken up with picnic tables for our lunch. So what would have seemingly been a chaos of producers arriving with their olives and leaving with their precious oil was exacerbated but no one seemed to lose patience...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The impatient ones were those waiting for the BBQ to fire up and for lunch to be served. All that history, culture, and olive oil education makes a person mighty hungry!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sausage being made ready for the BBQ</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully the was the opportunity to buy cheese at a stand operated by a Water Buffalo cheese producer in Magliano Sabino. The name of the <i>caseificio</i> was Perle degli Angeli, Pearls of the Angels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They were handing out samples of their wares: Bufala mozzarella, bufala ricotta, smoked bufala mozzarella, bufala yoghurt, etc. All of them were delicious so we bought a bit of each. The samples sort of held us over until lunch was ready. A tantalising smell of cooking sausage and bruschetta wafted over the entire group from the BBQ a couple of metres away. Coals dropped from the burning logs in the hopper at the back of the BBQ were carefully raked from the back across a metal base over which metal roasting frames held the roasting sausages and toasting bread.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We all held our tickets in our hand, waiting for our turn to pick up our lunch. By the time food was served I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of what we ate. It was delicious, but not photographed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After lunch we took a tour of the mill and followed the course of the olive from delivery, to washing, crushing, and the extruding of oil. With lunch over, the smell of BBQ was replaced with the heady enticing smell of fresh crushed olives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The oil we had tasted on our bruschette was so good that we all bought a number of litre tins of it. The oil famine of 2014 is over. Lets hope that from 2015 onward, the feast will continue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What an amazing couple of weeks this has been. October and November really have been spent in great anticipation of this year's olive harvest. Olives and olive oil are the heart of mediterranean culture. When there are no olives, it is like the heart goes into palpitations from stress. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">A few weeks ago, we took some friends to one of my favourite places on the planet. We went to visit the Great Olive Tree of Canneto in Fara in Sabina. </span><span style="font-size: large;">This amazing tree is somewhere around 2000 years old... It is likely older than Christianity, and older than the Roman Empire... L'Ulivone di Canneto, as it is called in Italian, has seen the rise and fall of many Mediterranean powers. For close to and possibly over 2000 years it has given and continues to give life. How many people have sat in its shade? How many thousands of people have enjoyed oil produced by its fruit? Sabines, Romans, Byzantines, Lombards. Franks (Charlemagne passed close by enroute to his coronation when he took the road from Farfa to Rome in 800), maybe even Arabs as they laid siege to and destroyed Farfa Abbey in 890s. By some great miracle this tree has survived into the 21st century. If humankind can pull a rabbit out of the hat and stop global warming, it might survive another 1000 or so years. Who knows. I sure hope we do. Either way, it is an amazing tree that exudes wonderful energy. One day I would like to buy oil from the owners knowing that somewhere in the tin or bottle is oil from this tree's fruit. Now where is that copy of Giuseppe's book?</span><br />
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-58787753664756972152015-05-30T16:07:00.002-07:002015-06-01T14:12:42.220-07:00A NEW STORE SELLING ORGANIC SEASONAL FRUIT, VEGETABLES, NUTS and HONEY opens in CASPERIA’S CENTRO STORICO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last year Manuel Montanari, a young up-and-coming film director produced a short film called “<a href="http://www.lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2015/05/a-new-store-selling-organic-seasonal.html">Da qui se ne vanno tutti</a>” which translates “Everyone is leaving here”. This poignant short was filmed here in Casperia. The protagonist, a young man, returns to his home town after a long absence only to find it completely changed, virtually empty of the family and friends he knew, and the houses vacated by the former townsfolk being bought up by foreigners with money. “Da qui se ne vanno tutti” is a lament often heard in these picturesque little hill towns where you see fewer and fewer young people, and more and more closed storefronts and “For Sale” signs.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For sale signs on Casperia's Piazza del Comune</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is over a 1000 years that the Saracens stopped their rape and pillaging of the Sabina and little more than 400 years have passed since Aspra, known as Casperia since 1948, was absorbed into the Papal States. Casperia’s hilltop position and imposing crenellated walls have been basically meaningless ever since. Changes in transportation technology and the post-war trend for the countryside’s younger generation to move away to seek employment and a new life in Italy’s larger cities has sucked the vitality of many of Sabina’s hill towns. Casperia’s centro storico, the historic social and commercial hub of the comune, which once boasted a bank, an alimentari (grocery store), at least two macellerie (butcher shops) a frutteria, a latteria (milk shop), a beauty parlour, a working frantoio (olive press), and a tabacchi, not to mention a bar. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casperia's Piazza del Comune in 1935</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However for many of the years we have visited here, the only commercial activity in the walled town was Friends Cafe, now Osteria Vigna, and two part time drinking establishments, Johnny Madge’s Gecko, and Al Solito Posto, (and an Orologiaio or clock store, which we never saw open). The commercial core of the town has transplanted itself outside Casperia’s gates, which is car accessible and therefore easier to reach not only by customers but by suppliers as well.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern commercial buildings outside Casperia's Porta Romana</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This trend has been challenged by a number of people recently. For about a year or so, a very interesting artist’s shop, which also sold jewellery and women’s accessories, made a go of it on Via Cola di Rienzo, but sadly, it closed just before Christmas of 2014. Though not exactly “inside” the centro storico, though technically “inside” the castle walls, a popular Lego, yes <i>Lego</i> shop has opened near the Porta Romana in the old Pro Loco office. Customers go and make what they want with the Lego and the Lego is then apparently sold by weight.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">The subject of this post though, concerns the opening of an organic vegetable, fruit and honey store at #20 Via Tomassoli run by two friends of ours, Paolo Nucciotti and his wife Sarah Defranchi. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paolo and Sarah admire Genovese and cinnamon basil plants which they plan to give away during their store's opening </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paolo was born in Rome and Sarah was born in Genoa. They have been living here in Casperia for the past two years. Their 14 month old son Luca was born here in Casperia.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Paolo and Sarah’s 5.5 hectare farm, which they have been operating as organic for the past two years but is waiting to be legally certified, lies on an olive tree dotted fertile sunny slope of land just below the ruins of the medieval village of Caprignano. There they produce potatoes, zucchine, leafy greens and other vegetables, as well as their own Sabina D.O.P. olive oil. Recently, they bought a number of hives of bees so they will be soon producing and selling their own honey too.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Paolo and Sarah have and association with a group of organic farmers based in Forano dedicated to promoting local, sustainable, organic agriculture called <a href="http://www.verdefogliabio.com/">VerdeFoglia Bio</a>. The members of VerdeFoglia Bio have land producing organic greens and vegetables. They not only produce and sell organic produce, they use their land and their resources to teach others how to grow organically and sustainably. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wooden boxes lined with heavy paper ready to receive lettuces, zucchine, beet greens and other produce </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For months, Paolo and Sarah have been working very hard to refurbish the property at Via Tomassoli,10 and get it ready to function as their store. Over the months I have watched Paola and Sarah working on the store, it has been totally and beautifully transformed.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This beautiful olive tree bonsai was a gift to Paola and Sarah from their friend and neighbour Yoshinari</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">The property was once a frutteria. The mother of the current owner planted the giant ivy that now sprawls above the door of the store during the time she worked there. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stefano and Zara on their morning walk pass by the store as Sarah gets everything ready for the opening</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">A few weeks back, our friend Antonio’s old art shop across the street at Via Cola Rienzo, 24 was reopened as a women’s clothes store. Who knows? Perhaps now with a Lego store down the road and a women’s clothing store across the way, not to mention the new Fendi Sewing School opening soon on Piazza del Comune, there will be enough local and outside traffic to support everyone. I sure hope so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paolo and Sarah’s Ortofrutta opened this morning around 9 o’clock. Sarah was still working lining wooden boxes with paper making them ready to receive the beautiful lettuces, striped romanesco zucchine, and beet leaves harvested from their garden earlier in the morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I arrived to do my interview for this post, Paolo was still out picking up a basketful of freshly picked red cherries and some last minute greens. I wandered down to the Porta Romana where I saw him pull up in a borrowed truck. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Ti serve una mano?” “Do you need a hand?” I asked. Paolo smiled and let me carry up the cherries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back at the store, customers were arriving in twos and threes. The box of beautiful organic romanesco zucchine which had been full when I left the store 15 minutes ago was now half empty. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paolo arranged the box of cherries in among the other boxes full of fresh greens. I noticed a back of black coloured nuts. “Cosa sono?” “What are they?” I asked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paolo explained that they were a type of local sweet almonds. do you want to try one he asked, reaching for a tool to break one open. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t like any almond I had ever eaten before… It was fresh, sweet, with a beautiful consistency. So this is what an almond right off a tree tastes like, I thought. Well not exactly. Paolo explained to me that the almonds needed to dry out for a period after they were picked before they could be eaten.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">I didn’t buy any almonds this morning. I had to content myself with a beautiful big head of Romaine lettuce. Tonight I will try my hand at making a Caesar Salad. But I knew that the next time we visited Paola and Sarah’s store that we would be buying a large bag of those beautiful almonds, and that the next time that we visited the Poggio Mirteto Friday Market that we were going to need to buy a nutcracker, and perhaps a cherry pitter too. Cherry pie…. Hmmmmm!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From June 5, 2015, Paolo and Sarah’s Ortofrutta store will be open Friday and Saturdays from 09:00 to 13:00 when it will close for the lunch break and will reopen later in the afternoon from 17:00 to 20:00. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their store will also be open on Sunday mornings from 09:00 to 13:00. Besides seasonal organic fresh fruit and vegetables, they also sell a variety of bulk dry herbs and spices and honey as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is located at Number 20 Via Tomassoli which is the road that starts at Casperia’s Porta Romana and the Lego store and climbs up into the town through a second gate just past Osteria Vigna. If you watch Manuel Montenari's short film </span><span style="font-size: large;">“</span><a href="http://www.lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2015/05/a-new-store-selling-organic-seasonal.html" style="font-size: x-large;">Da qui se ne vanno tutti</a><span style="font-size: large;">” you can see how to get to the shop as the protagonist passes by it in the film between 3:49 and 3:54. </span></div>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-32399432974622584882015-02-06T14:58:00.000-08:002015-06-24T08:11:14.227-07:00A WALKING TOUR FROM CASPERIA TO PARANZANO - A HISTORY WALK BACK TO ANCIENT ROMAN TIMES<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWEuVdlY6w1GvyPjyPxuq8WcIAEzHbUCAlUyruErUwlp_gjxG1TkjxPcY-vSgYzkKg3Vnc8880T1wWRb13d6bA1jDhIb-rSndhaDZR1hPZpUXSk3bZB9B6cPvI_WxJUDIqymJDfCJLis/s1600/SAM_2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWEuVdlY6w1GvyPjyPxuq8WcIAEzHbUCAlUyruErUwlp_gjxG1TkjxPcY-vSgYzkKg3Vnc8880T1wWRb13d6bA1jDhIb-rSndhaDZR1hPZpUXSk3bZB9B6cPvI_WxJUDIqymJDfCJLis/s1600/SAM_2857.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It has been almost four months now since we have been living in Casperia, a stern, earth-tone castle town about 80 minutes by car northeast of Rome in the Sabine Hills. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd6xu1X9cZJK5UdewWPIg2kOSnaeBNn-Wgd1AZX6LgvH5E1MaQ_Ga6AgmFOZ8_eEpvA6GCQK-OdvAVjbYqOYoubdOa0lW2Rgj3wrRslmdBmolVH9UoBjTQfYmkFrS9EzhgSQfQ95cXqI/s1600/Casperia.8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd6xu1X9cZJK5UdewWPIg2kOSnaeBNn-Wgd1AZX6LgvH5E1MaQ_Ga6AgmFOZ8_eEpvA6GCQK-OdvAVjbYqOYoubdOa0lW2Rgj3wrRslmdBmolVH9UoBjTQfYmkFrS9EzhgSQfQ95cXqI/s1600/Casperia.8.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We have been visiting this breathtakingly beautiful, yet under-appreciated and relatively unvisited part of Italy since 2009 when we discovered it online quite by chance while doing a Google image search of hills towns in Lazio. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Air view of Casperia courtesy of Ugo Colalelli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a number of visits which increased in length over the years from a week to two weeks to a month, it became increasingly clear to us that Casperia and the Sabina had become a second home... a home of the heart, as it were... We had not only fallen in love with the snake and ladder maze of cobbled steps and stone tower houses that is Casperia, but we had been fortunate enough to make some very significant friendships in Sabina. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Long story short, by the spring of 2014 we were looking for a place in which to stay here long-term. By the end of our month stay in Casperia we had found a house inside its historic centre, an apartment in a stone house complex that dates as far back as the 1600s </span><span style="font-size: large;">at least but</span><span style="font-size: large;"> may in fact be older. The windows from the bedroom and living room/library look out west over the Tiber Valley and have breathtaking views of Monte Soratte...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">...an enigmatic mountain that was sacred to the Etruscans, Faliscans, Sabines, and later to the ancient Romans.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The late Spring and Summer of 2014 was spent getting our house in Vancouver ready for tenants and jumping through the various hoops necessary to get our Elective Residency Visa from the Italian consulate.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Since our arrival in September, we have settled into village life here. We wake to the sound of church bells </span><span style="font-size: large;">at 7am, eat a simple "Canadian" breakfast of yoghurt, nuts, cereal and a banana... on weekends we have a frittata or sometimes even sourdough pancakes... In the mornings we often go on long walks in the country exploring the strade bianche or "white roads" that branch off from the paved roads and disappear into the forests on the crests of the hills. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOrXBIG10kY-msAKLHPQYea1OaTYEQMsqtdp4Pd1hfsJyzOaA8mfM2INMzA3OQUxVuDyYPKAXpd8UwyIyyj0IBf8JT5X7-uSCw8RZyHcIOTU8lO4iBhld077NrSQJiyvu8VJ_u2KRGDI/s1600/SAM_9610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOrXBIG10kY-msAKLHPQYea1OaTYEQMsqtdp4Pd1hfsJyzOaA8mfM2INMzA3OQUxVuDyYPKAXpd8UwyIyyj0IBf8JT5X7-uSCw8RZyHcIOTU8lO4iBhld077NrSQJiyvu8VJ_u2KRGDI/s1600/SAM_9610.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We have a lot of friends here, mostly Italian, but we have also met a number of wonderful people from Britain, mostly from England and Wales, that we enjoy spending time with.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">One of our friends, Maria, was born in England to Italian immigrant parents but moved to Italy in her youth where she married her husband Paolo and raised two children... Anyway, Maria has a group of wonderful friends from her time in Catholic school back in England... A number of these friends have gone in together to rent the house just outside the Porta Romana that Richard and I rented in March of 2014. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkwStbvgaG1IDxas_1S_g_qxGJXSBk9WdSz8vGFBV0x1TaZZuCTcaxmkGH77hlQugKroHLVTrjMhs9dTXuqDMJM2xUyf3ab_6ZBsymDgM8MDae7YUTrvgJgejcjPA_5wkUv4tKPDzneQ/s1600/SAM_3462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkwStbvgaG1IDxas_1S_g_qxGJXSBk9WdSz8vGFBV0x1TaZZuCTcaxmkGH77hlQugKroHLVTrjMhs9dTXuqDMJM2xUyf3ab_6ZBsymDgM8MDae7YUTrvgJgejcjPA_5wkUv4tKPDzneQ/s1600/SAM_3462.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">One set of these friends, a wonderful couple from Melton named Duffy and Colin, were interested in going on a walk with me to see some Roman ruins just west of Casperia. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This is an account of a very different history walk than the ones I do in Vancouver, but it was a history walk all the same. I'll start with what I see walking out my door.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Our Vancouver-born cat Smokey surveying his medieval surroundings.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We live in an apartment in a grey stone building on Via Latini inside the castle walls, high up near the crest of the hill on which Casperia was built starting sometime in the late 900s. The apartment block is probably only 400 to 500 years old though... </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Casperia bird's eye view courtesy Google Maps</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To get from our house to the Porta Romana outside where Colin and Kathy's house is there are a number of route options. The most direct route is to turn right from our door and climb a few steps to where Via Latini meets Via Casperia, the main route that connects San Giovanni Battista, Casperia's parish church at the top of the hill (you can see the shadow of the church's romanesque stone tower near the white of the small piazza in the centre of the town in the photo above) with Piazza del Comune (which is the large whitish square below and slightly to the right in the photo above). You follow the basalt cobbled steps of Via Casperia... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">...down to </span><span style="font-size: large;">Piazza del Comune which of course takes its name from the fact that the municipal offices are in a palazzo that faces on to this piazza. Up until the 1970 and 1980s, this piazza was the commercial heart of Casperia. Most of the doors facing the piazza were of commercial enterprises... There was a bank, a barber shop, a macelleria (butcher shop), a tabaccheria (tobacconist) and an alimentari (grocery store) among others. This traditional commercial centre went into decline as a result of the drastic post-war population drop in Casperia's historic centre as people moved from Casperia to Rome and other centres in Italy in search of new opportunities... opportunities and jobs that the old hill town could not offer them. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Palazzo del Comune underneath which remains a huge medieval cistern to catch rain water </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The second photo below shows the location of Piazza del Comune in the top quarter. Below the grey limestone of the cobbles of the piazza still remains a giant cistern to catch rain water, a relic from the time when rain water was the only source of drinking and other water used in the hill town. Many of the multi-storeyed stone tower houses that line the piazza have sections of the outer walls pierced with holes to encourage pigeons and swifts to nest there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The eggs and flesh of these birds was an important source of protein for the people of Casperia and other Sabine hill towns from the time of their foundation up until the 1950s and even the 1960s. A clever wooden trap door behind the nest area allowed owners of the house to raid the nests for eggs or unsuspecting birds when necessary.</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">From the Piazza del Comune my route out to the Porta Romana continues south along the straight dark line of the basalt cobbled Via Tomassoli (below) which then takes a sharp right down some steps and slaloms down to a large gate that connects to Piazza Umberto I. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This bird's eye view of Casperia shows clearly the differently coloured cobbled streets: dark basalt and lighter lime stone</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">During the turbulent middle ages and early renaissance, this gate would have had a solid door that could be barred as a second line of defence in the event of a successful assault on the Porta Romana.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">In fact, the whole space </span><span style="font-size: large;">defined by the two gates</span><span style="font-size: large;"> is a large killing field, </span><span style="font-size: large;">called a trappolatoia in Italian</span><span style="font-size: large;">. The stairway of thirty odd cobbled steps that we trudge up every day with our groceries was specifically designed to create a situation where an invading army would be crowded together in a narrow space over which defending forces could rain down arrows, rocks, boiling oil, etc from all sides. In fact Piazza Umberto I, the open space above and beside these steps, is still called by its old name by many residents, Piazza Macello―Macello meaning "slaughter" or "massacre".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are only two ways in and out of the old fortified <i>centro storico</i> or historic centre of Casperia and those are its two fortified gates. The main gate is the Porta Romana, the gate that faces the road to Rome. The other gate is the Porta Reatina, also known as the Porta Santa Maria, that faces the road to Rieti, the ancient Sabine and later Roman town east across the mountains which is the capital of the province in which we live. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuvKbuZ0n-z-FvXTF3iXoym0IRxFNHOyjT7XKyzj7-G1se2HM_mZs4-sqpTl7hIxWxS3FsCc01eAzKe4GY8lqo7n2Pr5pXSXQlCmm2LxgDQQ48a_eRqVNDKI9sWqx18HTl2P7A-l6tO4/s1600/DSCF0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuvKbuZ0n-z-FvXTF3iXoym0IRxFNHOyjT7XKyzj7-G1se2HM_mZs4-sqpTl7hIxWxS3FsCc01eAzKe4GY8lqo7n2Pr5pXSXQlCmm2LxgDQQ48a_eRqVNDKI9sWqx18HTl2P7A-l6tO4/s1600/DSCF0166.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Photo of the Porta Reatina courtesy of the Comune of Casperia website</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though many of Casperia's old town's inhabitants have joined the internet age, the town notice boards at both gates ensure that everyone coming in and out of town is aware of important town news, be it announcements about tax payments, water shut offs, cultural and food festivals, deaths and funerals, etc.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVZQDWnl1LNBm4W0YEuuVroc-dgQE1wMqjTD7Yy6jStKIEGe7MFazK3MU3xJoCtXmsXEcyg9Dx4TLVgZZKRksdR2KhzChl3T1MYDftp5UiK-uAYhBxJ9WPyrhwZtFYamFGb653SEw-6k/s1600/SAM_3568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVZQDWnl1LNBm4W0YEuuVroc-dgQE1wMqjTD7Yy6jStKIEGe7MFazK3MU3xJoCtXmsXEcyg9Dx4TLVgZZKRksdR2KhzChl3T1MYDftp5UiK-uAYhBxJ9WPyrhwZtFYamFGb653SEw-6k/s1600/SAM_3568.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Posters at the Porta Romana announce cultural and culinary events, as well as a death and funeral</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the ten minutes it has taken me to walk from our house near the top of the hill to just outside the Porta Romana I have in fact travelled 1000 years forward through time, from 10th Century, when the rural population of the surrounding farmlands escaped to the top of this hill and built the original nucleus of this fortified town to be safe from marauding Saracens, down through the late middle ages, renaissance, and out to the modern age of cars and motorcycles. As I exit the Porta Romana, one last reminder of the deadly design of this town is a little keyhole shaped hole in the stone wall. This is an <i>archibugiera</i>, or arquebus hole, through which old Aspra's defenders could aim their primitive firearms and shoot at the gate's attackers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As mentioned earlier, the apartment that Colin and Kathy are renting with their friend Deirdre is on the second floor of a stone house just outside the Porta Romana. We rented this apartment in March of 2014. It is so great to have friends living there... the wonderful memories continue.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OCMAEHQuedrdgCy9Em4ebRMlevXtY4wEAqp0tXuwMFtK1AJIiEOTvssBm0q9NwH8A9AZqM9__m0JqNjXsq5G2FD4gyIW7KN4OedNdbdqpvTqaggjpSzrnDTzZidFEgfW3J5yzex0Ruk/s1600/10172676_10152095829764503_3467081863310293527_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OCMAEHQuedrdgCy9Em4ebRMlevXtY4wEAqp0tXuwMFtK1AJIiEOTvssBm0q9NwH8A9AZqM9__m0JqNjXsq5G2FD4gyIW7KN4OedNdbdqpvTqaggjpSzrnDTzZidFEgfW3J5yzex0Ruk/s1600/10172676_10152095829764503_3467081863310293527_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Attached just above Colin and Kathy's door is this antique street name sign. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Gugliemmo Marconi, of course, was the Italian inventor famous for his pioneering work in long distance radio transmission. A true Italian hero, his name appears on many city streets signs across Italy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cathy and Colin are ready waiting for me. We head down Via Marconi to Casperia's hub of activity, Piazzale Odo Valeriani. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Enroute, there is a small fountain on the right with a sign advertising Casperia's much vaunted status as a Bandiere Arancione, or "Orange Flag" town with respect to tourism attractions and natural environment. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Fountain on Via Marconi. Note the tile roof behind the fountain. The town's old public laundry is still under that roof.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have just recently learned that behind this fountain was the lavatoio, the old communal laundry—a large shallow tank with a wide sloping stone brim around which the town's women would do their washing and catch up on the latest news. This communal laundry was in use right up until the 1980s when it was closed by the municipality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You may think, <i>Hooray! Modernization! Those poor women must have been overjoyed to be finally brought out of the cold into the warmth and comforts of the 20th century!</i> But in fact, it was not so. When the Comune announced the closure, a petition was circulated by a number of the townswomen and most of the women in town signed it, but the lavatoio was closed just he same. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have to remember that gathering, working and talking at the communal laundry was a way of life for women in Casperia for centuries. It was social networking and community building and cleaning clothes all at the same time... A number of months back, we were walking out in the country to the north of town along the Via Santa Maria where we found a roadside stone laundry being used by one of the women living nearby. She was all alone in the old roadside laundry busy at work. wondered what her story was. Perhaps she was the last stubborn member of a now diminished or disappeared circle of friends. I don't know, we didn't pry, but there she was, clinging to her traditions and cherished her memories. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Welcome to Casperia - old Aspra" A sign outside the Conad alimentari on Piazzale Odo Valeriani </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From </span><span style="font-size: large;">Piazzale Odo Valeriani we turned west and followed the Via Roma</span><span style="font-size: large;">—all roads lead to Rome</span><span style="font-size: large;">—down into the countryside. Our route to Paranzano, shown in blue dots in the map below, takes us along the base of a hill on which the town cemetery was built. I visited this cemetery some years back and always wondered why the graves only went back so far. Where were the graves from the middle ages up to the early 1800s? I only found out recently that up until the period when Italy was under the domination of Napoleon most hill towns buried their dead in ossuaries under the floors of their churches. During the period when Napoleon ruled Italy one of the many laws he enacted forced his Italian subjects to dig up all the bones under their church floors and rebury them in proper cemeteries. When Napoleon finally was forced out of Italy his laws remained... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">South of the cemetery hill the land falls away to mixed farm and grazing land dotted with silver fray olive groves. This years there have been big problems with the olive fly in central Italy and in areas like the Sabina where organic olive farming is the norm there have been little or no olives harvested, so we have no local olive oil until sometime next year. </span><span style="font-size: large;">What a disaster! We are all praying for a very cold winter to kill off the fly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our road as it heads southward reaches the bottom of a large hill covered in a mixed oak forest. Shaded, well marked hiking trails crisscross its flanks. A paved road leads up from Via Roma to a Benedictine Monastery. The modern name of this hill is Montefiolo. In medieval times its Latin name was <i>mons filiorum Ugonis comities</i>, the Mountain of the Sons of Count Hugh. Count Hugh's family had a castle on top of this hill until it as destroyed in 1328 during struggles between the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Naples.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In 1391 the hill and its surrounding pastureland was ceded to Casperia, then known as Aspra, on the condition that a church and a home for two monks who would pray for the souls of Count Hugh and his successors be built on top. It took the people of Aspra 167 years to start work on the convent and the Church of the Holy Saviour. These buildings were completed some time after 1560 and a community of Franciscan Friars lived on the hill up until Napoleonic times.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here and there as we walked around the east flank of Montefiolo we were able to enjoy some wonderful views of Roccantica, the hill town immediately south of Casperia.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Roccantica - the Old Fortress rises in the distance</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Everywhere we looked, the hills were covered in beautiful silver green olive groves... For 2014-2015 anyway, their beauty is truly heartbreaking as there is no harvest... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">...no economic benefit for the farmers of the Sabina, not to mention most of central Italy... and no beautiful green local olive oil for us for a while...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before we know it, we have arrived at the frazione or sub-village of Paranzano where our Roman ruins are. In 2009 when we first came to Casperia we enjoyed two very amazing al fresco meals at an Agriturismo called Gusto Al Borgo, then located in this farmhouse below in Paranzano. Paola and Franco have since moved their restaurant from this location to the Palazzo Massari inside Casperia's walls where they continue to serve epic meals to happy guests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">These days, their original location in the farmhouse outside the walls is still an agriturismo which is now called Il Terebinto. Everything I have heard about Terebinto is good, so I can't wait to have a chance to eat there. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Il Terebinto... former location of Gusto Al Borgo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">What is interesting about Il Terebinto's location is that it is built atop Roman ruins. This was not obvious the first couple of times I visited. It is only obvious if you look closely at the old stone wall that sticks out at the southern corner of their property. The agriturismo is likely built atop Paranzano's villa's ruins. The diamond patterned stonework called <i>Opus Reticulatum</i> was used by the ancient Romans from as early as the 1st century BC. These walls therefore are anywhere from 2100 to 1700 years old. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Kathy and Colin beside the Opus Reticulatum walls near Il Terebinto Agriturismo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to Casperia historian Lorenzo Capanna, the Via Roma near Il Terebinto follows the route of an ancient Roman road that was paved with hexagonal basalt paving stones similar to those we can still see at Rome's Via Appia Antica. The ancient Roman paving stones were still visible up to the late 19th century. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Further down the road are larger ruins and more Opus Reticulatum. These apparently belonged to the Thermae or bath house of the Villa of Paranzano.</span></div>
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<span class="hps" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">The villa in Paranzano is reputed to have belonged to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas_%28freedman%29" style="text-decoration: none;">Marcus Antonius Pallas</a>, the powerful freedman of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonia_Minor" style="text-decoration: none;">Antonia Minor</a>, the daughter of Mark Anthony and the mother of Emperor Claudius. The name Paranzano apparently derives from Pallantianum, a reference to the land and the villa owned by Pallas. Marcus Antonius </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQfK95uG76LHu7M-H7zEw_nf3plVk1XsqcdxdrofyBAWbJ1Qev8HXbyq9txx9mxz8CvLtJ1QHvdAGkZlQID6lJw6xraMdJ6uouFvPjtKO5_D56rbSvDC4fC_C8UjHoOzqqgyN-a_GYzyw/s1600/Pallas.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQfK95uG76LHu7M-H7zEw_nf3plVk1XsqcdxdrofyBAWbJ1Qev8HXbyq9txx9mxz8CvLtJ1QHvdAGkZlQID6lJw6xraMdJ6uouFvPjtKO5_D56rbSvDC4fC_C8UjHoOzqqgyN-a_GYzyw/s320/Pallas.gif" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bernard Hepton in the role of M. A. Pallas in I, Claudius</span></td></tr>
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<span class="hps" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">Pallas figures prominently in Robert Graves novel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Claudius" style="text-decoration: none;"><i>I Claudius</i></a> and the TV series that grew out of it. </span></span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #cd8552; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">Several significant archeological artifacts and cultural treasures were unearthed at Paranzano's villa site. Sadly, the two magnificent marble nymphs unearthed here in 1871 were carted out of the Sabina and sold off to foreign owners. Today, one is housed in the Museum of Art and History in Geneva, while the other is on display in the Carlsberg Museum in Copenhagen. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEift06nFmDWq-WQZcyWj6grMwvwEVV_ccjZcphI8RKbXDnvQQKdb1SUAw0KBhdi9DBAweYlNtaoBu0_RXGCecFwcGb-zWpMV8WPNEHX01oZiYPxomnRh9wcsBUPcjQn6pvzjWhENUH_fnIE/s1600/Nymphs+of+Paranzano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #094eb8; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEift06nFmDWq-WQZcyWj6grMwvwEVV_ccjZcphI8RKbXDnvQQKdb1SUAw0KBhdi9DBAweYlNtaoBu0_RXGCecFwcGb-zWpMV8WPNEHX01oZiYPxomnRh9wcsBUPcjQn6pvzjWhENUH_fnIE/s640/Nymphs+of+Paranzano.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px;">Images from "La romanizzazione della Sabina tiberina" by Mara Sternini</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx1tvpgCtzv35pQo54wP1UA8nzMNgP_Y5O651h3keIJ6idMb-LYTqMerlzg1nhtvXx600j6ZPzP2UTGWXAIrZP5Ig4RHTmydc3sopVNu_6ZwuT9uj75ORmcOLjgctwGBU0AiDDh_OVQy3/s1600/Paranzano+nymphe+in+Geneva.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #094eb8; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx1tvpgCtzv35pQo54wP1UA8nzMNgP_Y5O651h3keIJ6idMb-LYTqMerlzg1nhtvXx600j6ZPzP2UTGWXAIrZP5Ig4RHTmydc3sopVNu_6ZwuT9uj75ORmcOLjgctwGBU0AiDDh_OVQy3/s400/Paranzano+nymphe+in+Geneva.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="221" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">Here is a better picture of the nymphe housed in the </span></span><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;"><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Museum of Art and History in Geneva. </span></span></span></span><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">What a sad loss of Sabine regional cultural heritage!</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="hps"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">Not far from the Paranzano villa site, in the olive tree dotted fields to the side of the road, are a number of well-like entrances that lead to an underground pre-Roman Sabine aqueduct. This aqueduct, which travels for hundreds of metres underground, is often explored by local speleologists. Centuries of lime deposits have significantly narrowed much of the underground waterway but much of it is still accessible.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="hps"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 27.6000003814697px;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="hps"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">An aqueduct of this size and length would seem to indicate that under the fertile ground of Casperia's olive groves and sheep pastures lay not only Roman villa ruins, but perhaps also the ancient remains of an ancient Sabine town or city. There are those who claim that present day Casperia is the location of the ancient Sabine city Casperia which was mentioned in </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px; text-decoration: none;">Virgil</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">'s </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeneid" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.6000003814697px; text-decoration: none;">Aeneid</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 27.6000003814697px;">. Aspra in Sabina was renamed Casperia in the late 1940s not only to avoid confusion with another Aspra in Sicily, but to increase the hill town's prestige through honouring this ancient legend. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not far from the visible villa ruins stands the small country church Madonna della Neve, or Our Lady of The Snow. The original church dates to medieval times, was rebuilt in 1585 and restored in 1652. It is named after a supposed miraculous June snowfall in Rome in the 300s which resulted in the founding of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on the Esquiline Hill. There are a number of significant frescoes inside the church... Though I have not yet done so one day I plant arrange with the Proloco of Casperia to get the key and have a look inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A little further down the road is a large stone tower that leans ominously toward the road. Apparently this is the remains of the stone core of a large funerary monument. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here and there among the rough limestone and Roman cement are ancient brick fragments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Colin, Kathy and I stood for a long time beside the monument imagining what this valley must have looked like in Ancient Roman times. As we were doing this I noticed that the funerary monuments shadow resembled that of a sitting human figure. It was almost as if we were being watched by a ghost from the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I took this second photo with just our shadows... I wonder if anyone else has noticed this before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was time to head back to town and have something to eat. As we turned to head back home I took this shot of Monte Soratte framed between some olive trees. Monte Soratte, as I have mentioned in many of my blog posts, was a sacred mountain to the Etruscans, Faliscans, Sabines and later Romans who lived in the Tiber Valley. During World War II, Monte Soratte served as the headquarters of the retreating Nazi army. There are rumours that there may even be Nazi treasure buried somewhere under the mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Close by the ruin of the funerary monument was an old ruined farm house. It probably is not that old compared to a lot of the other things we had seen today, but it seems that it too is built on a Roman foundation.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Roman foundation under abandoned stone farmhouse with funerary monument in the distance</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All over the Sabina you see beautiful old abandoned farm houses by the road. This one that we saw on the way back to Casperia had a number of Latin inscriptions on it indicating that it was restored in 1935. You wonder what the story of this house is... how old it is. who built it... who lived there... and why it was abandoned... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rather than take our original route back to Casperia, I suggested to Kathy and Colin that we take an alternative route around the west side of Montefiolo... the fray line shown below. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-EiZkXE4o8Ta5R0l1TrOcPf3_wWYilo0uIN2l_PvvY-X_Ur0KNv02aXq5PEiU8n62UyLBRjSnnXfDYr8u9EwfYNdXFKUVflBk9IXUheSActD41wv-4ixKHkmvJRHaV2pylaGpZv62Hs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-29+at+12.26.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-EiZkXE4o8Ta5R0l1TrOcPf3_wWYilo0uIN2l_PvvY-X_Ur0KNv02aXq5PEiU8n62UyLBRjSnnXfDYr8u9EwfYNdXFKUVflBk9IXUheSActD41wv-4ixKHkmvJRHaV2pylaGpZv62Hs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-29+at+12.26.02+PM.png" width="586" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This route is one of those so called strada bianca or white roads.... </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A ruined farm house</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was mostly unpaved, and as we crossed over Montefiolo there were times when I was afraid I might lose our way on us... Then I remembered by GPS AP on my cell phone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What was interesting about this route is that here and there along the mountain path there were large stone stairs similar to the ones inside Casperia's castle walls... I wondered how old these were and who built them and why. Did they belong to the original castle that once stood atop Montefiolo, or did they have something to do with the medieval convent? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first time we saw these stairs was back in September when Richard and I were guided along this route by a man named Claudio Petrucelli who is the uncle of a friend of ours. Claudio seemed to think that these steps had something to do with an old ox cart route through the valley but I am not sure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Besides the mysterious steps, there was another reason why I had hoped that Kathy and Colin would be into taking this alternate route and that was the amazing views of Casperia we were afforded by the various view points along the way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived back in Casperia just as the noon time Angelus bells began to ring... We walked by the arquebus hole, entered the Porta Romana and with one last trudge we made it up the cobbled steps of the trappolatoia to Piazza Umberto I where we enjoyed a couple of well deserved prosecchi before heading off to lunch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had fun taking Kathy and Colin on a walking tour of Casperia's countryside. After we did it I realized just how much I miss doing my History Walks in Vancouver. This February I have to head back to Canada to do some other work but I plan to resurrect my tours while I am there. I will offer my regular Saturday morning history walks of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood Strathcona from February 21st to March 21st. These public tours start at 10am and depart from 696 East Hastings Street (at Heatley Avenue) and last about two to two and a half hours. The cost is $20 per person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At one time last year, before we moved to Italy, these tours were rated 12th of 140 things to do in Vancouver by TripAdvisor. To reserve a space, or to book a private tour during this period, please e-mail me at historywalks (at) gmail.com. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Private tours are available in English, Japanese, and now Italian.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-56838454975762504672014-12-05T07:15:00.000-08:002014-12-05T07:19:15.723-08:00SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 21 - SCIROCCO & AMADEO'S FARM IN CANTALUPO - March 25, 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqEQLwN4_xZKOmUXUuDQbyC7zBV6yiPHnUUC1uppgLbq7v1m_6TaLEUoWtvMNnSyei5UlEM6s6ksA126oQ_8UzHJG_JazcEnpB2j9OphWVsW43RE8oW20uW0d8PfIYTPmWjV9xr_3gf2I/s1600/SAM_2935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqEQLwN4_xZKOmUXUuDQbyC7zBV6yiPHnUUC1uppgLbq7v1m_6TaLEUoWtvMNnSyei5UlEM6s6ksA126oQ_8UzHJG_JazcEnpB2j9OphWVsW43RE8oW20uW0d8PfIYTPmWjV9xr_3gf2I/s1600/SAM_2935.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scirocco, Amadeo's prize Chianina bull</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Outside of Cantalupo on the SR313 is the <a href="http://www.gsmarket.it/chi-siamo/il-supermercato">GS Supermarket</a>. When you cannot find what you want at the smaller Conad Market in Casperia, this is one of the places where people go to shop when they don't want to bus or drive all the way to Poggio Mirteto.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance photo of G.S. Market Cantalupo courtesy of G.S. Market Cantalupo website</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A while back, our friend Stefano showed us how to make the ragù he uses at his restaurant. It was quite a process that required specific ingredients including above all </span><a href="http://www.sabinadop.it/eng/">Sabina D.O.P.</a><span style="font-size: large;"> extra virgin olive oil from our friend Andrea's parents' farm at Castelnuovo di Farfa, and certified organic beef which Stefano buys at GS Market from Amedeo, one of the owners who works behind the well stocked butcher and deli counter there. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cfy2Vg9hRdbHgULNYzZbwqdUm4YHlkig-YhB59XAsaFuoSXuPEFxzs1HNuMjYSIgY4mAt469p1pI3iVwsd5zmP9aLT02Mn3mu6fmGfuAURywvPIBSmL9ctN3YX-WRD2IUB_gRdzXymNj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-02+at+9.15.15+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cfy2Vg9hRdbHgULNYzZbwqdUm4YHlkig-YhB59XAsaFuoSXuPEFxzs1HNuMjYSIgY4mAt469p1pI3iVwsd5zmP9aLT02Mn3mu6fmGfuAURywvPIBSmL9ctN3YX-WRD2IUB_gRdzXymNj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-02+at+9.15.15+AM.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One day Stefano took us to shop at G.S. Market and introduced us to Amedeo, an ex-policeman of sturdy build. We got to talking about the meat he sold, much of which is raised on his own farm. On top of the counter there was a large display explaining the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chianina">Chianina</a> breed of cattle he raises. Stefano explained that this was the breed of cattle which produced the meat that he used at the restaurant. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amedeo went on to explain that the Chianina was one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world and that because of their massive size and strength Chianina were, up until recently, primarily used as draught animals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stefano explained to Amedeo that I wrote a blog about the Sabina. Amedeo in turn invited us to come visit him on his farm and see Scirocco, his massive prize Chianina bull. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My mother was brought up on farm in Prince Edward Island. My father, when he was in his teens, worked on a turkey farm associated with the University of Guelf in Ontario. It is my guess that both of them are much more acquainted with the circle of life that sees cute baby cows, pigs, lambs and chickens eventually end up on a dinner plate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During my close to sixty years on this planet I, as a privileged North American, have consumed more than my fair share of animal protein. I am fully aware of what happens behind the scenes in order for me to eat a steak, a burger, a roast chicken, or a rack of lamb. There have been times in my life when I was headed toward vegetarianism but never quite made it. Heaven help me, I am a meat eater.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So it was quite an experience to drive out with Stefano and Nicoleta and visit Amedeo's farm and meet his prize Chianina bull Scirocco... a gentle, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Ferdinand">Ferdinand</a> of a bull if I ever met one. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyQJyfFR8qeqapY8-SN4OQhMSYXlXCuX7r35OWeo21NV4gpFbXGlSN8C-uadSO2R2uP_LutLUX7gQngdniOm2IftyqIlF4nKp7l-eYocCu1rlOYS4D57KMnnMvOj_6K0ZermswaryOm8k/s1600/SAM_2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyQJyfFR8qeqapY8-SN4OQhMSYXlXCuX7r35OWeo21NV4gpFbXGlSN8C-uadSO2R2uP_LutLUX7gQngdniOm2IftyqIlF4nKp7l-eYocCu1rlOYS4D57KMnnMvOj_6K0ZermswaryOm8k/s1600/SAM_2929.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The perspective is a bit misleading. Scirocco is a huge, magnificent animal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU-Jy7B4MClAovUi-sEcRP2FCxHyXgnjVtMeE5apT3a2j129p3usHbfAGvJEq-59Dkswwl-PpRAn6_pBrB0_x-cvlLl0LoBg8SPbQdapAuckJoVyEzixU7PfuT8dRuvpRIF1oXlDMyvJ_/s1600/SAM_2932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU-Jy7B4MClAovUi-sEcRP2FCxHyXgnjVtMeE5apT3a2j129p3usHbfAGvJEq-59Dkswwl-PpRAn6_pBrB0_x-cvlLl0LoBg8SPbQdapAuckJoVyEzixU7PfuT8dRuvpRIF1oXlDMyvJ_/s1600/SAM_2932.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These younger Chianine were quite curious... Perhaps we were the first Canadians they had seen on the farm</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amedeo led Scirocco out of his pen so that we could get a better look. Remember, Amedeo himself is a big burly man... This hopefully gives you an idea of how big Scirocco is.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0TZyMUS7P_-8agc_-TtZBIFT9HU0WosuKtuSqtnBgLoS_FDxAUBxr9tFsK10GbYgpicxI9hYOWS8VxbmLQucU5h9NAMRTBw8hO_9c0DZmuinIwiIM8u-z3uCZx951aX4f03_UWlHzWqx/s1600/SAM_2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0TZyMUS7P_-8agc_-TtZBIFT9HU0WosuKtuSqtnBgLoS_FDxAUBxr9tFsK10GbYgpicxI9hYOWS8VxbmLQucU5h9NAMRTBw8hO_9c0DZmuinIwiIM8u-z3uCZx951aX4f03_UWlHzWqx/s1600/SAM_2934.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were then invited to stand beside Scirocco for a picture... The reason why Richard and I look large relative to this majestic bull is that we were standing a few respectful paces away.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwfitTAYa8VABybWt865o5PINYA9LJ2Dexiti8sRO1X9G8_Rgz3tB0EvQA3dhvZ199A-JSKuMbEXdM95fs5Hh5257LL-iLO7M1Hxumt4XfpWeSWyIYmF69iTHs_QGO2vdj9kF0YMLap-L/s1600/SAM_2942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwfitTAYa8VABybWt865o5PINYA9LJ2Dexiti8sRO1X9G8_Rgz3tB0EvQA3dhvZ199A-JSKuMbEXdM95fs5Hh5257LL-iLO7M1Hxumt4XfpWeSWyIYmF69iTHs_QGO2vdj9kF0YMLap-L/s1600/SAM_2942.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here I was standing beside not only over 2000 years of breed history... the same breed of white cattle that most likely pulled Romulus' plow when he was delineating the initial boundaries of his new city Rome...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRN3S1ONyJAo4SXNb3NS7_eObx5Rf4VarJGvZgmfNl3Ea1n4jbkVvcSVyVmSvh6qnZoYxM2z2xVBI1ueXSzz4AZ7tR5WWKZU73Ac0ehQu4Eg6E8oa1WF-L528nPJfYyWxuUnjJ9lw_PdP/s1600/Suovetaurilia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRN3S1ONyJAo4SXNb3NS7_eObx5Rf4VarJGvZgmfNl3Ea1n4jbkVvcSVyVmSvh6qnZoYxM2z2xVBI1ueXSzz4AZ7tR5WWKZU73Ac0ehQu4Eg6E8oa1WF-L528nPJfYyWxuUnjJ9lw_PdP/s1600/Suovetaurilia.jpg" height="306" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of this suovetaurelia courtesy of Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...the same magnificent white bulls you</span><span style="font-size: large;"> see in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ara_Pacis">Ara Pacis</a> and other ancient Roman monuments showing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suovetaurilia">suovetaurelia</a>, a pi</span><span style="font-size: large;">g, a sheep and a bull being led to the sacrifice.... </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjik0doY_o1V2ErxKrNDi-KS6eJybHWOAqN1ExGoZZQXKnCqz-0wYyNOOdGwumnHpPI2SpEIwlPnY45FlCb3UAQhFq4uua_1ohvb4Op2sMs9Jnqrrx3VnFh8DC88C5bFdlPaYCToVzBvDA9/s1600/photo%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjik0doY_o1V2ErxKrNDi-KS6eJybHWOAqN1ExGoZZQXKnCqz-0wYyNOOdGwumnHpPI2SpEIwlPnY45FlCb3UAQhFq4uua_1ohvb4Op2sMs9Jnqrrx3VnFh8DC88C5bFdlPaYCToVzBvDA9/s1600/photo%25284%2529.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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but also, sadly one day for Scirocco, the famous beef used when cooking <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d1034582-r114240067-Ristorante_Cesarina-Rome_Lazio.html">Bistecca alla fiorentina</a>, and Stefano's ragù.</div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Amedeo's farm lies among gently rolling green hills to the south of Cantalupo near the recently restored <a href="http://www.comune.cantalupoinsabina.ri.it/museo/museo_action.php?ACTION=tre&cod_museo=2&cod_aggiornamento=5">Sant'Adamo church</a>. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LxJKfMxC0xTNpiOxvX5a0R-gYjPwYruXbTVI_jlxHVMUvi2S9VR26GYlf8UNNFmvZ3WMucqQEgyrQKWW8guK7D8bp9zZ8KK9PIrZnpDy-RocxUwoymO6jgza7wYQaj-APP1ULH_iAMh9/s1600/SAM_2965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LxJKfMxC0xTNpiOxvX5a0R-gYjPwYruXbTVI_jlxHVMUvi2S9VR26GYlf8UNNFmvZ3WMucqQEgyrQKWW8guK7D8bp9zZ8KK9PIrZnpDy-RocxUwoymO6jgza7wYQaj-APP1ULH_iAMh9/s1600/SAM_2965.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22px;">To the east you have a wonderful view of Poggio Catino. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poggio Catino in the distance</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">To the west is a checkerboard of pastures and olive groves from which Amedeo harvests some great Sabina D.O.P. Olive oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scirocco, from all that I could see, led a pretty good life on Amedeo's farm. He is a prize stud bull... He gets all the food, sex and rest a guy could need... But then there is the dark at the end of the tunnel... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we visited Amedeo's farm the clock had been ticking for Scirocco... Apparently he only had a couple of more weeks to left and then... By the time we would be heading back to Canada, Scirocco would be slaughtered, butchered, and end up as so many anonymous cuts of meat on a plate of fine china served on a candle-lit white linen covered table with a side of roast potatoes, a steaming plate of chicory, and a great bottle of Sagrantino. Hopefully, at some point in the meal, the thoughts turn from business, or romance, or the impending bill, to the source of the delicious steak on the plate... and that the diners are mindful and thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I was younger, we would always <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_%28prayer%29">say grace</a> before meals. "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen." I understood that we were thanking God for the food on the table, and asking God to bless what we were about to eat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here in the Sabina, there it is impossible to delude oneself into thinking even for a second that steaks and chops are born in the supermarket. When you see a chicken at the macelleria, it still has its head and feet attached. Along with the nicely prepared loin cuts, roasts and steaks are displayed more recognizable body parts: pigs feet, beef tongue, tripe, even lambs heads... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their lifeless eyes stare out of the glass case at you as you are waiting for your sausage and pork chops... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No... Meat comes from animals... Soft, cuddly, cute, sometimes affectionate, pain-feeling animals.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkX3T-aWEWQnqVWwmQ8HA4Dl96kivdWNpCb-x5b_Ii3bhYLUbNH-ux4SYCUgHGn2PXRLND7jqJm3ESqeuw_pP0bzE7AMoOtNHRQEnsVimnq7r_h2aakRJsuD8JM4DSC7JYfARr8BDk0sd/s1600/SAM_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkX3T-aWEWQnqVWwmQ8HA4Dl96kivdWNpCb-x5b_Ii3bhYLUbNH-ux4SYCUgHGn2PXRLND7jqJm3ESqeuw_pP0bzE7AMoOtNHRQEnsVimnq7r_h2aakRJsuD8JM4DSC7JYfARr8BDk0sd/s1600/SAM_2977.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I remember a Jamie Oliver show from a couple of years back. I think it was called <b>Jamie's Great Italian Escape</b>. It was a brilliantly done culinary tour of Italy in which Jamie visited a number of different Italian regions sharing their culinary treasures... The highlight for me was when Jamie visited Farfa Abbey and worked with the monks in the Abbey kitchen. I loved it... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the things that struck me about that particular show was when Jamie was going to cook lamb and the family who owned the farm invited Jamie to actually slaughter the little sheep... something he had never done before. I don't know if I could ever do that myself... I have caught, killed, butchered and eaten salmon and other fish, but a lamb or a calf... I don't think I could do it... </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp-365GTJbirMlYCCM8TQl0KD-tN5cE_ET3vkKtTLWrzz321Vg2JtFTpyGVyO3aosD-VOYUlp94x0DbBQRPQvn-CaiTbJKbsg0mDU8X6eO9PFF_1EAo09aenYc-nB36ueWomZnYmY-hql/s1600/SAM_2982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp-365GTJbirMlYCCM8TQl0KD-tN5cE_ET3vkKtTLWrzz321Vg2JtFTpyGVyO3aosD-VOYUlp94x0DbBQRPQvn-CaiTbJKbsg0mDU8X6eO9PFF_1EAo09aenYc-nB36ueWomZnYmY-hql/s1600/SAM_2982.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with Stefano and Nicoleta, Amedeo's son and wife and the family's sheep dogs. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that is the life of those who live and work on a farm. From what I could see and understand Amedeo and his family are committed to raising top quality animals raised in an idyllic environment and which are fed only natural and organic feed. And I am grateful to these amazing people who do this work that puts meat on my table... </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULHOt1aM4M-hD5h5zHyIsGVarb2R9EPbefxHw3qVr4if400_HGB9iGuAS4mmbQfChQXsV0hYsxAYyi9bTvZNlEB967nz5WK9c_PyvaVqx9tkZNV_WCQHzZ5VNhWTgXbdi0e9hpjVWHbIW/s1600/SAM_2985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULHOt1aM4M-hD5h5zHyIsGVarb2R9EPbefxHw3qVr4if400_HGB9iGuAS4mmbQfChQXsV0hYsxAYyi9bTvZNlEB967nz5WK9c_PyvaVqx9tkZNV_WCQHzZ5VNhWTgXbdi0e9hpjVWHbIW/s1600/SAM_2985.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicoleta gets an inquisitive nudge from a sheep dog while I make friends with another</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later that night, back at <a href="http://www.vrbo.com/108310">Il Sogno</a>, we had a light meal... Italian olives, bruschette with mountain prosciutto (pig), a salad of arugula, tomatoes, and chickpeas, and some of Richard's amazing risotto with porcini funghi (chicken in the stock). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we prepared the meal I reflected on each ingredient and its origins... This and that comes from plant... This prosciutto was a pig's leg... once attached to hopefully a happy living pig... Chickens died for this rice rice dish... It wasn't a macabre meditation... I was being mindful and feeling thankful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Postscript: </b>At the time of this writing. one and a half years after our visit to Amedeo's farm and our encounter with Scirocco, it is our understanding that Scirocco, for the time being anyway, is still with us. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-46458442635651492282014-11-30T09:01:00.001-08:002014-11-30T09:01:15.310-08:00SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 8 - TUSCANIA, ETRUSCAN TOMBS IN SUTRI & SOCCER ON THE PIAZZA - March 11, 2013<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQbXDXuS3ElRdooxWyKAqyjMw-o57Ubptm3wgp7rSe3w2_wE0swBoccdRm6kGlt0DPTN6YXx6lB0PPKcT02VfbzYQtiQM496Gvcl3SUw7tINTh5Dpf_5zl-be5I28dRwv51oJR5Q4kwk/s1600/SAM_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQbXDXuS3ElRdooxWyKAqyjMw-o57Ubptm3wgp7rSe3w2_wE0swBoccdRm6kGlt0DPTN6YXx6lB0PPKcT02VfbzYQtiQM496Gvcl3SUw7tINTh5Dpf_5zl-be5I28dRwv51oJR5Q4kwk/s1600/SAM_1235.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our room at Hotel Tuscania of the medieval churches built above the old Etruscan acropolis outside the walls</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last year we made an excursion into Etruscan country across the Tiber into the Provincia di Viterbo to visit our dear friends Clelia and Daniele who live in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscania" style="font-size: x-large;">Tuscania</a><span style="font-size: large;">. Tuscania has deep Etruscan roots. A legend links its founding to Ascanius, one of the sons of Aeneas, the Trojan hero of Virgil's Aeneid. As far as can be ascertained a small city-state centred on an acropolis on a hill now occupied by the Chiesa di San Pietro and Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore was founded sometime in the 8th century BC. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The imposing medieval ruins of these two churches are well worth a visit.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, both these churches, along with many buildings in the city of Tuscania, were severely damaged in an earthquake in 1971. The earthquake left twenty people dead, over one hundred injured and close to 5,000 people homeless. Looking at the city now it is hard to imagine the terrible damage and destruction of only forty three years ago. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luigi Pasquarelli's poem "Tuscania Muta" commemorates the victims of the 1971 earthquake</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here and there along the road leading to the church and arrayed around the churches' walls are stone Etruscan sarcophagi, often with lids that are carved the image of the person who was once laid to rest inside. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourist map of Tuscania showing eleven of the main sites.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the medieval walled town of </span><a href="http://www.romeartlover.it/Tuscania.html">Tuscania</a><span style="font-size: large;">, with its winding cobbled streets and rustic tufo stone walled palazzi, frescoed churches, and its many fountains, has a charm all its own. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful pastel colours of the houses of Tuscania</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walls and the town of Tuscania as seen from our hotel room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard and Daniele walk down the colourful cobbled main street of Tuscania</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Sunday, we joined our friends Daniele and Clelia for a special lunch with some of Clelia's friends from her youth. We had a wonderful multi-course lunch at a restaurant called <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g661243-d1081945-Reviews-Le_Sette_Cannelle-Tuscania_Province_of_Viterbo_Lazio.html">Sette Cannelle</a> which is named after a landmark seven spouted fountain a few steps away.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of the Sette Cannelle Fountain courtesy of Settemuse.it</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The natural golden glow of the restaurant interior reflected perfectly our golden mood. What a wonderful lunch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many fountains we saw in Tuscania. The imposing church of Santa Maria Maggiore looms in the distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain in one of the main piazzas in Tuscana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WnVuwsmiEIzxJ-9d6wVBkCTb9bZv2JGof5bAa1URM3ZVQfXRzk-gZVwXGxODiyGj8o1UeLKjzNhI5UhKO0l_RPqDSdexUc8DF8lKVCtfAhyphenhyphenZFmr-_mOi15i4ge7BNicj90o325kEJgM/s1600/SAM_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WnVuwsmiEIzxJ-9d6wVBkCTb9bZv2JGof5bAa1URM3ZVQfXRzk-gZVwXGxODiyGj8o1UeLKjzNhI5UhKO0l_RPqDSdexUc8DF8lKVCtfAhyphenhyphenZFmr-_mOi15i4ge7BNicj90o325kEJgM/s1600/SAM_1151.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detailed view of the mermen statues on the fountain in the previous image</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The day after our big lunch Daniele took us exploring the Tuscania that lay outside its medieval walls. During the morning, we visited the churches of Santa Maria Maggiore and San Pietro. Sadly, as it was a Monday morning, we never got to see inside, but their exteriors were very impressive. One day I hope we can go back and see their interiors... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Towards noon, we said goodbye to Tuscania and our friends Clelia and Daniele and headed south along the Via Cassia to Sutri, an important Etruscan and later
Roman city. The night we drove to Tuscania from Casperia we had noticed what seemed to be the remains of hundreds of Etruscan tombs lining the Via Cassia. We wanted to take a closer look at those, and of course find a place for lunch... But what I was really interested in seeing though was an intriguing rock church in Sutri called <a href="http://www.francigenalazio.it/en/resource/poi/sutri-santa-maria-del-parto/">Madonna del Parto</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This rock church with its stunning medieval frescoes seems is located in what once was an Etruscan rock tomb, or possibly even a house, that later on in Roman times was expanded and used as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraeum">Mithraeum</a>, or temple of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraic_mysteries">Mithraic Mysteries</a>. Mithraism, a popular eastern cult adopted by the Romans, came from Persia. One of the best known Roman Mithraeums can be seen beautifully preserved under Rome's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Clemente">San Clemente Basilica</a> near the Colosseum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This church and its frescoes first came to my attention through this photo posted online by our friend <a href="http://www.giorgioclementi.com/">Giorgio Clementi</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpVcyDFJtysEXvM9LPCzD6LWkXrNSpalcwQ9jxU913DmlE1LdsBDOADwF1Ae_Ux4HEqwKb5fXNwMvTCi_nj0LKuxOef13_f1qtb-Q1lt84bzoEqr5gn3y7DP3R8wZTcj0rWWHf397TVIS/s1600/Madonna+del+Parto+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpVcyDFJtysEXvM9LPCzD6LWkXrNSpalcwQ9jxU913DmlE1LdsBDOADwF1Ae_Ux4HEqwKb5fXNwMvTCi_nj0LKuxOef13_f1qtb-Q1lt84bzoEqr5gn3y7DP3R8wZTcj0rWWHf397TVIS/s1600/Madonna+del+Parto+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Chiesa della Madonna del Parto courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfUtYKwt-XrR6iTuzr7JTsPsOCI7AHeQBVxMXQecOEb7Kvnxv-FOtfZFlMA3YC2U5ZFvv6P4RWiQOm5dOeEsGHgZGPLHf0vfuSgpPe_bqBsZWJRoFH8Jm70IdHMXKmy5Ig_XmG4nA-S8/s1600/SAM_1306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfUtYKwt-XrR6iTuzr7JTsPsOCI7AHeQBVxMXQecOEb7Kvnxv-FOtfZFlMA3YC2U5ZFvv6P4RWiQOm5dOeEsGHgZGPLHf0vfuSgpPe_bqBsZWJRoFH8Jm70IdHMXKmy5Ig_XmG4nA-S8/s1600/SAM_1306.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"To Visit the Mitreo, see the staff in charge of the amphitheatre" Unfortunately the amphitheatre was closed on Monday. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEa8vDX3-KiMmd0hcrLiYzi_6fEYe_KLu4DPbT-5bJJV8SYR9WRzXDc3ylFzrdFpbRujmXDNzZUJuOr8pqMRzlKLQv3S_kxGeY5aHv7tUdoIA3iVkaGVCIXirjDdKLg1AWy3aHs52e0CI/s1600/SAM_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEa8vDX3-KiMmd0hcrLiYzi_6fEYe_KLu4DPbT-5bJJV8SYR9WRzXDc3ylFzrdFpbRujmXDNzZUJuOr8pqMRzlKLQv3S_kxGeY5aHv7tUdoIA3iVkaGVCIXirjDdKLg1AWy3aHs52e0CI/s1600/SAM_1307.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">It is easy enough to find the church... Large signs indicating the "Mithraeum" can been seen as you walk along the Via Cassia. A smaller sign to the left of the main sign explaining the history of the church tells visitors wanting to visit the site to ask the staff at the entrance to the Roman Amphitheatre a couple of hundred metres further down the road. We took a leisurely stroll south toward the amphitheatre along the Via Cassia exploring the many Etruscan rock tombs we came across as we went.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3dGU_8LJZ0AeINgCYxcVSwTRXLu75SugFVWMYAXI-Xyh8dLw2iNsnCXqing-vIgpX9KPaftCL3-Zf9tMyRkCNYfejuTivwNkKIbAxPPeMph-ywUbDv3FiukfRPVuwziuBRNqQFLlMdc/s1600/SAM_1308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3dGU_8LJZ0AeINgCYxcVSwTRXLu75SugFVWMYAXI-Xyh8dLw2iNsnCXqing-vIgpX9KPaftCL3-Zf9tMyRkCNYfejuTivwNkKIbAxPPeMph-ywUbDv3FiukfRPVuwziuBRNqQFLlMdc/s1600/SAM_1308.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entranceway into the Mitreo, now the Chiesa della Madonna del Parto</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfIfjTwCmzaGBfjN26HvGmGhm1BTqDen-UM5eEk3_eikDEeqj7Uvbbhs2GP2qMZEL1NvPpNpvR2JnV1ZJ6uy8Lb8Vq6GR5-8zQklSfzjXFuSgEY4cCY8tw2G8Kd0jDxePAt1roR-0_1I/s1600/SAM_1309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfIfjTwCmzaGBfjN26HvGmGhm1BTqDen-UM5eEk3_eikDEeqj7Uvbbhs2GP2qMZEL1NvPpNpvR2JnV1ZJ6uy8Lb8Vq6GR5-8zQklSfzjXFuSgEY4cCY8tw2G8Kd0jDxePAt1roR-0_1I/s1600/SAM_1309.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock wall to the left of the door to the church with windows and other carved notches</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6yExl8-89HtHeo52Tw64EKxV1X5KRJKN1iOWE5hspLdmn5dfACkIgv-CQnS2RnaaAPaAuNr4OtOVFK6DP9aMyTIWNQdK5E6K-Yp2OzLg4xtCZl0YN5n9WuKjRIu0jiKwMlhCH9EQz4s/s1600/SAM_1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6yExl8-89HtHeo52Tw64EKxV1X5KRJKN1iOWE5hspLdmn5dfACkIgv-CQnS2RnaaAPaAuNr4OtOVFK6DP9aMyTIWNQdK5E6K-Yp2OzLg4xtCZl0YN5n9WuKjRIu0jiKwMlhCH9EQz4s/s1600/SAM_1311.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etruscan rock tombs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDx8aypo-rszvTsyPKMww9B-OzR_mycu0PSwK2HcDKI7qoU3x8KJnQb3ooCRZv9xrT9L7gDT3J-7PVKp8LhaBnWW_rCD49F9suz7VIxJ5nRyXJfX5I0cQuXnk6ED_W_MKoQE6mhMj2V6Q/s1600/SAM_1312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDx8aypo-rszvTsyPKMww9B-OzR_mycu0PSwK2HcDKI7qoU3x8KJnQb3ooCRZv9xrT9L7gDT3J-7PVKp8LhaBnWW_rCD49F9suz7VIxJ5nRyXJfX5I0cQuXnk6ED_W_MKoQE6mhMj2V6Q/s1600/SAM_1312.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside on of the Etruscan tombs.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yxHTnHv-6YEBnndtQQvcUyD_TKVLm6ZTA5IleNNlwfNxr_MX2wTShKYanoV-89gihR7pFsOw-I0shVAfI2cF0Gop170h0dMVonndFE1Yo56IrggCgV5rYaJjBsaAsANNZxoL-Z_FL5Y/s1600/SAM_1313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yxHTnHv-6YEBnndtQQvcUyD_TKVLm6ZTA5IleNNlwfNxr_MX2wTShKYanoV-89gihR7pFsOw-I0shVAfI2cF0Gop170h0dMVonndFE1Yo56IrggCgV5rYaJjBsaAsANNZxoL-Z_FL5Y/s1600/SAM_1313.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0arRspnEvStcPEg9Jf-xrABiB1UqTWKMcfswN50NDC7kkPIe-7WifFZ1l-rVTxWeNlKOaYhvqHUSP3By37sgGrVmU9NowHOhqFhb6RDb7ZX_tMFPr_l6ROAFWupaXHtvjFyPgsysVco/s1600/SAM_1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0arRspnEvStcPEg9Jf-xrABiB1UqTWKMcfswN50NDC7kkPIe-7WifFZ1l-rVTxWeNlKOaYhvqHUSP3By37sgGrVmU9NowHOhqFhb6RDb7ZX_tMFPr_l6ROAFWupaXHtvjFyPgsysVco/s1600/SAM_1314.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shot of Richard standing in the entry of a tomb gives you an idea of their scale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4VtEv_tXiB1pRJbV2wU8QpG16kaRrxPyVPJASLHt_Lji1hT33R_qFhpg2E7djZBUWFig0TRyA2XZAHAYDRsndaRk3jtJp5wSRzseLzld2f9mtMj7SMYAMigplrWjZ_HoD6y-YlSYFIQ/s1600/SAM_1315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4VtEv_tXiB1pRJbV2wU8QpG16kaRrxPyVPJASLHt_Lji1hT33R_qFhpg2E7djZBUWFig0TRyA2XZAHAYDRsndaRk3jtJp5wSRzseLzld2f9mtMj7SMYAMigplrWjZ_HoD6y-YlSYFIQ/s1600/SAM_1315.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior of these tombs had an eerie colour. The greens ranged from most to verdigras</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_kzGNVy5goIEOMdmjI3hy8ejg_Ri8sI4slIi_td6eqRbu0MdnfRzcYZsZn2jtd3d6F_KW2MLjkDos7rXcQfLF2mXxENpyRZ4n7fgwVPBeujmMqcXTzKQpKUKgkLcqUYS6WY6sKSeK0Y/s1600/SAM_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_kzGNVy5goIEOMdmjI3hy8ejg_Ri8sI4slIi_td6eqRbu0MdnfRzcYZsZn2jtd3d6F_KW2MLjkDos7rXcQfLF2mXxENpyRZ4n7fgwVPBeujmMqcXTzKQpKUKgkLcqUYS6WY6sKSeK0Y/s1600/SAM_1316.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burial niches along the wall of the tomb</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qGnujRQ73nWJr317pBKdWoxseSdU-VcYnCW2CgTDsvhXTbGbILjrx5e6owxIlJkVlxvMjyAVhWP91jFzEoC8NHdMxitW5ZYBxnUkw8uKNaKostdbTHOgP5JyaSMkt5y3YCELNqsL3nQ/s1600/SAM_1318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qGnujRQ73nWJr317pBKdWoxseSdU-VcYnCW2CgTDsvhXTbGbILjrx5e6owxIlJkVlxvMjyAVhWP91jFzEoC8NHdMxitW5ZYBxnUkw8uKNaKostdbTHOgP5JyaSMkt5y3YCELNqsL3nQ/s1600/SAM_1318.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another very large tomb </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fhKR_JeeklT5o5mz2jMP7hhHvAtIVWd6CWQMteBzZprjzEqf3YZZCce191LWl99AFBTDCB67ldy2HNFEn5MHlfP_wWy0NUwSyHyDpZxXy_uB8yL2fmHx5Sy1uM0EaPhwwNAOP1zbLGQ/s1600/SAM_1320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fhKR_JeeklT5o5mz2jMP7hhHvAtIVWd6CWQMteBzZprjzEqf3YZZCce191LWl99AFBTDCB67ldy2HNFEn5MHlfP_wWy0NUwSyHyDpZxXy_uB8yL2fmHx5Sy1uM0EaPhwwNAOP1zbLGQ/s1600/SAM_1320.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every so often, I get to be in a picture.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJGLFOZ6QWWhy2-az_oGP-Eb0Uss5-lJacPaa9jY8qdYD2cQ52QPV-uHpobmCrNtI6ILaQ1wF2BKgA_lScyqxuvMxEDOr5KjtMWQyiCdFoXnLeG2cH1BCUZpLIHopo97Yb1rvu4PyRig/s1600/SAM_1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJGLFOZ6QWWhy2-az_oGP-Eb0Uss5-lJacPaa9jY8qdYD2cQ52QPV-uHpobmCrNtI6ILaQ1wF2BKgA_lScyqxuvMxEDOr5KjtMWQyiCdFoXnLeG2cH1BCUZpLIHopo97Yb1rvu4PyRig/s1600/SAM_1321.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here and there between the doors of the tombs were carved shallow stone niches into the wall. I have no idea what their purpose was... Perhaps there was at one time a statue or some other carving mounted there. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9iGso46xzYSB86n9xaw-tSnrYl6oLaZvLCqg3h-WWlLj68W9HoDN3wfyxnxA-hG5b4YWCAdQfhAsPhMMh93wimOcdYU7khcT6XjfcjHfrnaRZgdgNB6JlZNpbtn83gsJn4vURZJM1Qk/s1600/SAM_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9iGso46xzYSB86n9xaw-tSnrYl6oLaZvLCqg3h-WWlLj68W9HoDN3wfyxnxA-hG5b4YWCAdQfhAsPhMMh93wimOcdYU7khcT6XjfcjHfrnaRZgdgNB6JlZNpbtn83gsJn4vURZJM1Qk/s1600/SAM_1322.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the middle ages many of these old tombs were used as cantinas for storage, workshops, even stables for animals. F</span><span style="font-size: large;">rom the chevron shaped incision above the door in this picture i</span><span style="font-size: large;">t looks like there may have been a wooden portico structure added to keep rain off the door. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnDY6EmVxvAyAOduEqKmwbYeqrp0JhJTy23MepptY8Amm2G7F2aQq4DQ5GG3c5OZUbH72qM7M-wgfLAYB4gVSJkfdhTzLnktbwnZs5pvN-UtHwW1AFCrOeXSGZjH7g1Ewt6ag_WyTF1A/s1600/SAM_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnDY6EmVxvAyAOduEqKmwbYeqrp0JhJTy23MepptY8Amm2G7F2aQq4DQ5GG3c5OZUbH72qM7M-wgfLAYB4gVSJkfdhTzLnktbwnZs5pvN-UtHwW1AFCrOeXSGZjH7g1Ewt6ag_WyTF1A/s1600/SAM_1327.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Non of these photos have been retouched.. the eerie colours are as we saw them</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssZb3hvjtcCX8p5kXjyYxoNc8xvAhB7YfaruXZYCKanjjOABXNueku3Dxc5jiBCvJCttJMR0Vs9xJqeCWEVQKekeYdP9V39xecSE4M8uCGnRgGJ4Qi964ukHbz6gbbOLYC5VMGIyLdfo/s1600/SAM_1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssZb3hvjtcCX8p5kXjyYxoNc8xvAhB7YfaruXZYCKanjjOABXNueku3Dxc5jiBCvJCttJMR0Vs9xJqeCWEVQKekeYdP9V39xecSE4M8uCGnRgGJ4Qi964ukHbz6gbbOLYC5VMGIyLdfo/s1600/SAM_1328.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Each tomb had a different scale and layout. Some were absolutely massive. We took our time and explored each one. It was great to be there alone during the off season without a lot of other tourists to change the mood. During the Etruscan age, which stretched over eight centuries, innumerable generations of families must have been laid to rest in these <a href="http://www.mysteriousetruscans.com/tombs.html">tombs</a>. At one time there may have been frescoes and other painted decoration on the walls, like those you see in the more famous Etruscan necropoli at <a href="http://www.necropoliditarquinia.it/informazioni/le-tombe">Tarquinia</a> and <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_40558528"></span>Cerveteri<span id="goog_40558529"></span></a>... and of course, there would have been ceramics, weapons, and other grave goods buried along with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Who were buried in these tombs? What were their names? How long did they lay there undisturbed? Did the Romans despoil the tombs, or later invading barbarians? How were these spaces used in the middle ages and later times? If only the walls could talk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">We finally reached the end of the hill to the entrance to the Roman amphitheatre. The entire complex is one piece of rock carved into to hillside. It wasn't built up, it was carved down into the tufo. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxl9K6RDehenpFJiPEaiWNFhKJybVUit0ae9Mu14b41sfxACHZwBQk9i00pPWEWpXQooS6qNy6B_79fxoMnnjqeb4iiYyD1vuwduChinKY2KVxR3Iq16kDypERSJbND7ANW5cEL18SCQ/s1600/SAM_1332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxl9K6RDehenpFJiPEaiWNFhKJybVUit0ae9Mu14b41sfxACHZwBQk9i00pPWEWpXQooS6qNy6B_79fxoMnnjqeb4iiYyD1vuwduChinKY2KVxR3Iq16kDypERSJbND7ANW5cEL18SCQ/s1600/SAM_1332.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, it being Monday, there was no one at the amphitheatre office so we not only did not get in to see the mitreo/church, but we could only take pictures of the amphitheatre from outside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We continued further south along the Cassia to another hill and more Etruscan tombs. These were even more elaborate than the ones we had seen earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of the doors to these tombs seemed impossibly low but we concluded that centuries of rain washing mud, silt and other debris to the valley below must have changed the level of the ground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time we had reached the end of this second set of tombs it was well past noon and we were ready to see what Sutri could provide in the way of a good lunch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had failed to get inside the Mitreo to see the medieval frescoes... I thought the next best thing would be to have lunch in a little eatery across the street with the same name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.anticaosteriailmitreosutri.it/">Antica Osteria Il Mitreo</a> turned out to be a great choice. It is a lovely little restaurant. The affable waitress there works hard for her money... Every time she has to go to the kitchen she has to climb up a flight of steps, not to mention descend them carefully when her hands are filled with steaming hot plates of food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long story short, we had one of the nicest restaurant lunches during our trip so far. We started out with some beautiful bruschette topped with tomato and cicoria.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to Richard, the gnocchi he ordered were some of the best he had ever eaten. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My plate of Amatriciana was wonderful as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think you can see by the expression on Richard's face that by the end of the meal we were two very happy guys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we finally stuck our heads out of the restaurant a light rain had started to fall. With full bellies and happy hearts we headed bad to the car and headed for the road that would take us back to the Sabina.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived back in Casperia during the latter part of the afternoon siesta. Both the Conad Alimentari and Friends were closed... Just as well, we needed to get our luggage up the hill over those stone cobbled steps which we had been missing...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Later in the afternoon we went back down the winding stone stairs to do some shopping at the alimentari then headed back through the Porta Romano up to the piazza to wait for Friends to open for our requisite Negronis. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJu1Xk_nqJTNerN9N2g8QBsQKlg1pafiMde8BQ3MxDxk-g_QP_GYHm5Q6fyI1yqaS6ghu-Sn9hPN1uTnkT6G6hyphenhyphenPe0wDaAxQXrjQQGgLoU8Y7lvKssN0pfle_Ie100_A0W73cFUunF9Q/s1600/SAM_1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJu1Xk_nqJTNerN9N2g8QBsQKlg1pafiMde8BQ3MxDxk-g_QP_GYHm5Q6fyI1yqaS6ghu-Sn9hPN1uTnkT6G6hyphenhyphenPe0wDaAxQXrjQQGgLoU8Y7lvKssN0pfle_Ie100_A0W73cFUunF9Q/s1600/SAM_1357.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard wairs for Friends to open</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUq14rNLOrtRn-adscjFFPKb_GYxLMzJqZU3bK_ACHK8n1MnDrf8Dozk10EX_30DkViBnqnvjAvBO2xAgI2GDFe6jp2cZXxzdeMx66Tc1APUM3eFBdv_51imMeUC7ILl5ndPVTbGlw34/s1600/SAM_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUq14rNLOrtRn-adscjFFPKb_GYxLMzJqZU3bK_ACHK8n1MnDrf8Dozk10EX_30DkViBnqnvjAvBO2xAgI2GDFe6jp2cZXxzdeMx66Tc1APUM3eFBdv_51imMeUC7ILl5ndPVTbGlw34/s1600/SAM_1363.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicoleta, her famous Negronis, and the usual abundance of snacks that came with each drink order</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">The sun had set. Everything was calm, silent. The sky was a beautiful peaceful indigo...</span><br />
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Then from somewhere, someone brought out a soccer ball and all hell broke loose as Richard, Nicoleta, Stefano and I played a crazy game with the ball on the piazza.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">We were like little kids. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdDnjzME0AIV6y9vbr-chNzD_zQPSZ5yhriSgjmC-pFN_4kMYKw56t4oy8X7vaQDA4jptOgpxGdZt3lUCTe1dD6sOrHWM5mSQ1g8HhqnEqpD_sbqTG-aba-1E38k8dDrHOjzL-4J7PqA/s1600/SAM_1368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdDnjzME0AIV6y9vbr-chNzD_zQPSZ5yhriSgjmC-pFN_4kMYKw56t4oy8X7vaQDA4jptOgpxGdZt3lUCTe1dD6sOrHWM5mSQ1g8HhqnEqpD_sbqTG-aba-1E38k8dDrHOjzL-4J7PqA/s1600/SAM_1368.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Richard did a number of amazing head shots...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6V6A3rbgwO-pnKzi1DU1jPW0GvMWFkYjYV-UHgf9wu-c9wWSYW5H7BA-9qRJ6cvj0280z39wNwM-USnlLEQYR-woJYPeSWFpUPVDtavuQgJojUVOIg6aKyBuMRED-u4EiOHTkBIX4rE/s1600/SAM_1373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6V6A3rbgwO-pnKzi1DU1jPW0GvMWFkYjYV-UHgf9wu-c9wWSYW5H7BA-9qRJ6cvj0280z39wNwM-USnlLEQYR-woJYPeSWFpUPVDtavuQgJojUVOIg6aKyBuMRED-u4EiOHTkBIX4rE/s1600/SAM_1373.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">...and Stefano sent the ball a number of times over the wall...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stefano coming in through the Porta Romana after retrieving an errant ball</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">...or sometimes sent it out the town gate. We were all giddy with laughter... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">It was hilarious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally exhausted, we dragged ourselves up the hill to Il Sogno where Richard made a fire while I made a light dinner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At dinner we drank wine from Viterbo from replica Etruscan ceramic cups that our friends Clelia and Daniele had given us in Tucania, toasting our good fortune to have found this magic place and feeling grateful for the good friends that we have here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">✵ </span><span style="font-size: large;">✵ </span><span style="font-size: large;">✵ </span><span style="font-size: large;">✵ </span><span style="font-size: large;">✵ </span><span style="font-size: large;">✵ </span><span style="font-size: large;">✵</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We loved Tuscania. We had a great room with a panorama view at the <a href="http://www.tuscaniahotel.it/">HOTEL TUSCANIA</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.bestsmalltownsitaly.com/town/sutri-lazio-center/"><span style="font-size: large;">Click here to learn more about SUTRI, one of the BEST SMALL TOWNS IN ITALY</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g1064663-d6698458-Reviews-Osteria_il_Mitreo-Sutri_Province_of_Viterbo_Lazio.html">ANTICA OSTERIA IL MITREO</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="street-address" property="v:street-address" style="color: #555555; direction: ltr; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 20px; unicode-bidi: embed;">Via Cassia Sud, 4</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="locality" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span property="v:postal-code" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;">01015</span> <span property="v:locality">Sutri</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">, Viterbo</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Tel: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">0761 659008</span></span><br />
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-41472227979777856662014-11-26T11:56:00.001-08:002014-11-26T11:56:15.001-08:00CASPERIA'S CANTINAS - The Secret World Behind Those Beautiful Old Doors <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoTiJrHnqkULzrlfCw-nghCdZsHtKD0F0EWF2NUIJmQN5T1-TKmOBSAlv2jKxD52O1Fg10jNRaa-msasL6FiPoWwwNmSwZVGpSE81e1zjh26_QsPoMCMxHUMuw1VvK-tCVLK7sV8wFDPY/s1600/SAM_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoTiJrHnqkULzrlfCw-nghCdZsHtKD0F0EWF2NUIJmQN5T1-TKmOBSAlv2jKxD52O1Fg10jNRaa-msasL6FiPoWwwNmSwZVGpSE81e1zjh26_QsPoMCMxHUMuw1VvK-tCVLK7sV8wFDPY/s1600/SAM_1322.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cat Smokey checking an old cantina on Via Latini in Casperia </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In North America the word "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantina">Cantina</a>" means a type of bar or tavern, one that usually has a Mexican or Spanish motif. Here in Italy, however, a cantina is a storage room, more often or not a wine cellar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During our first visit to the Sabina in 2009, we were struck by the rustic, often ruined beauty of the doors to these cantinas. We took dozens of pictures of these doors here in Casperia, and also in neighbouring Roccantica. I always thought that someone with a more practiced eye, a better camera than mine, and time to wait for the right lighting could make an excellent calendar of pictures of those doors. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Casperia Cantina door courtesy of Richard Rooney. Note entry hole made for cats.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But it has only been in the past little while, during our current stay in the Sabina, that I have had the opportunity to see inside some of these cantine (the proper Italian plural for cantina) and learn about the mysteries that lay hidden behind those doors... and wonder what might lurk hidden underneath their floors... </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful cantina in Poggio Catino</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have a lovely new friend here in Casperia, Maria Piazza. Her parents were Italians who emigrated from Italy to the UK. Maria's father was from Sicily and her mother was from <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frosinone">Frosinone</a> in southern Lazio. Maria was born in England, but moved to Italy in 1974 where she met and married her Tuscan-born art teacher husband Paolo. She has been living here in Casperia for the past four decades. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria holds the large antique key that opens her cantina. 's key on Via Rivellini</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maria and Paolo have a </span><span style="font-size: large;">lovely home on Casperia's Via Rivellini, the road that follows the old ramparts of the outer castle walls of the borgo. Rivellini in Italian actually means ramparts. You can see one of the old defensive towers behind Maria in the photo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maria and Paolo's house is a marvel. Maybe I have not seen enough houses in Casperia to realize that it may not be that unusual but to me the interior is absolutely magical. It reminds me a bit of Frodo's house at Bag End in Hobbiton in the movie The Lord of the Rings. The kitchen and dining room area is a dream. According to Maria, this part of the house was at one point stables. The animals lived in the lower floors and people lived above. The twisted, uneven, rustic beams in the ceiling attest to this section of the house's humble origins. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSP0fNjlCqTsh1xfRje7uk7We6s-gpCEnDWAHtCYTopijsdJhgxVrdbrZZzgf7czSKLpV0xXd4f7DsqU1nv8W_ZqcyxH31Q0Gf1qOYYube4P1ZVa_5UCIl3xWLSPMfjOZS9O4Mf5m6jsz/s1600/SAM_9274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSP0fNjlCqTsh1xfRje7uk7We6s-gpCEnDWAHtCYTopijsdJhgxVrdbrZZzgf7czSKLpV0xXd4f7DsqU1nv8W_ZqcyxH31Q0Gf1qOYYube4P1ZVa_5UCIl3xWLSPMfjOZS9O4Mf5m6jsz/s1600/SAM_9274.JPG" height="480" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>
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The venerable, twisted beams in the ceiling of Maria's kitchen. This part of the house was once a stable.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The living area behind the kitchen is cut out of the living rock which still intrudes here and there. The bathroom and office are located in what once was a vicolo, or public alleyway. So much history and tantalizing hints of story packed into such a small charming place! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few days back I spent some time with Maria, taking a walk through the vie and vicoli of Casperia, listening to her talk about the way the castle town was built and the connection between the many cantin<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">as (the proper Italian plural is cantine)... </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cantine doors on the main vie that circle the hill almost always face toward the outer castle walls.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...and the houses nearby. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The houses which are built above the stable and storage areas have doors that face away from the castle walls.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One thing I had not properly noted before Maria explained it to me is that when you walk along a Via or street in Casperia, you are usually walking parallel to the town walls on a road that curves around the hill that Casperia‑old Aspra‑was built on. Cantinas are usually on ground level and houses built above them. This means that usually the doors on one side of the Via, the side closer to the top of the hill, is all cantine while the doors on the side closer to the wall are doors to houses that have been built above the cantinas.</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">Visiting Maria's huge cantina was an eye opener. Previous to being invited in to see her cantina, and the neighbouring cantina of our friends Massimo and Giampiero, I had never imagined that the space behind those old wooden doors could be so huge. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6kxdb4yjcQ2aE74NcKeEWrvfgPQdOsvmZHrMW0dMoY3kz17jve_xHK0hszFCNwCXQq-6rQ8lyODKwJvgeNLHB7jULd4ha-NZSELGlQjdMLapZJ-x5WeJ_t8Y2pU3E9QDbDXpuKmsSqPt/s1600/SAM_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6kxdb4yjcQ2aE74NcKeEWrvfgPQdOsvmZHrMW0dMoY3kz17jve_xHK0hszFCNwCXQq-6rQ8lyODKwJvgeNLHB7jULd4ha-NZSELGlQjdMLapZJ-x5WeJ_t8Y2pU3E9QDbDXpuKmsSqPt/s1600/SAM_1153.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Massimetto Romani shows just how large a cantina can be. </td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">Cantine can often be two storeys high and can be more than a dozen metres deep. The back end of the cantina is almost always the bare living rock. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tQdtjs5-9UU2VVgEjJ680e-OJOI6flWTTS_tgpmW9ocNxhrDj98tn3f3Uq07aGQMY8i6Vf6xJGuXvKfY1HnOhoHS3__QoLKCcHvwikdwbVyn_8WBwe-b-NqL0Py9Q68bx2O5XoYdMscp/s1600/SAM_1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tQdtjs5-9UU2VVgEjJ680e-OJOI6flWTTS_tgpmW9ocNxhrDj98tn3f3Uq07aGQMY8i6Vf6xJGuXvKfY1HnOhoHS3__QoLKCcHvwikdwbVyn_8WBwe-b-NqL0Py9Q68bx2O5XoYdMscp/s1600/SAM_1354.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">The weight of the multi-storey stone house above is distributed and carried by round brick arches that create a classic Roman vault. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9QF4yguGnZhE5idnMQRhZvE6xdd36AZ8-4wFVVDEjXXIvx2cRoP6L9OycsyfY86Z87StYFspqVRnhaOfsYG66Aw51UJk4NUPgUaKAVTyYE6FAuQips68cNBwYAkLzIR91zA_0TNPuki9/s1600/SAM_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9QF4yguGnZhE5idnMQRhZvE6xdd36AZ8-4wFVVDEjXXIvx2cRoP6L9OycsyfY86Z87StYFspqVRnhaOfsYG66Aw51UJk4NUPgUaKAVTyYE6FAuQips68cNBwYAkLzIR91zA_0TNPuki9/s1600/SAM_1356.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">Throughout their history cantine were not only used to store wood, wine and extra furniture, but were often used as workshops. Maria's cantina had a place cut out of the living rock where limestone was worked to create lime, possibly for whitewash. There was even a flume made of terra cotta roof tiles along one wall that brought in rain water or water from an elevated cistern into the work area. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNW1fYZuEE9SYQ60dlaQq7PgECVjCaMCAhVZL-efQizPI2nRThpDgzVJSUyieVRCaKfBNi7Cu1E2tNbDB0WFV_A-EtSmaeWjgHQZCwXJDexhMxIDs5FiLKSRNHVLGXQV80z89WwiWgCYTw/s1600/SAM_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNW1fYZuEE9SYQ60dlaQq7PgECVjCaMCAhVZL-efQizPI2nRThpDgzVJSUyieVRCaKfBNi7Cu1E2tNbDB0WFV_A-EtSmaeWjgHQZCwXJDexhMxIDs5FiLKSRNHVLGXQV80z89WwiWgCYTw/s1600/SAM_1353.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terracotta roof tiles used to create a water flume along the wall inside Maria's cantina.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">So much history was written in those walls and, in some, secrets lay buried under their floors. Maria and Paolo have two cantinas and in both of them are underground chambers that have been filled in and buried.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNt6fm3nNCrgMso-obpxZzN-LPqadgA-CU6OuR_xYtCyHP7EQHsUOdr35xQ-ovm8xDttKEcJyfn6c91ZWdkhXA_Uxk7gec8Y_ham6wZZauCXfA83b6_nBNm7S4a_XFaj-23Cx-ggjP96G/s1600/SAM_1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNt6fm3nNCrgMso-obpxZzN-LPqadgA-CU6OuR_xYtCyHP7EQHsUOdr35xQ-ovm8xDttKEcJyfn6c91ZWdkhXA_Uxk7gec8Y_ham6wZZauCXfA83b6_nBNm7S4a_XFaj-23Cx-ggjP96G/s1600/SAM_1342.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buried under the wood is an ancient chamber... Who knows what secrets it holds</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">In the smaller of their two cantine I was shown the outlines of a buried chamber or tunnel under the woodpile. In the larger of the two cantinas there is a massive vaulted area that has been filled in. You can clearly see a brick archway forming the roof of the chamber buried beneath the floor. How big a space lays under that brick archway, what is was used for, what it might contain now and why it was buried is all a tantalizing mystery.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqX6_v8e5Vf7rcNGoUejSPfAZn8hw746UPaucLZx7cANFL8RmBwo3BvezYE3b95jHl7bZpH8TApjqM7ncFviqYpyzOJr1PnViO-8BrClXu0otLmsq0l5kWQazad-77721yzAl0Io0K2Zs/s1600/SAM_1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqX6_v8e5Vf7rcNGoUejSPfAZn8hw746UPaucLZx7cANFL8RmBwo3BvezYE3b95jHl7bZpH8TApjqM7ncFviqYpyzOJr1PnViO-8BrClXu0otLmsq0l5kWQazad-77721yzAl0Io0K2Zs/s1600/SAM_1350.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What secrets lay under this buried vaulted section of the cantina? Just old wine jugs? </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Visiting Maria's cantina gave me some inspiration and ideas for the murder mystery I am writing while I am here in the Sabina. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u-FMiaQoK4-HqPQq3gvRMzZ2s9ZhFMWlPjJIS45khydrzPerTnFRVX5rLyWj5suC_W_EU93DB8mk4MsaVLuEuV654P4pOSnvD3F3ZVGV7Owd_VZsmG_so3841q0U3T3b2mOKsSRrQsKF/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u-FMiaQoK4-HqPQq3gvRMzZ2s9ZhFMWlPjJIS45khydrzPerTnFRVX5rLyWj5suC_W_EU93DB8mk4MsaVLuEuV654P4pOSnvD3F3ZVGV7Owd_VZsmG_so3841q0U3T3b2mOKsSRrQsKF/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few of the interesting things you will find abandoned inside an old cantina </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With that in mind, today I decided to look for more inspiration and took another tour around Casperia taking pictures of cantina doors with the idea of finally getting down to writing this long overdue post on my Sabina blog.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxnW5yh3Y2ygBSIdvKK6d_SrsHv3zVfjJmLdRXmrFcstbEdQ95WnqGE4qAMfkAAOqfx_p2tyGr7L31qSQjmp2-g_TiBh0s-dyM0TpMVlPoXNXrJRDq7I7oRS_Px2TUQdjNS4acWwVU4PL/s1600/SAM_1131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxnW5yh3Y2ygBSIdvKK6d_SrsHv3zVfjJmLdRXmrFcstbEdQ95WnqGE4qAMfkAAOqfx_p2tyGr7L31qSQjmp2-g_TiBh0s-dyM0TpMVlPoXNXrJRDq7I7oRS_Px2TUQdjNS4acWwVU4PL/s1600/SAM_1131.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">Of course, all I could hope for today was to photograph the outside of the cantinas, but as luck would have it, I bumped into our friend Massimo Romani outside his house, which is right opposite their family cantina, one of the largest I have ever seen in the Sabina. Massimo very kindly allowed me in to take some pictures. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81-F-XvmdDIw7zW3FlUinVtF2h8N2BFeP_PqOe2KZ7xwx3N9WNidz3NwNj64ybKoJ1vIO8c_xfLkuG4zgOBKaBqyWnzyB4wC-kEh3oO_w_GCrT0hCyjJSGLvE0_uU_7f-q19nqKXHcz9x/s1600/SAM_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81-F-XvmdDIw7zW3FlUinVtF2h8N2BFeP_PqOe2KZ7xwx3N9WNidz3NwNj64ybKoJ1vIO8c_xfLkuG4zgOBKaBqyWnzyB4wC-kEh3oO_w_GCrT0hCyjJSGLvE0_uU_7f-q19nqKXHcz9x/s1600/SAM_1154.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the more rustic back half of the Romani family cantina </td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">Grazie infinite Massimo!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT7WHfoKcERrEgaomgyL6o1zgcyGKn7BY7uUzCVYwV66qfUfctb6Zq_0z7Z0zSdNrXpu1Vr0-PCxHpZxHmbm8b6Rc_HIrBWxKpzXdjfA5MY0SDIiGUpdklGCRpE0QRKEmVJopg_O5tndw/s1600/SAM_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT7WHfoKcERrEgaomgyL6o1zgcyGKn7BY7uUzCVYwV66qfUfctb6Zq_0z7Z0zSdNrXpu1Vr0-PCxHpZxHmbm8b6Rc_HIrBWxKpzXdjfA5MY0SDIiGUpdklGCRpE0QRKEmVJopg_O5tndw/s1600/SAM_1156.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood for a couple of months in the Romani family cantina. See two other photos of the Romani family cantina above.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvEuGP-OWwlK765x5SYB_5PHSVZnMVXCFurByoTaV-WAvYc1UO3Rhc9BM5UU-Y66O1guZ7odGvSFFnDVoU33ZaNbSD1XHJW7pG7Woo_3JLe7-QS48HyjOEWTNd2t5EDKkf04ZqNDy-oo7/s1600/SAM_1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvEuGP-OWwlK765x5SYB_5PHSVZnMVXCFurByoTaV-WAvYc1UO3Rhc9BM5UU-Y66O1guZ7odGvSFFnDVoU33ZaNbSD1XHJW7pG7Woo_3JLe7-QS48HyjOEWTNd2t5EDKkf04ZqNDy-oo7/s1600/SAM_1159.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A side grotto in the Romani family cantina where wine is made and stored</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">I did a zigzag walk through Casperia photographing mostly along Via San Rocco, Via Massari and then Via Garibaldi. Here are some of my favourite cantina photos.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aq5ywm5_byD8144G-nw0dBNnuEgABBOVNY2mhT_6fQiqohpJnBdAL9Pg8WHqcimTbhGHLDYEEJjwAY8EsnKmGNErYAlOwTmZVnick4ymqAZpc-DoDu-4kIYCs4_HM0OvxTywzL-2bNO3/s1600/SAM_1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aq5ywm5_byD8144G-nw0dBNnuEgABBOVNY2mhT_6fQiqohpJnBdAL9Pg8WHqcimTbhGHLDYEEJjwAY8EsnKmGNErYAlOwTmZVnick4ymqAZpc-DoDu-4kIYCs4_HM0OvxTywzL-2bNO3/s1600/SAM_1133.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cantinas and their doors have been beautifully restored...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLq06z2lVaRVbySWdciUBgIXAPZgHiWOKwBqgk3pz0JB7TTcr1LPQscICdWA6g5IMZwoOCrpUyEo0bnv3nSCmF4NxFNx965ELvfzw2jQwDvcoD1r6OpBc3BD9BjipeSMRpyYii2GGTxqN/s1600/SAM_1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLq06z2lVaRVbySWdciUBgIXAPZgHiWOKwBqgk3pz0JB7TTcr1LPQscICdWA6g5IMZwoOCrpUyEo0bnv3nSCmF4NxFNx965ELvfzw2jQwDvcoD1r6OpBc3BD9BjipeSMRpyYii2GGTxqN/s1600/SAM_1134.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cantinas are in ruins. Note the steel beam supporting the arch holding up the floor of the house above.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">I am not sure if the road was raised at one point and stairs had to be made to get from the raised road to the cantina below but this entrance is one of the more unusual I have seen in Casperia.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEbpoylbQjbZDmoi9VTr5LlezBjx9QpfbFa9xiQEWiFgb8sxBB1mIcfBCuU5MQzpUnOUf1z5TWTm_7B5oG6p6qzngCIst8-I8jnCpXEb34mgTKnsF90GrMk-QJ1xXBzVnwPteXI8hleS9/s1600/SAM_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEbpoylbQjbZDmoi9VTr5LlezBjx9QpfbFa9xiQEWiFgb8sxBB1mIcfBCuU5MQzpUnOUf1z5TWTm_7B5oG6p6qzngCIst8-I8jnCpXEb34mgTKnsF90GrMk-QJ1xXBzVnwPteXI8hleS9/s1600/SAM_1135.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A better view of the steps down into the cantina.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV6ykARlXFZ6hQZHMgNgzJbIZUy46D-orQB5HpXxupnw9qp2AV6tiy_z6oBfaQRsCajGvVktSjATjOndGo7YCCqttznWh8bOb62X4QQGA6wuSl93Ps4MnCOyEifPn7SA0iURdyHor3L7K/s1600/SAM_1152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV6ykARlXFZ6hQZHMgNgzJbIZUy46D-orQB5HpXxupnw9qp2AV6tiy_z6oBfaQRsCajGvVktSjATjOndGo7YCCqttznWh8bOb62X4QQGA6wuSl93Ps4MnCOyEifPn7SA0iURdyHor3L7K/s1600/SAM_1152.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This magnificent old cantina entrance is on Via San Rocco.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5-wj0myNoWGSd8CumXAmSTr71VPd4VmvjUtje886ngNVIpxwG-IhZmpXq-wpcClN8_t_Rzz8xfEikE_xsyuVIiQJqWfM20FJm7k_v_eekLY5OP0gkBjqcqQrmECh48uvY4kZmQq8-oD7/s1600/SAM_1194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5-wj0myNoWGSd8CumXAmSTr71VPd4VmvjUtje886ngNVIpxwG-IhZmpXq-wpcClN8_t_Rzz8xfEikE_xsyuVIiQJqWfM20FJm7k_v_eekLY5OP0gkBjqcqQrmECh48uvY4kZmQq8-oD7/s1600/SAM_1194.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cantina below a ruined house on Via Massari. The next photo shows the house above.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjivKmtxCJMn_bCa0BEQj3KcJDNRN3WWpfORFKoFXST4qpbD90cWAX9BvwwgmFCk_qnJEfQYDEKEc1CtBRQ8CecxRnBXzLNzYaFGs8kBj-Tl5HlFvcdan-t9M0aulJ64bUZ1vw2YJCq-o/s1600/SAM_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjivKmtxCJMn_bCa0BEQj3KcJDNRN3WWpfORFKoFXST4qpbD90cWAX9BvwwgmFCk_qnJEfQYDEKEc1CtBRQ8CecxRnBXzLNzYaFGs8kBj-Tl5HlFvcdan-t9M0aulJ64bUZ1vw2YJCq-o/s1600/SAM_1195.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the house above the ruin. I have been inside. It would make a wonderful little apartment,</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNebnRxSIfJaX_3RECmPpqktnmxkhokaixLVI7jFk2T1PicnFG0Cq6SwM_Atw61G2IT1tGXHYVMZdjf3CGIuCm3OWKyS2AcRDozUwliZAS7vraBI7_Za2yI8rvuqffYoPNKwlQX7pCbPGy/s1600/SAM_1202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNebnRxSIfJaX_3RECmPpqktnmxkhokaixLVI7jFk2T1PicnFG0Cq6SwM_Atw61G2IT1tGXHYVMZdjf3CGIuCm3OWKyS2AcRDozUwliZAS7vraBI7_Za2yI8rvuqffYoPNKwlQX7pCbPGy/s1600/SAM_1202.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see how the original door of the cantina has been reworked over the years, eventually made smaller. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XrX82NwDJQTIJOn-Be-6_7jr-ZUKrZhavLWQaBKOrWHWPGlXrcTVl5LVQTNU-YjwHMEUNb0H8hztY0zsUI3KWEwhPdd3s6YwIcgnjyTboCEMK10SKQ18YeNsUgqwq6rHbTS9PwDo89v1/s1600/SAM_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XrX82NwDJQTIJOn-Be-6_7jr-ZUKrZhavLWQaBKOrWHWPGlXrcTVl5LVQTNU-YjwHMEUNb0H8hztY0zsUI3KWEwhPdd3s6YwIcgnjyTboCEMK10SKQ18YeNsUgqwq6rHbTS9PwDo89v1/s1600/SAM_1206.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two beautiful cantina doors on Via Massari.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">I even found that some of the old castle towers had cantina carved out of them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K6ZDn0qQO073sYdEY5PbRk2SxRdHQx3yYDp_e6BWvPikQMyBa3F9G4o6ZZxHExCUKiB1zrgHbFBmgJ6Cw-HD_SQk4LCRdqu4CZUDdS0V8xMEsofPMgq5-yNYz3r1LrQdWYLXUuvkEqRy/s1600/SAM_1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K6ZDn0qQO073sYdEY5PbRk2SxRdHQx3yYDp_e6BWvPikQMyBa3F9G4o6ZZxHExCUKiB1zrgHbFBmgJ6Cw-HD_SQk4LCRdqu4CZUDdS0V8xMEsofPMgq5-yNYz3r1LrQdWYLXUuvkEqRy/s1600/SAM_1219.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tower over the bastion on Via Nardi-Bruschi. There is the house, but where is their cantina? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVojGsn0O4OqpWfQNgfaMzXiUv_OziTHx0hqNkcR-n_6j4anFaMzgu8gBIOngd2JArYek714Ga-pbH6y3ZlR6tL0BnlHpJs3hoM8WFyJ2JYv6qf_K2cNCwEy5i_0ZKd6UKUf-NLKhnSUWM/s1600/SAM_1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVojGsn0O4OqpWfQNgfaMzXiUv_OziTHx0hqNkcR-n_6j4anFaMzgu8gBIOngd2JArYek714Ga-pbH6y3ZlR6tL0BnlHpJs3hoM8WFyJ2JYv6qf_K2cNCwEy5i_0ZKd6UKUf-NLKhnSUWM/s1600/SAM_1220.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around the corner at the base of the tower.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">Every so often you find some indication of how old the stonework is that you are looking at. Above this cantina just inside the Porta Romana can be seen a brick with a date written on it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN1fYnWE3-XfiAwswU6RRvVlpYbpONZvkaweMeW4KWyPQ461RzTs5ANYYfZKVlUYUYmZq0IeVUV3uBZP_FvajzrzShPwFboe4X7pLujOhxJoD7LCFZ1YevMLL1vU4buj8U-p3OXSsIaSU/s1600/SAM_1226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN1fYnWE3-XfiAwswU6RRvVlpYbpONZvkaweMeW4KWyPQ461RzTs5ANYYfZKVlUYUYmZq0IeVUV3uBZP_FvajzrzShPwFboe4X7pLujOhxJoD7LCFZ1YevMLL1vU4buj8U-p3OXSsIaSU/s1600/SAM_1226.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cantina on the street leading up into the town from the Porta Romana.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5it1WoNl_ya4hvB7msHDAxwnqkogPj8X_uh90GYy47Z_DC8g-vD7dBT3FfQKxyMKJfY0RO6ausUdPOsAIN-3KQk7wKNqN29jisZQyEM3hxoAqAH4BBGhGiSgoObIQiyAHyHzW4Vo43cO/s1600/SAM_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5it1WoNl_ya4hvB7msHDAxwnqkogPj8X_uh90GYy47Z_DC8g-vD7dBT3FfQKxyMKJfY0RO6ausUdPOsAIN-3KQk7wKNqN29jisZQyEM3hxoAqAH4BBGhGiSgoObIQiyAHyHzW4Vo43cO/s1600/SAM_1227.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The monogram above IHS are the first three letters in the Greek name of Jesus. And the date of the work is 1590.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">After my walk photographing the cantinas I stopped by Vigna for a glass of wine with our friend Giampiero who is Massimetto's brother. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXfdoNGFJ3cExv_Jyp-DWLrE95FtLmBx3TX2BiGXPR9lSdVUtnud7d6e9LjpmtzNOhosKpdcMStckcO0QUYW9wQxdd518Hq2CXDjEtPSA5hCZhvs2gq2R9eZbS1x4HA3cuONKhJqAx6-8/s1600/SAM_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXfdoNGFJ3cExv_Jyp-DWLrE95FtLmBx3TX2BiGXPR9lSdVUtnud7d6e9LjpmtzNOhosKpdcMStckcO0QUYW9wQxdd518Hq2CXDjEtPSA5hCZhvs2gq2R9eZbS1x4HA3cuONKhJqAx6-8/s1600/SAM_1235.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giampero and I cast shadows of the limestone wall of Vigna, formerly Friends Cafe.</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">We chatted for a while enjoying yet another spectacular Sabine sunset. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I took some photos just as the sun was setting behind Monte Soratte. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WBJ25_sG6jzVoDcfLeoSiMhbtfK4OqogMKI-1iW9HdAJAoAJ_SpUbMEKHjxCo_XJlEWamaHlQZ2wScOXjwdHwTTE2qhMx91djr_RfZspVGOd8ZmjuDWY7-H011XN1TMlu8l9GgrQVkLx/s1600/SAM_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WBJ25_sG6jzVoDcfLeoSiMhbtfK4OqogMKI-1iW9HdAJAoAJ_SpUbMEKHjxCo_XJlEWamaHlQZ2wScOXjwdHwTTE2qhMx91djr_RfZspVGOd8ZmjuDWY7-H011XN1TMlu8l9GgrQVkLx/s1600/SAM_1239.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the rays of sunlight or raggi di sole, over Monte Soratte</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-size: large;">After I finished my wine, I took a number of photos showing the route to our house from outside the town main gate, the Porta Romana. I will put this in another post. Enroute I bumped into a young lad we have seen grow up over the years we have been visiting here in Casperia, our neighbour Francesco, and he asked me. "Did you see the tornado last night?" I asked "Tornado? When?" He said last night at 9:00. I knew it was a bad wind storm but I had no idea that there had been a trombo d'aria as it is called here. At home, I took some more photos of Monte Soratte from our window.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And so ended another wonderful day in the Sabina... a land of beauty... a land of mystery... a land of interesting and complex characters... and enough dark secrets, I hope, to propel me through the process of writing my first novel, a murder mystery. </span><br />
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-69725644955466766622014-06-02T12:40:00.003-07:002014-12-01T22:15:14.006-08:00SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 5 - ROCCHETTE, VESCOVIO & CANTALUPO - March 8, 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixyksTQTaIDX4xRDRYOYNE0hvvE7K2EBMtQ6-LfAVueWB8N90NtJW_wf6yLBmhkt_c0UU-0pkTeGGLQQnYi9t1JsDX8PVu-uE9ykpfkDYE2fesL-xRdJwsyiTsqSahdOG5JnORBa12DQ/s1600/Rocchette+by+AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixyksTQTaIDX4xRDRYOYNE0hvvE7K2EBMtQ6-LfAVueWB8N90NtJW_wf6yLBmhkt_c0UU-0pkTeGGLQQnYi9t1JsDX8PVu-uE9ykpfkDYE2fesL-xRdJwsyiTsqSahdOG5JnORBa12DQ/s1600/Rocchette+by+AF.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image of Rocchette courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is cold, drizzley, and dreary grey in the Sabina, but we can't let this day go to waste. We have only a week with our </span><span style="font-size: large;">rent-a-car, so every day counts. Yesterday we looped south to see the hill towns of Salisano, Mompeo, and Castelnuovo di Farfa, and had a wonderful visit to Farfa Abbey followed by a happy lunch at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g1629253-d2510761-Reviews-Trattoria_da_Lupi-Fara_in_Sabina_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">Trattoria da Lupi</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today we head north. We know we want to go for lunch at one of our favourite places in Italy, a restaurant called <a href="http://www.loasidivescovio.it/web/#.Ut4SjftyidE">L'Oasi</a> which is nestled up again a 1200 year-old romanesque church called Santuario Vescovio. We had an amazing lunch there during our visit in March 2012 and well, we were hoping we could relive some of that experience. But what could we link with a visit to L'Oasi? Hmmm Rocchette! Rocchette has to be one of the prettiest little castle towns I have ever seen. In more than two past visits to the Sabina we have driven by it a couple of times, but each time we rounded the bend we couldn't see an available parking place. Perhaps today since it is a week day and raining we might have a better chance of it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevQWIgsWoF0qNpcA474v9PKL9gUz7YJ448oHLZyxjCkZUsxgrCRYsB6ZsP2af6z2atoYO3rDg7EAPJL3iwbpXjRPRGZ1jk5ZZn3j-8A_zX5887Uwv5C6On5wW4mi2UposH2A0uJgfOS4/s1600/photo%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevQWIgsWoF0qNpcA474v9PKL9gUz7YJ448oHLZyxjCkZUsxgrCRYsB6ZsP2af6z2atoYO3rDg7EAPJL3iwbpXjRPRGZ1jk5ZZn3j-8A_zX5887Uwv5C6On5wW4mi2UposH2A0uJgfOS4/s1600/photo%252815%2529.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before we headed out we took a couple of pictures of Richard's tap shoes for his tap dancing blog, the <b><a href="http://eastvanhappyhoofer.blogspot.ca/">Happy Hoofer</a></b>. Instead of the garden gnome from Amelie, Richard's tap shoes will tell a story of his stay in Italy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We veered right out of Casperia's public parking lot and followed the road south past a hill called </span><a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convento_di_Montefiolo" style="font-size: x-large;">Montefiolo</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> On one of our previous visits Richard and I hiked up a nature trail to
take a look at the quiet Benedictine convent on its summit. It is amazing to think
that within sight of this little hill there were once about seven castles...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Soon we were passing through the frazione of Paranzano with its Roman villa ruins and ancient underground aqueduct.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BH_2QtSMYSzUXnFs3xZPC3T0tZKB9dsUfv6-LSEv3L0mu1iGpUrHD0M8HDmNZ5IruIjLlpJ5eGqTumt68TdKDH5UEF-cG33EsjjlAYr-b_u-07BbGJLwsdRSLUOB4egTFbu0-CpSo-ba/s1600/The+roman++villa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BH_2QtSMYSzUXnFs3xZPC3T0tZKB9dsUfv6-LSEv3L0mu1iGpUrHD0M8HDmNZ5IruIjLlpJ5eGqTumt68TdKDH5UEF-cG33EsjjlAYr-b_u-07BbGJLwsdRSLUOB4egTFbu0-CpSo-ba/s1600/The+roman++villa.JPG" height="386" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remains of the bath complex of the Roman Villa at Paranzano</td></tr>
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Once past Paranzano we realized that we should have taken the turn off to San Vito so we could head to Rocchette via Torri in Sabina, but we continued on to just before Cantalupo, took a right on Via Ternana and doubled back. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQj4vCKbE58srA0Ny8sD2gw7iXI8AO5r7DcguclZv17IpHgoR3Njtxg9OQFSm8oB5vrSNIUkRQeIgNovg72vW3cPdzoTuLtTHU0l4rSROQdmYza5chcvuSb5lFksLyjfMxRMKtp_nBkVK/s1600/Casperia+to+Rocchette.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQj4vCKbE58srA0Ny8sD2gw7iXI8AO5r7DcguclZv17IpHgoR3Njtxg9OQFSm8oB5vrSNIUkRQeIgNovg72vW3cPdzoTuLtTHU0l4rSROQdmYza5chcvuSb5lFksLyjfMxRMKtp_nBkVK/s1600/Casperia+to+Rocchette.JPG" height="556" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">After a kilometre or so the road started to climb up a hill with some great views of Casperia to our right... I noticed a street with an odd name as we passed... Strada Cavallomorto... Street of the Dead Horse... </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wondered what the story was there... If any of you know the history behind this street name, please leave a comment... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">We continued north on the road that lead north towards Vacone. We came to an T intersection where we turned left on the road towards Rocchette and Montebuono. About two kilometres down the road, rain-soaked Rocchette came into view. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a real sense of "castle" when you see Rochette. Though it sits in the bottom of a river valley, the river Laia forms a natural moat. There is a sense that if you were travelling down this valley road back in the day that it would have been impossible to escape the attention of the people watching from the walls.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN">The history of
the fortress town of Rocchette is linked with that of its twin, the now
abandoned castle of Rocchetine. Both were built in the 1200s. Rocchette and
Rocchettine are not the original names of the two towns. Rocchetine was originally called Rocca
Guidonesca and Rocchette was named Rocca
Bertalda. Rocca means fortress in Italian. They were built on two sides of the gorge of the River Laia, </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN">a tributary of the River Imelle which in turn is a tributary of the River Tiber, to
protect a major artery that connected the Rieti valley with the River Tiber and Rome. </span><span title="Da nord vi si giungeva dal Passo di Fontecerro e il paese di Cottanello, mentre da sud i traffici provenivano da Montebuono e Magliano.">Travellers
from Rieti in the north would cross into the Tiber valley from the Pass of
Fontecerro and the village of Cottanello, while traffic from the south came
from Montebuono and Magliano. </span><span title="Inizialmente possedimenti del vescovo della Sabina, le due fortezze passarono ben presto sotto il dominio diretto della Chiesa."> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span title="Inizialmente possedimenti del vescovo della Sabina, le due fortezze passarono ben presto sotto il dominio diretto della Chiesa.">Initially
both these fortresses were possessions of the Bishop of Sabina but control soon
passed to the Holy See. </span><span title="Alla fine del XVI secolo furono occupate dalla famiglia Savelli che le governarono per un lungo periodo.">At
the end of the 16th century, the two castles were occupied by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savelli_family">Savelli family</a> who ruled for a long period. </span><span title="Agli inizi del '500 erano, insieme a Torri, un feudo degli Orsini che le tennero fino alla scomparsa del casato.">At
the beginning of the 1500s both Rocchette and Rocchettine, along with Torri in
Sabina, became fiefs of the powerful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsini_family">Orsini family</a>. </span><span title="Così, nel 1728 passarono alla Camera Apostolica quando, e anche qui si va per ipotesi, la fortezza di Rocchettine risultava già abbandonata.">By
the 1700s, when the two castles passed back to the direct control of the Church,
Rocchettine was already abandoned. Through the course of the 17th century Rocchette continued to grow as a fortified rural centre overlooking the main access road, while Rocchettine was gradually depopulated through natural attrition. Thanks to this process of abandonment, Rocchettine preserves its pure medieval shape without accretions.</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
This section, was adapted and paraphrased from a post on Rocchettine on Lazionascosto.it</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVO3OJ05_uG2h4DHqpqfrwIZlXTp4z3v4dLK-Q7sZqSvcdsfDQ91nYWDlX9ZnxfGoao6ebfG7RuR6LCESgNU1QsVEvpCAdUsGAiV0uxbH3E_XfBSWtVDtjvYgGANBC_6e0zycERIUY7A/s1600/SAM_0966a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVO3OJ05_uG2h4DHqpqfrwIZlXTp4z3v4dLK-Q7sZqSvcdsfDQ91nYWDlX9ZnxfGoao6ebfG7RuR6LCESgNU1QsVEvpCAdUsGAiV0uxbH3E_XfBSWtVDtjvYgGANBC_6e0zycERIUY7A/s1600/SAM_0966a.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ruins of Rocchettine, an abandoned castle on the other side of the valley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We parked the car in an open lot across the highway and set out to explore the little castle town. The main gate seems to have been rebuilt or renovated in 1607. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAf1ohWarCKICzxAED5ahrclKu76RXqQVm2kaa22S2izMclnIHo1oekD_21dhQCi7zGrZFYIS-b78UT9hKY-VtRiuOuTxX6Hp7lE2BKLaHAsW7gMBavcXldI-jiEFqUbMhd6dwg6ADAU/s1600/SAM_0967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAf1ohWarCKICzxAED5ahrclKu76RXqQVm2kaa22S2izMclnIHo1oekD_21dhQCi7zGrZFYIS-b78UT9hKY-VtRiuOuTxX6Hp7lE2BKLaHAsW7gMBavcXldI-jiEFqUbMhd6dwg6ADAU/s1600/SAM_0967.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard heads into the borgo </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, with all the rain, the streets were deserted... It felt like we had the entire little town to ourselves...</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVF7G6FicKZRKVfrMIqvwW_ooQEykEOu_AYn-nj5RrZDa5YczM94cL_eG0t2WDPY_dkG_ry4cUsyyXEIsyje32bOVscNSfE_vvqER0rP2et90AA7UuikfAZ18mi5enJ1ps_xwBBnCaM0/s1600/SAM_0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVF7G6FicKZRKVfrMIqvwW_ooQEykEOu_AYn-nj5RrZDa5YczM94cL_eG0t2WDPY_dkG_ry4cUsyyXEIsyje32bOVscNSfE_vvqER0rP2et90AA7UuikfAZ18mi5enJ1ps_xwBBnCaM0/s1600/SAM_0968.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two very old chairs. What stories they could tell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn2gIPKXgYE21DylwNtx2dWFQ9Hlej6yCIAbyQzmOrEZckoycI9d8RPPXSIQ2BSt8yEtGpzLYNIPWF7_4Wp8cujRh5_VYwKK9mqSjR9-a3s3MfcaOZLEw7gOA0eoThTJXIycHjABV82g/s1600/SAM_0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn2gIPKXgYE21DylwNtx2dWFQ9Hlej6yCIAbyQzmOrEZckoycI9d8RPPXSIQ2BSt8yEtGpzLYNIPWF7_4Wp8cujRh5_VYwKK9mqSjR9-a3s3MfcaOZLEw7gOA0eoThTJXIycHjABV82g/s1600/SAM_0969.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwr0QLB4QQj5RXVif6oZSbnjvFvazv6OplHUJOmL4bBaygM0S4GetwxuA7KJuU1nTQyhQ5i_B092m56d0kjXNHIM6gCWovvh4m9jTXPDrIUsK4P1tJ5Hjqx2SNRkC-y5O8JAs1ULhi7kg/s1600/SAM_0971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwr0QLB4QQj5RXVif6oZSbnjvFvazv6OplHUJOmL4bBaygM0S4GetwxuA7KJuU1nTQyhQ5i_B092m56d0kjXNHIM6gCWovvh4m9jTXPDrIUsK4P1tJ5Hjqx2SNRkC-y5O8JAs1ULhi7kg/s1600/SAM_0971.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At first you notice the art of the grill above... then you realize, it had a purpose... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9X7RTYOyJHOKVOjUElaVNpnSqaeQCMneHHBXTbTKd_lS-jexvqnJDb7kW1Xx1_VukaIU5l_d9tD63K1K1zRDE0EO8ygGgqs7A-86zb8QUDtVBDT2085i6XMx-IyGrNaN7FN8m0yKNnM/s1600/SAM_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9X7RTYOyJHOKVOjUElaVNpnSqaeQCMneHHBXTbTKd_lS-jexvqnJDb7kW1Xx1_VukaIU5l_d9tD63K1K1zRDE0EO8ygGgqs7A-86zb8QUDtVBDT2085i6XMx-IyGrNaN7FN8m0yKNnM/s1600/SAM_0972.JPG" height="482" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jLNP9F-FNSxaENY92advGjWAPb3RBDK5Jpy1MaEpP6l_ToBfkHt_W9iPiRRTk9hnOtEiAq9k_FKJBhKQrq0sJZdtocV1oXx8KSWPzsemCxNa2iIWtHnB2atanujSCVEy_v9Bm0n_ON4/s1600/SAM_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jLNP9F-FNSxaENY92advGjWAPb3RBDK5Jpy1MaEpP6l_ToBfkHt_W9iPiRRTk9hnOtEiAq9k_FKJBhKQrq0sJZdtocV1oXx8KSWPzsemCxNa2iIWtHnB2atanujSCVEy_v9Bm0n_ON4/s1600/SAM_0973.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Unlike those of Casperia, the streets inside Rocchette mostly follow gentle inclines. There are no stairs here on the road... only those that lead up to each house.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAtDntG9OkS8UDKEjWSZHCPBDqT-uENWx0UlPvdTc4mfdMBrmIUJvSUYnBRahq4_8vr8HgNcsSphLm2_eL60fdQjtQ0XE4XXwdUzveCDvIncv4lBmDy2ezOFwL2m9WMSo3x-fvUwpTDc/s1600/SAM_0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAtDntG9OkS8UDKEjWSZHCPBDqT-uENWx0UlPvdTc4mfdMBrmIUJvSUYnBRahq4_8vr8HgNcsSphLm2_eL60fdQjtQ0XE4XXwdUzveCDvIncv4lBmDy2ezOFwL2m9WMSo3x-fvUwpTDc/s1600/SAM_0974.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very elaborate gateway into a house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWjGFonIfrXXa5UNXY4-Dm03UUQp-Ur9pGFtnwwd6mgf97ydHAP9Grt2rEG8DBcdb3AgPVz7icsR3dT7AqUx2gZ3bWZY75MOT4idvICs3MkAoAIUzTvd3RMw-wF7gux4cWPkmDJK4goo/s1600/SAM_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWjGFonIfrXXa5UNXY4-Dm03UUQp-Ur9pGFtnwwd6mgf97ydHAP9Grt2rEG8DBcdb3AgPVz7icsR3dT7AqUx2gZ3bWZY75MOT4idvICs3MkAoAIUzTvd3RMw-wF7gux4cWPkmDJK4goo/s1600/SAM_0975.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfG2h3tYmR0G4U7BrwL-Ir7tox4b6a_rRpWHWgn_QUhMCkHWCTGKxvZpq-oW_4L1EoAuZ4C_tQQy56KOuHKiLsPhEDNVVXvTluX4uhvUpUUQTwKiPh_U9YrqsjdW1Tb7ls4D4icZ0Eu1U/s1600/SAM_0976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfG2h3tYmR0G4U7BrwL-Ir7tox4b6a_rRpWHWgn_QUhMCkHWCTGKxvZpq-oW_4L1EoAuZ4C_tQQy56KOuHKiLsPhEDNVVXvTluX4uhvUpUUQTwKiPh_U9YrqsjdW1Tb7ls4D4icZ0Eu1U/s1600/SAM_0976.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The cobbled streets were very slippery from the rain, and the town itself seemed even smaller inside the gates compared to how it looked outside... Before we knew it, we were ready to go. On some sunny dry day in the future we will return and explore around the town further, and take the road to the ruins of Rocchettine. There is a fireworks festival here in August that is supposed to be quite spectacular.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back to the car we stopped by this old fountain. You see them all over Italy. The metal bars near the water spout are there to support a bucket. The wide pool with the low brick walls on the outside is built so that animals, not only horses but sheep and other herded animals as well, can get a drink. The interior pool has another purpose... it is a communal laundry. The sloped stone edges along the side of the tank we built so you could scrub your clothes on the wet stone surface. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We hopped back into the rentacar and continued driving through the winding roads of the Sabina to our next stop... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">...Santa Maria in <a href="http://tracks.vagabondo.net/lazio/santa-maria-vescovio/">Vescovio</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Vescovio was for many years the Cathedral Church of the Sabina. It lies in the midst of what is now a fertile valley which is often used as pasture land for sheep. But 2000 years ago, what is now peaceful pastured countryside was the bustling Roman market town of Forum Novum. Legend has it that Saint Peter visited the small Christian community in Forum Novum enroute to Rome and that the site of the family home where he presided over the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractio_panis_%28liturgy%29">fractio panis</a> lies directly under the altar of the old cathedral.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recycled bits of ancient Roman marble and other building material from the ruins of Forum Novum can be seen in the walls and in the tower of the old Cathedral Church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The inside of the old cathedral church is a true marvel. The stone walls are covered in some very beautiful medieval frescoes. There is an air of true sacredness in this ancient place. It commands quiet, respect, and reverence... and in return fills you with a sense of deep peace. This is probably one of our favourite places in the Sabina to come and just relax and reground... Our friends Chris and Meg who own Il Sogno in Casperia often come here for Sunday Mass... followed by a lunch at L'Oasi.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of the former Cathedral of Sabina in Vescovio courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Above the high altar there is an almost Byzantine Icon of the Blessed Virgin... For as long as I remember I have always loved Gregorian Chant. When I was in my teens, our Anglican Church youth group would go on retreats to Westminster Abbey, the Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery in Mission in the Fraser Valley. One of my favourite chants was at Vespers where the monks would sing Salve Regina.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The accoustics in the church are beautiful. Every time I go there--when we are alone--I sing that song... It is a bit of a miracle that I can remember the Latin words.</span><br />
<dl style="text-align: center;"><dd><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,</i></span></dd><dd><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.</i></span></dd><dd><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,</i></span></dd><dd><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes</i></span></dd><dd><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>in hac lacrimarum valle.</i></span></dd></dl>
<dl><dd style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos</i></span></dd><dd style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>misericordes oculos ad nos converte;</i></span></dd><dd style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,</i></span></dd><dd style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.</i></span></dd><dd style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.</i></span></dd><dd style="text-align: center;"><br /></dd><dd style="text-align: justify;"></dd><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pulpit with recycled pieces of marble from Forum Novum</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We walked back outside... The rain was lifting a little. The valley floor around the church and the excavated ruins of Forum Novum were a beautiful verdant green.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But is is time to move from one oasis to another, L'Oasi Restaurant, and have some lunch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During previous visits to L'Oasi, we have eaten outside, but since it was a cool and wet day that option was out of the question. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We wanted to be inside where we saw there was a roaring fire in the fireplace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as we sat down the proprietor of the restaurant, Marco, took our wine order. presented us with water and a plate of freshly toasted bruschette drizzled in the most amazing green Sabina olive oil... We were so focussed on looking at the menu though, that we did not eat these when they were served.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some time passed as we were still poring over the menu trying to make a choice, and Marco came by and whisked away the bruschette replacing them with a new plate fresh from the grill. As he laid these down he told us, just a little reprovingly, "These you eat when they are still warm". Whoa! This man was proud of his bruschette! Now that got our attention. As we happily crunched into the beautifully toasted Sabina DOP-annointed bread, Marco explained that the delicious olive oil came from his nearby family farm, Fattoria San Biaggio. I noticed that there were some bottles and tins of this treasure on display and made a mental note to remember to buy some when we left.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We finally came to a decision. Richard ordered rigatoni <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonara">alla carbonara</a> for his primi... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...while I decided to reorder a pasta dish I had fallen in love with during our last visit... trofie con salsa di noci, which is a Ligurian dish with a creamy walnut sauce.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">L'Oasi is known for its beautiful seafood and I was in the mood for their mixed seafood fry which was absolutely delicious.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXd7X027h-W8C1qp-C6Fr_tjnllEEGuTPw_X_aUDvOvdM-zviwuHPJwXFlUfXsoaoOzVKM-gD8WH4JqoekLzWU244hze3yKEtIcD6SD_2vMLU8vn8Tv4VfTn-c7y3Mf6oqEEbg2Z92eno/s1600/SAM_0999aba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXd7X027h-W8C1qp-C6Fr_tjnllEEGuTPw_X_aUDvOvdM-zviwuHPJwXFlUfXsoaoOzVKM-gD8WH4JqoekLzWU244hze3yKEtIcD6SD_2vMLU8vn8Tv4VfTn-c7y3Mf6oqEEbg2Z92eno/s1600/SAM_0999aba.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the bottle of Fattoria San Biaggio extra virgin olive oil in the background.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We topped off our wonderful lunch with coffee and </span><span style="font-size: large;">tiramisù. We afterwards spent some time chatting with Marco. I used his computer to show him my blog and the post I had written about our <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-9-march-28-torri.html">first visit to his restaurant</a> they year before. I think that made Marco happy... and hoped that it made up for our letting his beautiful bruschette go cold earlier... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Outside the restaurant it was still cold and grey, but the rain was holding up for a bit. In the fields directly behind the restaurant shepherds were grazing their sheep just metres above the buried ruins of the Roman city beneath our feet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Somewhere out there under all those sheep lay the ruins of an amphitheatre... Its location and the location of many of the main buildings of the buried city have been charted using ground penetrating radar.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UVqsB-z7UfpTE_H-EjtfCJ8Xh7WlIZXA8FVTlHUVHQWtL9j84V0gM0SDwe4FlSwnWGCI1J_Jh9znVUbfn3EaH1xXOZ-vJuqfO8s9qRGTaKtDpj3YwgsXs__IbrJ__BvV8jO0PEHl-yQ0/s1600/710_a+forum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UVqsB-z7UfpTE_H-EjtfCJ8Xh7WlIZXA8FVTlHUVHQWtL9j84V0gM0SDwe4FlSwnWGCI1J_Jh9znVUbfn3EaH1xXOZ-vJuqfO8s9qRGTaKtDpj3YwgsXs__IbrJ__BvV8jO0PEHl-yQ0/s1600/710_a+forum.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of the Forum Novum survey and excavations courtesy of gpr-survey.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Out in the field, almost indistinguishable from the sheep they were guarding were a number of the beautiful white Italian sheep dogs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we got back to the car we found it being watched by another kind of guardian... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We took one last walk around the excavated ruins... took some pictures, and headed off for the next stage of our adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next stop, Cantalupo in Sabina!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just as we pulled out from L'Oasi the rain started up again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cantalupo, whose named translates as "the wolf sings", is the next town over from Casperia. You have to pass through this picturesque hill town every time you go to Casperia from the train station. Though we had passed through it hundreds of times before, we had never actually stopped there to explore. The guest information book provided by the Phillips at Il Sogno says that "Any need not available in Casperia should be able to be met in nearby Cantalupo", and there is a considerably larger supermarket by the road below the city, but we had never had a chance to shop there yet.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cantalupo in the fog courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We drove close to the centre of town where there was a car park with an amazing view of Monte Soratte.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cantalupo has a very different aspect than Casperia... Cantalupo is of course larger than Casperia and is much less castle-like. The houses instead of being bare stone and plastered and painted and the streets through the historic centre are mostly level. There is car access that Casperia does not enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This plaque proudly proclaims that for a brief moment on July 7, 1849 Cantalupo hosted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi">Giuseppe Garibaldi</a>, one of the central figures in the Italian risorgimento, and his wife Annita.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cantalupo does have some stairs... We found these in the vicoli or alleys that connect the streets of the town...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso4BcE0WYuUE5tz6MEzTQl4pz4PRL2mbWNO8AK_YRZKPNIx72-j7BWVoAGrP3UnXN3BU5YKM1D3eT0qVUCcq1u23Fj0YVIQQMgRgy3vDBXYWJyEvIwT2OOth0f5TFSxTpMBsBXjTD1kI/s1600/SAM_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso4BcE0WYuUE5tz6MEzTQl4pz4PRL2mbWNO8AK_YRZKPNIx72-j7BWVoAGrP3UnXN3BU5YKM1D3eT0qVUCcq1u23Fj0YVIQQMgRgy3vDBXYWJyEvIwT2OOth0f5TFSxTpMBsBXjTD1kI/s1600/SAM_1029.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This imposing palazzo was once home to the Savelli and other noble families that once ruled Cantalupo. It is now apparantly a museum but I don't think it is open at this point to the public.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the main piazza there is a very well stocked butcher shop. Notice the signs that say there was bread baked in a wood-fired oven, liver, tripe, mixed fry, as well as porchetta available that day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At some point I hope they reinforce the shelf with all the wine... It looks like it is sagging a bit from the weight of all that goodness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our walk finished, we headed back to the carpark where we took a couple of pictures with Soratte in the background before jumping in the car and driving down to the supermarket.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Compared to the alimentari in Casperia, the supermarket in Cantalupo is indeed huge. We did a tour of the store, taking note of the very well-stocked meat counter, the produce aisle, and some of the interesting packaging on some of the products. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Look at the price of a 1.5 litre bottle of Fontana di Papa from the Castelli Romani. This exact same bottle of wine which sells for 3.10 euros in Cantalupo we pay close to $20 for in Vancouver.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We did a little shopping and then drove back to Casperia. At Friends Cafe Nicoletta was sitting outside at one of the table with Boh, the restaurant mascot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had a little visit with Nicoletta, had a glass of wine, then headed up the hill with our groceries to make dinner and plan our next adventure. Tomorrow we cross the Tiber and head into Etruscan territory! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are travelling through or staying in the Sabina and have the chance to visit Vescovio in Torri in Sabina, I highly recommend you search out and have a meal at L'Oasi. No matter what the conflicting TripAdvisor reviews say, we have never been disappointed there. Here is the address and phone number. Remember, they are closed Mondays.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Ristorant<span style="color: white;">e</span></span></b><b><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: white;"> "L'Oasi di </span></b></span><span style="color: lime;">Vescovio"</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Località Santuario Vescovio, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">02049 Torri in Sabina, Rieti, Italia</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Tel: +39 0765 608032</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Closed Mondays</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g2244783-d2328706-Reviews-L_Oasi_di_Vescovio-Torri_in_Sabina_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">TripAdvisor Reviews for L'Oasi</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCsz5w9-QUaOEfk8z13Rx7xQFePu1yapo6iry6zS_9Eytm14kdxUku_28GI0Lab1BDyvMsbftpGtcpEld4nHSLiX92N-iXlOWB0nUUkd7GZDTBztb7BcXpZCWYgW0dSJQcCGis6ph7dA/s1600/Casperia+Sta+Maria+Assunta+with+Soratte+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCsz5w9-QUaOEfk8z13Rx7xQFePu1yapo6iry6zS_9Eytm14kdxUku_28GI0Lab1BDyvMsbftpGtcpEld4nHSLiX92N-iXlOWB0nUUkd7GZDTBztb7BcXpZCWYgW0dSJQcCGis6ph7dA/s1600/Casperia+Sta+Maria+Assunta+with+Soratte+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo of Casperia and Monte Soratte courtesy of Giorgio Clementi </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A rain storm in the Sabina is something to be experienced... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We woke up to a grey, cold day... There were a lot of these during our visit to Casperia in 2013... Way more than we had experienced in previous years... Our friends Stefano and Nicoleta were very disappointed for us, always apologising for the weather... But what could anyone do? Nothing! As far as we were concerned, good weather or bad, we were having the time of our lives. We were spending time in our favourite place on the planet with easy access to our amazing array from Italian friends... We had warm clothing... and Il Sogno, the wonderful house we were renting from the Phillips family, came equipped not only with a fabulous fire place, but also with an umbrella. When the morning rain eased up a bit, we bundled up, grabbed the umbrella and our camera and went out for a stroll.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have said it many times in other posts on this blog... If you ever worry about your Italian holiday caloric intake, the best place for you to be staying is in a hilltown... But not all hill towns are created equal. Casperia is one of those hill towns where once you enter the old fortified gates you are faced with thousands of stairs... </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlLzWt3-8QGMJT1RJkpQCvrC-v_2zYLQRCArQxFCqMqDpG9BMBowZGouzdnxJ1Cz1D2loI2M6k7O7FLeFI6rYZ4a669CkGtNsSdrB7CTQR1gPAzNsf5dpVSZSmSrQgmQ0jCrklf4Kf32p/s1600/casp+vic+2+bn++giorgio+clementi+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlLzWt3-8QGMJT1RJkpQCvrC-v_2zYLQRCArQxFCqMqDpG9BMBowZGouzdnxJ1Cz1D2loI2M6k7O7FLeFI6rYZ4a669CkGtNsSdrB7CTQR1gPAzNsf5dpVSZSmSrQgmQ0jCrklf4Kf32p/s1600/casp+vic+2+bn++giorgio+clementi+.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is no real flat space inside the town walls except for the small piazza above the Porta Romana, Piazza Umberto I...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">...the Piazza del Municipio where the Comune offices are, and another small piazza in front of San Giovanni Battista Church.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHtswV00e8Qhe48y04ankHqxXvw1UUoMj7pLXqFrS_S4ddmZrWhO5Hb3NYBwn9FkaewHqjM8ubhVXt42tUvAOjIt4VWQ83d1WYgZMg5BbsI95TbmOi9UFU2aB4czYU0C3in2Ft3MkkaVg/s1600/Casperia+San+Giovanni+Batista+by+GC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHtswV00e8Qhe48y04ankHqxXvw1UUoMj7pLXqFrS_S4ddmZrWhO5Hb3NYBwn9FkaewHqjM8ubhVXt42tUvAOjIt4VWQ83d1WYgZMg5BbsI95TbmOi9UFU2aB4czYU0C3in2Ft3MkkaVg/s1600/Casperia+San+Giovanni+Batista+by+GC.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of San Giovanni Battista church courtesy of Giorgio Clementi </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So as long as you are out and about every day, you are getting a lot of exercise. The move of the town alimentari, tabaccheria and other shops from their former locations facing the Piazza del Municipio to just outside the Porta Romana in the 1960s and 70s forces people who stay inside the borgo to go up and down hundreds of steps daily. Casperia, with its spiral of stepped streets and steep interconnecting vicoli--alleys, is like a 3-D snakes and ladders game board... and around every corner is a new vista to photograph and a new adventure...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YhBVE3_2QTFtCa7MZwwAqznBPuO1tF2taP2Iy3eReZ5r_t4FcvXG5o-Qza2I_OBCFToj2uCNtLCrdwWTZCLWfjwE6LWA4wHRSgnIo5d78eGq2QRaKLKrNt7hQVFxjk-7_9fOm_kGOcJ0/s1600/Soratteby+SAB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YhBVE3_2QTFtCa7MZwwAqznBPuO1tF2taP2Iy3eReZ5r_t4FcvXG5o-Qza2I_OBCFToj2uCNtLCrdwWTZCLWfjwE6LWA4wHRSgnIo5d78eGq2QRaKLKrNt7hQVFxjk-7_9fOm_kGOcJ0/s1600/Soratteby+SAB.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Monte Soratte seen from Casperia courtesty of Stefano Aperio Bella</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So armed with the umbrella we set off for a stroll through the borgo... We travelled up the stairs behind the house to the peak of the hill finding one of our favourite little winding streets, Vicolo Serpenti. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkSIC22T3wvA2-odnkULLmYtfNaU6q2i5LUnwAeQLUBnMb324h_gxl-w4OnTMvvY3fzLU7KrH70NgMECVnntshRLxjnnwop4locNnzXl-46nG0IPce9tPJIJgl6vejkkq5wZg9TRM0E/s1600/SAM_1386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkSIC22T3wvA2-odnkULLmYtfNaU6q2i5LUnwAeQLUBnMb324h_gxl-w4OnTMvvY3fzLU7KrH70NgMECVnntshRLxjnnwop4locNnzXl-46nG0IPce9tPJIJgl6vejkkq5wZg9TRM0E/s1600/SAM_1386.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkSIC22T3wvA2-odnkULLmYtfNaU6q2i5LUnwAeQLUBnMb324h_gxl-w4OnTMvvY3fzLU7KrH70NgMECVnntshRLxjnnwop4locNnzXl-46nG0IPce9tPJIJgl6vejkkq5wZg9TRM0E/s1600/SAM_1386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkSIC22T3wvA2-odnkULLmYtfNaU6q2i5LUnwAeQLUBnMb324h_gxl-w4OnTMvvY3fzLU7KrH70NgMECVnntshRLxjnnwop4locNnzXl-46nG0IPce9tPJIJgl6vejkkq5wZg9TRM0E/s1600/SAM_1386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At one point, during one of our earlier visits to Casperia, we fantasized about buying this little house... We headed down Vicolo Serpenti past our friend Clelia's childhood home... When Clelia's family lived in this house, the main door to the residence was where the window is now above the plants on the left... Apparantly there was an outdoor bread oven to the left of the door. You can see traces of the old bread oven where the lighter stone is... </span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkSIC22T3wvA2-odnkULLmYtfNaU6q2i5LUnwAeQLUBnMb324h_gxl-w4OnTMvvY3fzLU7KrH70NgMECVnntshRLxjnnwop4locNnzXl-46nG0IPce9tPJIJgl6vejkkq5wZg9TRM0E/s1600/SAM_1386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienrjRUJFWeBPUtrXVnboNuS1-oMaEYlawpSN05vuOD-Z_-xOFc5hL7dhyphenhyphenj46iUosQnKjNUYtJGVVz0vOxDwVcBoBGJChZ61CM8omLPt_oYLv8FFi41WhyyG0v0rr0q-5I1W5Yo52pT4g/s1600/SAM_1387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienrjRUJFWeBPUtrXVnboNuS1-oMaEYlawpSN05vuOD-Z_-xOFc5hL7dhyphenhyphenj46iUosQnKjNUYtJGVVz0vOxDwVcBoBGJChZ61CM8omLPt_oYLv8FFi41WhyyG0v0rr0q-5I1W5Yo52pT4g/s1600/SAM_1387.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We continued down Vicolo Serpenti past this house. Some years back, another photo of this house that I randomly posted on Facebook, brought some rather amazing people into our lives... the above mentioned Clelia Angelelli and her family, and their friends Massimo and Paola, and their family. If you haven't read it already, here is a <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-12-march-31-face.html">link to my blog post</a> about that unforgettable first encounter. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwq-0u3JVyRzLaRjl60aAgqeSJsM1EWRRfrIOV6V27ogdwa2nowtD1DKNwqyQpD5sL3N1rV6GlES3c0LWicOYrD4wUJsp7_NHYTAd6V4yaSp1jz8Z8n2YPEJDrGkZwonkyu7pP0XbbqU/s1600/SAM_1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwq-0u3JVyRzLaRjl60aAgqeSJsM1EWRRfrIOV6V27ogdwa2nowtD1DKNwqyQpD5sL3N1rV6GlES3c0LWicOYrD4wUJsp7_NHYTAd6V4yaSp1jz8Z8n2YPEJDrGkZwonkyu7pP0XbbqU/s1600/SAM_1388.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxso1xgOOHfMxy87sW4Wn2OKIyhwQ7oX0WR2xi-C1uvwSf6m48kFT_C6XxeUmDopsLL8D9_pIJoZKJnh5eNZhuwLvBDflbe-Qx4unRi2W9xLt1H4H4aL2sMnjeOxD8KvPnPRMP2m3rNYI/s1600/SAM_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxso1xgOOHfMxy87sW4Wn2OKIyhwQ7oX0WR2xi-C1uvwSf6m48kFT_C6XxeUmDopsLL8D9_pIJoZKJnh5eNZhuwLvBDflbe-Qx4unRi2W9xLt1H4H4aL2sMnjeOxD8KvPnPRMP2m3rNYI/s1600/SAM_1389.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the foot of Vicolo Serpenti is Via Latini where we stopped in front of Casa Latini to take a picture. <a href="http://www.casalatini.com/">Casa Latini</a> is a beautifully restored 13th centura bed and breakfast during the low season, and is used as a residence for visitors participating in yoga holiday programmes offered by <a href="http://www.sunflowerretreats.com/">Sunflower Retreats</a> during the summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From Via Latini we climbed up more stairs again by way of a vicolo toward the <a href="http://artena.italiavirtualtour.it/dettaglio.php?id=1853">Church of San Giovanni Battista</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzHnAOb7DBBVYfY4-J_ke3ITjAzrEf11u2DtcTHrT4PFvfSW0_vZA6AU-yhC4r75MZcPizGyvenj3M59gV9XBNepKBAipxLYZ5G3ZIituGbYwerLYBvAM8H-91ZVq8dXrn_Wj6-Mj1Zo/s1600/SAM_1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzHnAOb7DBBVYfY4-J_ke3ITjAzrEf11u2DtcTHrT4PFvfSW0_vZA6AU-yhC4r75MZcPizGyvenj3M59gV9XBNepKBAipxLYZ5G3ZIituGbYwerLYBvAM8H-91ZVq8dXrn_Wj6-Mj1Zo/s1600/SAM_1391.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Romanesque Bell Tower of the Church is the highest point in the borgo. At night it is beautifully illuminated.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PrK_8fCzwLVvWOe4cNexDuevB2uEWjo23y7QEGl2pTH3fBu7NTxodtWg4ecTstLIvFJB61xm3c2j62N0BcfDSfrOLeIP-p5CvhaQ4Nm4gEtY44pxu71GNRRadOgMuHj5PKFythtv_BM/s1600/SAM_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PrK_8fCzwLVvWOe4cNexDuevB2uEWjo23y7QEGl2pTH3fBu7NTxodtWg4ecTstLIvFJB61xm3c2j62N0BcfDSfrOLeIP-p5CvhaQ4Nm4gEtY44pxu71GNRRadOgMuHj5PKFythtv_BM/s1600/SAM_1392.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What many people don't realize is that the parish church of Saint John the Baptist is the home of a spectac</span><span style="font-size: large;">ular treasure... the Presepe Monumentale, a </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">60 square metre </span>monumental Nativity Scene. </span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAviFWjktbM8S6RGwyGQyjV-F0zQ-ZlGi1KxmbXegEiogKczEUCMEha6t89CNsniABILBvf5K87DuVSS1wd6UeXdArO-FweawIPf9qfXNkQKbY4YsjiUGuC6SYCUAa6MmLihbMdIdswoCI/s1600/SAM_2912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAviFWjktbM8S6RGwyGQyjV-F0zQ-ZlGi1KxmbXegEiogKczEUCMEha6t89CNsniABILBvf5K87DuVSS1wd6UeXdArO-FweawIPf9qfXNkQKbY4YsjiUGuC6SYCUAa6MmLihbMdIdswoCI/s1600/SAM_2912.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This spectacular work of art which uses the buildings and streets of Casperia in 1:10 scale miniature and 80 Neapolitan figurines to recreate Bethlehem of the Nativity is the ten year labour of love of GianNicola Mariani. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE_7ZkN0lF6uJRpGXCqND2ethEyHoPNkqaL0Jr3DtLt4vMYAvwwQ7JvmyjCKeD5v6lfcHr-uu8nDmvpvw3_iASZWs9BPZkM1Rv4UwhxeLmsc-F88CUXjMQwlsxzwKTY8XY-IoxEvSErMF/s1600/SAM_2911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE_7ZkN0lF6uJRpGXCqND2ethEyHoPNkqaL0Jr3DtLt4vMYAvwwQ7JvmyjCKeD5v6lfcHr-uu8nDmvpvw3_iASZWs9BPZkM1Rv4UwhxeLmsc-F88CUXjMQwlsxzwKTY8XY-IoxEvSErMF/s1600/SAM_2911.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Begun in 1992, Mr. Mariani finally completed this wonder in 2002. If you are ever in Casperia on a Sunday or some other time when the church is open, this is well worth a visit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rain filled clouds hung heavy over the Sabina. We made our way down to the lower town where we exited the Porta Romana and headed to the alimentari for some groceries. On the way back to the house, we stopped by at Friends Cafe to say hello to our friends, Stefano and Nicoleta, and to have a drink before we headed by up the stairs to Il Sogno.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The light rain which had been our constant companion throughout our walk through the town suddenly turned into a veritable downpour. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOr4zR_WJp75gAQJGat5Pm5tDTHfsHRjXFyw-npRPYaq_XvPDHgUpWmLXPP692hbFvSCnkTOcTLkHgXhdW9UbTIFapOZBa1MqgJWgR8k2NXp5HMARR15Uzxx0vXMRsCyD5lvvRCNNKqDU/s1600/Rain+storm+in+Casperia+by+SAB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOr4zR_WJp75gAQJGat5Pm5tDTHfsHRjXFyw-npRPYaq_XvPDHgUpWmLXPP692hbFvSCnkTOcTLkHgXhdW9UbTIFapOZBa1MqgJWgR8k2NXp5HMARR15Uzxx0vXMRsCyD5lvvRCNNKqDU/s1600/Rain+storm+in+Casperia+by+SAB.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Stefano Aperio Bella</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was our cue to kiss our friends goodbye and hurry up the rain slicked stone steps back to the house where we lit a fire, put on some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44wqc2gbbfY">Paolo Conte</a>'s Greatest Hits and made ourselves a simple pasta dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Outside the wind buffeted shuttered windows of Il Sogno a real storm raged. The downpour turned the narrow cobbled streets of Casperia into rushing rivers of water that washed the old town clean. </span></div>
lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com002041 Casperia Rieti, Italy42.3370125 12.67006279999998242.3135385 12.629722299999983 42.3604865 12.710403299999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-40994673656404414162014-01-14T17:56:00.000-08:002014-01-19T00:05:00.793-08:00SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 4 - SALISANO, MOMPEO, FARFA, and CASTELNUOVO di FARFA - March 7, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUx69-bbMB28GH7jegyBU77dB2CFI_n14mIXmaK_ryRhm0dlOLM9vhoZwx0tUfny0WH6BodIsvayQHLib6rdhJVjQ6NULTabswSlzzFqza9LkOVuzp3CpgEwhsHEmCVVAhyHoowIQ838/s1600/Salisano+by+GC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUx69-bbMB28GH7jegyBU77dB2CFI_n14mIXmaK_ryRhm0dlOLM9vhoZwx0tUfny0WH6BodIsvayQHLib6rdhJVjQ6NULTabswSlzzFqza9LkOVuzp3CpgEwhsHEmCVVAhyHoowIQ838/s1600/Salisano+by+GC.jpg" height="158" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salisano Panorama courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have written in previous posts how Facebook has been an influence on our relationship with the Sabina. Though it was a random picture of Casperia found in an Internet search that first brought this amazing region to our attention, it was seeing pictures of nearby hill towns taken by photographers like Giorgio Clementi and Alessandra Finiti that were posted on Facebook that shaped our subsequent travel plans to the area. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOtb4YBB1slLEqy4bC0VXztRBviqvmuSbR9XPjj6N3sT2KDQh1N69lBWy1c7WjOf3cUCSZYrbvChuSQjk97jZForhckoCjCEmQy66lDzQpYvFVng0txmIzpu39_iMz6zitSkZkhQtpVI/s1600/poggio+Catino+Snow+February+2012+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOtb4YBB1slLEqy4bC0VXztRBviqvmuSbR9XPjj6N3sT2KDQh1N69lBWy1c7WjOf3cUCSZYrbvChuSQjk97jZForhckoCjCEmQy66lDzQpYvFVng0txmIzpu39_iMz6zitSkZkhQtpVI/s640/poggio+Catino+Snow+February+2012+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" height="404" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Langobard Pentagonal Tower looms over Catino, courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During our 2012 trip we got to visit Catino, Poggio Mirteto, Montopoli, and Bocchignano thanks to these photographic introductions. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS2vcE4phenBX_fge3D_YNPVvouAK3CtPjZWUF9tosVxxyhEd2KJtNOqI0Blzd_zKQqQAKBxhDim0kKXbYbEpnSlM_hxyidpGcKc-FKXh8JvkCXf7ydNRqt8EhGLFEgZ4NYpf6VIkbbk/s1600/P3220386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS2vcE4phenBX_fge3D_YNPVvouAK3CtPjZWUF9tosVxxyhEd2KJtNOqI0Blzd_zKQqQAKBxhDim0kKXbYbEpnSlM_hxyidpGcKc-FKXh8JvkCXf7ydNRqt8EhGLFEgZ4NYpf6VIkbbk/s640/P3220386.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An archway in Montopoli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we got back to Canada, I started to explore more of the Sabina online and made up a list. For our 2013 visit to the Sabina, there would be some repeats... We knew we had to visit the Abbey of Farfa to buy bed linens at the </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.farfatesse.com/"><span class="st">Laboratorio Artigiano Tessile</span></a> there... And we knew we wanted to revisit <a href="http://tracks.vagabondo.net/lazio/santa-maria-vescovio/">Santa Maria in Vescovio</a> in Torri in Sabina... The amazing lunch we had at <b><a href="http://www.loasidivescovio.it/web/#.Uo3C8ScoFXg">L'Oasi</a></b> the year before was impossible to forget.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBTLdtDRGzaUb1cqBgZXYoeu8bQDII1NDQw9kbc-6UfY4aTNlOCb29YUf2PcgvUt54BvPfi-jwY0Rnk8jEcAqCFw4C_dL8ucoqQkb3PaboZqITCGZgo33L3b_stGdRAogABM0bTthLpw/s1600/P3270857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBTLdtDRGzaUb1cqBgZXYoeu8bQDII1NDQw9kbc-6UfY4aTNlOCb29YUf2PcgvUt54BvPfi-jwY0Rnk8jEcAqCFw4C_dL8ucoqQkb3PaboZqITCGZgo33L3b_stGdRAogABM0bTthLpw/s640/P3270857.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Troffie con Salsa di Noce at L'Oasi Restaurant</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But we had a new list of places we wanted to see... And that included the hilltowns of </span><span style="font-size: large;">Salisano</span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sabina.it/comuni-i/mompeo-i.html"></a> and </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sabina.it/comuni-i/mompeo-i.html">Mompeo</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> to the southeast of Casperia. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we hopped into our trusty "automatic" Audi rent-a-car, turned left out of the parking lot and followed the narrow road under Casperia's walls north and then east to the intersection with the highway where we turned south.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhZzoCgCkF-IERJdz3N76Zt29RSS41Vb8UWi4t-aCh_9R8wDK6rDkWwymbVOpbrFHj1j6JdG7fJQR_7cyPYrzFAe0a3K0QAFC81YC4b1gicknp_NGbDzBtk35_DEF3d7UpDdfOoIyiZ0/s1600/turn+off+from+Casperia+to+Roccantica.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhZzoCgCkF-IERJdz3N76Zt29RSS41Vb8UWi4t-aCh_9R8wDK6rDkWwymbVOpbrFHj1j6JdG7fJQR_7cyPYrzFAe0a3K0QAFC81YC4b1gicknp_NGbDzBtk35_DEF3d7UpDdfOoIyiZ0/s400/turn+off+from+Casperia+to+Roccantica.JPG" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love this particular road... Yes, I know, I say it about most of the roads we have travelled on in the Sabina, but I really do love this one... First you get to pass by Roccantica, which on most sunny days is truly stunning.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg8wrLJZaFu_G5AAK5oMvcNGEEwLwu0M1HMPa9V2CX9WrmwcukeD6QfKWyPcmsB4HXcilUV0KAC2KaEHrWRn15mQzO1wiLVN1xw0P6Fz8l7Nd7u0Tc1qMKk8IcSh4ivxUZfoM3ZcmA1w/s1600/roccantica+panoramica+giorgio+clementi+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg8wrLJZaFu_G5AAK5oMvcNGEEwLwu0M1HMPa9V2CX9WrmwcukeD6QfKWyPcmsB4HXcilUV0KAC2KaEHrWRn15mQzO1wiLVN1xw0P6Fz8l7Nd7u0Tc1qMKk8IcSh4ivxUZfoM3ZcmA1w/s640/roccantica+panoramica+giorgio+clementi+.jpg" height="354" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So many happy memories of our time spent at the <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-5-march-25.html">Sagra del Fritello</a> the year before... Built on a slope on the lower skirts of Monte Tancia, the zigzag stone streets through the town make you feel like you are walking through a movie set. And, apparently it was... Just recently I was trying to free up some space on my harddrive and was going through some Italian TV shows and movies I had downloaded when I clicked on an episode of a show called </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="userContent">"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_Youth">La meglio gioventù</a>". Imagine my surprise when I </span>suddenly recognized Monte Soratte, and then<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">—</span>when they panned away<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">—</span>I saw the main piazza and gate of Roccantica. It is so great to have these surprise discoveries from the Sabina. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we drove by Roccantica I noticed the sign for <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g194879-d2348113-Reviews-La_Tacita_Country_Club-Rieti_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">La Tacita Country Club</a>. Apparently, the restaurant there, <b>Triskelis</b>, is absolutely amazing. Trip Advisor ranks La Tacita Number 4 of 24 attractions in the province of Rieti. But more than anything I would like to go there during the summer months when the roses are in bloom to see <a href="http://www.grandigiardini.it/EN/scheda.php?id=125">Vacunae Rosae</a>, their international renowned rose garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have always loved roses... My home town, Victoria, British Columbia, is famous for its English-style gardens. There are roses everywhere. The heady perfume of an old fashioned hybrid tea always takes me back to my childhood. It is such a powerful primal thing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The small Vancouver East End lot of the house I used to live in had a garden with 70 different roses. La Tacita's Vacunae Rosae has 20,000 square metres with 7000 roses bushes and 5000 varieties. Lucky visitors must literally swoon from the scent! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDsLNoXcF2PR3Xu1vmUDRiOfPNJ4l6vC6JFbl7IZ4vx9TZL03csWmVipjH3jHrf9K7Sd6cIYv7Zi_WwjBcE_I-R1nF5AyhVhgLgZoJWnFfnoxowOzMW3K9QWF3M5mEHx84jzBuLZ_Fjs/s1600/latacita+via+Rosemania+punto+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDsLNoXcF2PR3Xu1vmUDRiOfPNJ4l6vC6JFbl7IZ4vx9TZL03csWmVipjH3jHrf9K7Sd6cIYv7Zi_WwjBcE_I-R1nF5AyhVhgLgZoJWnFfnoxowOzMW3K9QWF3M5mEHx84jzBuLZ_Fjs/s640/latacita+via+Rosemania+punto+it.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of La Tacita's Rose Garden, Vacunae Rosae, courtesy of Rosemania.it </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is ironic to think that way back, when I was planning my first trip to Italy in june of 1999 that one of the places I wanted to visit was this rose garden in Roccantica. Sadly, we only had two weeks, and there were so many other things I really wanted to see and discover during our visit to Rome, Ravenna and Pompeii. We came so close to visiting the Sabina and perhaps even discovering Casperia in 1999 because of Roccantica's roses. That had to wait ten long years. Sadly, every visit to Italy since then has been in the "off season" when the roses are not in bloom... Oh well, some day... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Further south, the road swings by Poggio Catino and Catino's hauntingly beautiful landmark pentagonal Longobard tower. If the road is not too full of cars it is easy to park on the side of the highway and get some amazing pictures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was this photo of Catino's tower looming out of the mist, taken by <a href="http://www.giorgioclementi.com/index.php?/category/2">Giorgio Clementi</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">and posted </span>on one of the Sabina Facebook pages that really opened our eyes to just how amazing every turn of the road in this special region could be. Last year when, through Giorgio's invitation, Richard and I were able to visit Catino and actually <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2012/12/sabina-travelogue-part-7-march-26.html">touch the tower</a>, was a truly magical experience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So when we drove by Catino we rolled down the window, waved, and shouted, "<i>Ciao Giorgio</i>!" Pazzi Canadese!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We continued southward, happy to be on a familiar road with so many memories, but anxious to discover a new one. The traffic increased as we wound our way closer to Poggio Mirteto. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhre51u0ihADTBpGt15-UHV_zDHCURY5O2Gs-DUto8aOH89TU7Wlcd9WLuIxA0GiObxKNL3ONG3zb5ns72_AKoFIBCL7UMoU7xFsfHpE5gMAVkHo0Ku70mzwzgXQKsAOO4MuJg37NFI1U4/s1600/Catino+to+Poggio+Mirteto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhre51u0ihADTBpGt15-UHV_zDHCURY5O2Gs-DUto8aOH89TU7Wlcd9WLuIxA0GiObxKNL3ONG3zb5ns72_AKoFIBCL7UMoU7xFsfHpE5gMAVkHo0Ku70mzwzgXQKsAOO4MuJg37NFI1U4/s640/Catino+to+Poggio+Mirteto.JPG" height="640" width="464" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We followed the traffic travelling Via Matteotti, the road that skirts around behind the main town of the Sabina Tiberina. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqKdJGH-R1B9EBfDpvkysd9FrxitA4_J-u-_8A3-L-Q8w2ZGS94weHRTZtgNCbeX0dTpfPQB08omQxkR_Y6oi-ghIcQYgu5QUDvqV5L_y1BJyr3_zSSPOweB3Z97kl0qGuw46xh-lpFo/s1600/Via+Matteotti+Poggio+Mirteto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqKdJGH-R1B9EBfDpvkysd9FrxitA4_J-u-_8A3-L-Q8w2ZGS94weHRTZtgNCbeX0dTpfPQB08omQxkR_Y6oi-ghIcQYgu5QUDvqV5L_y1BJyr3_zSSPOweB3Z97kl0qGuw46xh-lpFo/s640/Via+Matteotti+Poggio+Mirteto.JPG" height="368" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main piazza of Poggia Mirteto fast approaches on the right. We are heading straight though...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We passed the entrance to Poggio Mirteto's beautiful piazza that we visited with Alessandra the day before and followed Via Roma southward to its juncture with the Strada Provinciale 46 where we turned east. But even this stretch of the road was familiar. We were deep in olive grove country. Some of the best olive oil in the Sabina comes from the trees around Bocchignano. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bocchignano is truly one of the Sabina's jewels. As we passed by the town gate with its pretty turreted church I suddenly remembered a particular moment from our visit to the town last year. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-fMFhHW0-960WlGAISUL8vHq78HzqC3XtIFY506xQzju_QQKJRF7GpXgRPnAtelcIb1OyKMDqW52e1218L7tJvgXMBN3mo10bD8s-gLb5gbsJyaTxEzubW1LwvFGJQFIAnjc-rUk68A/s1600/Rainbow+over+Bochignano+by+Castello+di+Bucciniano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-fMFhHW0-960WlGAISUL8vHq78HzqC3XtIFY506xQzju_QQKJRF7GpXgRPnAtelcIb1OyKMDqW52e1218L7tJvgXMBN3mo10bD8s-gLb5gbsJyaTxEzubW1LwvFGJQFIAnjc-rUk68A/s640/Rainbow+over+Bochignano+by+Castello+di+Bucciniano.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Bocchignano courtesy of Castelli di Bucciniano</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were on the village ramparts looking across a beautiful green valley. It was almost dusk and we could see a shepherd with his sheep dogs expertly herd a large flock of baaing sheep, down a steep slope toward what I assumed was a farmyard. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJCt9aP8dYqBS7JB3KwAca3BW0Gr8-uD1V4NZP_k-EgKgc4Xnd3kN86YIBSqrb6tdfpuwDTzXQbofREzeSoe7dKCCwzLSP23Sr1EWhZipx6RI3vWwU5YmRLtsLCnY3fE9wR8Rjow1UOA/s1600/100_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJCt9aP8dYqBS7JB3KwAca3BW0Gr8-uD1V4NZP_k-EgKgc4Xnd3kN86YIBSqrb6tdfpuwDTzXQbofREzeSoe7dKCCwzLSP23Sr1EWhZipx6RI3vWwU5YmRLtsLCnY3fE9wR8Rjow1UOA/s640/100_1693.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't see or hear the sheep, but they were there... </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As they coursed down the hillside zigzagging in their dozens, bells clanging, I was reminded of the way the steel balls of a pachinko machine travel down through the maze of troughs, barriers and moving bats to and make their way down to the bottom of the machine. The sheep and their bells were of course much more beautiful to the eyes and ears than those steel balls pinging and clanging in the Japanese machine, but the image I think is apt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The road descended down into a beautful olive tree studded valley. To our right, as the curve of the road would allow us, we could see in the distance Montopoli resplendent on the crest of its hill. Somewhere down in the valley below us nestled below Fara in Sabina was Farfa Abbey... But beautiful Farfa would have to wait for a bit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we followed SP 46 skirting the feet of Mount Tancia new vistas opened up to us. Up on a ridge to our left was a new hill town. Was it Salisano? </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7ptT2fYsvB1Yw9_Hg-yPSbGt69Fa0bRNwYmNmZSFfsqOQG6EEL8zDeFvs6bTjc62vfSv-LcKp3allPeA21OdqPaxwTz9Eep6rJ-DVW23gcDAbzW5CAJxyMoqAU8jdNlap9OT9RfIuaE/s1600/Castel+San+Pietro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7ptT2fYsvB1Yw9_Hg-yPSbGt69Fa0bRNwYmNmZSFfsqOQG6EEL8zDeFvs6bTjc62vfSv-LcKp3allPeA21OdqPaxwTz9Eep6rJ-DVW23gcDAbzW5CAJxyMoqAU8jdNlap9OT9RfIuaE/s640/Castel+San+Pietro.JPG" height="260" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Castel San Pietro seen in the distance from an olive grove - Courtesy of http://castelsanpietrorieti.altervista.org/ </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It looked too small. I asked Richard to pull out the map and check and see what it was called. It turned out to be a pretty little village called <a href="http://castelsanpietrorieti.altervista.org/">Castel San Pietro</a> which, we found out later, was a frazione or outlying parish of Poggio Mirteto... a place to visit when we knew more about it and had more time with a car. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Salisano and Mompeo both finally appeared across a valley on their respective peaks.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A light mizzle rain was falling when we drove up the
winding road into Salisano. We parked our car just outside the gate of
the Centro Storico and set out on a stroll.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgIlbaFNQJ1gz2iWIIxTM2-_pV7uDhkvC5pF3z4kI9Dhyphenhyphen68iyo4DgjP2hds1QOHnJWcb9Q4sTWeXDbbMD0TUhG-8k1Dij0eINXijt82phgt9vdaBmkQCtJnSZm1aSQ8HzPmEdKgCjRck/s1600/0002+by+RDR.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgIlbaFNQJ1gz2iWIIxTM2-_pV7uDhkvC5pF3z4kI9Dhyphenhyphen68iyo4DgjP2hds1QOHnJWcb9Q4sTWeXDbbMD0TUhG-8k1Dij0eINXijt82phgt9vdaBmkQCtJnSZm1aSQ8HzPmEdKgCjRck/s1600/0002+by+RDR.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like
most hill towns in the region, there was a small, but pretty central
piazza with a beautiful monumental fountain... one that actually worked!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw_ogFv5L-vdiRhtqg1ra9iPysBfwE92aRk17KwoO2DFAZgVflC5YKmtnLoiOs6fyakha-CsAPrUGSchlnJY2GNz_3L7ZOXIb2kRSVBVjqX2kV6p53B6w6EzHprViwRSdyckJRI9dN8c/s1600/001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw_ogFv5L-vdiRhtqg1ra9iPysBfwE92aRk17KwoO2DFAZgVflC5YKmtnLoiOs6fyakha-CsAPrUGSchlnJY2GNz_3L7ZOXIb2kRSVBVjqX2kV6p53B6w6EzHprViwRSdyckJRI9dN8c/s1600/001.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Le prime attestazioni di Salisano compaiono nei documenti dell'abbazia di Farfa tra VIII e IX secolo dC, in cui è menzionato un fundus Salisanus, indicante la denominazione di una particella terriera di proprietà farfense e corrispondente orientativamente a tutto il colle su cui insiste l'"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">According to "Modalità e forme di organizzazione territoriale della valle del Farfa tra il IX e gli inizi del XIII secolo: il caso di Salisano (Rieti), in Temporis Signa, Spoleto 2009" a scholarly article co-authored by Federico Giletti and Donata Carrafelli and published in 2009,</span> the</span> first recorded mentions of Salisano appear in the documents of the Abbey of Farfa
between the eighth and ninth centuries AD. These documents mention a "fundus
Salisanus", the name of a parcel of land which belonged to the Abbey of
Farfa corresponding roughly to the whole hill on which todays historic centre of Salisano stands</span><span title="odierno centro storico del paese.">. </span><span title="Oltre Salisano, dalle stesse fonti emergono i nomi di altre proprietà, in alcuni casi ancor oggi conservati nell'attuale toponomastica locale, come Grassianus o Galonianus, corrispondenti alle località Rasciano e Gallo.">In
addition to Salisano, the same sources mention other place names preserved to this day in the region such as Grassianus and Galonianus, corresponding to modern day
Rasciano and Gallo. </span><span title="Altri toponimi, invece, risultano scomparsi, come Septimianus e Carbonianus, riconoscibili rispettivamente nell'area Cima-Monte Falcone e nella località Rocca."><br /></span><span title="Come i fondi in uso durante i secoli altomedievali rappresentavano ciò che sopravvisse della precedente organizzazione territoriale romana, anche la toponomastica risulta essere, nella maggioranza dei casi, retaggio degli antichi prediali d'età classica.">It is very likely that </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Come i fondi in uso durante i secoli altomedievali rappresentavano ciò che sopravvisse della precedente organizzazione territoriale romana, anche la toponomastica risulta essere, nella maggioranza dei casi, retaggio degli antichi prediali d'età classica."><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Le prime attestazioni di Salisano compaiono nei documenti dell'abbazia di Farfa tra VIII e IX secolo dC, in cui è menzionato un fundus Salisanus, indicante la denominazione di una particella terriera di proprietà farfense e corrispondente orientativamente a tutto il colle su cui insiste l'">"fundus
Salisanus" represents a preservation of a </span></span></span>Roman place
name from the classical era,</span><span title="La presumibile derivazione del nome Salisano dal gentilizio Salisius e la presenza nell'omonimo fondo di strutture di età romana, ricordate ancora dai documenti farfensi tra IX e XI secolo, indicherebbero per l'età classica sul colle di Salisano l'esistenza di una villa rustica">
probably derived from the name of a noble called Salisanus Salisius who likely was the owner of a rustic villa that was once located on the hill of Salisano</span><span title=", insieme di edifici equivalenti nell'antichità alle odierne aziende agricole.">.</span><span title="Per il periodo compreso tra il 953 e il 999, le fonti fanno riferimento a Salisano come casalem, spesso in associazione con quello di Grassiano, ma è in un documento databile al 961 che è testimoniata per la prima volta l'esistenza di un castello (">The first indication that there was a castellum or fortification on the hill comes from a document dated to 961</span><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo.">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo."></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo.">You have read these words before from me, but I will write them again, each and every one of the Sabine hill towns has its own unique character. Each has t</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo.">heir own unique feel, atmosphere</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo.">, and layout, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo."> which is influenced by its</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="castellum), proprietà di un certo Adenulfo detto Azo, da intendere come abitato fortificato, a cui sono attribuibili alcuni resti murari rinvenuti lungo via della Circonvallazione, in località Giogo."> environment, topography, the types of available building material, which also influences the dominant colour scheme. My initial impressions of Salisano were that it was much more refined, neat and tidy than Casperia or even Roccantica. It could be a difference in the type of stone available that determines all this, but it made me think of the original name of Casperia, which until the late 1940s was "Aspra", which translates from Italian as rough, rugged, harsh, etc. Salisano with its beautifully paved flat streets is none of that.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsrBF6KDci6TgVPybZuLWpmW7CGiI-xuVsnNOABHT_Lc9jnyVe2iuBMDVlZqJrxl6RuSSXs45rSCLrTC6G_TMIVgW7ILYozdvsUuuZshJRFMPl0A-p3QwPjsFhixDjJTwbyruG02VjM8/s1600/from+the+commune+di+Salisano+website.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsrBF6KDci6TgVPybZuLWpmW7CGiI-xuVsnNOABHT_Lc9jnyVe2iuBMDVlZqJrxl6RuSSXs45rSCLrTC6G_TMIVgW7ILYozdvsUuuZshJRFMPl0A-p3QwPjsFhixDjJTwbyruG02VjM8/s640/from+the+commune+di+Salisano+website.png" height="266" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gate of the castle town from the Salisano Commune Website </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> So we went inside the old town and did some exploring.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiur5Pa-7WQyN-5F8xElmJPnQNNVUSLzqfBrw1nf0jUwQykrHj4Vsmb8GK0mvh46LfUqLuzWPw4bxHa7m73aFJo4eLwbkcF1PLfsvBqm0eA3MSbF5hh8IGI79D-KOb13VgjQWlCqJ23_vM/s1600/0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiur5Pa-7WQyN-5F8xElmJPnQNNVUSLzqfBrw1nf0jUwQykrHj4Vsmb8GK0mvh46LfUqLuzWPw4bxHa7m73aFJo4eLwbkcF1PLfsvBqm0eA3MSbF5hh8IGI79D-KOb13VgjQWlCqJ23_vM/s640/0027.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chiese San Pietro e San Paolo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just inside the centro storico is a beautiful golden stuccoed church, the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. From the piazza in front of the church the two main roads inside the town diverge and then reconnect on the other side of the town sort of forming a canoe shape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Inside the city gates we found a notice board with some very sad news for Richard. In January, during the Feast of the Epiphany, or La Befana, as it is sometimes called, there was a Sagra for Polenta in Salisano. Richard wept when he found out he had missed it... We both love Polenta, but Richard <i>really</i> loves Polenta. He is actually quite good at making it and would have been really interested to try Polenta in Salisano</span>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gKHPOdLrKAfX5tKEBtVgLmhmFB6HmI7iE1J2KnVxa-K4i2ozuyWM6AMFwElYzcptN4XvMQFO63-KlR94jLOl12QO0XBKQXrqRZejJvgXY145GtpliaSO6lp6rs44N-bqnBtBcRABc-k/s1600/0029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gKHPOdLrKAfX5tKEBtVgLmhmFB6HmI7iE1J2KnVxa-K4i2ozuyWM6AMFwElYzcptN4XvMQFO63-KlR94jLOl12QO0XBKQXrqRZejJvgXY145GtpliaSO6lp6rs44N-bqnBtBcRABc-k/s640/0029.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't cry Richard... There is always next year! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Off the sides of the two main streets were side streets or vicoli, many covered with stone arches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We found this lovely little fountain. Some of the vicoli lead out to the circle road from where we could enjoy some beautiful views of the Sabine countryside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The streets in Salisano are paved in a much more finished style than those in Casperia... Because of the mist of rain on the cobbles the contrasting colours really popped. Again, there is a sense of refinement here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I took a picture of this doorway, but this one by Giorgio Clementi is way better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We turned around a corner and found a restaurant called <b>Locanda del Gufetto</b> which translates as the Owlet Inn. The <b>Locanda del Gufetto</b> is <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g3569687-d3566577-Reviews-La_Locanda_del_Gufetto-Salisano_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">very highly rated</a> on TripAdvisor. The funny thing was that there was a man standing in one of the doorways using a blowtorch to burn the feather stubs off a chicken which seemed destined for a soup pot or some other dish. I have a feeling that not a lot of foreign tourists come to Salisano so I didn't feel comfortable asking if it would be okay to take a picture... Then again, perhaps I should have...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Salisano is a very beautiful, but at least on the day we visited it, a very quiet town. It may be very different on a weekend or during the summer though. I would love to come and visit at some other time of the year and perhaps try a dish at the <b>Locanda del Gufetto</b>. For a virtual tour of the exterior and interior of the restaurant, <a href="http://www.italiavirtualtour.it/dettaglio.php?id=2034">click here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Satisfied that we had had a good look at Salisano, we headed back to the car and headed down into the valley to find the road that would climb up to Mompeo. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAN8mZ6wC1Uojm9ePUoEHOjBuIEDUOJsDKOPPud54kWJ1zPTMwsrk86aoym7yax19cF_rRa4hHOqldrXdZ6lDTiYgMcIZ-qKWS1KhrtCuyIgyyMkVSHBjNwATUFQja5RBqww-2MUk3wm8/s1600/Mompeo+Sabino+Postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAN8mZ6wC1Uojm9ePUoEHOjBuIEDUOJsDKOPPud54kWJ1zPTMwsrk86aoym7yax19cF_rRa4hHOqldrXdZ6lDTiYgMcIZ-qKWS1KhrtCuyIgyyMkVSHBjNwATUFQja5RBqww-2MUk3wm8/s1600/Mompeo+Sabino+Postcard.jpg" height="390" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique postcard of Mompeo, date unknown</td></tr>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCyAj-TRqmgDZobdneR5qyQ3Wxxyusybak705mE9-yZ4-x-Qkx2RZP8nHkjPc_FbcTwwPba_kvlLoRGc796tAhRzdkzLmPLfE-9A704-zlyjyPXdSUGXqxH6tK3k__Aub3Ysn9VXvP7E/s1600/Mompeo-Stemma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCyAj-TRqmgDZobdneR5qyQ3Wxxyusybak705mE9-yZ4-x-Qkx2RZP8nHkjPc_FbcTwwPba_kvlLoRGc796tAhRzdkzLmPLfE-9A704-zlyjyPXdSUGXqxH6tK3k__Aub3Ysn9VXvP7E/s1600/Mompeo-Stemma.png" /></a>According to the Italian language version of Wikipedia, t<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">he territory of Mompeo in antiquity
was certainly inhabited by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabines">Sabines </a>connected with the city of <a href="http://www.sabinamater.it/spip.php?article374">Cures</a> which was
located near present day Corese Terra in the commune of Fara in Sabina. During
Roman times there were a number of important villas in the vicinity. Today some
water reservoirs, aqueducts, and baths are the few visible remains of these ancient
rural country homes.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwfIGauKORaSk6zsoi0ytCggI_azSCbb7VVRshGjemQ9laAmm9zzVFTTC_2r2fvV44fm67XXS8mEStrcRROQTfW-F6X1w-uQQRcmahyphenhyphenm7-1tpu0oOdywzMhK9khw59_GSrr2Dv-mU3Ys/s1600/Pompey+the+Younger+at+the+Louvre+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwfIGauKORaSk6zsoi0ytCggI_azSCbb7VVRshGjemQ9laAmm9zzVFTTC_2r2fvV44fm67XXS8mEStrcRROQTfW-F6X1w-uQQRcmahyphenhyphenm7-1tpu0oOdywzMhK9khw59_GSrr2Dv-mU3Ys/s1600/Pompey+the+Younger+at+the+Louvre+.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gnaeus Pompeis at the Louvre. Photo by Leon Reed</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Certain traditions claim that one of
these villas was owned by the Roman Dictator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabius_Maximus">Fabius Maximus</a> (275-203 B.C.) but this assumption is not supported by
conclusive evidence. Much more certain is that another villa near Palombara was once owned
by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnaeus_Pompeius">Gnaeus Pompeius</a>, the elder son of Pompey the Great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">It is no wonder that upper class ancient Romans chose this part of the Sabina for their villas. Besides its proximity to Rome, its healthy climate, its fertile soil, the abundant water all spoke to them of another ancient Sabine city, the ancient Regillum, the supposed home of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">the Sabine Attius Clausus, also known as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appius_Claudius_Sabinus_Inregillensis"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Appius Claudius Sabinus</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">, the semi-legendary founder of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gens_Claudia">Gens Claudia</a>, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">one of the most prominent patrician houses of ancient Rome. Tradition holds that ancient Regillum was located in the territory of Mompeo. The main street of the town was once called Corso Regillo. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivrd-cJ4O91s-_qMYUoRYU_Sjj_8pLUH5kehmzaWzVGRwn9HDR_QhHdXL4U4u72-qwkbluwDWZEIeAJudWdpX2NbJETB4CBlqTRzvS5V5ISLGFDipDQGe5MtYz6OWJc_fjFr-9llsVNo/s1600/Postard+Mompeo+Sabino+Viale+Regillo+on+Asilo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivrd-cJ4O91s-_qMYUoRYU_Sjj_8pLUH5kehmzaWzVGRwn9HDR_QhHdXL4U4u72-qwkbluwDWZEIeAJudWdpX2NbJETB4CBlqTRzvS5V5ISLGFDipDQGe5MtYz6OWJc_fjFr-9llsVNo/s1600/Postard+Mompeo+Sabino+Viale+Regillo+on+Asilo.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old colour photograph of Viale Regillo and the asylum in Mompeo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Nowadays the south stretch of the ring road is known as Viale Reggilo while its northern half is called Via Appio Claudio. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-rlXZLtTyRlgbCkpiaoPsOWxjxSMkiC8-MQQ04xQEnUFG9MBHhhMuML8rlTOfX2Ikphp9FAfpN4IJgJ51xbtgGJgCpC4TvDB4TQiAdjaQtG6Gjxo0m_qSH6zwC89JRISnWyJT14O3nc/s1600/Viale+Regillo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-rlXZLtTyRlgbCkpiaoPsOWxjxSMkiC8-MQQ04xQEnUFG9MBHhhMuML8rlTOfX2Ikphp9FAfpN4IJgJ51xbtgGJgCpC4TvDB4TQiAdjaQtG6Gjxo0m_qSH6zwC89JRISnWyJT14O3nc/s1600/Viale+Regillo.JPG" height="392" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Map of Mompeo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">During the middle ages, Mompeo belonged to Farfa Abbey. Later on in the renaissance it was held by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsini_family">Orsini</a> family until 1559. After being held for a short while by the Marquis Caponi of Florence, Mompeo was ceded in the 1600s to a noble Roman family named Naro who held it until the early ninteenth century. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Among the many interesting ancient Roman era artifacts found in the area are a number of funerary stone tower monuments and a Roman milestone 1.75 metres high and 2.10 metres in circumference. This milestone, discovered in 1956, was erected by the Emperor Augustus some time between 16 and 13 BC. The milestone is evidence of a paved Roman road that branched off the Via Salaria near Passo Corese and passed through the Valley of Farfa, passed Mompeo and climbed over the hills near Monte San Giovanni, then descended into the Rieti Valley to Rieti. Besides connecting the various villas in the area, this road is thought to have been principally used to transport salt to the various centres in the Sabina. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The inscription on the milestone reads: </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IMP (erator) CAESAR DIVI
F(ilius) AUGUSTUS COS(nsul) XI TRIBUN(iciae) POTEST(atis) VI EX S(enatus)
C(onsulto) XXXV, which translated means: </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Emperor</span> <span class="hps">Caesar</span> <span class="hps">Augustus</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">son of</span> <span class="hps">the Divine</span> <span class="hps atn">(</span>Julius Caesar) <span class="hps">Year</span> <span class="hps">XI of the</span> <span class="hps">consulate</span> <span class="hps">Year</span> <span class="hps">VI</span> <span class="hps">of the Tribunician Power</span><span class="hps"></span> <span class="hps">By decree</span> <span class="hps">of the Senate</span> <span class="hps">35</span> (<span class="hps">miles</span> <span class="hps atn">from Rome)</span><span class="hps">.</span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For those of you who read Italian, here is a <a href="http://www.sabina.it/luoghi/archeomomp.htm">link to an account</a> of the milestone's discovery by a farmer plowing his field. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, when Richard and I headed out on our drive, we really didn't know any of this. We just knew we were heading out on another adventure in the Sabina and were just happy to know we would be making wonderful new discoveries...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThhcwxCWHLoQ86LDnMAw8G0yFa3E1QWFMr829TGKtQLOilL_GUJE2KIK9Xziy6y48cZhsVSCfc4DrttGrz9tOu1C0IUX30TU1f-swWyRhxcvxwhuTUEphv64ajr0rc7BTAhELJFFv_8A/s1600/Mompeo+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThhcwxCWHLoQ86LDnMAw8G0yFa3E1QWFMr829TGKtQLOilL_GUJE2KIK9Xziy6y48cZhsVSCfc4DrttGrz9tOu1C0IUX30TU1f-swWyRhxcvxwhuTUEphv64ajr0rc7BTAhELJFFv_8A/s640/Mompeo+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Mompeo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though Mompeo is the next town over, it has an entirely different feel from that of Salisano. There is something weightier about Mompeo... a sense of sturdiness that pervades this town of 600 inhabitants. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HgCe8qlwThsJwwDLAduSJ_dMxMCTs7Cfga0FG4Cxycu-zpQs7Oc46bvxZEg_lx3dUpL7qwqDdWStOhtgh7Q0vPAiDc7tl_fzLwrnSWXZ11VtYxLpiMKgsQM-gPvbu8wiKqvyqUWNOiY/s1600/Salisano+from+Mompeo+by+GC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HgCe8qlwThsJwwDLAduSJ_dMxMCTs7Cfga0FG4Cxycu-zpQs7Oc46bvxZEg_lx3dUpL7qwqDdWStOhtgh7Q0vPAiDc7tl_fzLwrnSWXZ11VtYxLpiMKgsQM-gPvbu8wiKqvyqUWNOiY/s640/Salisano+from+Mompeo+by+GC.jpg" height="488" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salisano across the valley seen from Mompeo's ring road... Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we got to Mompeo the main piazza was cluttered with trucks and tables like a morning market was just being cleaned up... I did not take as many pictures as I did in Salisano. Here is one by Giorgio Clementi showing the rampway in front of the main gate.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdJF5-vSUSgHmXz_FZZrnjLQaYY50B-wh0RnW4SpdZrYHkJC78cBrZnXeD460fCjHHbn62rzoyVidkqTSyUd9zG70D-xGQif0g-oQXdsgOf1xeXwI-eH5PN6tP5mLJ6r6M2sdz1GFj0c/s1600/Entrance+to+the+town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdJF5-vSUSgHmXz_FZZrnjLQaYY50B-wh0RnW4SpdZrYHkJC78cBrZnXeD460fCjHHbn62rzoyVidkqTSyUd9zG70D-xGQif0g-oQXdsgOf1xeXwI-eH5PN6tP5mLJ6r6M2sdz1GFj0c/s640/Entrance+to+the+town.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMKSH1-Y-_qI5Zkki0cBHkKgWV339YwLmZvJtlsDd_F5UvS8mg8OvTFwcCKD_GpsQNEoNlNORRCO4ItNheZFSf0u9omiriIvuZ4HeWY4unvLFaufw7y_lmUgfAQUCngd8sX9_xC7lZLQ/s1600/Church+in+Mompeo+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMKSH1-Y-_qI5Zkki0cBHkKgWV339YwLmZvJtlsDd_F5UvS8mg8OvTFwcCKD_GpsQNEoNlNORRCO4ItNheZFSf0u9omiriIvuZ4HeWY4unvLFaufw7y_lmUgfAQUCngd8sX9_xC7lZLQ/s640/Church+in+Mompeo+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" height="640" width="588" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiesa della <span data-measureme="1"><span class="null">Natività </span></span> di Santa Maria Santissima courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPgn-BksVifzWhO5UcEtsNW168d3YcMKpj065aMc6mFmgohqp1ZlcfkDK1XUnpMnn_rOoqf6i8RuoXqTJVUwdDC3TOkxl7rh8RW25HHtWMn2ORNSMqgGZjP9p4iMJ5A2S6asnfEbJx8c/s1600/0047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPgn-BksVifzWhO5UcEtsNW168d3YcMKpj065aMc6mFmgohqp1ZlcfkDK1XUnpMnn_rOoqf6i8RuoXqTJVUwdDC3TOkxl7rh8RW25HHtWMn2ORNSMqgGZjP9p4iMJ5A2S6asnfEbJx8c/s640/0047.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard, with Salisano in thebackground</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lVyAnnrDLemZ20E1J6yD5KJVg9CTpLbK6DUx8b4wMPrMivS6rOUIO0V3llvXVdq5QhQ19Tb3_4ZfuMFujKIl6dsxypCfjFCVuRUENGqGbQ1RH1r-GoEhArYvxGI5dD_C7dMcYG7MNOw/s1600/0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lVyAnnrDLemZ20E1J6yD5KJVg9CTpLbK6DUx8b4wMPrMivS6rOUIO0V3llvXVdq5QhQ19Tb3_4ZfuMFujKIl6dsxypCfjFCVuRUENGqGbQ1RH1r-GoEhArYvxGI5dD_C7dMcYG7MNOw/s640/0048.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main gate of Mompeo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlNNKMQjfJLIEM972EcfXb8m_i6MTMkvYDocCcj4G_RQHnXO_1ZfYYANp0L9g44BlRDF_1xvK1gaPgkUMXNMJoDeVA3CcYjTjYie7JLgsOkNy048-MlLxo5TPEmn0pFmzL56CooxZdqk/s1600/0049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlNNKMQjfJLIEM972EcfXb8m_i6MTMkvYDocCcj4G_RQHnXO_1ZfYYANp0L9g44BlRDF_1xvK1gaPgkUMXNMJoDeVA3CcYjTjYie7JLgsOkNy048-MlLxo5TPEmn0pFmzL56CooxZdqk/s640/0049.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stemma or coat of arms of the Naro family over the main gate of Mompeo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The history of the Sabina is full of stories of the various local and Roman noble families, particularly the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonna_family">Colonna</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsini_family">Orsini</a>, who plotted, connived, manouevered, and fought in bloody Byzantine fashion for the control of the Sabina and other parts of Italy. You see the <i>stemme</i> or coats of arms of these noble families carved into the keystones of the main doors to a lot of the palazzi. I knew the stemma of the Orsini and that of the Colonna. But this coat of arms with its triple crescent moons carved on the keystone of the main gate into Mompeo was unfamiliar to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It turns out that this stemma belongs to the noble Naro family who </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">in </span><span class="hps">1646</span> bought the Castle of Mompeo and rights to its adjoining lands <span class="hps">for</span> <span class="hps">39,000</span> scudi (<span class="hps">crowns)</span><span class="hps alt-edited"> from the</span> <span class="hps">Marquis</span> <span class="hps">Scipione</span> <span class="hps">Capponi</span><span class="hps"></span>. <span class="hps alt-edited">At</span> <span class="hps">Mompeo</span> <span class="hps">Naro</span> <span class="hps">was the promoter</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">major innovations in</span> <span class="hps">urban planning. He totally rebuilt the </span><span class="hps">parish church, la C</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">hiesa della <span data-measureme="1"><span class="null">Natività </span></span> di Santa Maria Santissima </span><span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">commissioned</span> <span class="hps">substantial</span> <span class="hps">alterations</span> <span class="hps">to the</span> <span class="hps">baronial palace</span><span class="">, including </span><span class="hps">frescoes</span> <span class="hps">by artists <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Manenti">Vincenzo</a></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Manenti"> <span class="hps">Manenti</span></a> <span class="hps">and</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvi_Castellucci"><span class="hps">Salvi</span> </a><span class="hps"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvi_Castellucci">Castellucci</a>.</span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vib4_3sspCcR3e9wuh35d74SRbV5p_XoBEC8HzbCSP-8IpALUHtz70PAqdCOsghRbDMPeEKQ7oir5kHWb0XvWKOZFeMzcqVRRAnYIcDJCeCrXFSUsmsEarF4kKB_NF1eekiNzdXdPGg/s1600/0050.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vib4_3sspCcR3e9wuh35d74SRbV5p_XoBEC8HzbCSP-8IpALUHtz70PAqdCOsghRbDMPeEKQ7oir5kHWb0XvWKOZFeMzcqVRRAnYIcDJCeCrXFSUsmsEarF4kKB_NF1eekiNzdXdPGg/s640/0050.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was past noon and we were getting hungry. Though Farfa was not too far off, the roads here wind and loop up and down and around the hills, and therefore distances and the time necessary to travel them can be deceiving, so we decided to get back in the car and head for Farfa for lunch at <b>Da Lupi</b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbeiaAw6fbTHiJZ9lc5l8hK7kJh_fsfc26Av8Bmv5rNmy7Qw-PhFu7FrYbpX788s7Wu7kQE4-0Q9qKiZwogkvTKbkgPz9vtpq9wlATcRJCYtc7cKSHAuARkyaUgwdjUXG95WpmCloKVk/s1600/0052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbeiaAw6fbTHiJZ9lc5l8hK7kJh_fsfc26Av8Bmv5rNmy7Qw-PhFu7FrYbpX788s7Wu7kQE4-0Q9qKiZwogkvTKbkgPz9vtpq9wlATcRJCYtc7cKSHAuARkyaUgwdjUXG95WpmCloKVk/s640/0052.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Located in a quiet valley the Carolingian era <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farfa_Abbey">Abbey of Farfa</a> is truly a magical place. It is one of our favourite spots to visit. The Abbey church is beautiful. The Abbey gift shop, called <b><a href="http://www.erboristeriafarfa.it/">L'Erboristeria</a></b>, is an absolute must to see. Not only does it sell beautiful smelling <a href="http://www.erboristeriafarfa.it/catalogo/igiene-personale/">soaps and lotions</a>, herbal essences and cosmetics, biscotti, herbal teas and other products made in monasteries and convents all over Europe, it also sells a great selection of <a href="http://www.erboristeriafarfa.it/catalogo/birre/">beers</a>, <a href="http://www.erboristeriafarfa.it/catalogo/liquori-e-grappe/">liqueurs and grappas</a> produced by happy monks and nuns in various religious communities as well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsZPQ-qul_HBEL28mwJLh8seAIzpTJXC6UUPvOw4driC4fjynIFtBufpXxXdWycfmj6KfFM1SdWpLhdyI5g_M-COXCBX9jXHcpk-gPM6AUliEATEdwG0iNXMPqqU8nzWknLmzay3QcgU/s1600/0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsZPQ-qul_HBEL28mwJLh8seAIzpTJXC6UUPvOw4driC4fjynIFtBufpXxXdWycfmj6KfFM1SdWpLhdyI5g_M-COXCBX9jXHcpk-gPM6AUliEATEdwG0iNXMPqqU8nzWknLmzay3QcgU/s640/0054.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gate leading to the main entrance of the abbey church</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But before anything, we wanted to go for lunch, and if you are in Farfa, you go to <b><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g1629253-d2510761-Reviews-Trattoria_da_Lupi-Fara_in_Sabina_Province_of_Rieti_Lazio.html">Trattoria da Lupi</a></b>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoLpXMvpiiWIdELilTOWpIRNXbieIb20H99QI9DzLXBvxUD79Cacov0Y423LKe1Aqs7M-qJ7kf8hppDr1ySKPfsp6WDUtF0ydifzY4CElBp34qbuV0ueijGR6uwB8kEUXHPeFq1HE2b4/s1600/0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoLpXMvpiiWIdELilTOWpIRNXbieIb20H99QI9DzLXBvxUD79Cacov0Y423LKe1Aqs7M-qJ7kf8hppDr1ySKPfsp6WDUtF0ydifzY4CElBp34qbuV0ueijGR6uwB8kEUXHPeFq1HE2b4/s640/0066.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have only gone to <b>Da Lupi</b> in the off season... The place is almost always more or less empty. I can imagine the place is hopping on the weekends and during the summer. I love how they promote the <b>Sabina D.O.P.</b> Olive Oil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEu-VyPnVA42E0cguuXOS-d8dxocKwbvLsU6lVqIldhCQvOcV7OSToGcRu8_r_VLJOccJ8fh9BXcdOJc3PiND1GupYn3GCty00QEXH8lp1LmqJHg6sOUtMosD8b9g3fWtJeIbcCcySuw/s1600/0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEu-VyPnVA42E0cguuXOS-d8dxocKwbvLsU6lVqIldhCQvOcV7OSToGcRu8_r_VLJOccJ8fh9BXcdOJc3PiND1GupYn3GCty00QEXH8lp1LmqJHg6sOUtMosD8b9g3fWtJeIbcCcySuw/s640/0056.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We ordered a nice bottle of Pecorino wine and some acqua frizzante... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZugsSJjUITAJRqAYcbjObAuGlKCX7O3wZFE0my8K4GY0pyi_6xVYv_GTwHyRhP63lunhhpJOHx2fbh77YlrEHqW77ihZUG4yRjCH6MCvKKNGDvBMemQyiIzHXyR2sTVyPq5f5ZkCmdc/s1600/0058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZugsSJjUITAJRqAYcbjObAuGlKCX7O3wZFE0my8K4GY0pyi_6xVYv_GTwHyRhP63lunhhpJOHx2fbh77YlrEHqW77ihZUG4yRjCH6MCvKKNGDvBMemQyiIzHXyR2sTVyPq5f5ZkCmdc/s640/0058.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...<span style="font-size: large;">and pored over the menu.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2CXv8Pr_XjouVVFn5dXZ7bYs0gycWw7NzsnPVIu44QWDnyj9SaZ2liYBWlpU7TFlNVOIOt009crTaTaYbeHq4ECJCMjEa46Xi0hr4bSB0XdWfss35sGm4t0icCunrgq9X7F2_Rgd67I/s1600/0065.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2CXv8Pr_XjouVVFn5dXZ7bYs0gycWw7NzsnPVIu44QWDnyj9SaZ2liYBWlpU7TFlNVOIOt009crTaTaYbeHq4ECJCMjEa46Xi0hr4bSB0XdWfss35sGm4t0icCunrgq9X7F2_Rgd67I/s640/0065.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have a weakness for truffles. I was needing comfort food so I ordered something I have liked on previous visits, their Fettucine Tartufatte. It was exactly what I needed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxMZEDcEJFmeCnSpSUHqBeW3iQ_TyDuGc3C5DAo-CI9TUDc6EPxCvlcRnQdLaW-8Ji4o9GNeYR8ShKf7eS0lQ_XI8loayykFx9hIB6oYD_ID1-B9g8j3XQFY371AjY8tawPwUCRNuerw/s1600/0059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxMZEDcEJFmeCnSpSUHqBeW3iQ_TyDuGc3C5DAo-CI9TUDc6EPxCvlcRnQdLaW-8Ji4o9GNeYR8ShKf7eS0lQ_XI8loayykFx9hIB6oYD_ID1-B9g8j3XQFY371AjY8tawPwUCRNuerw/s640/0059.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Richard loves his polenta as I mentioned above, and the proof of that is that he ordered polenta with a sausage and mushroom sauce. It came served on this wonderful wooden platter. Unfortunately the steam from the dish blurred he focus. Richard let me try some and it was delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6hsnwM2Ge9Q63ExDZc80rF6Q0Gswz6e5g703o_BH7j5oe6GsujZTU8cvu3IUDhuRH-9sezMjed79PSFEu2z11TY-jpz7Z8HQhV5t1rwtlXEf_rUfqcL4aXKC1aR2Iy5gxVgPVNerfao/s1600/0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6hsnwM2Ge9Q63ExDZc80rF6Q0Gswz6e5g703o_BH7j5oe6GsujZTU8cvu3IUDhuRH-9sezMjed79PSFEu2z11TY-jpz7Z8HQhV5t1rwtlXEf_rUfqcL4aXKC1aR2Iy5gxVgPVNerfao/s640/0060.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And who doesn't want a nice coffee and something sweet after a nice lunch? The little coffee shot glasses are from a company based in Rome called Moca, which besides coffee and coffee paraphernalia produces and sells things like tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, tapioca, bread and pastries... Their coffee is as delicious as their choice of logo is curious...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7w8aEsWlYtImGSDQGmKUKgDZC7j7AjzsO9oH0sc47AYi5moz7n5XIEzey9HH_Q6OvWICx917hmW1PnNqAY7P-4xjQFtNiInAcWwUGV7rmmm73Sq_qAOvvLwC6I3jjMk0tLhdJGZpUZY/s1600/0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7w8aEsWlYtImGSDQGmKUKgDZC7j7AjzsO9oH0sc47AYi5moz7n5XIEzey9HH_Q6OvWICx917hmW1PnNqAY7P-4xjQFtNiInAcWwUGV7rmmm73Sq_qAOvvLwC6I3jjMk0tLhdJGZpUZY/s640/0061.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the end of the meal our waiter, I believe he might be one of the proprietors, came by and presented us with a small tin of Sabina D.O.P. Olive Oil! Hooray!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC1PTcI3JIDJeFOURrxpqoNz9k5jQgIhZtAhG0vMT66qrRMuQmqoJQq8OR0M-mqY0tJ0i6AnLqopeiADJmlzDtdUK72qwrS6O1e_R2mlfQMw8uoPVQJU5JkJsQF9R3M7h5S9uW6rMK5Y/s1600/0062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC1PTcI3JIDJeFOURrxpqoNz9k5jQgIhZtAhG0vMT66qrRMuQmqoJQq8OR0M-mqY0tJ0i6AnLqopeiADJmlzDtdUK72qwrS6O1e_R2mlfQMw8uoPVQJU5JkJsQF9R3M7h5S9uW6rMK5Y/s640/0062.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNxaceI5ylhDYJiZjAvqC-RWPApX9PITdx1mIlnkUUC6AceW8hkgBJcAGR_IKjctCibaZMW8IRm4g2AfO-eSgN98wxQV0NRFGMMQKMMX3USU_yaQPILGptfN9u9Oo_5GRw0pF6NI9LHI/s1600/0074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNxaceI5ylhDYJiZjAvqC-RWPApX9PITdx1mIlnkUUC6AceW8hkgBJcAGR_IKjctCibaZMW8IRm4g2AfO-eSgN98wxQV0NRFGMMQKMMX3USU_yaQPILGptfN9u9Oo_5GRw0pF6NI9LHI/s320/0074.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> By the time we finished our lunch the <b>L'erboristeria</b> and the linen shop were closed for the lunch time siesta. We were in no hurry. We waited outside the shop on a sunny terrace and made some friends with the local cats.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnsef7I0Tvt9Tk0DIWstgtXFBWpV99GxPrSmRUrfgWv_3myXZDIiyBs-JA5ZO0-08OQ_clgliWX69ZCsl1I22eGW6nUdu-JmIieI9qXOlDx-9WNSa4kLL03RKErDISWEK7lFf2mvfiCg/s1600/0067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnsef7I0Tvt9Tk0DIWstgtXFBWpV99GxPrSmRUrfgWv_3myXZDIiyBs-JA5ZO0-08OQ_clgliWX69ZCsl1I22eGW6nUdu-JmIieI9qXOlDx-9WNSa4kLL03RKErDISWEK7lFf2mvfiCg/s640/0067.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Even on a grey overcast day the views from here are amazing. We could see the towns of Toffia and Castelnuovo di Farfa in the distance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaBJ9vISESalaHb8o9RJRcyBHmtmSJVaPaYgGDfE5B_DuZnxbVsMCkBrnhuK3ykJzbsJ4HjdiRl6A3flRwJvpN5IBtOu-Cd1pCN_Kz-myu6cP-YP4c_40j94Kvex-yoC7uKJtmQiwjI4/s1600/0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaBJ9vISESalaHb8o9RJRcyBHmtmSJVaPaYgGDfE5B_DuZnxbVsMCkBrnhuK3ykJzbsJ4HjdiRl6A3flRwJvpN5IBtOu-Cd1pCN_Kz-myu6cP-YP4c_40j94Kvex-yoC7uKJtmQiwjI4/s640/0070.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8UJpm6GjUrClliUpBjsluZ-TNkB6mSGfkaZUWSFc7xGR9eVg5UVVl0dUXzIOnkB4OzfHHpNN8ClKGVyMxPBUIXln6loycbfBPJVGJarvtKZkqYaivreS_2Z7BZvjrcKB0XM3xgELzuM/s1600/0072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8UJpm6GjUrClliUpBjsluZ-TNkB6mSGfkaZUWSFc7xGR9eVg5UVVl0dUXzIOnkB4OzfHHpNN8ClKGVyMxPBUIXln6loycbfBPJVGJarvtKZkqYaivreS_2Z7BZvjrcKB0XM3xgELzuM/s640/0072.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhUUQRNblX-XWZXtcWP9OPnTTW1l5xpW4Z9P0xYH0I9Fymh5l-OHrrHfqOK-d9GNZUO18pFsQHOnrEbSPCYXCdsVwBlpEq4msNVvMjXtEbkz70eNpYMlvgt6wKNOqVEcNbAJ5zJdujps/s1600/0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhUUQRNblX-XWZXtcWP9OPnTTW1l5xpW4Z9P0xYH0I9Fymh5l-OHrrHfqOK-d9GNZUO18pFsQHOnrEbSPCYXCdsVwBlpEq4msNVvMjXtEbkz70eNpYMlvgt6wKNOqVEcNbAJ5zJdujps/s320/0073.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-fDkoZi9ReV2dz3y29P_Cg0LzG0mEgNcT-ks3Zy8RzwFB_wGDhJEydDOqV7GBENcGGOawZZBD1oltD2y6WouS9fa_YUtAjWxASnLtAaNOmyCvaV6GuoSgpXQoyVSv20D6U2kUEBMmKA/s1600/0075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-fDkoZi9ReV2dz3y29P_Cg0LzG0mEgNcT-ks3Zy8RzwFB_wGDhJEydDOqV7GBENcGGOawZZBD1oltD2y6WouS9fa_YUtAjWxASnLtAaNOmyCvaV6GuoSgpXQoyVSv20D6U2kUEBMmKA/s320/0075.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This old guy wanted attention but did not want to share the picture frame with me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He wanted his solo shot. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kpAvz3eUr_K9Du8LCanzSeEctytHSTyRP52LEUar-J-JxBdaLiRcnyt9RWHFPBoHO6yW3-8653GzZ72q-Tk1uw0Qra_bE_3K3NsG3vAiAcHmavsZKEny546sPetrhYOz3EztmI-jnbw/s1600/0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kpAvz3eUr_K9Du8LCanzSeEctytHSTyRP52LEUar-J-JxBdaLiRcnyt9RWHFPBoHO6yW3-8653GzZ72q-Tk1uw0Qra_bE_3K3NsG3vAiAcHmavsZKEny546sPetrhYOz3EztmI-jnbw/s400/0078.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Quite a lot of cats came over for a visit and a pat. Not to be outdone, this older puppy came over for some attention. The cats and the dog seems to get along well together. The sun was coming out and our meal and the Pecorino made us feel sleepy... Then again, perhaps we were still not 100% jetlag free. Whatever it was, the peace and quiet of Farfa was so relaxing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9Ol1GkE_URLOKFFdcBHwn2VuTuQ_X8LDw0sFMd7HAkWRNaTkWzwOasv7D-zQxs_O2UYPRSSP32qObUREt3MHA73XYfx5lLFLTQ20dfhsK2aIL6O9ydY8XIXaWddexZimlOjiXQaNLn8/s1600/0079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9Ol1GkE_URLOKFFdcBHwn2VuTuQ_X8LDw0sFMd7HAkWRNaTkWzwOasv7D-zQxs_O2UYPRSSP32qObUREt3MHA73XYfx5lLFLTQ20dfhsK2aIL6O9ydY8XIXaWddexZimlOjiXQaNLn8/s320/0079.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT0fay6X7Q43QQSjkesPwjg8NeWvzymF7qGhu5RuJcIpr61cQ1Bl3lw6bF7u9wsMBZ3g1gYk0ArNyq4HvRke-mvVMiEgavmUfq_OdWY7i_e54qGjoieZn46FLVNq4H2QAOAnW2fUb57g/s320/0080.jpg" height="320" width="240" /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This old orange and white cat in particular was very happy to see Richard. He kept on coming back for pats. Here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIOWhzfaYCQ">link to a YouTube Video</a> of the encounter. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR76jENb5Zx_LxCM6-OTwADub8j7qs9b1vqfBIRufl8CEmSSmtLIKXYYufgHnvi1iletUgpvDPzeN5lsr9K6mEdgX_Uk0gkXA1QviDX_yoY4tvFUvkBIDO8RYKx9DUfNh8b-dTux1e0dE/s1600/0081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR76jENb5Zx_LxCM6-OTwADub8j7qs9b1vqfBIRufl8CEmSSmtLIKXYYufgHnvi1iletUgpvDPzeN5lsr9K6mEdgX_Uk0gkXA1QviDX_yoY4tvFUvkBIDO8RYKx9DUfNh8b-dTux1e0dE/s320/0081.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFr4JShpbG9oRaYK27lJt6A9PCG7UBrgZw93K-AtFbmCW969Mqb0YRffN894ANKQV7mOX8NhOL33-SgAx6zJ3z-mdRf1AP_R6cT619V84QHIw2ROLcHPgkrZSfMIV3wdMrpvzMuqI_Ys/s1600/0082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFr4JShpbG9oRaYK27lJt6A9PCG7UBrgZw93K-AtFbmCW969Mqb0YRffN894ANKQV7mOX8NhOL33-SgAx6zJ3z-mdRf1AP_R6cT619V84QHIw2ROLcHPgkrZSfMIV3wdMrpvzMuqI_Ys/s640/0082.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were of course other cats that demanded our attention, including this beautiful female Tabby.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQSOrfIb_dxjd85c5IM4-C-4xt8OAp0Cg6XgfVMcITpDsBNQ_FTHB5Qvj2xPeoGhzkKQTrK2XTHy20xP8m78tykJRq1cvh2gVFSJ6aDkcHadMwuoXdvRVuhJHxq5r44OM30Ixonbj_NM/s1600/0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQSOrfIb_dxjd85c5IM4-C-4xt8OAp0Cg6XgfVMcITpDsBNQ_FTHB5Qvj2xPeoGhzkKQTrK2XTHy20xP8m78tykJRq1cvh2gVFSJ6aDkcHadMwuoXdvRVuhJHxq5r44OM30Ixonbj_NM/s320/0084.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But she had a friend... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPr7YNLUzPCbrhQX-tyZ0McHG26oxrA2s24dPZ9KpeLChkFYhHr2PFfOAyX2vDGxLzFYKRyDXijkfuypXXz5tHWm-Eg2pRAp03ah6Gz47bz_XWsp77KtoMyTzQit9ZSK5AMZPjNp9-8mY/s1600/0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPr7YNLUzPCbrhQX-tyZ0McHG26oxrA2s24dPZ9KpeLChkFYhHr2PFfOAyX2vDGxLzFYKRyDXijkfuypXXz5tHWm-Eg2pRAp03ah6Gz47bz_XWsp77KtoMyTzQit9ZSK5AMZPjNp9-8mY/s640/0085.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...who wanted all of her attention and came to remind her...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-_Z51CL0hTIJSGk-GZb1D3YagQQnIeJpqfBzC3Q7C_KKffIci-wWhKmMvBI5-X73XR8foWrJV3AzlKBbpk2KVFw-x12cilJ9rnFaxj2YUkcemumSt2tMTyjr-W6zduPGWUgpHwRCuUo/s1600/0087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-_Z51CL0hTIJSGk-GZb1D3YagQQnIeJpqfBzC3Q7C_KKffIci-wWhKmMvBI5-X73XR8foWrJV3AzlKBbpk2KVFw-x12cilJ9rnFaxj2YUkcemumSt2tMTyjr-W6zduPGWUgpHwRCuUo/s640/0087.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With some extra time before the shops opened we wandered into the Abbey church...</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmQuWyvnwc1B0FjSDkTyaITs8qcy4Zvvpm_B30Qh9lxpYszPiClIyKlCAWzwyFpBDK8pIduzpNAEuzW1ZSs4uj9x0Nue1HfN9bJkeBuvbCFIuY-IGbU4hzjZAMGiCSsqRGTbvCHhpqlg/s1600/abbazia-di-farfa-06vagabondo+net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmQuWyvnwc1B0FjSDkTyaITs8qcy4Zvvpm_B30Qh9lxpYszPiClIyKlCAWzwyFpBDK8pIduzpNAEuzW1ZSs4uj9x0Nue1HfN9bJkeBuvbCFIuY-IGbU4hzjZAMGiCSsqRGTbvCHhpqlg/s640/abbazia-di-farfa-06vagabondo+net.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Farfa Abbey courtesy of Vagabondo.net</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...just in time to hear the monks singing in an adjoining chapel one of my favourite Gregorian chants, Thomas Aquinas' hymn, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoro_te_devote">Adoro Te Devote</a>". Here is a link to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJysQGB9ExA">YouTube video</a> Richard took. It was truly another magic moment in the Sabina.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three o'clock rolled around so we headed over to the <b>L'Erboristeria</b> and bought some soap, essential oils, and some Trappist Beer...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMfIEpTjjqm96d7sJyahv5cJIMyV0xsqJ_emt4tSd3EdNiAf_9apMHbEW6ZfkF51Dy8d95DtJ-eqNso0tvL72byMHvT5ih39PloD1HIb9u3qc1SDUPxV245Fasmcn3wspGJxdjZc1vho/s1600/0088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMfIEpTjjqm96d7sJyahv5cJIMyV0xsqJ_emt4tSd3EdNiAf_9apMHbEW6ZfkF51Dy8d95DtJ-eqNso0tvL72byMHvT5ih39PloD1HIb9u3qc1SDUPxV245Fasmcn3wspGJxdjZc1vho/s640/0088.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We then headed to one last store... and if you appreciate good <a href="http://www.farfatesse.com/#!il_letto_/cqbe">bed linens</a>, the <b>Laboritorio Artigiano Tessile</b> di Gustavo Scipioni is going to be your favourite place to shop in the whole world. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-R2awWPxx_YVEUxQT4gtyhxPJoriThiEWSY7x5XVCNnRCpPWMb-jqJsJW9dOVxYiMe79JfP2sHb_cmXwtR_Yxetkd8fTdu8WS6pZ6x62Y2TxgQ-JfmtNbJaupQpFoBt6mwxMKfRGL3xE/s1600/Laboratorio+Artigiano+Tessile+di+Scipioni+Gustavo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-R2awWPxx_YVEUxQT4gtyhxPJoriThiEWSY7x5XVCNnRCpPWMb-jqJsJW9dOVxYiMe79JfP2sHb_cmXwtR_Yxetkd8fTdu8WS6pZ6x62Y2TxgQ-JfmtNbJaupQpFoBt6mwxMKfRGL3xE/s640/Laboratorio+Artigiano+Tessile+di+Scipioni+Gustavo.JPG" height="386" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo courtesy of the Laboratorio Artigiano Tessile website</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This little shop that has been here in Farfa for three generations produces some of the most amazing bed sheets I have had the pleasure to sleep on. The ones we bought are 50% linen and 50% cotton, although they do sell 100% linen as well as 100 cotton. When you first lay down you think, this linen is going to be too rough to sleep on... then eight hours later you wake up from the best sleep you have ever had in your entire life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We bought a number of hand towels for souvenirs and Richard splurged on a second set of 50/50 sheets. Our shopping mission accomplished, we went out to the small park adjacent to the monastery and sat on some picnic benches on a slope shaded by olive trees. It was cool, but not cold. Mourning doves were cooing, and other birds trilled and chirruped as we sat and soaked it all in... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Farfa really is a little bit of heaven on earth. When we have visited it at least it is not overrun with tourists... If ever you needed a place where you could just sit and truly relax, breathe deep and feel the weight of the years roll off your unkinking shoulders, Farfa is truly the place to be.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Farfa, courtesy of Paolo Pitoni</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had one last objective for the day. Since our last visit to the Sabina I had been interested in visiting the <b>Olive Oil Museum</b> in Castelnuovo di Farfa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After taking some last pictures of Richard's tap shoes at Farfa for his tap dancing blog, <a href="http://eastvanhappyhoofer.blogspot.ca/">The Happy Hoofer</a>, we set off for Castelnuovo di Farfa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like its name suggests, Castelnuovo di Farfa, or </span><span style="font-size: large;">Newcastle of </span><span style="font-size: large;">Farfa, was a fortified hill town built above the valley where the Monastery lay. Human habitation in the area goes back to at least ancient Roman republican times. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Il territorio di Castelnuovo, tra i più vicini a Farfa, fu a lungo influenzato da questa collocazione geografica.">The ruins of a cryptoporticus of a rustic Roman villa can still be seen beneath modern buildings in the town. In the year 817 a church dedicated to Saint Donatus was built atop the foundations of the old villa around which the village of San Donato. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Il territorio di Castelnuovo, tra i più vicini a Farfa, fu a lungo influenzato da questa collocazione geografica.">A short distance from San Donato, a small castle named Agello was built in the early 900s against the wishes of Farfa Abbey. In response the Abbott of Farfa fortified San Donato with castle walls. This fortress was abandoned, however, after a few decades. Recent a</span></span></span></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="La fondazione di Castelnuovo è piuttosto tarda, essendo avvenuta dopo il 1287 e prima del 1312, riaccorpando i territori di due castelli in fase di abbandono, quelli di Cavallaria e di Agello, e della popolazione sparsa che gravitava intorno alla chiesa altomedievale dei SS."><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Indagini archeologiche condotte dall'Università di Sheffield hanno riportato in luce, all'interno della navata della piccola chiesa, il cimitero moderno.">rchaeological
surveys conducted by the University of Sheffield have brought to light the nave of the little church in the modern cemetery. </span><span title="Nel chiostrino adiacente sono visibili molte parti di un monumento funerario pagano reimpiegate nella costruzione.">In the adjacent medieval cloister can be seen spoglia, or recycled building materials, appropriated from pagan funerary monument and reused in its construction.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="La fondazione di Castelnuovo è piuttosto tarda, essendo avvenuta dopo il 1287 e prima del 1312, riaccorpando i territori di due castelli in fase di abbandono, quelli di Cavallaria e di Agello, e della popolazione sparsa che gravitava intorno alla chiesa altomedievale dei SS."><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="coppi in particolare e, probabilmente, anche di vasi e di altri oggetti di ceramica.
"></span></span></span></span></span>Castelnuovo itself was founded sometime between 1287
and 1312 on the ruins of San Donato and incorporated also the mostly abandoned castle of Agello and another nearby fortess called Cavallaria and also absorbed the sparse rural population that had surrounded a medieval church dedicated to Saints </span><span title="La nascita di Castelnuovo è colorita da una leggenda che vorrebbe attribuire la sua fondazione a tre famiglie di origine orientale convertite da un monaco farfense di nome Raniero, che le avrebbe poi condotte in Italia per popolare il nuovo insediamento.">Philip and James in Quinzá. The town remained under the overlordship of the Abbots of Farfa for a number of centuries, </span><span title="Castelnuovo restò sempre all'interno della signoria territoriale farfense, anche se agli inizi del Quattrocento, in un momento di instabilità politico-militare fu occupata da alcuni seguaci degli Orsini.">although at
the beginning of the fifteenth century, at a time of political and military
instability it was occupied by some followers of the Orsini.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebmhgkI6xL2Z_nxJKVWXqgVJXppNuT1IUeWMSOmOMtR0m6ryvWGQF2yQuS52AiQVNqSuXBIVhdwb5FTKM6FEzTE4gHKokdR-irw6OmokIQo_PMPZ5UV7yuFvpabTwQYGCMPdOXT973dQ/s1600/CNdF+by+AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebmhgkI6xL2Z_nxJKVWXqgVJXppNuT1IUeWMSOmOMtR0m6ryvWGQF2yQuS52AiQVNqSuXBIVhdwb5FTKM6FEzTE4gHKokdR-irw6OmokIQo_PMPZ5UV7yuFvpabTwQYGCMPdOXT973dQ/s640/CNdF+by+AF.jpg" height="640" width="514" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street scene in Castelnuovo di Farfa courtesy of Alexxandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina.">In 1817 Castelnuovo di Farfa was organized as a commune u<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1817 Castelnuovo era un comune posto sotto il governo di Fara Sabina e contava 635 abitanti, che nel 1853 erano divenuti 690, 25 dei quali abitanti in campagna, 151 le famiglie, solo 132 le case, la chiesa parrocchiale era intitolata a S.">nder the government of Fara Sabina
and had 635 inhabitants. By 1853 the population had grown to become 690, 25 of whom lived
in the countryside. This population was divided into151 households living in 132 houses. Castelnuovo's parish
church was dedicated to St. </span><span title="Nicola.
">Nicholas.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlY-Hh_uUh_2ZI3KJ239dDBMECVdeR7j6KuWxLtZNlrUT5-8FKld6lnbym2yhoPIWMPzd-ODWBLpfSC9lF62-Zqm9lBftrzMo4KzTTbQtLNYEQKtejMtUyyIpAKNKexjmrjYQWWx_914M/s1600/Olive+oil+museum+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlY-Hh_uUh_2ZI3KJ239dDBMECVdeR7j6KuWxLtZNlrUT5-8FKld6lnbym2yhoPIWMPzd-ODWBLpfSC9lF62-Zqm9lBftrzMo4KzTTbQtLNYEQKtejMtUyyIpAKNKexjmrjYQWWx_914M/s640/Olive+oil+museum+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" height="640" width="438" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of the Castenuovo di Farfa Olive Oil Museum courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nicola.
"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nicola.
">We arrived in Castelnuovo all excited to see the <b><a href="http://www.visitsabina.com/what-to-see-and-do/monuments-and-churches/olive-oil-museum-castelnuovo-di-farfa/">Olive Oil Museum</a></b>.
Sadly our anticipated visit was not to be... Though the museum website
indeed indicated that it should be open on Thursday apparently it was bt appointment only and we didn't have one... Oh
well, these things happen. We would have to visit some other time... </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nel 1456 Castelnuovo si trova citato tra i più importanti castelli della Sabina."><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Nicola.
">Whether the museum is open or not, Castelnuovo di Farfa is indeed a very beautiful hill town and well worth a visit. We spent a good half hour exploring the vie and vicoli of the little town and took a few pictures before we headed back to Casperia. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh2Kgvr7etIsVHupkrrZAVfHsmIW3XYeGY0FsdvdxpP4JhI81FTEBwCTy94nS6wpAgrnvseNKeuSSUAqyjx8R7n4ZKd7Mtao0y7JNHG32r_1Jrj0PHFVDu9z0zpka0vC57BEZA6wytNI/s1600/by+GCa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh2Kgvr7etIsVHupkrrZAVfHsmIW3XYeGY0FsdvdxpP4JhI81FTEBwCTy94nS6wpAgrnvseNKeuSSUAqyjx8R7n4ZKd7Mtao0y7JNHG32r_1Jrj0PHFVDu9z0zpka0vC57BEZA6wytNI/s640/by+GCa.jpg" height="640" width="414" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Giorgio Clementi </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3_Q6hFeDuqFEvu7O5FGs2oUWAr1BZN_oV6jDUWjqw8Ap3ghZGrQkoVNycM_0Xn1DBmvuD1esgsAiWRshpxgESKY5h200D2RT6fGY6UQU9t9n9owF_OIGnVqFtE9cE7n3gM9bNWZHq54/s1600/0096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3_Q6hFeDuqFEvu7O5FGs2oUWAr1BZN_oV6jDUWjqw8Ap3ghZGrQkoVNycM_0Xn1DBmvuD1esgsAiWRshpxgESKY5h200D2RT6fGY6UQU9t9n9owF_OIGnVqFtE9cE7n3gM9bNWZHq54/s640/0096.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful window display in Castelnuovo di Farfa</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back in Casperia, Negronis, good wine and a nice hot dinner was waiting for us at <a href="http://friendscafecasperia.blogspot.ca/"><b>Friends Cafe</b></a>. We may not have been able to see the inside of the Olive Oil Museum, but the fragrant green Sabina D.O.P. olive oil used on the toasty warm bruschette served at Friends comes from a family farm at Castelnuovo di Farfa. As we happily chatted with Stefano and Nicoleta about our day, in between sips of my favourite drink and savouring the crunch of the toast and the lovely green spicyness of the oil that soaked it, all disappointments I may have had faded away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfTc4yStmSBcZ6V4mg0H_scRUuoEhK8XcGQwWk2gmwqDnVwJBdZSmCERm1QBV9mVOEhaSxhacHcX3Z2MmJVxNQuq4LD15kM9ApvGIQVx7dDVQN7pue1ty1SfOokqRwL9CWdhcMHMNMzk/s1600/Bruschette.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfTc4yStmSBcZ6V4mg0H_scRUuoEhK8XcGQwWk2gmwqDnVwJBdZSmCERm1QBV9mVOEhaSxhacHcX3Z2MmJVxNQuq4LD15kM9ApvGIQVx7dDVQN7pue1ty1SfOokqRwL9CWdhcMHMNMzk/s640/Bruschette.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks to Alessandra Finiti, Paolo Pitoni, Giorgio Clementi and Richard Rooney for permission to use their photos for this blog.</span></span><br />
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-28087056763019705272013-12-23T11:04:00.002-08:002016-12-06T13:04:57.281-08:00PANPEPATO SABINO - Il Gusto del Natale in Sabina.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFm6zxMF8hdI5q9GAq70zPoW14NusXCi9sO9MuECNoMgrlJLViugJCHebYdg5E8o2X7j4bgcSGWhqRdnxfX6ShOQn93hwZpX8BABcJaxm80Smu94CWxzA06602HZogeIayMy0TRpIQ24/s1600/421557_2969282723657_1237133754_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFm6zxMF8hdI5q9GAq70zPoW14NusXCi9sO9MuECNoMgrlJLViugJCHebYdg5E8o2X7j4bgcSGWhqRdnxfX6ShOQn93hwZpX8BABcJaxm80Smu94CWxzA06602HZogeIayMy0TRpIQ24/s640/421557_2969282723657_1237133754_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter view of Catino, courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The olive harvest is over, the days are colder, the nights are longer, and snow begins to decorate the postcard-perfect hilltowns of the Sabina. It's that time again.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-A_S0AQHV8flTkncIPT_xOFtyxLOD7IVmBc1f1nWNTQeawJK4d3WCXI_n6Uy6GyuMVLA4yIazVkK_HY-DC8VIuhfaZbYTeJD79a70GzMgPLC3jdiA-D6WAh8JCMN0lldTGwis8cDlf_Y/s1600/149482_466208346761518_478803867_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-A_S0AQHV8flTkncIPT_xOFtyxLOD7IVmBc1f1nWNTQeawJK4d3WCXI_n6Uy6GyuMVLA4yIazVkK_HY-DC8VIuhfaZbYTeJD79a70GzMgPLC3jdiA-D6WAh8JCMN0lldTGwis8cDlf_Y/s640/149482_466208346761518_478803867_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the light and greenery-doecrated piazze of towns and villages </span><span style="font-size: large;">throughout the Sabina, </span><span style="font-size: large;">from Passo Corese to Antrodoco, from Monteleone to Montebuono, Christmas Markets are being held. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8He9U4NiGnpBJ26g1K3sMxBM_hfdyvPlV-mYTIYvu8We06ARpZO5EiOhG4eNnlbpuSA2rkIHTVacUnMhbLwu2h07B0YSHFtMDbZS0i2b4ZZydPlWgtMUl7nwFAMOt6a7f7WsoY4TWSI/s1600/1468533_584060434976308_989678905_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8He9U4NiGnpBJ26g1K3sMxBM_hfdyvPlV-mYTIYvu8We06ARpZO5EiOhG4eNnlbpuSA2rkIHTVacUnMhbLwu2h07B0YSHFtMDbZS0i2b4ZZydPlWgtMUl7nwFAMOt6a7f7WsoY4TWSI/s640/1468533_584060434976308_989678905_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Market in Poggio Mirteto, courtesy of Alessandra Finiti</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In these stalls you can buy all sorts of wonderful gifts, from local arts and crafts, hand-made soaps, decorations and toys, local wines and cheeses, the newly harvested Sabina D.O.P. olio novello, and all sorts of delicious cakes and confections, some internationally familiar, and some not so familiar...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In this post, I would like to introduce to you a Sabine Christmas treat called Panpepato. As you can see in the poster below advertising the Sagra, or festival, held in its honour in the town of Collevecchio, this is sometimes spelled <i>Pampepato</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisk5lbyjeMTHU6bGDiwEAlUAF964zMc_BmCseA8CeOB6382CnxdJNQq0dLOqdcHScIyKQSkqehU22Qf_h16RZI87tDGCNcHHKtKFTOjOh68n5uBtJXheWISY3f07f3QZrUsne3oSukEnI/s1600/215078_4544500662287_1932269724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisk5lbyjeMTHU6bGDiwEAlUAF964zMc_BmCseA8CeOB6382CnxdJNQq0dLOqdcHScIyKQSkqehU22Qf_h16RZI87tDGCNcHHKtKFTOjOh68n5uBtJXheWISY3f07f3QZrUsne3oSukEnI/s640/215078_4544500662287_1932269724_n.jpg" width="420" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Panpepato, sometimes translated as gingerbread, means literally "peppered bread". Panpepato has existed in various versions throughout central Italy from as far back as the middle ages. Recipes vary from region to region, from town to town, even from family to family. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The most internationally famous version is Panforte from Siena in Tuscany. This is exported and sold in stores in Canada and the US, and likely most parts of Europe around Christmas time.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Panforte.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Panforte.jpg/800px-Panforte.jpg" height="430" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panforte Siennese photo courtesy of Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The "forte" or "strong" in the name comes from the fact that the cake was heavily spiced with black pepper. </span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This particular version of Panpepato Sabino comes from our friends Fiorenzo Francioli and his wife Antonella Bigi who live in the historic town of Montebuono Sabino. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkwVA7ygonO30utHgrUmVPkESR8fF1cUQZE1v9XlUYUHct2OnlwRv0vsGVfv8sjXsbClJqY-g1UUGa6JgWO-Pfwno5zPl887J0mCys6MIOrcA7g0NOyC79j-eO4pvC0JY3rEm9ShwAik/s1600/1044263_633174326694022_1147344936_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkwVA7ygonO30utHgrUmVPkESR8fF1cUQZE1v9XlUYUHct2OnlwRv0vsGVfv8sjXsbClJqY-g1UUGa6JgWO-Pfwno5zPl887J0mCys6MIOrcA7g0NOyC79j-eO4pvC0JY3rEm9ShwAik/s640/1044263_633174326694022_1147344936_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have followed this blog for a while, you will know that Fiorenzo works with the ProLoco of Montebuono and that he is an avid motorcyclist. Richard and I first met Fiorenzo a couple of years back when we wanted to visit the hill town of Fianello...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSknpyLlJpUO-lVWVRIe1a5kU5SWRDlpPMbUx5u8ltRhTjjKb73HymVKlAsY_ztmzSeGewjQGUl3qYBOyes74EQDSVXs37jVAzbyO7kB5oTyuU_MkVNsj9bfdhlcF1IrzYzJ0ArWzjw5P/s1600/borgo-fianello-2+by+Matteo+Bordini+vagabondo+net.jpg" style="height: 477px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 636px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fianello and its pentagonal tower courtesy of Matteo Bordini via Vagabondo.net</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...and the fascinating, recently restored medieval churches of Santa Maria Assunta...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3E9aHU3w9z2etH2aT8uZF6ReSEiGZYbuxjAmh1PzbQYfaYdnPOWTzLMKktHfxtArrutl7AaiWh4SkYoZwbMa2T1D5zt4x_SJDYEUhyYzIIyWRLcTZpfABianYByQFU2zj7k17fSMI4hw/s1600/P3270903.JPG" style="height: 477px; width: 636px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">...and San Pietro ai Muricento--both which are built atop the ruins of ancient Roman villas... </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvw5F_LuwpdEqjKL7JxMGKQ2bm2-m_om2AZ9QuYpS2WNcpc5swLxzRA5pKrSBDSvwqV3ppi45EgYwTsbL-3MJ7RCiYPGAjxYdbAlGv5bCxFWYL7yytd4HHeHo3f5gXgGB5b-pTPjt8mdg/s640/SPACM+by+I+luoghi+di+cuore1.jpg" style="height: 400px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 595px;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of I Luoghi di Cuore</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As part of his work to promote Montebuono and all its historic and cultural treasures, Fiorenzo organises a popular motorcycle tour of the region called <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2013/10/touring-high-on-hog-andar-per-olio-e.html">Andar per Olio e per Cultura</a> that attracts over a 120 participants each year.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz2M1AnhVE1EDJY_S8QcLDrMmQfkbt7OaDSdAdyYPGddnc-sZNVogV-duASkVpW6WSdsx16KxhbA88b9H7Ng18r7wZ1MPb9Ilzf9HW0Jq9J_IWSGNcIX7h8FwxdUc5xa7a4oe4gAeHHI/s640/on+the+road+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D'Artibale.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Claudio D'Artibale</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Fiorenzo and his wife Antonella are not only skilled cooks, but they are also very accomplished bakers </span><span style="font-size: large;">-- they have a wood fired bread oven in their home kitchen! Over the past month or so I have been following with envy Fiorenzo's pasta making and bread making exploits on Facebook. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A recent post of his about Panpepato, re-posted by another of our friends, Alessandra Finiti, reminded me that I wanted to try my hand at Panpepato Sabino, especially since it was a recipe that came from our friends in Montebuono. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoQLhBj1uDbXKIKWJYltKq_EFzTSKbAhprTe_FLBsus9cleqWo5EG8lS98BQAtR-smB3kIFN-gnRb1ukLJD6sdXQ2ez-ELY9CU_H9RnykV2YZGbkXIdSllBlnH2l_r0sq0RNaDbluIIg/s1600/001+-Panpepetando+by+Fiorenzo+Francioli.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoQLhBj1uDbXKIKWJYltKq_EFzTSKbAhprTe_FLBsus9cleqWo5EG8lS98BQAtR-smB3kIFN-gnRb1ukLJD6sdXQ2ez-ELY9CU_H9RnykV2YZGbkXIdSllBlnH2l_r0sq0RNaDbluIIg/s640/001+-Panpepetando+by+Fiorenzo+Francioli.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Fiorenzo Francioli and Antonella Bigi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, here is Fiorenzo and Antonella's recipe for</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: red;">PANPE</span>PATO S<span style="color: lime;">ABINO</span></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> <br /> Ingredients:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Almonds - 100
g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Hazelnuts - 100g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Walnuts - 100g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Candied peel ( orange peel ) - 100
g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Sultana raisins - 100 g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Dark chocolate - 150 g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Honey - 200g</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> 2 tsp Cinnamon </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> 1 tsp ground Nutmeg</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> fresh cracked Black Pepper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> White Flour<br /> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgsR64mqNC0rjIr9ixJBwkcm5X1suMK32cg6Su-_5K_ceEgz8PMWgp-1P6zn-C9Y9h9qy22FnBWi-9Shef2Ufto6zaN1h29kTh4b0qY4Cvyy9kQRSjB1tWcJtc3Jx3DNwRhtAdlbKSz4/s1600/002+-.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgsR64mqNC0rjIr9ixJBwkcm5X1suMK32cg6Su-_5K_ceEgz8PMWgp-1P6zn-C9Y9h9qy22FnBWi-9Shef2Ufto6zaN1h29kTh4b0qY4Cvyy9kQRSjB1tWcJtc3Jx3DNwRhtAdlbKSz4/s640/002+-.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ingredients with the hazelnuts not yet chopped</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Soak the raisins in warm
water for at least 20 minutes before you prepare the other ingredients. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhsd5yQwvVZ4J1qElmR7lWxNdP8lbV5gPvkNaTDBYzD_6HWvko6JCmEGFTTK4zc0gRSMpvd6CKvMFEogCcaZW1MYT50OXs_oGw1RT75jfYoSYZRr6W4-9Ia9nq5dHrPYDJPZZePwwH_w/s1600/003+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhsd5yQwvVZ4J1qElmR7lWxNdP8lbV5gPvkNaTDBYzD_6HWvko6JCmEGFTTK4zc0gRSMpvd6CKvMFEogCcaZW1MYT50OXs_oGw1RT75jfYoSYZRr6W4-9Ia9nq5dHrPYDJPZZePwwH_w/s640/003+-.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Chop walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and chocolate. </span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb5Iv-CJNt4EpuZDTtxtg-us3BfuYIiGr9gzBl3Am1h9vxJHp99Lp_f1phV7cKYtsuXxHWR1GbnXYgaLP4vtuG4GypG5G3K6P_8SMvGojW-J62RgusFJ5CIt8h0Dzf-3bnSoIpKvjCr4/s1600/004+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb5Iv-CJNt4EpuZDTtxtg-us3BfuYIiGr9gzBl3Am1h9vxJHp99Lp_f1phV7cKYtsuXxHWR1GbnXYgaLP4vtuG4GypG5G3K6P_8SMvGojW-J62RgusFJ5CIt8h0Dzf-3bnSoIpKvjCr4/s640/004+-.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Put these in a large
mixing bowl. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CfJK-DQtqEQC7pDMMX2J3rsMLi0WN6GpHgd0vSD6InOdpxJX-4rXtA8MX9YrV11-5bvAmNj0BM4OKNyQRCxEOQQddsvj52x0on8wRJWmrytPrFvcaB8kk1b_EgSXsZ9FzcAA-0uOGeg/s1600/007+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CfJK-DQtqEQC7pDMMX2J3rsMLi0WN6GpHgd0vSD6InOdpxJX-4rXtA8MX9YrV11-5bvAmNj0BM4OKNyQRCxEOQQddsvj52x0on8wRJWmrytPrFvcaB8kk1b_EgSXsZ9FzcAA-0uOGeg/s640/007+-.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Add the candied fruit, a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon,
one tsp nutmeg, a generous sprinkling of ground black pepper...</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpFBxYtKVImKu0_ot8ZAXgh7O-r-2APv54CQ_b9QFcQzlif4SSCB_J-6aDZPVZNQ5LxeGDkMc1TNwVpQA7Uw52O53eYs3Y5HCtZP492FJnD5bXU_rzdzdHJqpFcm3NS64F3_xCuChva4/s1600/008+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpFBxYtKVImKu0_ot8ZAXgh7O-r-2APv54CQ_b9QFcQzlif4SSCB_J-6aDZPVZNQ5LxeGDkMc1TNwVpQA7Uw52O53eYs3Y5HCtZP492FJnD5bXU_rzdzdHJqpFcm3NS64F3_xCuChva4/s640/008+-.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">...and finally
the wrung out raisins.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVObtNF5lAyQSs3JZ1JNbMBFT1lvSmyMgAY94Nut1QVuJBaRANUFQ9BcSe0jURyrrmjQFFHNJQ_f5De0fUhSCLB5KzzP8dM8KDtx1cFPpRRCOT5DiqScwJjMbQrkpbDC5B-9282tjXUyI/s1600/009+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVObtNF5lAyQSs3JZ1JNbMBFT1lvSmyMgAY94Nut1QVuJBaRANUFQ9BcSe0jURyrrmjQFFHNJQ_f5De0fUhSCLB5KzzP8dM8KDtx1cFPpRRCOT5DiqScwJjMbQrkpbDC5B-9282tjXUyI/s640/009+-.JPG" width="640" /></a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Turn on the oven and set it to a temperature of 180°C/356°F. Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.<br /> <br />
In a saucepan, heat the honey and some water over low heat. Bring the
honey to a boil. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeZTLcIotu5h_yYEMBVdxpWm1tNnilIusqy1Crl_-gjZ0wJQcJdrVOOwknSd5Hu8MmeX0y9FQnRBtMmNQb-WpV8bZ_zZVNgHyPPMQGrhuf1wwN_8NJvAG0yY2PJwfDecmWRUBNp5eQ4o/s1600/010+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeZTLcIotu5h_yYEMBVdxpWm1tNnilIusqy1Crl_-gjZ0wJQcJdrVOOwknSd5Hu8MmeX0y9FQnRBtMmNQb-WpV8bZ_zZVNgHyPPMQGrhuf1wwN_8NJvAG0yY2PJwfDecmWRUBNp5eQ4o/s640/010+-.JPG" width="640" /></a> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Pour immediately over the ingredients in the bowl so
that the chocolate melts. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIEhqMHSa3ic_opfusyp31hT90Zg0Z8RUK5sXar2N4Gvn4Mf2mZ7LdO5zhqhzUmW616qXcKT0flIPpoFHJ0ko8h7lK-pJ-qL_ZQzoHXiiMJyrB9U16uBYOBr4Uk_TKOx2A9YRLYFPTFo/s1600/011+-.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIEhqMHSa3ic_opfusyp31hT90Zg0Z8RUK5sXar2N4Gvn4Mf2mZ7LdO5zhqhzUmW616qXcKT0flIPpoFHJ0ko8h7lK-pJ-qL_ZQzoHXiiMJyrB9U16uBYOBr4Uk_TKOx2A9YRLYFPTFo/s640/011+-.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot honey!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">At this point add some flour, a bit at a time, mixing all the time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjjM_I9CDrrSnabiHJuk2npbJMwT6wdAilUHUEEuujHr-Z23hJV9X67hbSrueUFxbBBBc6peGM_IfUCu-qB9SJRG7MyLJaP49LKvaQwX2bKoCtDVGvVzeQihLlIx7NWhwWHA8Ee-fgII/s1600/013+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjjM_I9CDrrSnabiHJuk2npbJMwT6wdAilUHUEEuujHr-Z23hJV9X67hbSrueUFxbBBBc6peGM_IfUCu-qB9SJRG7MyLJaP49LKvaQwX2bKoCtDVGvVzeQihLlIx7NWhwWHA8Ee-fgII/s640/013+-.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">The resulting mixture should have the right
consistency to be able to shape the rolls to be placed on the baking
sheet. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSJLoxmy8Rat4pQmBoUWKcC62m87FW7T3xoc8oy5V_wgoL7nwpq76T5OU1h4iRcOzEi3Y9yg7fkPDIhz60joTZ9c3Xfc6WvSM_LmDx4hbcT4ofu2clHYW-CKEbyCPTGWzgLqSMO_BPCA/s1600/014+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSJLoxmy8Rat4pQmBoUWKcC62m87FW7T3xoc8oy5V_wgoL7nwpq76T5OU1h4iRcOzEi3Y9yg7fkPDIhz60joTZ9c3Xfc6WvSM_LmDx4hbcT4ofu2clHYW-CKEbyCPTGWzgLqSMO_BPCA/s640/014+-.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">You can prepare 5 to 6 pieces depending on the size.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaa55gCc14OiR7tlRRBnm2P29QRnbh-m6DZWSi5_t-Vbj7UEAnQTtqf5vSnb9SgzJLlXCHL_NW2Ik2qZatbIGLOk2qJjVSysfE_Spo1HPb4fc4xtoBzItSmxDF7m7wLqJUcjcF7gQ6WR0/s1600/016+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaa55gCc14OiR7tlRRBnm2P29QRnbh-m6DZWSi5_t-Vbj7UEAnQTtqf5vSnb9SgzJLlXCHL_NW2Ik2qZatbIGLOk2qJjVSysfE_Spo1HPb4fc4xtoBzItSmxDF7m7wLqJUcjcF7gQ6WR0/s640/016+-.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Bake for 10 minutes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr17faNtL5COxYc6KxqF-r6f8Va61wCys6qFfHFFduHQUbft8kcF4lLXJ53Ghrh2Q3WnR1lMYfTNrSAZDI4LrZvrb_gFFedU8recjiWY60UrxpJI_6q6Y8SU_QO5fwRMZNqIi3BzLioZg/s1600/017+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr17faNtL5COxYc6KxqF-r6f8Va61wCys6qFfHFFduHQUbft8kcF4lLXJ53Ghrh2Q3WnR1lMYfTNrSAZDI4LrZvrb_gFFedU8recjiWY60UrxpJI_6q6Y8SU_QO5fwRMZNqIi3BzLioZg/s640/017+-.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool
down before you remove them from the pan. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLLBacDRydgA4HglFpyzrDmM5jkwR5eCKtH2oo8DSRz0aY3xH16vdeK8cxhObW966Vidxq5HTluQjBn0sM9YoYkHmYp7a7RLWZYgpZThRSPRGM8uOygW52Xg-C7rIswRUccsZD5onKc4/s1600/018+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLLBacDRydgA4HglFpyzrDmM5jkwR5eCKtH2oo8DSRz0aY3xH16vdeK8cxhObW966Vidxq5HTluQjBn0sM9YoYkHmYp7a7RLWZYgpZThRSPRGM8uOygW52Xg-C7rIswRUccsZD5onKc4/s640/018+-.JPG" width="640" /></a> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Although the recipe did not call for it...</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWyx7EVae6uDfIHLZXAjlZT4WyLBd7N4bOFxcjh1ifwL3ZC4Y-1tJQlkctqID_oLLm4TsvIEjrPpsVAY_1R3Xewe14U-hobsfRboP3enNCqf5J59NUptSibC1pr6XWx0DHQ0XGhdeg48/s1600/019+-.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWyx7EVae6uDfIHLZXAjlZT4WyLBd7N4bOFxcjh1ifwL3ZC4Y-1tJQlkctqID_oLLm4TsvIEjrPpsVAY_1R3Xewe14U-hobsfRboP3enNCqf5J59NUptSibC1pr6XWx0DHQ0XGhdeg48/s640/019+-.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">...we gave our Panpepato a light dusting of confectioner's sugar. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZh6lelt10Xd5UHNKfpxJa5iBNN0lbglEo1FBdGNtzODGguVvhA6Hgf5sDajrwYitonNGAe-q8n3z6Cr-EHmDyzMUobMZSLNOa45Wil2K_dTwXEr_ydioBwIGyXjbXMquOD1HehHE4ho/s1600/022+-.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZh6lelt10Xd5UHNKfpxJa5iBNN0lbglEo1FBdGNtzODGguVvhA6Hgf5sDajrwYitonNGAe-q8n3z6Cr-EHmDyzMUobMZSLNOa45Wil2K_dTwXEr_ydioBwIGyXjbXMquOD1HehHE4ho/s640/022+-.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">The Panpepato can be stored
for a couple of weeks in a cool place in tin containers, and can be easily wrapped in cellophane to give as gifts...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiei-jry0lcTd75Wjg-P9X8GyYviHWdqFhgHekzu-NJcu5hjEbhOfOdijnNPYm4-UMEnHd36u4dHh5hBpv2xCsCWEzzjeFjtO-FyhAmUnudpSJd9QQgj6cCej-uxCcGeV3ZNM4fWHFM1yU/s1600/032+-.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiei-jry0lcTd75Wjg-P9X8GyYviHWdqFhgHekzu-NJcu5hjEbhOfOdijnNPYm4-UMEnHd36u4dHh5hBpv2xCsCWEzzjeFjtO-FyhAmUnudpSJd9QQgj6cCej-uxCcGeV3ZNM4fWHFM1yU/s640/032+-.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qm-CdvRfs5xmtvbmARfWp_N1lHUUo5DcmTKMalYJ563fdQRGzElnABQbrLeCxHV21_xDmdJRanrq5VjVUQuVscgmjPicwdfRHMEPSJ7J1Ts8zfidc_GC6pj_WIDmZmzp8Pvo76B-jjs/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qm-CdvRfs5xmtvbmARfWp_N1lHUUo5DcmTKMalYJ563fdQRGzElnABQbrLeCxHV21_xDmdJRanrq5VjVUQuVscgmjPicwdfRHMEPSJ7J1Ts8zfidc_GC6pj_WIDmZmzp8Pvo76B-jjs/s640/2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">So there you have it everyone, a wonderful recipe that brings the taste and tradition of the Sabina to your home. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhILsgXZN9sr3z-aP7RU0VyrGzGbq9e70l0Yd9_Vt08I9Q9-oW7No_DqljLsQHpOQowQG7A4Laz9HWn1OSB7sp9f0G88z6nMVrFlSgrw4UJwc6nTQZWtazm2U9nwT-Ky1IpIuIHWn9oM/s1600/casperia+neve+giorgio+clementi++.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhILsgXZN9sr3z-aP7RU0VyrGzGbq9e70l0Yd9_Vt08I9Q9-oW7No_DqljLsQHpOQowQG7A4Laz9HWn1OSB7sp9f0G88z6nMVrFlSgrw4UJwc6nTQZWtazm2U9nwT-Ky1IpIuIHWn9oM/s640/casperia+neve+giorgio+clementi++.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casperia, courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">The recipe is so easy, and the results are delicious. Just ask my Mom!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L93iNxa6uQbagB7UiXhwqXhMhpIRSv8Afr1Sc0yyGp6SBe-HMv15ysa6tI3QHGrfah1K3ouOCob5f-GgBHkrqNScXgShKXVY273p-FrlJ78MiUhMNtRDaKOAFDGtNp3qRFeBd0UU5-s/s1600/DSCF6710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L93iNxa6uQbagB7UiXhwqXhMhpIRSv8Afr1Sc0yyGp6SBe-HMv15ysa6tI3QHGrfah1K3ouOCob5f-GgBHkrqNScXgShKXVY273p-FrlJ78MiUhMNtRDaKOAFDGtNp3qRFeBd0UU5-s/s640/DSCF6710.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mother taking her first taste of Panpepato Sabino after Christmas Dinner 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Thanks to all of you who have been reading and supporting me in the writing of this blog. Richard and Smokey and I wish you <b>Buon Natale</b>, and every good wish for a happy, healthy, prosperous, and love-filled 2017. Stay tuned for more posts. Alla prossima!!! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br /></span></span>
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<br />lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-34845335294367704442013-10-18T02:23:00.001-07:002013-10-24T18:16:34.805-07:00Touring HIGH ON THE HOG - Andar per Olio e per Cultura: A Cultural and Gastronomical Motorcycle Tour in the Sabina<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"<i>E anche quest'anno siamo pronti per guidarvi tra le</i></span><i> <span style="font-size: x-large;">strade della Sabina</span>, tra gli ulivi e le montagne dai mille colori</i>...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVRv3L2lL-hhDy9WyRZtpM-FY6VnqOams2Fq1Eot0D66UpOCQhpCDybwhWqO8cEhMOOlkx2-Uon8Tb2Gtop4GCw0yXa_EEWuQxy8qJfAFtefnrdvNC7t8sftYeyiYV0rBTCjaNBRzYbs/s1600/Montebuono+and+Fianello+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVRv3L2lL-hhDy9WyRZtpM-FY6VnqOams2Fq1Eot0D66UpOCQhpCDybwhWqO8cEhMOOlkx2-Uon8Tb2Gtop4GCw0yXa_EEWuQxy8qJfAFtefnrdvNC7t8sftYeyiYV0rBTCjaNBRzYbs/s640/Montebuono+and+Fianello+by+Giorgio+Clementi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Montebuono and Fianello in autumn by Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">...i borghi medievali che
come per incanto, il tempo non ha usurato. I frantoi del paese vi
aspettano per farvi assaggiare la spremuta più antica che c'è,</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"> tra
piatti tipici, musica e compagnia. Chiese con affreschi duecenteschi o
di Iacopo di Roccantica...</span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><i>Terme di Agrippa mangiate ormai dalla natura,
sono qui, con una storia di oltre 2000 anni. Qui, il tempo si è fermato.</i>"</span></span></span></div>
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<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span style="background-color: red;">Tra</span></span></span>n<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">slat<span style="background-color: lime;">ion:</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="hps">And also this year </span><span class="hps">we are ready</span> <span class="hps">to guide you</span> </span><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: x-large;">through</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">the</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">streets</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: x-large;">of Sabina</span>,</span> <span class="hps">among the olive trees</span> <span class="hps">and the mountains</span> <span class="hps">of a thousand colours...</span> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaZ1KRrqkYTvuqNX4Nmt5swVck_2QiSuawi-tlyzMaifzeRmd6oSspHUfjd1N571r9wbOzWS-8ujLiTM7zi00CwPqhHQclQsP9za-FRhCAO59aNou3sMYD8S-ivnVs2HZVh0KOYNbWT0/s1600/composite+by+Giorgio+Clementi+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaZ1KRrqkYTvuqNX4Nmt5swVck_2QiSuawi-tlyzMaifzeRmd6oSspHUfjd1N571r9wbOzWS-8ujLiTM7zi00CwPqhHQclQsP9za-FRhCAO59aNou3sMYD8S-ivnVs2HZVh0KOYNbWT0/s640/composite+by+Giorgio+Clementi+-+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The medieval borgo of Fianello. Photo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1">the medieval villages <span class="hps">that</span> <span class="hps">like magic,</span> <span class="hps">time has not</span> <span class="hps">eroded.</span> <span class="hps">The mills</span> <span class="hps">of the country</span> <span class="hps">are waiting for you</span> <span class="hps">to taste the</span> <span class="hps">oldest juice</span> that there <span class="hps alt-edited">is,</span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>including <span class="hps">local dishes</span><span class="">, music</span> <span class="hps">and companionship.</span> <span class="hps">Churches</span> <span class="hps">with</span> <span class="hps">thirteenth-century frescoes</span>, <span class="hps">or</span> <span class="hps">those by Iacopo</span> <span class="hps">Roccantica</span>, <span class="hps">the Baths of Agrippa</span>, eaten n<span class="hps">ow</span> <span class="hps">by nature... </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLbks9yfy5-jbrBbakijATSuFZ38l4lM8zKuaAaMXLkIhky38IxvNojQSNOAJTqqmvH1UWh0JsGR1J7J3sT3KTZApw5PY_mqg2vUgfdPyg_ZV-UCUVchYsxz-Gxys4gRL_ix3puIN0JU/s1600/100_1840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLbks9yfy5-jbrBbakijATSuFZ38l4lM8zKuaAaMXLkIhky38IxvNojQSNOAJTqqmvH1UWh0JsGR1J7J3sT3KTZApw5PY_mqg2vUgfdPyg_ZV-UCUVchYsxz-Gxys4gRL_ix3puIN0JU/s640/100_1840.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">External view of the apse of San Pietro ai Muricento with the ruins of the Terme of Agrippa in the foreground, by the author</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps"></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps"></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">They </span><span class="hps">are</span> <span class="hps">here</span>, <span class="hps">with a history of</span> <span class="hps">over 2000 years.</span> <span class="hps">Here, time</span> <span class="hps">stands still...</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">This kind of poetry one would expect in some exclusive travel magazine aimed at well-heeled world travellers with an interest in high end gourmet tours of Italy. These words though, are aimed at a specific type of tourists, and those tourists are bikers... And I am not talking about spandex clad cyclists, I am talking about REAL BIKERS, the kind who ride motorcycles.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KU1tj8XuvtddMWYEAuywZ1HYUEIEKSaR2huk9uNnDPtm16Rk9hkYoYem75vdhaL4PGpcswM619ShnjDi4lQCBlPOMYwqpY9DgGmIt2yjkMzhB7V712KnzS0Y3GmmKUSw-kDal_rmUkA/s1600/1379207_334463150031564_1823135636_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KU1tj8XuvtddMWYEAuywZ1HYUEIEKSaR2huk9uNnDPtm16Rk9hkYoYem75vdhaL4PGpcswM619ShnjDi4lQCBlPOMYwqpY9DgGmIt2yjkMzhB7V712KnzS0Y3GmmKUSw-kDal_rmUkA/s1600/1379207_334463150031564_1823135636_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">On November 9th and 10th the Tourism Association/ProLoco of Montebuono is organizing its second annual Guided Motorcycle Tour of Montebuono and its historic environs. The name of the tour is <b>Andar per Olio e per Cultura in Motocicletta</b>, which roughly translated means and <b>Olive Oil and Cultural Tour by Motorcycle</b>. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">The tour is timed to coincide with Sabina's annual olive harvest and includes visits to local olive oil producers, where the lucky participants get to view close up the process of transforming freshly harvested olives into pungently fragrant spicy green Sabina D.O.P. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and taste it on fresh toasted bruschetta. The itinerary also includes visits to a number of important historic and cultural sites in the Montebuono area including the churches of San Pietro ai Muricento and Santa Maria in Assunta in Fianello--both of them built atop important Roman villa ruins--as well as the fortified hill town of Cottanello, and the Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Vescovio. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps"></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkged6sC1MYwmt1arNnQHVp5C4AXoAQGz25gVf0OGe-kwcxx0W84BtfeKSPvOH4E-0J770ZGExDXKgh-yThsalnglLTY4UMKerQI6QYHD1t4TuRjvRk0kcspb1B6XytldI0vnjPLNMbiI/s1600/breakfast+biker+style+by+Gustavo+Fabri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkged6sC1MYwmt1arNnQHVp5C4AXoAQGz25gVf0OGe-kwcxx0W84BtfeKSPvOH4E-0J770ZGExDXKgh-yThsalnglLTY4UMKerQI6QYHD1t4TuRjvRk0kcspb1B6XytldI0vnjPLNMbiI/s640/breakfast+biker+style+by+Gustavo+Fabri.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biker Breakfast in Montebuono. Photo courtesy of Gustavo Fabri</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">Both tours, in good Italian fashion, begin with an ample breakfast, and include a hearty outdoor lunch. The longer Saturday tour finished with a social dinner at a local restaurant. Mamma mia! Knowing what these folks will see, eat, drink, and experience, it is enough to make me want to learn how to ride a motorcycle so I can join in the fun next year! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">One of the key organizers of this tour is our friend Fiorenzo Francioli. We met Fiorenzo last year and spent an unforgettable afternoon with him touring the historic sites of Montebuono and Fianello. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2a9_d_uKZ-KX2VnhPLhuAtmJuBavLFZox7F3tTgyCgvzauk9dVDZlIaLsYNB0iL6roBJGnyWZh4ZlMfWeqaEtptiV23Fj1i0-5vfVq0uEgVEVHRxdZHugLZ0O4dLHjuHKX5kvW0Gl8pI/s1600/180207_458179394193517_2114956717_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2a9_d_uKZ-KX2VnhPLhuAtmJuBavLFZox7F3tTgyCgvzauk9dVDZlIaLsYNB0iL6roBJGnyWZh4ZlMfWeqaEtptiV23Fj1i0-5vfVq0uEgVEVHRxdZHugLZ0O4dLHjuHKX5kvW0Gl8pI/s640/180207_458179394193517_2114956717_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">Fiorenzo is not only the key tourism officer of the Comune of Montebuono, a truly wonderful ambassador for his town and the Sabina, he is also an avid biker. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">Here is the schedule for the two days of tours.</span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.google.it/maps?saddr=Via+Roma&daddr=Collevecchio%2C+RI+to%3A42.331139%2C12.604144+to%3A42.360811%2C12.600693+to%3A42.374778%2C12.562241&hl=it&ll=42.353724%2C12.568359&spn=0.148931%2C0.338173&sll=42.360795%2C12.604945&sspn=0.009307%2C0.021136&geocode=FYJ2hgId7DnAAA%3BFRf7hQId14e_ACkPHTVScxovEzHqyAPsMgv67g%3BFQPshQId8FLAAA%3BFetfhgIddUXAAA%3BFXqWhgIdQa-_AA&mra=ls&t=m&z=12">SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>Ore9.00-09.30:</b><i>ISCRIZIONI, colazione e gadget.</i> <br />Registration and breakfast and mementos.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVP9wdqRRyS0U9l-D5tfi1Rb0TyvtlHepDx86APw2VBpXb159Int3jpLFU2A6VAMoFcLYL814D7FNDkUtES6jIEeWrgYfnCXRZC7pjQqI1jBBjOj0p3crpM8KLs6XZaAHzZWOTNP0JaQ/s640/3294_74778579502_7290627_n.jpg" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Maria in Vescovio</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore10.30-11.00:</b><i>Motogiro e visita guidata al Santuario di S.Maria in Vescovio.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz2M1AnhVE1EDJY_S8QcLDrMmQfkbt7OaDSdAdyYPGddnc-sZNVogV-duASkVpW6WSdsx16KxhbA88b9H7Ng18r7wZ1MPb9Ilzf9HW0Jq9J_IWSGNcIX7h8FwxdUc5xa7a4oe4gAeHHI/s1600/on+the+road+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D%27Artibale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz2M1AnhVE1EDJY_S8QcLDrMmQfkbt7OaDSdAdyYPGddnc-sZNVogV-duASkVpW6WSdsx16KxhbA88b9H7Ng18r7wZ1MPb9Ilzf9HW0Jq9J_IWSGNcIX7h8FwxdUc5xa7a4oe4gAeHHI/s640/on+the+road+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D%27Artibale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the road by Foto di Claudio D'Artibale</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ride on motorbike to the Santuary of Santa Maria in Vescovio for a guided visit.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVP9wdqRRyS0U9l-D5tfi1Rb0TyvtlHepDx86APw2VBpXb159Int3jpLFU2A6VAMoFcLYL814D7FNDkUtES6jIEeWrgYfnCXRZC7pjQqI1jBBjOj0p3crpM8KLs6XZaAHzZWOTNP0JaQ/s1600/3294_74778579502_7290627_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDE6xxOM-9XyiZHm5rrHpsOdLIMMWgqMSatw6tVHPwtqYVOQWFTMJJfTuctNe8h3KwkRuovxdYFh1sKWNU1sTPJqvmfB8IB_S3qAXZEADP8cM_6-8A8lv2upsVAvM1WzZDRzYXmf721cQ/s1600/bruschette+fresh+from+the+forno+with+new+EVOO+by+gustavo+fabri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDE6xxOM-9XyiZHm5rrHpsOdLIMMWgqMSatw6tVHPwtqYVOQWFTMJJfTuctNe8h3KwkRuovxdYFh1sKWNU1sTPJqvmfB8IB_S3qAXZEADP8cM_6-8A8lv2upsVAvM1WzZDRzYXmf721cQ/s640/bruschette+fresh+from+the+forno+with+new+EVOO+by+gustavo+fabri.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drizzling freshly pressed Sabina D.O.P. olive oil on bruschette. Yum! Photo courtesy of Gustavo Fabri</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore11.30-12.00:</b><i>Aperitivo e visita al Frantoio “SAPORA”</i> <br />Snacks/Drinks and a visit to the Olive Mill "Sapora"<br /><b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK49GMl1Dt8E74eWQKRTKd1jTj2lUN2IpPwl3vPcA5xxOGn3UXGd52zAwWUZ2gYtth-erhh7olUt2obEyeoC5Fzq47MeV3NiQlOuJSqfppp5on0xS6iMrdvgB7lm4CPgHG3kdyn0LYbUY/s1600/lunch+time+al+fresco+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D%27Artibale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK49GMl1Dt8E74eWQKRTKd1jTj2lUN2IpPwl3vPcA5xxOGn3UXGd52zAwWUZ2gYtth-erhh7olUt2obEyeoC5Fzq47MeV3NiQlOuJSqfppp5on0xS6iMrdvgB7lm4CPgHG3kdyn0LYbUY/s640/lunch+time+al+fresco+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D%27Artibale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch al fresco in the olive grove. Photo courtesy of Claudio D'Artibale</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore13.00-13.30:</b><i>Pranzo presso il borgo medievale di Fianello. </i><br />Lunch near the medieval walled town of Fianello.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEaf-88kbWBVm54RdjFyqpPiYHfPg6x9FxatCDqyzMck3AMd9fuSfHu_eK9NeWuoFtC5nBTCj_s57YmKR_6m6bEu2MeYiaTcTwX3zDgJXlfF_rLaa8B1uZF4r-KleF8TuAjCspmim1F4/s1600/meat+on+the+grill+by+gustavo+fabri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEaf-88kbWBVm54RdjFyqpPiYHfPg6x9FxatCDqyzMck3AMd9fuSfHu_eK9NeWuoFtC5nBTCj_s57YmKR_6m6bEu2MeYiaTcTwX3zDgJXlfF_rLaa8B1uZF4r-KleF8TuAjCspmim1F4/s640/meat+on+the+grill+by+gustavo+fabri.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meat on the grill by Gustavo Fabri</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore15.00-16.00:</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Concerto del gruppo "Tom Shepperd's Production" </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Concert by the group "<a href="http://tomshepperdsproduction.bandcamp.com/album/demo">Tom Shepperd's Production</a>"</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz20FDQ6piqjp4FpKeEIjqZbqToWB20ojyg4Za8S0AZy152-3I2iu8cqH168359rYGK3lJrKILFI99UVUGz0OYLR1CzFASiFqHaMNjbgtrWpvW4g06A-_xHoWqRopNhW5fqFmuRg_VeSE/s1600/borgo-fianello-2+by+Matteo+Bordini+vagabondo+net.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz20FDQ6piqjp4FpKeEIjqZbqToWB20ojyg4Za8S0AZy152-3I2iu8cqH168359rYGK3lJrKILFI99UVUGz0OYLR1CzFASiFqHaMNjbgtrWpvW4g06A-_xHoWqRopNhW5fqFmuRg_VeSE/s640/borgo-fianello-2+by+Matteo+Bordini+vagabondo+net.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fianello by Matteo Bordini via vagabondo.net</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore 16.30-17.00:</b><i>Visita al borgo di Fianello </i><br />Tour of the walled town of Fianello</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>Ore 20.30:</b><i>Cena sociale presso Ristorante: "Il Muretto" di Montebuono </i><br /><b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT25QiZGQ14sikklr5fCCtSjRnk8K8kyEOw7fixsSYY4G4RbzVYKXSfQY8IjSfQ1ECaWfDrWLluiugvz-Igv8W6c00NpkmycAcWPeQTsfTnWw0ISZ-UZQ3zY1QuO2-LTW0oFmgPKv42qk/s1600/The+valley+around+Montebuono+by+Mucca+Viola+you+can+smell+a+clean+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT25QiZGQ14sikklr5fCCtSjRnk8K8kyEOw7fixsSYY4G4RbzVYKXSfQY8IjSfQ1ECaWfDrWLluiugvz-Igv8W6c00NpkmycAcWPeQTsfTnWw0ISZ-UZQ3zY1QuO2-LTW0oFmgPKv42qk/s640/The+valley+around+Montebuono+by+Mucca+Viola+you+can+smell+a+clean+air.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Mucca Viola<b><br /></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://maps.google.it/maps?saddr=Via+Maglianese&daddr=Strada+Statale+313%2FSR313+to%3AStrada+sconosciuta+to%3AVia+Uccellatori+to%3AVia+Sargnano&hl=it&sll=42.367209%2C12.59914&sspn=0.004685%2C0.010568&geocode=FTx8hgIdRTfAAA%3BFU5GhwIdewnBAA%3BFcQshwIdBnbBAA%3BFZ1ehgId6A3BAA%3BFcGGhgIdwxvAAA&oq=Torri&t=m&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=17&z=13&dg=feature"><b>SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER</b></a> <br /> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHiqzUbgO4iB6wsx2-D-aZW60_3RHCITIpFTCJzKVDHMCYDnfCNk7TvPmvF36w4m-UDJoeyO3Yq66vx7i64PhblVgqSQjdn7Prw1jmXy12lwisJfgOmWDqkXQdXR2CqiMIEN9JXlzHMI/s1600/breakfast+by+Ramona+Abati.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHiqzUbgO4iB6wsx2-D-aZW60_3RHCITIpFTCJzKVDHMCYDnfCNk7TvPmvF36w4m-UDJoeyO3Yq66vx7i64PhblVgqSQjdn7Prw1jmXy12lwisJfgOmWDqkXQdXR2CqiMIEN9JXlzHMI/s640/breakfast+by+Ramona+Abati.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biker's Breakfast by Ramona Abati</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore 9.00-9.30: </b><i>ISCRIZIONI, colazione e gadget.</i> <br />Registration, breakfast, and mementos<br /><b> </b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5cFmmMhQcplaijmazvGu5-ZcyHiRlAidK6yq5Dph_1_jDSkvEgLERD1_6pSPSrKWs_Py8yOP5bATeRVfSYrWky1PJbfviLUI202Tu12ZSTZL65ay_j9npKi-7cGExDnLOgU6hygpA80/s1600/freshly+pressed+olive+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5cFmmMhQcplaijmazvGu5-ZcyHiRlAidK6yq5Dph_1_jDSkvEgLERD1_6pSPSrKWs_Py8yOP5bATeRVfSYrWky1PJbfviLUI202Tu12ZSTZL65ay_j9npKi-7cGExDnLOgU6hygpA80/s640/freshly+pressed+olive+oil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh pressed Sabina D.O.P. Olive Oil</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore 10.30-11.00:</b> <i>Motogiro e visita al frantoio a pietra "Leonardi" di Configni. </i><br />Motorbike to Configni to visit the stone olive mill Leonardi di Configni<br /> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqhY2P5fOWs3b2ItZ5JUfFXMdEGyGJ5WtqC8TGjOl5V9Jmx23OMd-fE_eVVru5GkqMOHTXHzCuiOcCgPLCYoCkvB40ac6eRtGBmCblfEZvNbFnRmhyIfjOdUmOEvYOXMGd3QaVO9J5Hc/s1600/bruschette+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D%27Artibale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqhY2P5fOWs3b2ItZ5JUfFXMdEGyGJ5WtqC8TGjOl5V9Jmx23OMd-fE_eVVru5GkqMOHTXHzCuiOcCgPLCYoCkvB40ac6eRtGBmCblfEZvNbFnRmhyIfjOdUmOEvYOXMGd3QaVO9J5Hc/s640/bruschette+by+Foto+di+Claudio+D%27Artibale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruschette. Foto di Claudio D'Artibale</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore 12.00-12.30:</b> <i>Visita alla chiesa di San Pietro ai Muricento di Montebuono con esibizione del gruppo musicale “Lemon Three”</i> <br />Visit the Church of San Pietro ai Muricento with a musical exhibition of the group "Lemon Three"</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFHPIJHqh9xRn8cFHUdMHXNeLetVwi1R99Qmi98QlBSdJZoKjVqgf3bRC_RVFt_KdZorzVAnYzswAtLD1ss5YMzDOp6B8c5Gajer6hoUj-TksfCEfGanBjPyJJB4fGcAnC_oHr4EvIEU/s1600/At+SPaCM+by+JFdC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFHPIJHqh9xRn8cFHUdMHXNeLetVwi1R99Qmi98QlBSdJZoKjVqgf3bRC_RVFt_KdZorzVAnYzswAtLD1ss5YMzDOp6B8c5Gajer6hoUj-TksfCEfGanBjPyJJB4fGcAnC_oHr4EvIEU/s640/At+SPaCM+by+JFdC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Concert at San Pietro ai Centimuro Photo by Jacques Francois di Cesare</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TlnmcFMGrciRQQTe5RDcTzMmx7MR0fzeY77QMegqjKjLGClHJ1M5t-DRZnUOoW1oZCY_FByei2T_B8kqSnY0oLCMErBl9decShc83lBcEF0s4a7xjpDbIb0F5q2UocgoUBA2To34bH0/s1600/at+SPaMC+by+Mucca+Viola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TlnmcFMGrciRQQTe5RDcTzMmx7MR0fzeY77QMegqjKjLGClHJ1M5t-DRZnUOoW1oZCY_FByei2T_B8kqSnY0oLCMErBl9decShc83lBcEF0s4a7xjpDbIb0F5q2UocgoUBA2To34bH0/s640/at+SPaMC+by+Mucca+Viola.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the glass panel on the floor of the church of San Pietro ai Muricento under this biker's boots. Photo by Mucca Viola</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30MhqNs09hB3PruLAXs21PDcz3i0xGQnLHsNFXwKOrpWcIxqNza7mhz-1OGSr0XJQpxAnlnjkpIGWcAu5KdYbED5OGpxWDmyzwIJoBNgmYjCVFcFmBQhtTreeMr8wwyDZlWHWz7c26Dk/s1600/at+SPaMC+by+Mucca+Viola+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30MhqNs09hB3PruLAXs21PDcz3i0xGQnLHsNFXwKOrpWcIxqNza7mhz-1OGSr0XJQpxAnlnjkpIGWcAu5KdYbED5OGpxWDmyzwIJoBNgmYjCVFcFmBQhtTreeMr8wwyDZlWHWz7c26Dk/s640/at+SPaMC+by+Mucca+Viola+a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Below the glass panels on the floor, visitors can see the excavated remains of the ancient Roman Villa under the church. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ore 13.00-13.30:</b> Pranzo presso il frantoio "Minicucci Cairo". </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8USVIOdvht9ear7IVLzfVJazU_LrXnbqEeXeypNPfe6_evM5RMTQxVM745AVJSlVgdZ0nOYHkdhxWrDCxArZ-2m6kLO_tAM0RMn2MP5vW2u6eZnZG1U2gsB61UPgmcTX6qhXEVjiAJAU/s1600/lunch+time+by+JFdC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8USVIOdvht9ear7IVLzfVJazU_LrXnbqEeXeypNPfe6_evM5RMTQxVM745AVJSlVgdZ0nOYHkdhxWrDCxArZ-2m6kLO_tAM0RMn2MP5vW2u6eZnZG1U2gsB61UPgmcTX6qhXEVjiAJAU/s640/lunch+time+by+JFdC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch among the olive groves. Photo by Jacques Francois di Cesare</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can follow the course of each day's tours on Google Maps by clicking on the the links embedded in the dates noted above.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv8V8WbqGHlnfLfV8NclzdOfFcJ6GNSXyMGxBu-OkE7uQF5JDmOcqOmvLCQEi5x_GuBjADkdqJiZHMNXI9XweY0LgJ06TsT8q8DpkSPhjTGy-2en_T2kqbovHx3wl3y4LOSU6zxFP1A4/s1600/lunch+at+theantica+fattoria+sabina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv8V8WbqGHlnfLfV8NclzdOfFcJ6GNSXyMGxBu-OkE7uQF5JDmOcqOmvLCQEi5x_GuBjADkdqJiZHMNXI9XweY0LgJ06TsT8q8DpkSPhjTGy-2en_T2kqbovHx3wl3y4LOSU6zxFP1A4/s640/lunch+at+theantica+fattoria+sabina.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what does all this cost participants, given all that is included, not very much at all.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcCIohRh_QNWW6AphUJfnkQdRh3YTU6gys-cvTP3Rs6i2Ya35d6RsYJwuEvNLNe6ezfdy5EqyQcBL6qAy1wA9cyfpsd0EB0f6lpgLJNp16-3AahHyDPjWAmQNH1QatqcOcXmH7FrTF9A/s1600/heading+to+the+antica+fattoria+Sabina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcCIohRh_QNWW6AphUJfnkQdRh3YTU6gys-cvTP3Rs6i2Ya35d6RsYJwuEvNLNe6ezfdy5EqyQcBL6qAy1wA9cyfpsd0EB0f6lpgLJNp16-3AahHyDPjWAmQNH1QatqcOcXmH7FrTF9A/s1600/heading+to+the+antica+fattoria+Sabina.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A visit to the Antica Fattoria Sabina by Gustavo Fabri</td></tr>
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</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="hps"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">There
participants pay </span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span class="hps">€</span><span class="hps">15.00 a day. The dinner on Saturday costs </span>extra. If you participate on both days you end up paying <span class="hps">a mere €30.00. For</span><span class="hps"></span> <span class="hps">those who want to</span> <span class="hps">stay overnight</span> <span class="hps">there is a special overnight o</span><span class="hps">ffer of</span> <span class="hps">Hospitality at a local B&B or Agriturismo for jus</span><span class="hps">t</span> <span class="hps">€20.00</span>, <span class="hps">or</span> <span class="hps">free</span> <span class="hps">camping.</span></span><span class="null"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">This will be the 5th Annual <b>Andar per Olio e per Cultura In Motocicletta</b>. It draws people from all over Lazio and Umbria, possibly even other parts of Italy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fiorenzo sent me this explanation from a previous years tour explaining the motive behind the project.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"The Tourist Association Pro Loco of Montebuono continues its activities to promote the area adding this event to the many events already organized. The idea comes from the observation of a contemporary phenomenon that since the 80s there has been a significant increase in interest from many users, young and old, of motorized two-wheelers: the motorbike. In recent years an increasing number of trade journals, magazines, websites and groups of enthusiasts dedicated to motorcycle sports have featured articles on motorcycle tours that combine the spirit of knowledge of places and cultures and the search of good food and wine gastronomy. Even in the villages of our province it is now increasingly common to meet numbers of motorcyclists who come here seeking a weekend retreat in search of places of Art, Culture, Faith and local flavours.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Based on this preliminary analysis, it seemed like a natural evolution to propose to the many fans of mototouring an opportunity to get together and tour that would give us a further opportunity to promote our area, a region not only rich in monuments of great historical, cultural and artistic value, but also has a rich history of important olive oil production that stretches back millenia and has resulted in the Sabina D.O.P. designation. Thus was born, in 2009, the idea for the "Andar per Olio e per Cultura in Motocicletta" tour programme which has been repeated every year since then growing in popularity and appreciation. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Last year, at the end of the day, the tour was summed up as follows: </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"130 participants with more than 100 bikes with two days of programming provided ... an idea of promotion of the territory" a network "that slowly grows and spreads and promotes knowledge of the local economy .....its monumental and cultural riches through the desire of groups of cyclists to gather and participate in activities together ...... Activities that offer opportunities and spaces for artistic expression to the youth of the region ... Activities that promote awareness of the typical gastronomy of quality and </span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">DOP Sabina</span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;"> extra virgin olive oil bringing participants in contact directly with local producers....... and finally promotes friendships that binds people and unites the emotions."</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eo6tfI80qOW1dxBvjSa1XLBIIVzn09TpsK2eAZ3lelxtiJjZHo80Y9nzmSbHU-mTjYAGs8N8wl1Lw651rVbx7qRCrnCDlSrlx1B0aR5CjMbjms-d_q6sX0Gftr4cIDC3l13p_HAFve8/s1600/lemon+tarte+by+gustavo+fabri+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eo6tfI80qOW1dxBvjSa1XLBIIVzn09TpsK2eAZ3lelxtiJjZHo80Y9nzmSbHU-mTjYAGs8N8wl1Lw651rVbx7qRCrnCDlSrlx1B0aR5CjMbjms-d_q6sX0Gftr4cIDC3l13p_HAFve8/s640/lemon+tarte+by+gustavo+fabri+A.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Montebuono has so much to offer. People wishing to find out more about this event, or who are interested in learning more about the history, the many fascinating attractions, and gastroniomical possibilities, and options for staying in the region should contact the office of the ProLoco for MonteBuono. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Associazione
Turistica Pro-loco</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div>
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Via delle Scuole n. 10, 02040 Montebuono (RI)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></li>
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0765.607631</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></li>
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<a href="mailto:proloco_montebuono@hotmail.it">proloco_montebuono@hotmail.it</a>
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</span><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://twitter.com/promontebuono</span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I highly recommend a visit. </span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHhctTYIb8NJsNxjjqmhIDmo1ehCXu63zMmoavNyWKiUEIlut7GaCOlpO6L2Yh71U_P_qIvPz8EBcQW32Q2tJr_0PPMgFlpfQRz68K5T7EuxIBkP4HGI2VYh9TSXpcVk1lPO17UCvnV8/s1600/Rainbow+by+FF+from+Montebuono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHhctTYIb8NJsNxjjqmhIDmo1ehCXu63zMmoavNyWKiUEIlut7GaCOlpO6L2Yh71U_P_qIvPz8EBcQW32Q2tJr_0PPMgFlpfQRz68K5T7EuxIBkP4HGI2VYh9TSXpcVk1lPO17UCvnV8/s640/Rainbow+by+FF+from+Montebuono.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Fiorenzo Francioli</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Now for my motorcycle lesson!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> _______________________________________ </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Grazie a Fiorenzo Francioli e a tutti </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">tutti coloro che</span> <span class="hps">gentilmente</span> <span class="hps">mi ha permesso di</span> <span class="hps">usare</span> <span class="hps">le loro foto</span> <span class="hps">in questo blog</span><span class="">.</span></span> </span><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span>
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lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419193434481837023.post-86060815582171822002013-10-09T09:51:00.001-07:002014-01-19T21:47:41.686-08:00"MERCOLEDÌ INSIEME!" - SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 4 - A DAY TRIP TO THE CASTELLI ROMANI with STEFANO & NICOLETA - March 6th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwLtRJ1OY_XeKhZr1eMZADFL_aXhAgOZuCt8nKO5ZWn2T9WduLpLa6uXru1WGouALbAsK_X-BEnbG_I1wKbEmvxUz46iGgnbB4NlrRloUir70w3qxV6kWjuHKyVodm2cGcdVqqnGJvHE/s1600/800px-Castel_Gandolfo_e_lago_Albano+by+Luca+Deblu68.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwLtRJ1OY_XeKhZr1eMZADFL_aXhAgOZuCt8nKO5ZWn2T9WduLpLa6uXru1WGouALbAsK_X-BEnbG_I1wKbEmvxUz46iGgnbB4NlrRloUir70w3qxV6kWjuHKyVodm2cGcdVqqnGJvHE/s640/800px-Castel_Gandolfo_e_lago_Albano+by+Luca+Deblu68.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castel Gandolfo and Lago Albano courtesy of Luca Deblu68</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last year, when we visited the Sabina, we stayed in Casperia for about a month... It was the most amazing time in my life for so many reasons. Every day was an adventure. Every winding country road we took during our day trips through the rolling olive studded hills of the Sabina led us to discover new amazing medieval towns, beautiful pastoral valleys filled with picture-book farms and fields with happy sheep. We were surrounded by the most breathtaking scenery I have seen outside Canada. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But even more than the amazing history and the panoramic scenery and the breathtaking Negroni-coloured sunsets, it was the people that we met in the Sabina that truly made our holiday.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gTXSf0FPrpjn0Tsx1eVLoEXzQo4-F59_ypdsoA1gOTuqEfwd0qmEbgtUuo-TNAqhwIhNdiPvRw1LOsObYmYTM8Dub8jpGI6I3FoaMMqJ9JEvuxGIro9DfN_if1qwJFbreZAinj9fLDE/s1600/Copy+of+P3300978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gTXSf0FPrpjn0Tsx1eVLoEXzQo4-F59_ypdsoA1gOTuqEfwd0qmEbgtUuo-TNAqhwIhNdiPvRw1LOsObYmYTM8Dub8jpGI6I3FoaMMqJ9JEvuxGIro9DfN_if1qwJFbreZAinj9fLDE/s640/Copy+of+P3300978.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have written extensively about our good fortune in meeting truly amazing people during our 2012 trip to the Sabina... If you have been following this blog, you know their names already: Clelia, Daniele, Alessandra, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Arianna</span><span style="font-size: large;">, Fiorenzo, Paola, Massimo, Giorgio, Andrea... And if you follow this blog you will be reading more about them soon... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this post focusses on two people in particular, our friends Stefano and Nicoleta who during our visit in 2012 took us under their wing and gave us an experience that truly changed our lives, an expereince we will never forget, a day trip to the <a href="http://lamiasabina.blogspot.ca/2013/02/sabina-travelogue-part-22-april-12.html">Grotta Grande of Monteleone</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you click on the link above, it will take you to the post I wrote about that adventure. In a nutshell, Stefano and Nicoleta are avid speleologists, or cavers. There are a huge number of caves, both natural and man-made in the area, and they wanted to take us to explore the inside of a bat-filled, stalactite-roofed cave in Monteleone. They first took us to explore the amazing ruins of the Roman amphitheatre in Trebula Mutuesca... </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoYjc0cmE4qtYphtvafagnTJAPzwudLaK12Bgml2-1eoAE46u4b5W_Dk68sZHBOXM-IHvKwC6UL6Nxw09T0g3gmzDUVY7siXD7kEjB5AK10KkGvim8Sdv79_0P5omkY8gjvblDchRK2k/s1600/524665_327904383929796_100001307107696_814921_780698656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoYjc0cmE4qtYphtvafagnTJAPzwudLaK12Bgml2-1eoAE46u4b5W_Dk68sZHBOXM-IHvKwC6UL6Nxw09T0g3gmzDUVY7siXD7kEjB5AK10KkGvim8Sdv79_0P5omkY8gjvblDchRK2k/s640/524665_327904383929796_100001307107696_814921_780698656_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgYDxvRI3bdJggoKISTzd3JXePQ0LpbdAKTDG4WH43KkjPsUdwmkxgAOwsTLduoFK5TrBqENAF4CDEt-29w9ddY5LSu47ktwddI8fXo6475MtYDNccRYFEa3tb6XOuieE-7Y9k0VB1Xg/s1600/575731_327904437263124_100001307107696_814922_680633290_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgYDxvRI3bdJggoKISTzd3JXePQ0LpbdAKTDG4WH43KkjPsUdwmkxgAOwsTLduoFK5TrBqENAF4CDEt-29w9ddY5LSu47ktwddI8fXo6475MtYDNccRYFEa3tb6XOuieE-7Y9k0VB1Xg/s640/575731_327904437263124_100001307107696_814922_680633290_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...before making a pitstop in the beautiful centro storico of Monteleone Sabino to buy prosciutto cotto and mortadella-filled panini for lunch. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrT4TjEXFZklEWqK8DsibD3FCwU1N7NzDz3wXOfmc_pSKFSOrd2LURUPvovdVsw2xfTywdT1ilGN_zsubi7zGRY-cQGUaGWMfNsT7Jc-SquiOYaXb4Jq7Cjt6g_CBhUVz4YYzi5DWs7o/s1600/P4110306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrT4TjEXFZklEWqK8DsibD3FCwU1N7NzDz3wXOfmc_pSKFSOrd2LURUPvovdVsw2xfTywdT1ilGN_zsubi7zGRY-cQGUaGWMfNsT7Jc-SquiOYaXb4Jq7Cjt6g_CBhUVz4YYzi5DWs7o/s640/P4110306.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Neither Richard nor I were prepared for our experience in the cave... I mean, this was really something outside of our usual experience... something we would not have actively sought out to do ourselves, but we are sure glad that we did when this rare opportunity presented itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I thought we would feel claustrophiobia, or at least that was what I was afraid of... but instead we were filled with wonder...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFck-ugOeb8Z_X14Q_BMZmmaPCifgjht2wU8NqjEfcCvP-L9Og53R6_ZLxhXNhC1RH0FM4X2w4XqBXRdLthUK9nHzhQV4o1LhzsIpUZLqluejpv8ARNPLyNhiGp1GlCR2i2MwXItCuDk/s1600/555650_327905387263029_100001307107696_814941_526990206_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFck-ugOeb8Z_X14Q_BMZmmaPCifgjht2wU8NqjEfcCvP-L9Og53R6_ZLxhXNhC1RH0FM4X2w4XqBXRdLthUK9nHzhQV4o1LhzsIpUZLqluejpv8ARNPLyNhiGp1GlCR2i2MwXItCuDk/s640/555650_327905387263029_100001307107696_814941_526990206_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later after we got out and had our panini lunch, when they proposed we try rappelling over the small cliff above the cave's mouth, we didn't blink an eye. Our knees may have shook with fear a bit... but we didn't blink an eye...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XNsBUOkRze_OjOf3EO4jTRFCaQdr7_NMwfxTehi9Nuc5LaOlbEg0rCCix-IGg5-MJTKEopNcJbvGhrm0hvhn2Uu6JGKbG4JiTepNM0zX1zkkn79Z67IMKj2xbTd8ULXH51opYsJjGAg/s1600/100_2243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XNsBUOkRze_OjOf3EO4jTRFCaQdr7_NMwfxTehi9Nuc5LaOlbEg0rCCix-IGg5-MJTKEopNcJbvGhrm0hvhn2Uu6JGKbG4JiTepNM0zX1zkkn79Z67IMKj2xbTd8ULXH51opYsJjGAg/s640/100_2243.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What an amazing bonding experience it was! When we arrived back in Casperia this year Nicoleta and Stefano made us promise to save every Wednesday, their weekly day off, for them... They wanted to take us out to some of their favourite haunts in the region. What can I say? Our first excursion together was such an extraordinary experience... this request was extremely easy to agree to...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our first </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">Mercoledì</span> <span class="hps">insieme Stefano and Nicoleta took us to visit the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelli_Romani">Castelli Romani</a>.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxD6KoYFx1P4GYtG-TfaJwC9T2AES_BDLtGUJMV9K7iu1c9cBjgbcTbCQJOFUdSpEzqOk3ur-HVmBztyWnBPxTtgsUTlrCCye_Hbh5r2vuzDzzb9Fa41SHa0RI-A1n8j-Dk00h5ZWKrgw/s1600/trasporti_castelli_romani_big.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxD6KoYFx1P4GYtG-TfaJwC9T2AES_BDLtGUJMV9K7iu1c9cBjgbcTbCQJOFUdSpEzqOk3ur-HVmBztyWnBPxTtgsUTlrCCye_Hbh5r2vuzDzzb9Fa41SHa0RI-A1n8j-Dk00h5ZWKrgw/s640/trasporti_castelli_romani_big.gif" height="520" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">These are a collection of picturesque towns perched on the rims of volcanic lakes to the southeast of Rome.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">It is a region known for its wines, including the famous Frascati wines which local Romans and tourists alike love to drink in the trattorie on hot summer days. It is also the place where the Popes over the centuries have had their summer residences. Fifty five hectares</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps"> of the town of <a href="http://www.vaticanstate.va/content/vaticanstate/en/monumenti/castel-gandolfo.paginate.1.html">Castel Gandolfo</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">, an area eleven hectares larger than Vatican City, actually belongs to the Pope.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEPvykF80r5AXLJKFDyduL11b7_8-9JwpiHfdhn0QaWZkJEAyjWs3-gxlZzzaqPMYyzzGj_qvjaty21_x6sRUEJuj8ND0TGounjtohePPgT8tz-e8kXmW-JQ-evPek2hBTJGgrs5NPDM/s1600/download1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEPvykF80r5AXLJKFDyduL11b7_8-9JwpiHfdhn0QaWZkJEAyjWs3-gxlZzzaqPMYyzzGj_qvjaty21_x6sRUEJuj8ND0TGounjtohePPgT8tz-e8kXmW-JQ-evPek2hBTJGgrs5NPDM/s640/download1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stefano sets the GPS for the Castelli Romani as we depart Casperia... Hey! What are Richard's tap shoes doing on the dashboard?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">As Stefano and Nicoleta feared, <i>il tempo era un po' cattivo</i>. The sky was a dull grey as we left Casperia and headed south, and it did not improve the entire day...</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps"> I know Stefano and Nicoleta were disappointed... but we were just thrilled to be on a road trip with them. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ET0aL5qOzJUnXq0Zros02I5Ud_3gDcgt5DpGC2QhkqxtFDmJ2jl4NL23h88M5YYhz4kaQvE_j3RRKetlbo12a9cFU0sssgDovcPaajqK6f9X4x9TGC3wO85G4IBA-YJeT1Ot4s9ABiw/s1600/544195_466856516703165_1047+by+SAB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ET0aL5qOzJUnXq0Zros02I5Ud_3gDcgt5DpGC2QhkqxtFDmJ2jl4NL23h88M5YYhz4kaQvE_j3RRKetlbo12a9cFU0sssgDovcPaajqK6f9X4x9TGC3wO85G4IBA-YJeT1Ot4s9ABiw/s640/544195_466856516703165_1047+by+SAB.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adults in front... kids in the back</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">It is not far from Casperia to the Castelli Romani, especially when you use the A1. Stefano explained to us the points of interest on the way. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">Did you know that if you greet a flock of sheep as you pass by in your car or riding your vespa or whatever, that it is supposed to bring you good fortune? Every time we saw a flock of sheep we would all break out into a chorus of "<i>Ciao pecore</i>! </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps"><i>Ciao pecore</i>! </span></span></span><i>Ciao</i>! <i>Ciao</i>! <i>Ciao</i>! And they would turn and look at us like this... </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigA4t9KWfcoZ8EirviyDI0nnqa51z6Q-XGXwFUbD_7az1tqLyXaBI-r3FSHXehQ9OJimeRuayxTaDWQS0xI6Q3tR274SdfVS7kRM-IIS7FBN063W7wZsKkOFgF-LYbRn7oQ_5Z7pYSJg8/s1600/1002183_707982219216067_1655255013_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigA4t9KWfcoZ8EirviyDI0nnqa51z6Q-XGXwFUbD_7az1tqLyXaBI-r3FSHXehQ9OJimeRuayxTaDWQS0xI6Q3tR274SdfVS7kRM-IIS7FBN063W7wZsKkOFgF-LYbRn7oQ_5Z7pYSJg8/s640/1002183_707982219216067_1655255013_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ciao Pecore!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, we were like a bunch of kids in the car... The two worst behaving ones were in the back.Richard and Nicoleta chattered and joked with one another. Every now and then they would burst forth into another round of "Ciao pecore" and when there weren't any sheep to be seen they would break into the Italian version of "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet." Stefano just laughed and rolled his eyes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-npoPpFv-fis9NnaUnbZgcJw04BwIp7EH-s_LBEMesUKkQraMwOeqYL2yxp-wptF2UhcuoDkuOLG7F4VyBqnWBLJtEON-o1IDE5sgT_PU2JeKx5Ck8oIydlpVi-YbqpiCs-OSmQ-zqFc/s1600/Arricia+Castelli++Romani%252C+courtesy+of+Conto+Italiano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-npoPpFv-fis9NnaUnbZgcJw04BwIp7EH-s_LBEMesUKkQraMwOeqYL2yxp-wptF2UhcuoDkuOLG7F4VyBqnWBLJtEON-o1IDE5sgT_PU2JeKx5Ck8oIydlpVi-YbqpiCs-OSmQ-zqFc/s640/Arricia+Castelli++Romani%252C+courtesy+of+Conto+Italiano.jpg" height="378" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arricia in the Castelli Romani, courtesy of Conto Italiano</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">We passed by Ciampino with its airport. As we drove south into the Alban Hills it became apparent that the Castelli Romani was a prosperous area. Gone were the small farms and austere stony hill towns so familiar in the Sabina. Here there seemed to be villas everywhere. When we arrived in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariccia">Arricia</a>, our first destination, it was pretty socked in, but what we saw was impressive. Once one of the main cities of the ancient Latin League, Arricia at one time rivalled Rome during the days of the Republic. In the 1700s, Arricia was a popular stop between Rome and Naples for Europe's wealthy during the age of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour">Grand Tour</a>. With its imposing setting and awe inspiring skyline it was also a popular subject for visiting artists. Even with the town shrowded in the mist and rain I could understand why.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCB9zHlMaRrbBv9aGxZgNIOeKV4OSeoZJGaCwiQWc1JbFVdIMk53QJBlp5o0xA2Y7KOq1U6kSFA-BDi_U0OIFm0SPTewpVFtplE5FtC2VcmRUnLQI2QOtFyau1NYWH9MoXeaK9v-yYEA/s1600/Ariccia_Sunset_ca_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCB9zHlMaRrbBv9aGxZgNIOeKV4OSeoZJGaCwiQWc1JbFVdIMk53QJBlp5o0xA2Y7KOq1U6kSFA-BDi_U0OIFm0SPTewpVFtplE5FtC2VcmRUnLQI2QOtFyau1NYWH9MoXeaK9v-yYEA/s640/Ariccia_Sunset_ca_1828.jpg" height="488" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Arricia Sunset by Joseph Mallord William Turner</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">Today, among other things, Arricia is famous for its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porchetta">Porchetta</a>, Italy's greatest gift to pork lovers... There is nothing like the flavour, juicy texture, and herby aroma of fresh sliced roasted porchetta. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmKeKcngNnlkLYaS-uUKXVERJTCqB-54Dm8pHwKz3quIBpXqvRFSPEo8vGuytCff9l0ImgrLFrjD1kvMNjj3O5KcSk6ZjOcp89FX9_fVetosnOK8lFF5y5fs78JVTBkYTgdzQIzcyDtk/s1600/579px-Porchetta_sagra_del_vino_Marino_2006+by+Alessio+Damato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmKeKcngNnlkLYaS-uUKXVERJTCqB-54Dm8pHwKz3quIBpXqvRFSPEo8vGuytCff9l0ImgrLFrjD1kvMNjj3O5KcSk6ZjOcp89FX9_fVetosnOK8lFF5y5fs78JVTBkYTgdzQIzcyDtk/s640/579px-Porchetta_sagra_del_vino_Marino_2006+by+Alessio+Damato.jpg" height="640" width="618" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porchetta courtesy of Alessio Damato via Wikipedia</td></tr>
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</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">Anyone who has visited our house in Vancouver knows that our cat Smokey goes crazy every time we cook pork tenderloin or port sausages or eat bacon. The smell of pork for Smokey is more powerful than the most potent catnip... </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smokey waiting for some pork during one of our regular Stringozzi nights.</td></tr>
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</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">I think that if there was ever an Italian "kitty heaven" for Smokey, Arricia, with all its succulent porchetta, would be it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaN04JAirRhmW2Smho-0IXnVgtJwfIMAAJFPOyI3iuPvDDJVujjGAvgH8lkY5nnKkYp_y3cm6gEltqNMzmnwQWf7yARXQ4Ht8mzf57EmJKc4Cw-LuVvbq8qMKRVCg02bbIW-hxoLksuw/s1600/Dar+Compare+photo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaN04JAirRhmW2Smho-0IXnVgtJwfIMAAJFPOyI3iuPvDDJVujjGAvgH8lkY5nnKkYp_y3cm6gEltqNMzmnwQWf7yARXQ4Ht8mzf57EmJKc4Cw-LuVvbq8qMKRVCg02bbIW-hxoLksuw/s640/Dar+Compare+photo.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">Our lunchtime destination was a family-run restaurant called <a href="http://www.darcompare.it/">Osteria Dar Compare</a>. Stefano and Nicoleta have been there a number of times... This is one of their favourite restaurants... I could feel their excitement as we drew nearer. I was getting excited too. They had described the porchetta and a number of other menu items in glowing terms, and truth be told, I was pretty hungry. Finally we had arrived. Across the street, nestled in among a number of other <a href="http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraschetta">fraschette</a> as the local tipical restaurants are called, was our destination.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shot of the entrance of Osteria Dar Compare on Google Maps... It was not as sunny on the day we were there.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">As we were parking the car, the rain began to really pour. But who cared? It was lunch time. We all jumped out of the car and ran across Via Borgo San Rocco to the entrance of the restaurant.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">The first sight to greet our eyes was an amazing display case full of cheeses, salamis, olives and other antipasti and roasted vegetables preserved in oil and vinegar. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">The owners recognized Stefano and Nicoleta and greeted them warmly, guiding us to one of the long tables ranged along the wall.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">I don't remember Stefano or Nicoleta really ordering anything, other than a delicious platter of pasta... The food, mostly a huge variety of antipasti, and wine seemed to appear almost automatically, like magic.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Olives, cheeses, prosciutto, little liver sausages, chewy spicy air dried coppiette, bufala mozzarella, marinated zucchini slices and artichokes, delicious bread...</span><br />
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<span rel="v:address"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address"><span style="font-size: large;">But the star of the show was of course the porchetta which was served not on plates, but on pieces of butcher paper. I must confess, we were so hungry and focussed on eating the porchetta that we forgot to take a proper picture of it until it was more than half eaten.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span rel="v:address"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh well. You will just have to trust me... Of course we had some wonderful local wine... </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span rel="v:address"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address"><span style="font-size: large;">Italians aren't prissy about their wine pairings... Although some wines will be traditionally be served with certain foods, in general we have found that red wine is consumed during the cold season, and cooled white wines prevail in the hot summer. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span rel="v:address"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a cold, rainy day in the Castelli Romani, so we were poured some red which we drank in stemless bistro-style glasses. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiJ58GaJyAK4GHFdfmEEXtLviTbRBvBvdxdoiposuqvOAvdRhiumm1QANW4AEIy_b97nv1Q6eUc4FeKfz3dsJHi5IZvvhhRKgZzSlX9Xn1GtuMIpoQiqdvz10DVDNqZ0s8P97_QpYR_Q/s1600/download2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiJ58GaJyAK4GHFdfmEEXtLviTbRBvBvdxdoiposuqvOAvdRhiumm1QANW4AEIy_b97nv1Q6eUc4FeKfz3dsJHi5IZvvhhRKgZzSlX9Xn1GtuMIpoQiqdvz10DVDNqZ0s8P97_QpYR_Q/s640/download2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cin Cin!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span rel="v:address"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address"><span style="font-size: large;">Stefano and Nicoleta introducted us to a delicious sparkling red, typical of the region called Romanella. Wow! After all the antipasti and porchetta I couldn't believe that Stefano would have room for pasta... but he did.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wow! What a meal! At the end of it all came out a tray of digestivi: Limoncello, Nocello, and Grappa, with some delicious ciambelline.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1ElCpsxwapzt-tHg66EqvvcmxsBVyQSi_TOqp2g2oBxJ08pXOKFq9iwlUwqGxWXVqB3_Jy-USZJyMrGh0XnOkNSvsfFMn6B0NvdoO3fBh7BEh__UTDwlUW4qvUGnKL5fwLZPido3CWU/s1600/download6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1ElCpsxwapzt-tHg66EqvvcmxsBVyQSi_TOqp2g2oBxJ08pXOKFq9iwlUwqGxWXVqB3_Jy-USZJyMrGh0XnOkNSvsfFMn6B0NvdoO3fBh7BEh__UTDwlUW4qvUGnKL5fwLZPido3CWU/s640/download6.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span rel="v:address" style="font-size: large;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address">It was a perfect end to a perfect lunch spent great friends! But our day wasn't finished yet. We stood up to bid our farewells to the owners of the restaurant... As we were leaving, they presented Richard and I with a souvenir... one of the restaurant plates with "Dar Compare" written on it.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRmL6WELC46ioufvREuqrgrHUWeCGYTCqWquYaAqxmXRP87Ls9CMEZ6h_JTAmnMIxsM29kFjWrxgpP5CCf2XAzRtFdMFZRec1wAeftu3bgNyso6UHDNGkC2z8Q0AWWRDWMfu6bV8VVEU/s1600/haoppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRmL6WELC46ioufvREuqrgrHUWeCGYTCqWquYaAqxmXRP87Ls9CMEZ6h_JTAmnMIxsM29kFjWrxgpP5CCf2XAzRtFdMFZRec1wAeftu3bgNyso6UHDNGkC2z8Q0AWWRDWMfu6bV8VVEU/s640/haoppy.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span rel="v:address" style="font-size: large;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address">Happy and very full, we made our way through the drizzle across the street to Stefano's car. Before heading back north to the Sabina, Stefano took us on a tour through some of the towns. At the heart of the Castelli Romani are two circular volcanic lakes: Lago Albano and Lago di Nemi. We drove south through the town of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genzano_di_Roma">Genzano Di Roma</a> which perches on the cliffs along the edge of Lago di Nemi. Genzano is another town with ancient roots. There are a number of significant archeological remains in the area from the time when wealthy Romans built their summer villas there. One of the Roman Emperors, Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161 A.D.), the builder of the Antonine Wall in Scotland, was born in one of those villas.</span></span></span><br />
<span rel="v:address" style="font-size: large;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address"><br /></span></span></span>
<span rel="v:address" style="font-size: large;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address">From Genzano, we turned north and headed to the beautiful town of Nemi. It was raining so much we didn't bother to take our cameras out. We were blissed out from the amazing and just savouring our time with our friends. But Nemi even in the rain and low clouds was indeed beautiful. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexFG4diFZ1zgQP8XJEVg4n3YSTt9eEITqTqsfp6VCSe_B8G_v6rc0Y2ij7Nbt2lULlQlRF8e50iv7o0htq1bzgJq7Yx1xgDgubHpuBWqow6zOfyLPcCj9Pe8Nj5Kj5PBXWNUpeT-Z_EU/s1600/Nemi_panorama+by+Renato+Clementi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexFG4diFZ1zgQP8XJEVg4n3YSTt9eEITqTqsfp6VCSe_B8G_v6rc0Y2ij7Nbt2lULlQlRF8e50iv7o0htq1bzgJq7Yx1xgDgubHpuBWqow6zOfyLPcCj9Pe8Nj5Kj5PBXWNUpeT-Z_EU/s640/Nemi_panorama+by+Renato+Clementi.jpg" height="176" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of Nemi by Renato Clementi via Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span rel="v:address" style="font-size: large;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address">If Arriccia is famous for Porchetta, Nemi is famous for its delicious fragoline, or wild strawberries. </span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8YaQQpGUZXUDYUu2CMfwM2Wg0pOqwQGxGyE3jdcOv90btR6V9WAElMVZO9fNNHe9UL2MzRTSW1oshhq3USwTo9ez22U61vP6rTyX7OtGMBhdFkH-bIgzwpxqOQfpj-yQgAO8Gbthv9s/s1600/Nemi_strawberries+by+Stephen+Sommerhalter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8YaQQpGUZXUDYUu2CMfwM2Wg0pOqwQGxGyE3jdcOv90btR6V9WAElMVZO9fNNHe9UL2MzRTSW1oshhq3USwTo9ez22U61vP6rTyX7OtGMBhdFkH-bIgzwpxqOQfpj-yQgAO8Gbthv9s/s1600/Nemi_strawberries+by+Stephen+Sommerhalter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nemi strawberries by Stephen Sommerhalter via Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span rel="v:address" style="font-size: large;"><span class="format_address"><span class="street-address">We parked the car and ran through the rain to a small little restaurant with a beautiful wood fire blazing inside called </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.specchiodidiana.it/">Lo Specchio di Diana</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC3gMAhJsvPKCfShftto8u-Jer2bcQDs9_C7Hqa1pyuf3JFIYiSHIGr6G-JxP3vMJ6NcQE2Pyam34376_xPVs8KtWA6_5ep-rBZP3av1ejtwXyt_Yq2qTsDgteYD0TC9NV4ukupf7q30/s1600/Lo+specchio+di+diana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC3gMAhJsvPKCfShftto8u-Jer2bcQDs9_C7Hqa1pyuf3JFIYiSHIGr6G-JxP3vMJ6NcQE2Pyam34376_xPVs8KtWA6_5ep-rBZP3av1ejtwXyt_Yq2qTsDgteYD0TC9NV4ukupf7q30/s640/Lo+specchio+di+diana.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lo Specchio di Diana means Diana's Mirror. The cult of the Goddess Diana, the goddess of the moon and the hunt, was centred in the Alban hills in ancient times. I assume that the name is a reference to the lake. The restaurant is on the main floor and there is an inn above the restuarant in the upper storeys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were a bit damp and cold from the rain so we sat down by the crackling fire and it was here that Stefano and Nicoleta ordered out dessert: wild strawberries in cream! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nemi has some interesting history too. Like most of the Castelli Romani, its roots go back to ancient times... Like nearby Genzano there are a number of archeological features in the area. During the renaissance <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemi_ships">two ancient Roman ships</a> were discovered at the bottom of the lake. This is how Wikipedia tells it:</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Caligula built several very large and costly luxury barges for use on the
lake. One ship was a shrine dedicated to ceremonies for the Egyptian Isis cult
or the cult of Diana Nemorensis, designed to be towed, and the other was a
pleasure boat with buildings on it. After Caligula's overthrow, the boats were
scuttled.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>
</i><i>The ships were rediscovered during the Renaissance, when architect Leon
Battista Alberti is reported to have attempted to raise the ships by roping
them to buoyant barrels. While ingenious, this method proved unsuccessful,
because of extensive rotting.</i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4fP0wS48PVxSreP_hqufXV0wS37pqWyXzdmMBBIfsnNF9itKUm71s4qVLcE5G4fgO5B_78cpIm4HmzzOJCrXH18gGpd2FZ7WigNctbqLjkxj5ao2yHtvee6vtf4IhdCBOrTh0kxQaEM/s1600/Nemi_Ship_Hull_1930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4fP0wS48PVxSreP_hqufXV0wS37pqWyXzdmMBBIfsnNF9itKUm71s4qVLcE5G4fgO5B_78cpIm4HmzzOJCrXH18gGpd2FZ7WigNctbqLjkxj5ao2yHtvee6vtf4IhdCBOrTh0kxQaEM/s640/Nemi_Ship_Hull_1930.jpg" height="468" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<br />
<i>The boats were finally salvaged from 1929 to 1932 under orders of Benito
Mussolini. This was just one of many attempts to relate himself to the Roman
Emperors of the past. The ships were exposed by lowering the lake level using
underground canals that were dug by the ancient Romans. The excavation was led
by Guido Ucelli and was reported in Le Nave di Nemi by Guido Ucelli
(Rome, 1950). They were destroyed by fire on 31 May 1944, it is disputed
whether this was done by defeated German forces retreating from Italy at the
end of World War II or accidentally by squatters taking refuge in the museum
building. Surviving remnants from the excavations as well as replicas are now
displayed in the </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Museo Nazionale Romano</span><i> at the Palazzo
Massimo in Rome. The ship hulls survive today at Museo delle Navi Romane, Nemi.</i><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6z-mpmhjUdEMo1evtuUFJuf13wBUopMKc6gjInWYzhtfbSK5SIf-n3sHk9UHMhXt0dhE6MJPIVtzfYt2h-kFaVzP9XLHa2w7Hf4_M-XokNC7bttIJe7OY9nUR8KpU1S2vqnrPKEOwL8/s1600/download4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6z-mpmhjUdEMo1evtuUFJuf13wBUopMKc6gjInWYzhtfbSK5SIf-n3sHk9UHMhXt0dhE6MJPIVtzfYt2h-kFaVzP9XLHa2w7Hf4_M-XokNC7bttIJe7OY9nUR8KpU1S2vqnrPKEOwL8/s640/download4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Dessert and coffee finished, we reluctantly went out into the wet once more and got back into the car. This was a very different day than the one we spent with Nicoletta and Stefano visiting the Grotta Grande di Monteleone Sabino the year before. But what a wonderful adventure.We drove back to the Sabina in the growing dark, happy and full, not only from the great food, but of some amazing memories. Grazie, amici miei! I couldn't wait to discover what our next Wednesday adventure together would be.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>lamiasabina.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535143523922444685noreply@blogger.com0