SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 9 - A STORMY DAY IN CASPERIA - March 12, 2013

This photo of Casperia and Monte Soratte courtesy of Giorgio Clementi

A rain storm in the Sabina is something to be experienced... 

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.

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... 

 

Photo courtesy of Giorgio Clementi

There is no real flat space inside the town walls except for the small piazza above the Porta Romana, Piazza Umberto I...

...the Piazza del Municipio where the Comune offices are, and another small piazza in front of San Giovanni Battista Church.

Photo of San Giovanni Battista church courtesy of Giorgio Clementi

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...

Photo of Monte Soratte seen from Casperia courtesty of Stefano Aperio Bella

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.  

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...

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 link to my blog post about that unforgettable first encounter.

At the foot of Vicolo Serpenti is Via Latini where we stopped in front of Casa Latini to take a picture. Casa Latini 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 Sunflower Retreats during the summer.

  

From Via Latini we climbed up more stairs again by way of a vicolo toward the Church of San Giovanni Battista.

The Romanesque Bell Tower of the Church is the highest point in the borgo. At night it is beautifully illuminated.

What many people don't realize is that the parish church of Saint John the Baptist is the home of a spectacular treasure... the Presepe Monumentale, a 60 square metre monumental Nativity Scene.

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. 

  

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.

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.

The light rain which had been our constant companion throughout our walk through the town suddenly turned into a veritable downpour. 

Photo courtesy of Stefano Aperio Bella

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 Paolo Conte's Greatest Hits and made ourselves a simple pasta dinner.

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. 

SABINA TRAVELOGUE PART 12 - March 31 - Face to Face (and Heart to Heart) with Facebook Friends

The chirping, warbling, and twitter of a variety of birds mingle with the clanks and clongs of far off sheep bells and the intermittent barking of vigilant sheepdogs. These are the sounds that we hear outside our window this beautiful Saturday morning in Sabina. Today is a special day, among many wonderful days, here in the Sabina. Today is the day that we meet face to face with some very special Facebook Friends: Clelia Angelelli and her partner Daniele Nicastrini, and Paola Zoppi and her husband Massimo Fidale. 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Clelia grew up in Casperia in a house on Vicolo Serpenti.  It was through my posting of a picture of that street on Facebook that we began a conversation on Facebook and became Facebook friends.

Childhood memories of Casperia - Photos courtesy of Clelia Angelelli

Today together we will walk the winding stone stairs of Casperia's vie and vicoli (streets and alleys) and get to see this town through Clelia's eyes...

Our friend and guide - Courtesy of Clelia Angelelli

Today, we finally got to meet face to face with two more friends we have met through Faceboo: Clelia Angelelli and Paola Zoppi and their partners Daniele and Massimo. Yesterday was Clelia Angelelli's birthday, so we thought we should celebrate by getting a cake from her favourite bakery Figlii Giusti which is just outside the town gate. We ordered the cake yesterday. This morning, we stocked up on salami, prosciutto, and Prosecco at the alimentari to add to the ricotta al forno and pecorino we bought at the Ecofattorie Sabino in Poggio Mirteto Scalo a couple of days before.

Because we flew standby we were limited to carry-on luggage and therefore limited in the gifts we were able to bring... We had brought some maple syrup for both Clelia and Paola, but as it was Clelia's birthday I had brought some silk coasters with pictures of cats on them (Clelia is as cat crazy as we are) and Richard bought her some 3D cat playing cards. Also since Clelia was born here in Casperia, but has not lived here since childhood, we thought we should present her with some Sabina D.O.P. extra virgin olive oil, just in case she had car trouble on the way home to Vetralla ; ) Our friends from the Sabina have commented on Facebook that if we had had some Sabina D.O.P. with us the day we returned the rent-a-car to Roma, that there would have been no car problems. : )

Clelia and her friends were to arrive at 11:00, so I went down to the town gate to meet them, while Richard put out our snacks and Prosecco in the garden outside the house. As I came out the gate I could see Clelia waving with Danielle at her side. With a hug and a kiss we ended our virtual relationship and embarked on the next exciting phase of our friendship. Paola and her husband Massimo suddenly appeared from the door of the bakery. There were more hugs and kisses, and then off we went up the many stairs of Casperia...

The road to Il Sogno courtesy of Giorgio Clementi

 ...to Il Sogno where I hoped Richard had everything ready. When we arrived I was delighted to find our friend Candace awake and ready to join us. Richard brought out our platters of snacks and I brought out the Prosecco and from that moment on, it seemed liked we were partying with long lost friends.

Richard, Candace and I coming up to the garden with the food - A special moment in time captured by Massimo Fidale

How can you explain it? How do I explain any of this? Words fail me... It is something beyond explaining. Suffice it to say, it was un altro giorno indementicabile nella Sabina. 

Facebook friends? - By this time we knew we were more than that...

We finished one bottle of Prosecco and I was about to open another when the cork exploded when I had the bottle held between my legs. There was Prosecco everywhere. In the split second of stunned surprise I felt—before I could feel any embarrassment—everyone started reaching out with their hands for the Prosecco spewing forth from the bottle and started patting each other on the face—for good luck!!! Apparently what happened was a good omen. And the day just progressed in happiness, good spirits and laughter from that moment on.

We exchanged our gifts in the garden. Clelia brought me a book of Italian cat photos...

...and she brought Richard a collection of Tiziano Ferro songs on cd. 

 

Clelia, me, Paola, Daniele and Massimo

We were also presented with good luck peperoncino (red chili pepper) decorations—Italian  Viagra—Massimo said. Paola and Massimo also had birthday gifts for Clelia. 
   

We finished our snacks and prosecco and then started a bit of a walk down memory lane with Clelia. We visited Vicolo Serpenti where she grew up. 

Walking down Vicolo Serpenti

When Clelia was a little girl, the door to her house was to the left of the door we see now.

We took a number of photos in front of her old house in different combinations...
 

Clelia and Paola - Bellissime!

She pointed to various doors and windows, explaining that "This was where they kept the grain"...

"This was where the rabbit hutch was", "This was where the vegetables and chestnuts were kept", "That window was the kitchen" and "That was the balcony upon which I stood and had my picture taken as a little girl."

"This was where the front door was," and "This was where the outdoor oven was for baking bread."

Earlier, enroute to our house she had pointed out the milk shop, the fruit shop and other businesses that used to exist inside the town walls but which have since all moved outside. 

It was a wonderful experience to see Casperia through Clelia's eyes. I ran back to the house to pick up the cake while everyone else continued on the tour. 

 We met up at Friends Cafe for a wonderful lunch with more wine, lots of stories, and lots and lots of laughs. 

I can't believe it.... Richard and Daniele are tap dancing together. 

Finally it was cake time. 

Here is a short video of the toast after the cake was brought out...
 

The people at Figlii Giusti made a truly magnificent cake, as delicious as it was beautiful. Stefano produced a bottle of Prosecco. It was perfect. 

Stefano's son Federico joined the party.

Federico!!!

There was cake for everyone... even for the family of English tourists at the next table.

From time to time people would break off into smaller groups to talk by the wall while Clelia would have a smoke. 

I notice Richard and Massimo talking by the wall. Their happy animated profiles made me grab the camera.

I took quite a few photos... What incredible memories we are making. Sadly our time together had to come to an end.

  

We walked slowly down to the parking lot where we took a number of photos and promised we would see each other again before we left. What a day. What amazing people. We are truly blessed.

We made our way up the stairs to Il Sogno talking all the way about the many happy events of our day. We had smiled and laughed so much during the day that our face muscles ached! We are two very lucky guys. And our vacation is not even half over...

As I write this, Candace and Richard are happily chatting in the kitchen. I have served up a plate of salami and cheese for everyone and I have been presented with a glass of Orvieto Classico Secco in return.

The IPad has just made a funny noise and a little notice came up to say my father was on Skype. I pressed the button to start a video call and spent ten minutes talking to my Mom and Dad in Vancouver, telling them about our day. It was so great to hear their voices and to be able to reassure them that we are okay and that the people here are so wonderful and kind to us. 

I love this picture of Clelia... it truly captures her wonderful spirit

Post from Clelia: Che dire....uno splendido compleanno per Tutti i Vostri Auguri....per la splendida giornata nella mia Casperia con meravigliose persone....tanti regali, foto e un pranzo con fine torta per regalo e prosecco...♥ 

Post from Paola: Non dire gatto se non l'hai nel sacco!!!!!!

Today I am reminded of the power of photography. It was this photo that I posted on Facebook a long while ago that lead a lady who lived far away across the ocean to recognize the little alley or vicolo as the street she lived in as a child in Casperia. Her comment on the photo began a dialogue which, over these past months, became a connection and an online friendship, which today blossomed into some intense connections among seven people who only a while ago were strangers to one other. What a miracle!

I can't remember the expression exactly, but I am reminded of the story about the power a single pebble has when it is tossed into a quiet pond. You can never tell how far the ripple caused by that pebble will go, or what it may affect. Today was another wonderful day for which I am exceedingly grateful. Thank you. Grazie.

Post from Massimo: Dear James and Richard and Candace, I hardly get excited me, but today I read in your faces, the serenity and happiness which you enjoy in our land! That land that maybe we do not appreciate ... I am fascinated by your house (Il Sogno), treated with taste and perfection of simple combinations of materials and colours. I think, now, between me and you, a friendship was born very strong!! Today for me, was a special day!! Thanks James ... Thanks Richard .... Thanks Candace. We'll see you soon.

Thank you carissima Clelia for starting all this... 

My thanks to Clelia Angelelli, Daniele Nicastrini, Massimo Fidale and Richard Rooney for all the uncredited photos used in this post. My apologies for not properly crediting all of them.