March 25, 2026 - Staying home in Roccalvecce

 Since we were in the car most of the day yesterday, we opted to stay home today, except for errands.  Matt and I drove to the nearest small store, in the town of Celleno.  Small, but with fresh cheeses/sausages/bread/vegetables.  I wanted to get more of the wonderful cookies to take home but they only had one package.  They said more are being delivered tomorrow and they're getting enough so I can stock up.

Later, we hit Eileen's favorite place for lunch.  We ate there the other day and it was good so today I tried a different pasta (Alfredo) and a salad.  Both amazing. With huge portions - I have MORE than enough for dinner tonight.

You'd think I wouldn't have many photos today since it was mostly just hanging out but...guess what?

Photos!

Eileen loves all dogs, including this cutie, named Rolling, after the Rolling Stones.  Owned by one of the nice older gentlemen who live in the village.

See that window with dark shutters, in the middle?  That's my kitchen window.

A small, old church in Roccalvecce.

This fountain is fed by a live stream and people in the village still get some of their water here.

The patron saint of the village and his pig.  This area is known for pigs.  We saw several the other night on our way home from dinner.

The private castle grounds have a fountain, swimming pool, garden and a tennis court.

There are no bad views from Roccalvecce.

This house is for sale.  I want it just because of the doors.

Have I mentioned this is how they announce deaths?  I've seen a board like this in every town we've visited, including Viterbo.

Good food requires good ingredients.  Check out these tomatoes in the small neighborhood grocery store in Celleno.

Not sure if they grow these here or folks just like to eat them.

It's a small supermarket but has everything we needed.  And the people working there were very helpful and friendly.  Not many people (especially the older ones) speak English here but are patient and my Spanglish helps.

The lunch restaurant.  Matt thinks they have the best pizza but they only serve that at dinner and don't open for dinner until 7:30 p.m.  And, it's a 30 minute drive.

They didn't skimp on portion size - or pepper.  Freshly ground.  

We took a side road on the way home through yet another hill top town and stopped at this park.

First Eileen buried Matt in grass she pulled.  Then he buried her.

March 24, 2026 - Montepulciano, Tuscany

 

I crossed another border on a day trip today.  We drove about an hour and a half north to Tuscany.  The scenery was stupendous but walking up and down the streets of Montepulciano was a LOT.  There are a lot of elderly people in these hill towns and they are clearly in MUCH better shape than I am.  I think carrying groceries home up some of these roads should be an Olympic sport.

Although the weather is chillier than I prefer (highs in the 50's), I'm glad I was here for spring.  So many shades of green.  The rolling green hills in Tuscany were stupendous.

Why, yes, I did climb up that road that zigzags up the mountain.

Eileen - my favorite 9 year old on the planet.

Ceramics like this are common in Tuscany.  And too expensive for my budget.

This plant is so dramatic - we've seen long hedges that appear all bright red because of the new leaves.

Everywhere you turn is another great view.

A shop for just brass cookware.  I couldn't afford this, either.

Another item not in my budget.  This town is smaller and less expensive than nearby Siena, but still pricey.

I am obsessed with old wooden doors.

Why, yes!  I did walk down this staircase.

My new wheels, if I move here.

Lasagna!  Eileen said it was the best she's ever had.

Lori and I shared a Caprese salad.  The mozzarella were the best I've ever had.  And, the tomatoes are apparently supposed to look that way - as opposed to them being half raw.

Lori and Matt shared this round, thick pasta.  Tasty but a bit too chewy for my taste.

Honestly, you can't even go to the toilet without climbing stairs.

Roads tend to be very narrow with narrow/no shoulders and fast speed limits.

This is a "main" road.

And then the terrain changes.

They had only one way traffic in this really long tunnel.

On our way home, back in Lazio, we stopped in the town of Bolsena, on a lake of the same name.

While I sat and enjoyed the sun while gazing at the lake, this local guy practiced bocce.  Lake Bolsena is the largest volcanic lake in Europe, hence the black beach.

Wind turbines on the opposite side of the lake.

There are small towns around the lake which are popular with Italian tourists during the summer.

Every town seems to have a castle.

And churches.  Lots and lots of churches.  

And flower boxes outside most homes.

Lots of homes have what looks like strips of rope.  Someone said it is to keep the flies out when they open the door during warm weather.

Wileen invented an "activity" for us.  We had to create a logo for the Roccalvecce kid's club she wants to start.  FYI, there's one other kid in the town.

I bought prosciutto, cheese, fanta and a package of amazing local cookies for less than 10 Euro.

That's Roccalvecce.  The castle is the yellow'ish building.  Care to buy a house?  Less than 20,000 Euro.

A view from town.