The road to Santa Restituta ends abruptlynin. Parking lot at the base of the village. A road wraps around the hill town to end in another parking lot at the top but we wanted to take a stroll as we had an appointment with the family for another massive lunch and exercise seemed a good idea.
The village is certainly dolled up. I liked the severe anti-theft window bars softened in their intensity by a neat window box of blooms.
Sometimes, looking at this ancient hill towns it's hard to know if it was convenient to build up or done as a means of self defense.
And it was a long way up...
This was the splendid view across southern Umbria from the base of the stepped walkway up the village. Te house below is for sale, two units, garage, and vegetable garden with mature vines.My wife wanted it for Santa Restituta got under her skin
Little wonder really as the ancient winding steps keep cars far away and the silence was deafening.
"Take a picture of that door!" she commanded, so I did.
The is not a whole lot of traffic outside the village either.
And should any marauding Visigoths show up the town walls are still quite sturdy.
We saw this young mother walking around in endless circles doing the pedestrian equivalent of driving her infant to sleep in the car. She did look weird walking around and around in silent, precisely repetitious circles.
Santa Restituta is restored and cleaned up inn all the details.
Despite the steep hill or perhaps because of it, the village has a unique appeal. For me not least because no one knows me here half way between Terni and my sisters' homes.
Walking back down the hill we met three residents of the village and we chatted a while, at least I did while my wife smiled in Anglo-incomprehension. They lamented the cold dark wet winters and agreed it was a fine place to retire.
We talked about the economic crisis in. Italy and the US and spent cheerful half hour lamenting the passing of the easy recent past.
Time to ride.
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