First stop was Tavernelle, so Lisa could get "walking" shoes. Otherwise, her vacation would be from the couch at il Forno Uno. We were successful and headed on to Passignano, where we sampled many dishes at a local trattoria. Nothing went uneaten.
After lunch, we were lucky enough to walk right onto the ferry over to Isola Maggiore. The half hour boat ride skirted a nature reserve on a neighboring island and then dropped us at our destination. We toured the local lace museum, the village church with it's painted walls and ceilings, and bought souvineers. Then we walked up the island hillside to see the castle at the top. While the castle is under renovation, we were able to tour the church with it's lovely frescoed ceilings and walls. Trails lead all across the island and we took one down to the other side of the village and enjoyed a gelato before getting back onto the boat and heading back to shore. After much deliberation at the shops in Passignano, Colleen found a beautiful Deruta ceramic vase for the villa, but Ardel couldn't make up her mind . . .
Heading home, we were going right past our fish restaurant from a few nights back and Lisa talked us into eating there again. This time, we added Civechi to our order and it was delicious. Of course, we couldn't go to sleep without a moonlight swim, so once we got home, we watched the sunset from the pool and then turned in for the night. La Dolce Vita.
Pet of the day: This kitty in Tavernelle latched onto Dan almost as soon as we walked into the shoe store. Dan, being allergic, was thrilled to have a cat on his shoulder. But the good news was that Lisa found a pair of shoes (flat, comfy sandles) that she can wear for the rest of the vacation. Yeah!
An abandoned castle on the way to Passignanao. Another fixer-upper that Dan was drooling over.
The restaurant in Passignano where we had lunch. A wonderful mix of pasta, gnocchi, fish and grilled veggies. All was deliciouso.
Ardel and Dan at Trattoria del Pescatore
Lisa at Trattoria del Pescatore
Lori and Colleen at Trattoria del Pescatore
Ardel and Dan on the boat heading away from the harbor of Passignano.
Colleen took a picture of all of us. Lori, Ardel, Dan and Lisa, on the boat to the Isle of Maggiore.
Landing on the Isle of Maggiore.
Walking through the streets of Maggiore, known for its lace.
One of the paintings in Maggiore's Church of the Good Jesus.
A blouse on exhibit at the lace museum in Maggiore.
Another exhibit of Irish lace at the lace museum on Isola Maggiore. Irish nuns were brought over at the turn of the century to teach local young women how to make the lace, as it was thought to be a good complement to their netmaking.
This tiny Italian woman was selling her lace samples. She was not much over three feet tall, and so cute! Lori couldn't resist.
A closer view of one of the lace-makers on Isola Maggiore
The castle on Isola Maggiore is under renovation so we werent' able to tour it. There was a convent underneath it at one time and the castle later soldd as a villa for the Guglielmi family, only to be abandoned in the 1950s. The local commune is undertaking the recent renovation, started in 2004.
The church at the top of the island, called Church of San Michele Arcangelo, was a steep walk up a beautiful lane in an olive grove.
Lori, at the entrance of the Church of San Michele Arcangelo.
Interior of Church of San Michele Arcangelo. These paintings were mostly crumbled from the walls, but the ceiling was intact.
Ceiling of Church of San Michele Arcangelo.
There were many trails across Islola Maggiore, and the one we walked looked down over the town of Maggiore to Lago Trasimeno, a beautiful lake in Umbria.
A huge display of Daruta ceramics. So many pieces, we couldn't decide. Colleen found a wonderful vase for the villa.
Dinner at the fish place again. We were driving right by on our way home. How could we not stop and eat? This time, we ordered the lake and sea fish, along with civechi, a marinated raw seafood dish that was Ardel's favorite. Yum!
No comments:
Post a Comment