Pbenjay's Blog

A Day in Penne ( not the pasta)

Barbara and I were supposed to spend a week in Pineto with a few day trips planned but also we picked Pineto because it was on the beach.  The beach 🏖 was actually not around the corner.  Okay maybe if you went under the bridge and made a sharp right and followed a worn path it led to the beach….BUT since we couldn’t figure out how to get the car there and the chairs and umbrella that were stashed in the closet were really heavy duty- not like the light beach chairs we are used to taking to the beach.  So carrying them in the blistering Adriatic sun was out of the question.  I am a sun worshiper and rarely sit under an umbrella but even I knew this sun was too intense for my white legs and arms that missed April and May outdoors ( it was cold and rainy) to get a light base tan.  Barbara is way too fair to be in the sun.  So no beach yet.

We decided to go to Penne purported to be a lovely ancient village somewhat inland. It was more of a drive than I thought and included a fair share of twisting roads.

Beautiful golden orange color to much of the stone in Penne.

There were many narrow streets and alley ways typical of these hilltop villages.

Not sure this was meant for cars, maybe just Api.

Wherever we climbed we saw interesting buildings. No people as usual, because it was pausa, that maddening time for American who want to go and do and shop and spend but every place is closed!

Every building looks deserted but I think not.

I finally found a live person, it happened to be Barbara!

Barbara poses in front of an old church – I think!

There was one road narrower than this one that I did’t realize was going to get so narrow and I said I can’t turn here!  Yes you can. No I can’t, omg. Yes you can you have plenty of room, but there is a man on a bicycle and a car behind me! You have to turn!

I really can’t stand these roads or bicycle paths lol

And that photo doe not show the blind turn I had to make, of course not, everyone was too scared to take a photo!

Finally a last look at a somber Penne and a colorful Penne.

We had the city to ourselves!

We had been on the hunt for the Duomo but as we climbed higher and higher the signs disappeared and I had no interest in being out in the sun any longer and walking uphill!

Somber yet serene

Lovely bit of color

Time for gelato.  We head out and I have to tell you driving in Italy is exhausting, they pass you on the left and right, honk at you if you are going the speed limit, do no signal turns just to name a few. By the time we got back to Pineto I told Barbara it wasn’t gelato, it was time for an Aperol Spritz! I know I deserved one. We found a cute place and the man running proudly informed us he spoke English.  He was a gracious host and he made us Aperols the way I like them- not too sweet. Later he confided adding a bit of Compari was his secret!

Perfetto!

To Be Continued…

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