Our 38th Wedding Anniversary!
Have haircut at the same hairdresser who had coloured Gail's hair the day before. Asked him if he could also colour mine but did not have sufficient dye to cover all of the grey!
Set off late morning, heading for Montefortino in the foothills of the Sibillini mountains on the eastern side of the range.
We have run out of superlatives for the scenery in the southern part of Le Marche and Montefortino is another delightful hilltop town. We take a detour along the Ambro river to the sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Ambro. Set a beautiful area surrounded by high peaks this apparently marks the spot where an apparition from the Virgin Mary enabled a young mute shepherdess to speak again. Even an old sceptic like myself has to admit that the bronze statues along the banks of the river to commemorate this event are quite beautiful,especially given their tranquil location.
We stopped to have a picnic lunch by the river and had our own apparition as a group of Italian teenagers descended on the area on what I have come to call 'Hormone Express' outings. We have a new-found admiration for the long-suffering teachers.
Further south we drive to the Gola dell' Infernaccio, a huge deep gorge, reached after a drive and fairly short walk. I ventured slightly further into the gorge than Gail but, surrounded by evidence of numerous landslides I didn't linger any longer than necessary.
Next stop was the town of Montemonaco, which surpassed any of the previous seen on our trip in terms of its location, perched atop a narrow ridge with very high peaks in all directions, including Mount Vettore, the highest in the Sibillinis at 2476 metres. We decide to forgo a drive to the top of Mt Sibilla, firstly because the road might be tough for the rental and secondly because I am a wimp when it comes to high exposed mountain roads.
We continue on the road south to Arquata del Trento passing through increasingly stunning mountain scenery, arriving back at Ascoli Piceno in time for a pre-dinner drink in the superb Piazza del Popolo.
Wonderful anniversary dinner at La Locandiera, where we are served 7 courses as antipasto and feel so full that we are in danger of going straight from ANTIpasto to POST-mortem!
In the event we go straight to the sweets and some vino cotto ( still not really sure what it was ).
I drive home ( we only have a one driver rental ) very cautiously after too much wine although I feel comforted by one of Gail's pronouncements that she will assist me on the way home and " even when I'm drunk I still feel sober". That wouldn't sound too convincing in an Australian court so God knows how it would pan out before an Italian judge!
Arrive home at about 10.30 after a truly memorable anniversary day.
The Obese Ferret
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