Thursday 8th October - Perugia, Spoleto, Norcia and Castelluccio

We made an early start to collect Jolene from near Spoleto where she has been staying in a villa with the others from Bright.  Google maps takes us up a gravel road and we eventually find them.  We begin an adventure exploring places where Jolene might take her foodies tour next year.

Tasted salami and truffle paste in Norcia.  This town is still being rebuilt after an earthquake in October 2016.  Loved the quaint shops that were open.

On to Castellucio where I would have loved to have a bike to ride up and down the long steady climb that looked about 5-6%.  Smooth roads and few cars would have made it perfect if I had a bike.  We drove down into the valley where paragliders seemed to be learning and practicing ground handling skills.  In other seasons, the valley is known for its colourful fields of flowers.  Again, it is being rebuilt after the earthquake so it wasn’t terribly inviting but we had lentil soup, various forms of sheep and polenta with a delicious meat sauce.  We came home via Callestrada where Patrizia grew up.  After a wrong turn had us heading up a potholed driveway to a villa, we found the correct road and saw the village square, church and homes of various friends.  One was Daniela and Giuseppe’s so it was fitting that Daniela dropped in for a visit on her way home from work that evening.  She is currently a secretary and journalist but has also studied archeology.