This place is one of the three oldest inhabited places in the world, and it feels like it’s got some time yet to spend. It is crazy, stoney, very filled with young folks, many stories up and down, with great dramatic landscapes, and the Passion of Christ was filmed here. (Not that I’ve seen it-but you may have; it was, I hear, a big gory Mel Gibson production.)
We left early; not as early as Lew, our own driver would have liked, but still early for our crew. It is hard to assemble five totally in-charge adults into a manageable line. But is is a ten hour drive, so he could gripe a little, as his right.
In the back seat, our three big American bodies kept having to stop our progress to unkink, voicing multiple grumbly noises – ouching our stiff legs and shoulders back into place. Four cappuccino stops later at their modern Auto Grills along the highway, we were nearly here. The toll from Soglio to here was 56.EU, but the road was wonderful.
We only have two nights here, and we’ll make the most of them… First, we are staying in the best Air B&B ever, like EVER! It is lovely, with real furniture, not IKEA either (sorry, Robert…) and was renovated from an original stone cave dwelling, open to the elements. The owner, (the charming Giani, a biologist) said where we were sleeping was an open cave, open to the outside, now kitted out with a floor and front door, kitchen and bedrooms.
Our now – complete bathrooms were where the pig and donkey were kept. There was a hole in the floor for human waste next to where the refrigerator is now. 11 people lived here, 9 of them children. Some of them were his grandfather and father, (and family) who lived here.
There are shells in the tufa walls that indicate a sedimentary origin once upon a time. Now, everything sparkles with cleanliness and when you all decide to come here, we have the owners name! You can call him directly, he said.
Romantic for the history alone, it is now wonderfully done, and more emotionally satisfying. The refrig is stocked with some breakfast things, and we have a parking place which our host saved for us – all heaven. Good beds, solid WiFi, hot water – really thoughtful design… wow! Not that I care about such amenities, no. Not me…
Hungry, we went out for a great dinner – eating locally traditional food at the recommended place with the odd name – La Cola Cola. YUM! Get the eight-plate appetizers when you go… The walk alone, with the lights of the town shining out from the ancient rock – houses all around makes it feel primitive, but eerily beautiful. The entire place is in layers, so when you look out, the vista is one of multiple layers and stories high, stone and rock stairs going in every direction in a bit of a maze.
Returning at nearly midnight, the piazzas were full of people all chatting away and carrying on – like this might be a vacation spot for Italians, too, since most of the chatter was melodious and inscrutably fast.
For the restaurant? I admit – we’re not eating some of the traditionally prepared food on the menu. Haggis is traditional to Scotland too, but I’m also not interested in that, not even in Scotland. Offal? – ummm, no. We will continue our appreciation of the vegetable, Italian style, and some lamb was rumored to be terrific. I can’t wait to start out in the morning, and see what is on offer in this unusual town.
It was the poorest of the poor in Italy some years back. Now? Well, we tourists come here eager to see what we missed. While I am a fan of historic things, the lack of plumbing keeps me fully invested in the modern side of life. You can’t even see the old bathroom hole in the floor, which is now covered in tile squares.
At one time, No one really cared about the people living here. A few movies were made here, and Italy got embarrassed at how their citizens were living, although only when the public also became aware. They ordered and evacuated thousands of folks, and made them move. Unwillingly or not – they were treated like Native Americans, and made to relocate – I don’t’ know where they went, yet. This is still a shameful part of their history.
Amazingly, thirty years later, the caves were cleaned up inside, and turned into tourist dwellings, and restaurants, and one very old culture got another lease on a livelihood.
This little town is now hosting all sorts of people, and probably the locals hate it, although not the owner of our B&B. For the moment though, we are enthralled, and hope to spend some time enjoying this odd place. We scored. It’s fascinating for all its angles, twists and turns, alley ways, and the random way houses and churches hang on in every direction.
I really hope to find a place that will give us an English language tour or movie, or some background to put what we are seeing into a perspective. I need a sound track.
Thanks for coming along.