Sunday, June 25, Day 4, Part B - A Picnic in the Park

After leaving Vallo Di Nera, Raniero drove us to Scheggino, a small town with less than 1000 residents located in the Nera River valley.

The cooks at La Romita know how to pack a picnic lunch, complete with wine.

Cooks Amina and Alessandro and 

the owner's daughter Danella (creator of the fairy house)

Danella's fairy house located on the La Romita grounds.

 She adds a little something everytime she visits. 

Her lives with her parents in the States.

Danella shows us the "something new" that's been added to the fairy house.

There is a wonderful restaurant there on the Nera River (I hear the trout is quite tasty). They have terrific outdoor seating, lots of picnic tables, and they let us sit there as we eat (we do buy something to share). It's really very nice of them.

Back right, forward, then left, 

Dolores (the painting scholarship winner), 

Rebecca (from Maine, a world traveler who's been everywhere!), 

Katie, Hannah, Claire, and Jodie

Back on the wall, poets Nancy and Tonya,

 painters Linda and her husband,

front, a painter (I forgot her name?) and poet Cathie

From left, 

Jenny, a high school art teacher from Arkansas, 

Somae, Richard, and poet Donna

We sat in the shade and ate and laughed, then as we finished up, we all kind of scattered. Some of us strolled into the little town and shopped for truffles.

Katie heads up the path toward the little town. 

There are all kinds of vendor stalls all along the way: 

jewelry, crafts, food items, lots of "stuff".

I bought my fair share of food items on the way back:

 pastas, sauces, and jams. 

Didn't realize how heavy those jars would make my suitcase going home.

Most of the towns have porticos, gates, portals -

 little entry ways to walk through. 

Crossing the thresholds is a little like stepping into 

another time and space.

I love arches and doors - some of them, invitations.

Crossing the Nera River. 

There was a place to rent kayaks 

and to schedule white-water rafting.

OK, I love small cars, and these made me so happy. 

Note the umbrella shading the window on one, 

and this little near one had a suitcase with

 all kinds of stickers on the back. They're just so darn much fun!

OK, I love the small cobblestone streets and the up and down hills, 

but my question? How do you get groceries home? 

My lord! One bag at a time. Do they shop every day?

 The logistics blows my mind. 

THIS is why there are so many small cars -

 the streets in these little hamlets are very narrow

 and they do use them for vehicular traffic. 

One learns to listen and hug the walls.

 But still, getting groceries into the house

 has got to be an issue for older people (and I am one).

Something about sleeping well at night 

and death...hmmmm.

The truffle museum and beautiful truffles.

Of course we bought some!

Some of us sat with our feet in the water and enjoyed people watching.

Some of us watched the ducks, and some of us did it all.

One of the highlights of the day that I apparently missed was a woman who slipped and fell into the water. Somae wrote a delicious poem, something like how to stop yourself from falling when the fall has already begun. It was one of the favorite poems of the week. Even the painters heard about it and asked her to read it on our last night.