“Italians make fun of everything – the Pope, business, family, and traffic. But never, never poke fun at food or soccer. That is sacred,” says Matteo, our guide from Collepino to Spello, Matteo kept us entertained with his take on Italian politics and life. “At least the professional crooks were smart when they ran the government. We are no longer a democracy – we are an idiocracy ran by idiots.”
“The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other.” Ezra 9:11
Spello has preserved the Roman presence more than other Umbrian towns. The medieval walled town streets glistened in the pouring rain. The rest of the group welcomed us at Dada’s for lunch. We had meat and cheese to start, lentil and orzo soup or chickpea and lentils soup for the gluten sensitive folks. Pasta Ravioli with asparagus, strip steak on salads and a strawberry cookie filled pastry was followed by sweet wine or Limoncello finished the meal.
We returned to the hotel as the rain had interrupted the afternoon hike and activities. It was time to do laundry in the sink and shower. A big Ziplock bag with a travel packet of laundry detergent became our agitating washing machine.
We had invested in new hiking pants and shirts and they dried quickly. The clay from our previous hikes had made everything very dirty. Rinsing the dirt out of socks and then rinsing the soap out of the socks in the shower and bidet required determination and adaptation. We hoped things would dry in a few days. They did.
How have you adapted to difficulties when traveling? What weird things do you remember?