Exploring Italy – Take 1

This week has had some really fun adventures.

We bought Ryanne and mountain bike and did some riding around Monte Rochetta, Monte Branzi, and Redarca including going down Toranatini (hairpin in Italian). She did really well.

We also took a ride to Tellaoro, the next town over.  This was a pretty easy ride but were able to rack up quite a few miles (km’s that is) and take a small pitstop for some wine and focaccia.

I took Ryanne to see the Castle and the hidden pathways around it.  We were fortunate enough to be able to get into the castle and go all the way to the top — quite the view.  There’s a little sanctuary inside the castle we got a few pics of.

While I was at work one day, our landlady’s took Ryanne out on a hike to Maralunga (another nearby area next to the sea) where they picked wild asparagus. She has also been running mostly daily and exploring the area.  She is quite the adventurer and has herself some nice spots to stop and get coffee, enjoy the sun, and watch the beach-goers.

We have developed an evening ritual of getting gelato at the local place in Piazza Garibaldi. We take a stroll around and catch up on each other’s day while finishing our treat.

Last night when we stopped at our favorite gelato shop, the place smelled of the strongest, sweetest lemon scent you could imagine. The shop owner hands us a lemon saying to clean, cut, and eat the next morning.  In his kitchen, you could see over a hundred lemons zested to go into his gelato alla crema di limone (which is a favorite of Ryanne).  Showing up daily here has its perks! On the way home, we stopped by the castle to watch some locals play kayak polo.

It’s very un-Italian apparently not have a dog.  Most folks we see here have one.  Our home is no different.  In fact, we have 2 dogs and 2 turtles.  The dogs are Rolf and Macchia (which means spot in Italian) and the turtles are named Carletto (Charlie) and Rugetta. Ryanne bought treats for the dogs so they always greet us at the gate when we come home.

A few other random pictures from the week….