Home Again....

 "Sulmo mihi patria est.  (Sulmona is my country.) "   ~Ovid

The great Latin poet, Ovid, is a child of Sulmona, the largest town close to my grandparents' village, Pettorano sul Gizio. As I didn't study Latin, I really didn't study much about him, but I know that he wrote the 15-book (Yes, 15 BOOKS) epic narrative, Metamorphoses, as well as elegiac couplets and other poetry. He, Homer, and Virgil are considered contemporaries, not that you could prove it by me. The little bit I did study of their work was in college English classes, and on those nights, I didn't have a hard time falling asleep.  (OK.  Poet friends of mine. Forgive me. I was not a fan.  Will you still love me if I like Walt and Emily?  :-) )

At any rate, Mike and I had a LOOOONNNGGG day that started when some idiot who had to catch an early plane decided to use the stairs instead of the elevator to take her suitcases downstairs.  That's a story for another time as I've been up since about 3:30, and it's now 11:00.  I need sleep.

Let me just say that after five-plus hours on a train, we arrived in Sulmona this afternoon, and I'm happy to be home.  I'll show you a few photos of our apartment and town, and tomorrow I'll have a story about those wonderful hours we clacked along the tracks.

Living room, aka "The Grotto"

 We are staying in what Mike started calling the "Grotto" three years ago.  You may remember my sorella, Novelia, from my last two visits.  Her sister, Vittoria, has an apartment that Mike fell in love with two years ago.  It's in an old, old building in the historic center of Sulmona.  The grotto, or living room (above), is a few steps down from the main level. It's the oldest part of the building—13th century , maybe.

Kitchen

 Carlo Evangelista, Novelia's brother-in-law, refurbished the apartment, and Vittoria furnished it.  The furniture is antique, and all of the appliances are new.  Carlo kept the basic bones of the place and used tile that is similar to the original if he couldn't keep the original tile.

Dining area

 The one great thing about the apartment, other than how beautiful it is, is that it is ground floor, so there is no walking up a zillion stairs to get to it.

Shower

 It's within easy walking distance of almost everything in the historic center, as is Novelia's apartment where we stayed last time.

Bedroom (Note the old columns

Tomorrow is the Saturday market, which they hold in Piazza Garibaldi.  We're heading there first thing and will meet my cousin, Angela, for coffee.  After that, we'll meet Novelia's granddaughter, AnnaMaria.  I can't wait.

Piazza Garibaldi