Celano 30-06-2010

A good sleep-in and a slow start to the day. A day of getting centred, organising roof racks, bookings and food. Liane's children, Morgan and Lorenz, arrived back from their grandparents this morning. The four cousins were very excited to catch up with each other again! It had been a year or so since they moved back to Italy from Brisbane.

Spent some of the day walking the streets with the children today. The narrow cobblestone lanes and balconies of the old houses immediately made an impression. The most distinctive landmark in Celano is the Castello Piccolomini di Celano that looks over the township. A 11th century Norman structure, it stands with its well preserved four towers and outer wall on a small hill nestled below the tall mountains.

What I love about Italy is the small specialist shops that line the streets. Then there is the butchers (macelleria) - just fantastico! And I found truffles! Our first day out and about and the butcher was selling freshly collected black truffles. The butcher collects them from the steep pine-clad slopes around Celano with his dogs. He says that when the moon is out the truffles ripen better and the dogs are able to smell them. So the trick is to time your trips foraging with the moon. There is apparently an abundance at the moment and they are only 80EU per kg instead of 120 EU.

After the butcher we found the original spring where the drinking water for the whole township flows from. It just flows out at the small fountain and you can drink directly from it. All through Celano there are little water fountains where you can just fill up your bucket or have a sip. Rather then being the ornate decorative structures that we normally call fountains these are a piece of curved metal pipe coming out of a wall. The water is icey cold and beautifully refreshing.

Fred