About 18 years into my membership with K9 Alert SAR Dogs, my husband and I were building our home in Nelson County, Virginia. Would they genuinely want to know me, to take the time even though my understanding of the Italian language is still somewhat basic? We quickly exited the lovely city of Locorotondo to the countryside into a wooded trail. Even after six years of living in this beautiful country, John says, I still feel like a kid in a candy store. We didnt have much time to visit the hamlets and towns as we were averaging 11 tough miles a day with stops. We had a break in the weather for a little while and were able to eat lunch without getting soaked. There are several companies here in Italy that will help you locate your relatives. But first let me back up a bit and give you some history of my family. Our go-to source for tile at a reasonable price delivered was Edilizia Del Gesso srl in nearby Gissi, a great family-run builders supply company. The length is good for us, just 90 km, so Romeo and Miss Kitty do not have to stay in the kennel too long. What I came to realize is that I dont like being cut off from humanity, even though I do enjoy my solitary walks. The stretch, sited several meters above the ground and about 40 cm wide ( 16 inches), is not protected, therefore, the entrance is only recommended to people who are adequately equipped and trained. For those younger than us, we would grant the week would not have been as daunting, but as we three are all in our 60s, with me a few months from 70, it was an eye-opener. Certainly, family and friends would come to visit us here in wild Abruzzo! Buck and I, after two years (this is about normal) became an operational team for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, as eventually my second and fourth dogs, Luce & Romeo. And Alberto located a few of my cousins alive and well in San Salvo! How did we get from putting our house on the market in May to this point? So in this post, I wish to share some of the different facets of preparation; physical fitness, safety, gear, reservations, etc. I wanted to bring this, along with some of my family pictures, to our next visit. I take good care to have all the information and supplies we will need to make sure were safe and not lost: maps, GPS with tracks loaded , potable water locations noted, understanding daily expectations of a section (tappa) length and elevation changes, electrolytes, light source (flashlight or headlamp) etc. Roccaspinalveti now has a couple more rentals and B&Bs and we are happy to see this trend in our town. Just many hours on call and lots of driving ahead. Here he is greeting us upon our return from one of our hikes. I have to proudly say that we did this rental well. I am as ready as I can be but I know the elevation gains and descents on a few of the sections are going to be tough. Expat Forum For People Moving Overseas And Living Abroad A forum community dedicated to expatriates and enthusiasts. There is much more inside our packs to talk about but it would be a really long post. an exposed passage on an overhanging ledge and a staircase carved onto the rock which, even being the both really short, must be considered as EE difficulty passages (Expert Hikers). Many settle in larger cities such as Florence. Pink toilet and bidet were replaced with a white toilet and bidet wand. The gauge is that your pack, with all your stuff apart from food and water, should be about 10% of your body weight. The setting is impressive, set against a rock cliff, this extensive hermitage is a work of art in itself. It is peaceful and true to history and Italian culture. Views to Blockhaus, the Adriatic Sea, the Gran Sasso filled this day. When the trail left the woods for a moment, we saw large dairy farms and some more trulli. So we are preparing for this new adventure in Tufillo. What I truly want to share with you is how proud I am of us three and what utterly amazing experiences we had every single day. It doesnt have to be a large tribe, but one that gives meaning to my day, my existence here in Italy. I wouldnt say I got a balanced workout (even though I did try with some hand weights) but cycling definitely improved my lower body muscle strength with the added benefit of a good cardio push. They appeared too crowded for us with the summer influx of second homeowners and tourists. And with these size packs and the expected terrain, its always a smart idea to have hiking sticks. John continues to do the shopping in our village and Im sticking close to home. For me, with my daughter already grown and my husband a busy chef, I was able to balance training commitments, searches with my career & family life. Todays tappa was a day for wide open spaces and spectacular views. Im either alone, hiking with John, or sometimes in a larger group, most likely strangers with a guide. John had been a professional chef for many years, and I worked in customer service and hospitality at a whisky distillery. Its close to our house, just a few hours to the start town of Sulmona, right here in our region of Abruzzo. Socks that Ive found work best for my feet are Smartwool and Darn Sock. If either my sister or I were nearby, she would answer him in English. It is true that many of the younger folks have left these rural towns for the larger cities along the Adriatic coast, but the ties to family are strong and gatherings bring everyone together once again. This motto will be my mantra when I hit the tougher sections, slow myself down, take smaller strides and just enjoy being out in the mountains with John and Alex. Celestino V and Abruzzo. Even after six years of living in this beautiful country, John says, I still Wed been training for this one on an off during the past 4 or 5 months, but as this one didnt have a lot of elevation changes like the cammino in the mountains last year, we put in a lot of road time. I was approached by Alessio Massari (mountain guide, environmentalist and good friend) to write a testimonial telling my story of rediscovering my Italian roots, from New York to Roccaspinalveti via San Salvo. We will have some great stories to share! After such a hot, dry summer, with treks and hikes difficult by mid-day, Im in a hiking frenzy. While we were in the process of retiring from out careers in Virginia, selling our chalet home in the mountains with thoughts of downsizing in Abruzzo, I had been already cruising some excellent home sites and creating our top 20 home list. We were required to train with the group 50% per month and training was every Saturday night or Sunday day. Who would have thought that within two weeks of listing, we would have an offer, and by early June a signed contract. The depth and width of the beauty of the Majella is not done justice here. Do I enlist an Italian friend to come with me to interpret or just take the chance on my own? But you will find that a tribe of like speakers (in our case, English) may be necessary for you to develop a social group in your area. And it has always stuck in my mind. They could stay with us and have their own apartment with privacy and the dynamite view. We continued our vacation to other parts of Abruzzo, Marche, and Tuscany. It will be an amazing day when we can all get back to having fun with our neighbors, friends and family! He was extremely helpful, giving me leads on other houses for sale by owners and answering all my questions. The views are always captivating and beautiful, the food amazing, the people of the villages friendly and helpful, and every day we are so thankful to be here. Manu, the teaching coach encourages us to add daily immersion at home. WebItaly is beloved by expats, global nomads and retirees. Im not good with ledges edges of cliffs with too many feet between me and the ground below. John and I decided to stroll past my cousin Micheles house in the historic district of San Salvo. He is the type of mountain guide you can trust with you life, but also a fun guy who shares his wealth of knowledge and absolute love of the mountains with you. We found Giacomos house. How I miss those times, as we all grew older, moved further apart, and our grandfathers and grandmothers passed away. A dream realized. We headed home by train, picked up our kitties that were sulking at the kennel and Im already planning the cammino for next year! So we moved to Abruzzo, rented a farmhouse and started to look at houses with a few realtors and ended up, happily, here in Roccaspinalveti with a house of two complete apartments! If you move to one of these stunning and very friendly towns, you will be welcomed with open arms. To give the house more flow from one room to the next, we decided to over-tile the kitchen, entrance hall all the way into the bathroom. My last, dear Romeo, was the best of my best. John finished the renovation with a glass enclosure (Amazon.it), towel warmer and floor tile. Also, our immediate backyard was basically off limits to us as it was part of the package for our guests. Also, during that time, John was actively involved in helping Giacomo (owner/contractor of our Tufillo house) with finishing the tile work and other projects there so we could move in. But what is more important than learning the language is that I am feeling part of the human race once more! I am thankful that I was able to serve the community of Virginia and very thankful for the gift of my four great dogs. Not worth it was it because it was never large enough but certainly annoying enough. Best Places to Live in Italy Italy is beloved by expats, global nomads and retirees. Training with the group, traveling long distance, the time commitment and doing statewide searches had to be put on hold for about 5 years. We are a team, my dog and I. A clan is agroupofpeopleofcommondescent;family. Expat Forum For People Moving Overseas And Living Abroad A forum community dedicated to expatriates and enthusiasts. Not to be missed. We felt that the kitchen space, hallways and eventually the master bathroom should all flow with one tile. After a long, precarious, rocky descent, we reached our final destination of the cammino: Abbazia Di San Liberatore in Serramonacesca. There is just so much to see and experience and we hope folks will continue to make their way to this part of Abruzzo. The air cooled, we gave a sigh of relief and caught our breath. Finally, after a year renting, we purchased our home in Roccaspinalveti located in the Frentani Mountains of Abruzzo. What ensued was me obtaining my dual citizenship and then the decision was made to retire in Italy. Our destination this afternoon was a bit further than expected as we had booked a B&B in the town of Roccamorice. The chapter may have closed but it doesnt end my friendships and I will certainly not forget my dogs. We will miss the many wonderful folks of Rocca, but it is not a long drive back to visit. It all started with a trip to the medieval village of Scanno in the mountains of Abruzzo. The perks were many: meeting wonderful folks, promoting the area and artists, offering a relaxing and comfortable accommodation where only one B&B existed in town, and having extra income to help with our upgrades in our home. Here there is so much beauty with the surrounding mountains and hilltop villages, local artists and artisans, welcoming citizens, and pristine beaches a short drive away. We viewed a couple of prospective homes in Tufillo but they didnt meet our criteria. They said they did and that they were his daughters! Last year, John and I did a week cammino (Cammino dei Briganti, 100 km), also here in Abruzzo, with an outstanding guide, Ercole Wild. We talked about the family, compared pictures, saw strong family resemblances between our ancestors and enjoyed coffee and sweets. We finished up the days walk in the historic center of Locorotondo. Then there were the solid bonds built between me and the people of SAR, whether in my group or throughout the state. Little did I envision how much more it would mean to me and what it would require of me! Its been a few weeks now that I have been hiking with my full pack, adjusting, adding, subtracting. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 5 of 5 Posts. But know this about John and I; we have a higher compass that we trust. Us old folks are happy that we didnt quit but that we enjoyed this wonderful day. The forests were mystical with fog and I hoped that we would see a wolf or fox. As this was Johns last major project inside, he went to tackle the outside house painting. I look forward to your comments and will return soon with more to share. The fresh recognition by UNESCO of Celestinian Forgiveness as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity further increases our responsibility in worthily cultivating the memory of this great person who distinguished himself in life for difficult and often innovative choices for the dictates of the Church of the time .The Way is 90 km long. Interesting note about the hermitage San Onofrio De Serramonacesca: the rendition of the saint is clothed only in his long hair. Good thing Im hiking a lot as our daily calorie intake is astonishing! We will keep you posted as things progress with our next exciting adventure. As we had a lot of running around to do even before starting the cammino , we decided to go up the day before our start and just relax in Sulmona that evening. Ill bring many of my potted plants and flowers and I have lots of trails, fields and woods to hike in just a step away from the house. The leaves were just changing and the temperatures were cool with the rain. A number of ultralight hikers do a spreadsheet with everything broken down in grams to lbs and I just love spreadsheets! The most recent COVID regulations allowed takeway or outside seating. We know we are truly home. With the isolation from both the earlier COVID restrictions and just surviving this latest heat wave (of three months), I had plenty of time to reflect. They are water resistant and by giving categories to each bag, I can quickly remove what I need with out having to search and repack. However the bus service across the mountain is very good and I've only ever heard of it once being delayed due to snow. We discovered two small cantinas under our house, and it took agreements, some exchange of money on our part, an architect involved as well as our notary. John had a few projects, one being a retaining wall between us and our neighbors field. Also, we can happily say we can now meet again with my entire family of cousins, living 40 minutes from us. A note about lunches, every day we packed Il pranzo al sacco, whether a pizza, panino or some other bar type food. The access point to our next hermitage, San Bartolomeo in Legio, was via a narrow steep descent into a canyon. This trip I just wanted to relax and completely enjoy my dining experience without using my phone. Our day passed through quaint hamlets of whitewashed trulli.. a very picturesque day culminating in baroque adorned Martina Franca. I want to pack in as many experiences as possible before the ice and snow arrive later this year. We had an evening walk around town and then enjoyed a delicious meal before a very sound nights sleep. my telephone bill plus charge for the internet every two months is approximately 120 euros also the charge for cable tv is higher i pay about 50 euros a month most notable difference is in the gas Day 6 has come upon us. As the house is about 45 years old, there was some cosmetic updating to be done along with a few major additions, such as adding a new boiler and double-glazed windows to our living space. Technically, we did a walk in the Parco Nazionale della Majella. The times I mentioned this to my mother, she would discount the notion, saying that Italy was dirty and poor, even though she had never visited it herself. Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Abbazia Di San Liberatore in Serramonacesca, Follow Navigating Life in Abruzzo on WordPress.com, My grandfather, Carlo De Felice, and his wife, my grandmother Maria Laura Paciello, Brooklyn, NY, De Felice Family Business, Blacksmiths, San Salvo, Filippo De Felice, father to Michele De Felice, San Salvo, Michele De Felice & Adalgisa Maccarone on their wedding day, San Salvo, Raffaele De Felice, 1st cousin to my grandfather, Carlo, and grandfather to Michele, San Salvo, My mother, Helen Mary De Felice, Brooklyn, NY. We stopped at a small lovely hamlet; Roccacaramanico, that is slowly repopulating. on your back, that you keep the weight to a minimum. Its been a tough decision but one we knew would eventually come, just not so soon. Did we use our insurance to cover? We began with the trail winding through rocky slopes to eventually enter a peaceful beech forest. We knew that we wanted to be closer to my cousins in San Salvo, so we checked out some towns closer to the sea. No, I have not forgotten my fathers side of that family. All my clothes can be washed with me in the shower and dry in a matter of a few hours tops. In fact, my mothers father, Carlo De Felice, was born in San Salvo, only 40 minutes from where I live now in Italy. We realized, after the first season, we had to set a minimum of 2 nights for a booking. And there are millions of visitors to Tuscany every year. This cammino consisted of 6 tappas (stages/days) with the last two days being the longest (20 & 16 miles respectively). It takes a bit of effort to build your tribe. We did get all our stamps required, but our certificate would be mailed to us. Outside management may be worth considering for those thinking of doing this type of rental. & Bs and we are expats living in abruzzo italy to see this trend in our village and sticking... 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