Last day in Italy

6-1-10

I am sitting here on the balcony of my hotel room at the Albergo Belvedere on the Col de Bartolomeo. As I type, I am munching on an assortment of delicious cookies I bought at the Agaccio shop in Ponte de Nava (a gourmet specialty shop I chanced into.) There is hardly any breeze and even the birds are quiet at 8:20 in the evening. The sun is still up, but low in the sky. Col means pass, so I am at the top of the mountain and looking down a long valley to the Mediterranean miles below. I can see at least 7 church steeples in little villages dotted across the green landscape, (even one all by itself on the mountain side.)

The cookies are just a greedy  bit of decadence, because I just finished a delicious dinner. The hotel is an old place, run by an elderly couple and their middle-aged daughter. It seems more like a B&B, because the family sat down to eat in the dining room after I was served. The Italian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” was on the tube. I think I’m the only guest, because the daughter told me I had 7 minutes before dinner would be ready. It was spaghetti marinara, about the best ever. Very simple, but perfectly done, accompanied by some steamed green beans, I think from their garden. (The pasta is home-made, I found out.) There was a plate of 3 cheeses on the side. And the red wine? Let me back up.

I left Genova late this morning. I posted some stuff, took a few videos in the hotel and town, then headed up the coast. Traffic wasn’t horrendous, but bad enough to cause stress. I’d looked at the map and there seemed to be a twisty road not too far from town. I jumped at the chance and it was as expected, an adrenalin rush of me vs the road, as opposed to me vs a horde of other people on the road. Much nicer, and much calmer. I navigated my way closer to France, but the heat of the day and the stress of traffic zapped my energy. I had a hard time staying awake, even though the countryside was new and beautiful. I tried a couple of cafes, and finally stopped by a small stream to rest. I decided to find a hotel and call it a day. The decision was made easier thinking that the closer I get to the Med and France, the closer I get to Riviera type prices. I figured if there wasn’t a hotel at the Col, I’d backtrack to the last town. 

Luckily, the Albergo Belvedere is here. As I pulled up, a car pulled up right behind me. The driver got out, and we both entered together.  I asked for a single room, and a woman asked “single?” and pointed to the other man. He explained that he’d been there a while ago and they said he could have a bottle of red wine for 5 Euros. He just wanted to buy some wine. There was some problem with the language, so I offered to help. The man was German and told me the wine was excellent. So, back to dinner. The daughter asked me if I wanted water or wine for dinner. Wine, of course. And the man was not wrong. The red wine, which has no label and is probably home-made, is amazing. Some of the smoothest, tastiest red grape juice with a punch I’ve ever had.  I don’t know what they call it, but I may have to make room in my pack for a bottle.

Well, the sun has set, and I think I’ll go take a shower and hit the sack early. It’s funny – I hear about 3 or 4 church bells and a cuckoo clock going off (except it’s a bird, not a clock.)  Another good day put to rest.