Family Matters

 Thursday 15th May 2025

Today was an early start to head to the Grotte di Frasassi (limestone caves) with Gianfranco and Patrizia and Ilaria, Elisa's daughter who was having a day off school to come with us.   They came past at 8.30am as planned and we followed for the 50 minute drive. John was driving today in his car. He has self selected a manual car to drive in Italy on the opposite side of the road with the gear stuff on a different side to normal.  Some might call this foolhardy.

The Frassasi once we finally got in were amazing.  We decided to take the bus to the caves from the parking/ticketing area as this seemed to make sense. However we were not allowed on 3 buses as they were full of school kids and we had tickets for a later bus. A little confusing.  No children are in school in Italy today, they are all on excursions to the Frasassi,  even Ilaria who is meant I think to be at school. 

The commentary was all in Italian but Gianfranco explained the interesting bits to help us understand.  

Lots of stairs and steep inclines both up and down. It was also wet and slippery. Perfect conditions for me obviously.  But beautiful.

a bear like formation

We had lunch at the bar attached and everyone had paninis except me. The nice man made me my own plate of prosciuttos and cheese and spinach. It was a huge plate and some people were jealous.  Of my meal. Amazing!  No photos, too busy eating.

After lunch and our big drive home with no Gianfranco to follow, we needed a rest for the evening ahead. And a bit of a look around the hotel. So full of history and basically junk.

Of course, it was the night of the birthday dinner for Samuelo's 25th birthday with 30 guests in Camerino.  Camerino's ancient part of the city was nearly destroyed by an earthquake before our last visit 2 years ago and has still not been fixed. It is full of cranes and workmen now, but after 5 years, it is a bit disheartening that it is not yet finished. However we went to the newer part of Camerino which is  a modern university city.

We found out the dinner was to be at the Etoile Bistro in Camerino.  We were to follow Gianfranco there but they were very late so we started before them. They suggested we stop and wait for them which was probably a good idea. Time and punctuality are a bit of a moot thing in this family.

The views from the restaurant above the town

It was to be a pizza night which worried me a bit but it turned out I was to have a special gf pizza of my choice, as well as gf chips and bruschetta's.  They are so kind.

My bruschetta

My chips

My pizza with a home made crispy gf base. Best i have had

Don't panic. Everyone else had chips, bruschetta and about 5 different types of pizza.

It was only 30 people for the 25th birthday including friends and family. Samuelo is the youngest of Gianfranco and Patrizia's  four children, a happy accident.  He is adorable and when we first met him at about 6 years of age,  we seriously thought about taking him home with us.   But he is so grown up now and works as an electrician like his father and big brother, Matteo.  He also has a fiancé Manuela  who is gorgeous and smart.

Some family photos:

us with Gianfranco and wife and his 4 kids

the bigger group

birthday cake made by Patrizia. She made me a special gf dessert.

Samuelo and mum and dad

And then everyone started to leave and so did we and managed to find our own way back home to the Faustina. 

How wonderful to be able to share Samuelo's birthday with him, his family and friends. Very special. 

Luftballoons

Wednesday 14th May 2025

Today we are having a rest. And we need to do a bit of laundry.

So a trip into the lovely town of Castelraimondo seems a good idea. This is the town where a leg of the Giro d'Italia will end and so the town is preparing itself as are all the villages and towns through which the race will go.

But Castelraimondo is the big time end of a race.

Pink is the theme and Paul even asked someone if it had anything to do with Breast Cancer awareness like the pink test etc. I did not even try to translate that.

A quick trip to Metalica,  yes this is a town, with some very old buildings.

An old building with a sign in English

Back to Sefro for a little walk in preparation for the big dinner tonight,  (another big dinner) and the football (soccer).  We went a little further in the other direction to find more of the stream. We spoke to an old man who knew dad which was nice.

This is the sign to the Palmina restaurant which is now closed. One time we were here, we met the owner who had been a child when his father cut Dad's hair before his big trip to Australia. Along with all the other young men who were leaving. He remembered dad. Very special.

us at the stream

A restaurant which we went to last time in Sefro which is mainly closed but does open occasionally

And then back to the Faustina where we found this leaflet. They are having a big snail dinner. They are called lumaca in Italian. Kind of glad we wont be here on the 30th.

Tonight's dinner was with Carmine and Tiziana who had driven from Rome. Maybe an 8pm dinner.  John and Christina had spent the day in Assisi and were having dinner in Spello.

So it was just the four of us going to a very special restaurant in Castelraimondo called Osteria del Borgo. 

Cute grotto table

My bread

my starter with gf rye bread topped with great cheese, seaweed and anchovy. Heaven. The others had the same but with normal bread.

a normal starter of eggplant . 

Some black truffles to admire

Paul's chicken dish, unbelievably good

the veg

spinach made gf for me was lovely

Carmine's 600g steak

My smaller steak with a cream and truffle sauce, with lots of truffle shaved over the top.

Tiziana and hers

my dessert of panna cotta with pistachio

the non gf dessert looked pretty amazing too

Paul with a very nice glass of sweet wine, maybe muscat

The meal was so good particularly as they advised when we walked in that they had no gf pasta, pizza or bread.  I wonder if they quickly went out and got the bread. But I am definitely not complaining as it was a fantastic meal.

So then it was time to go home except that there was a soccer game on to decide the Italian cup thingy and Gianfranco was watching it at his house and we had said we would go over and watch it with him.  However given the time, we assumed that this would not happen. But of course it did. We went to Gianfranco's to watch the last 15 minutes of the game.  Bologna won!  Our team as we had been to a game in Bologna last time we were here and plus they wear red and blue!!!  Believe it or not.

So home at maybe 1130 and poor Maria Rita was waiting for us to return so she could lock the hotel.  I felt very bad and perhaps we need our own key now that we live here.  Maybe.

Tomorrow we are all going to the Grotta di Frasassi with Gianfranco and Patrizia.Should be fun.