Montefiascone

We have driven through Montefiascone, near Bolsena, a number of times.

Elena, especially, has developed a stronger and stronger need to visit Montefiascone, not for the undoubted ruins somewhere, but because it appears, despite the fact that it is on a major tourist route, still to have local and individual character. And each time we have gone through, before today's specific visit, everything has been shut.

So we went there today, in the rain, and have few pictures. It was, as we had imagined, a very interesting place with small shops of all kinds, including bookshop, artisans, and clothing shops of distinctive character. And we had an excellent coffee in a very cosy bar, where the barista told us her daughter was a determined English language student and it was such a shame that we she was not there to practice English; she (the daughter) also had an Australian friend via the internet.

So, by the time we got home and got dinner organised and opened the computer, there, already, was an email to say that there was a comment on an earlier entry in the blog, which reads:

Hi! We are Rita, the barmaid and Sara from Monefiscone, My Bar. greetings, take care!

Very good to receive your message, Rita, nice to meet you and have this message also from Sara. Sara is going to England for a week soon, to improve her English.

We have few pictures of Montefiascone, because of the rain - it continues to elude us, there is some strange attraction!!

Rita and Sara, you can also find us here and write to us at dennisargall@gmail.com

Alas, we have no photo of Rita's bar, small, snug and more comfortable than the Bar Roma, perhaps you can send a photo and an address so other Australians coming here may visit. A MAP would be good too, it's easy to get lost in Montefiascone!

Anyway, here are the photos.

This first is of the garden of the cinema, an amazing little garden on a tiny wedge of land.

Just along the street to the right, above, is this restaurant. Helen wanted to stay for dinner of duck with berries, but the bottom of this sign says that Monday is the day they have off... alas.

Nearby was a sculptor or worker with glass, with work-in-progress out the front

In the supermarket Elena giggled buying the cheapest bottle, a white table wine from Montefiascone, Euro 1.29 ... planning to soak off the label to take home. Elena is currently drinking her bottle of delicious wine and is very, very happy! (writes Elena). AND, she adds, we have just cooked a delicious dish of leek, ham, bechamel sauce and fresh mozzarella with gran padana on top... served in classical white dishes. This after an entree of stuffed carciofi. However, despite the magnificence of this food, and the great success in our combined cooking efforts, Dino continues to commune with the computer at the dining table! I wonder who brought him up???