La Vecchia

There are the obligatory cats too, wherever we go... we shall assemble photos of some of them.

I have just returned from my afternoon walk around Soriano in sunshine between storms and came upon this remarkable statue. We will have to seek explanation, the sign below reads "To the Little Piazza and Statue of the Old Woman of the Carnaiolo" The name of a wine, but there must be some greater meaning.

Ian McBride, whose apartment we are renting here at Soriano, writes to say:

Ciao Helen and Dennis
La Vecchia is very famous in Soriano as during the times of the Borgias the Lord of Vignanello got himself invited to stay the night by the Castellano of Soriano in the castle. The Castellano was Spanish and was popular with the locals. After all had retired the visitors awoke and murdered the castellano in his bed. They then went to the battlements to wave a light to tell the Vignanellesi that they would open the castle doors. The Vecchia saw the light (What she was doing up at that time of night has never been told) and warned the garrison. They rushed out and defeated the Vignanellisi at the battle of the Buonincontro. The garrison then returned to Soriano and threw the Lord of Vignanello over the battlements. This fact is celebrated and re-enacted every year at chestnut festival time.

May we just add, in case you think that the Vignanellesi are a Germanic tribe from far away that googleearth indicates a crow flight distance between Soriano and Vignanello of 4.5km.

Procena

Coming south on the via Cassia, Procena is the first town in Lazio, after leaving Tuscany (but men of the village grinned and proudly said to me: "Noi siamo Toscani!" [We are Tuscans]

Again we see a castle on a hill and we must turn right and go there!

And find our way up the hill to the town, discovering it's name is Procena.

an interesting and beautiful place, woven along the top of the ridge.

Some relatively recent construction and restoration, but for the most part medieval.

and with a castle, more modest than the castle at Soriano nel Cimino, behind me as I sit in the kitchen.

A splendid church. In search of a toilet we sought out the priest. And yes, we were able to use his toilet. The priest was Marius Bakubi, a solid built and charming man from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has been priest here for two years, after college in Rome. Very small population he said (5-600), and very few come to church. His personal isolation, his sense of the cold, must be extraordinary.)

There are a number of places to buy, under Euros 100,000, with sensational views... how tempting. But only one everything shop and one bar, nothing else. Though the car population included some large and expensive items, one senses gentrification or rural retreatism.

Small though the population may be, there is pride and beauty.

This man runs a B&B. He was feeding the cats? How many cats, I asked. Maybe 12, he said, the number changes, the cars run them over and kill them.