Friday was a “free day” on our schedule. We rested in our house for the morning, enjoying the coolness and beauty of the surroundings. There is a Rooster that we expected to be awakened by every morning that either doesn’t know his job or just hasn’t found his voice yet. We hear him sometimes during the day as if he is making an attempt, but never at sunrise!
We closed the shutters at night to keep out the cold (and the early morning daylight for me) but opened them in the mornings to let in the sun and the freshness of the day. I loved standing on the porch overlooking the hills and sat there to have coffee one morning. It was always so quiet until about 8:00 or so.
We decided to cook the goose egg for breakfast since neither of us have ever had one. It was PLENTY big for two, and we added bread, jam, Nutella (a staple), peach juice, and walnuts cracked that morning from the stocks provided by Carlo and Gex, and strawberries from our grocery store run. A feast!! The funny thing was that as we were starting to eat the geese really kicked up a fuss. Did they know???
After breakfast and lounging, we headed for town and Lake Trasimeno. I mentioned earlier that it is the fourth largest lake in Italy, but it only averages about 15 feet deep. As a result it produces huge amounts of mosquitoes that can cause malaria. In the 1950’s they introduced a mosquito larvae-eating fish from the U.S. (I need some of them in my backyard!) that helped, but the skeeters apparently still get bad in summer. Fortunately we were there before that happened.
The lake is well known for it’s fresh water and fish including carp, pike, and perch. There are some islands, one larger than the others on which there is a resort and some restaurants. There is a ferry that goes between them but we couldn’t really figure it out so we just walked out on the pier and watched the ducks and a snake and local boats that give rides.
Of course, we had to have a late lunch somewhere and there was a spot right on the lake that served…yep, gelato, so….yep, we did.
After a little more investigating of the local town we drove up to Castiglione del Lago, a Castle village that is about a half hour away on the west side of the lake. We kept seeing the castle off in the distance as we drove around. The castle itself is known as Rocco del Leone. It was built in 1247 as part of a defensive system. By the time we got there in the late afternoon most of the tourists were gone, we could park pretty close by, and we enjoyed walking the ancient streets without the crowds.
We also paused for awhile inside the church.
Leaving the Castle, we returned to the house and waited until time for dinner. We had decided to return to the Trattoria del Pescatore since we enjoyed it so much the first time. A Trattoria is typically a family-run local restaurant. So this roughly translates to “Restaurant of the Fisherman”.
We arrived early, hoping for a parking space and were able to get one again as someone else pulled out. I went to the machine to pay for an hour plus since we were there before 7:00. At some machines, this was one, you have to enter your license plate number, then the amount of time you want, then pay. It is usually a Euro per hour. When you get the ticket you put it in your windshield.
We walked along the street across from the lakefront and into shops admiring pottery from the town of Deruta, about 30 miles southeast of us. It apparently is well known for it’s ceramics. I found a beautiful small bowl that I liked a lot, asked about the price, and walked away disinterested. We later came back and asked if she would take less which she did. Reminded me of the verse in Proverbs 20 where the man says, “it’s no good, no good” then goes off and boasts about the price he got. :0)
As she was wrapping it up, her husband showed up panting, with a huge carp in a net in one hand and his collapsible fishing rod in the other. He had just caught it in the lake and was SO excited. She finished our transaction and ran to get the grandkids while we and others admired his catch. What fun it must have been to fight that one on his light rod!
It was nearly 7:00, so we walked to the Trattoria where they remembered us from the last visit. They were sitting outside and invited us to sit and wait until they opened in about 15 minutes. When they were ready we went inside and reconnected to the internet and English menu. I had grilled perch fillets from the lake and Genny had veal with ham. We shared a side of Trasimeno beans and potatoes. It was all so very delicious, freshly prepared and they were happy we enjoyed it. Genny took leftovers home.
And so ended our leisurely day in the hills alongside Lake Trasimeno. Tomorrow – Arezzo and the Antique Market!
Enjoyed once again.
Thank you !!!!!!!