May 2023 Italy Sunday 5/7 Spello and Hannibal

Sunday morning we had a late breakfast of fresh chicken eggs, compliments of Carlo and Gex’s chickens, leftover ham from the veal and ham dish Genny had brought home, and tomatoes. The tomatoes taste different here – immensely better. We mentioned it to some other Americans in Rome who confirmed they had experienced the same thing.

We listened to the Easter morning church service from home that had been posted to the internet – another great one – and spent a little time at the house. The geese were “swimming” in their pond, the old olive tree was basking in the sun, and we enjoyed the quiet and rest.

And speaking of olive trees, did you know they routinely live 300-500 years and longer?? There is a grove in Sardinia that dates back 1000-1500 depending on who you ask. Apparently the reason for their longevity is that their life is in the root. The trunk and limbs will hollow and die over time, but the root continues to replenish the tree. And because the root is below ground, it is not susceptible to disease that may kill the tree. The root will simply sprout a new one. Some oral legends say the trees never die. They love rocky soil that other trees don’t like, and self-pollinate, which is unusual in the tree world. I love olive wood, and knowing more about the tree made it even more special.

Later in the morning, we drove along the eastern side of the lake south and east past Perugia where we would be turning in our rental car the next day, to the village of Spello about an hour and a half away. It is another of the walled cities, but one to which we could park fairly close, and the scenery is always worth the drive.

We found a parking lot and a space and tried to pay for the parking. There were others also trying to pay and having a difficult time with the machine. After about ten minutes of trying there was success, and a helpful fellow aided the rest of us waiting in line. We walked up into town and rambled along a bit, down some streets and into some shops.

I think I found the rental car we were supposed to have.

We tried to eat lunch at a restaurant where they only would let us sit at a table for two that was in the full sun. So we opted for a less busy spot which turned out great. The owner was an older man who spoke enough English to help us order a sandwich and salad to share and we sat in the shade. We watched as he brought an “Italian salad” to two ladies sitting nearby. It consisted of a tray of various meats and cheeses with melon and artichokes and a basket of bread. It looked delicious!

This trip has been very different from others in that we have deliberately not tried to cram every day with as much as we could. In fact, we built in time to relax, ramble, flex our schedule and soak up a little of the culture and atmosphere. We have both commented many times on how great it was not to have a “something” hanging over us to which we had to race. There is also an interesting feeling you get while being in a place where you stand out as different, yet because many do not understand you, you feel invisible.

After a couple of hours we returned to Tuoro and the house to wait until the restaurant at which we were going to eat that night was open. Carlo had recommended a place called Non Solo Pizza – Not Just Pizza, and the internet said it opened at 7:30. We drove there and arrived about 7:15, found parking in a big lot by the lake, and walked to the restaurant – only to learn that it did not open until 8:00. Decision time.

 There was a place we had passed a number of times that always looked busy named “Hannibal”. You may remember Hannibal the Great – the Carthaginian general from North Africa? He brought 37 elephants and 20,000 horses along with all of his soldiers across the Alps in 16 days to attack the Romans on their own territory. At the battle of Trasimeno his military genius enabled him to hide his army in the lake fog and defeat the Romans, killing over 15,000 of them. I wasn’t sure we should eat in the kitchen of the enemy, but they were busy every time we went by…so we headed to Hannibal. When we arrived we could tell it was a bar instead of a restaurant, but that wasn’t necessarily a showstopper.

 There was no parking in the front but there was space across the street at a business that was closed. We drove slowly through the front lot looking at the clientele to determine if we should eat there. There were a number of women, people seemed nicely dressed, so we parked across the street and I ran in to see if that was okay. A nice young man named Daniel assured me that it was fine, but a space opened up as I went out so we moved to the front lot.

 We ate inside as it was a bit cool out and ordered a pizza to share. The couple at the next table had ordered a pizza each – and ate every bite. I don’t know how these people stay so skinny!

The pizza was delicious, and Daniel chatted with us about going to school in the U.S. and traveling with a music band. We finished our dinner and headed back for our last evening in our little house in Tuoro sun Trasimeno.

Tonight as we reluctantly pack our bags to end our time here, I find myself thinking often about the olive trees. As I said, I’ve always loved the wood, but the story of how they live and the obvious analogy to rootedness is something on which I will continue to meditate.