We got back to the house to late last night for me to blog,
so I am merging it with this one. Last night, we took a ride into my Dad’s
hometown of Torremaggiore to visit the cemetery, and spend time with family and
friends. I took Mom to see the memorial that we put in Dad’s hometown cemetery.
As we were visiting graves, we heard a strange siren, sort of like a fire
siren. As we walked out the custode (caretaker) was locking the gates behind
us. We quickly figured out what the horn was for. After the cemetery we saw my
cousins Connie and Rosana. Then we headed off to visit with the Monaco family.
Mario Monaco was one of my father’s best friends, and we have thankfully kept
in contact with them. After spending time with Mario’s wife and kids, we went
to the house of his oldest son Antonio and his new bride Anna. We loved their
house and the kitchen was organized perfectly. It looked like it’d be fun to
cook in. 
Today’s big event was heading off to Civitella del Tronto,
home to Europe’s second largest castello (castle). On a continent with as many
castles as this one has, being the second largest means it’s pretty darn big. Mom,
Zia and I made the 2-hour trek across winding hillsides in the middle of
Abruzzo’s rich farmland. People still live in the town, with the ruins of the
ancient fortress resting high above. For mom, the trip up to the fortress was
impossible, so she waited down below. Zia saw how many steps she would need to
walk down to get out and she balked. I braved the two giant escalators up,
followed by about 300 yards of rock covered incline walking just to get into
the fortress (then did it all in reverse, save for the escalator as there are
only stairs going down. Once in the fortress I saw antique battle armor, an old
bakery, and some of the most breathtaking panorama views I’ve ever experienced.
It was truly a one of a kind day. 
We ended the day with a passagiatta (evening stroll) around
Campomarino. We stopped for pizza and gelato. We even made it to the evening
flea market, and purchased some interesting looking watches. It was a fitting
end to a busy day.
