We did indeed leave Gubbio on Friday as the bad weather had not really eased
off and it was still very wet and miserable. We were planning on spending a
day or two near Spoletto but as the weather looked set and the campsite was
not cheap we chose to leave Spoletto for another day, or another trip.
Instead we headed to our next destination in the far eastern stretches of
Umbria and the small town of Preci on the edge of the Sibillini National
Park. The campsite is perched on a hillside just outside the village of
Castelvecchio a couple of miles from Preci itself. It is a very nice site
and we have a great view from our pitch out across the fields and to the
hills nearby. The weather has improved now after wet days both on Friday and
Saturday, and it has been mostly warm and sunny with the odd downpour, well
we are up in the hills so I guess it is to be expected.
Yesterday we had a nice lazy Sunday. In the morning we took the short walk
into Castelvecchio and on the way into the village we saw two men picking
cherries from a tree, one of the many wild cherry trees around, that leant
out over the path from a terrace above. On the way back they were still
there and they called to us, broke of a small branch and dropped it down.
The fruits were delicious, especially as they were wild, and free! In the
afternoon I cycled the few miles to Preci to have a look around. It is a
very nice old medieval town perched on a hill, and despite it being a Sunday
and very quiet it has a great deal of charm. It is a real rabbit warren of
little streets climbing up to the old Palazzo at the top of the town. The
cycle was nice and despite it only being 2 or 3 miles door to door it is
quite a drop from site down to the road and then up to Preci, and then
obviously visa versa on the way back.
Today we headed off in the sunshine to Norcia to see the Piano Grande. The
Piano Grande is an extremely huge plain, which once used to be a lake, high
up in the hills (1400m or so) next to Norcia and is quite an amazing sight
once you have taken the steep winding road up to it. You approach it blind
not knowing what to expect and then suddenly you rise over a crest in the
road and it is there in front of you. What made it particularly impressive
was the recent snow capping the hills that surround the plain. In one corner
of the plain is the small town of Castelluccio perched on a small hill, and
apparently early morning the plain is covered in cloud and then slowly as it
disperses the town emerges almost ghost like from its cloudy covering.
We shall return another day to visit the town. It was mid afternoon when we
had returned from the Piano Grande and on Mondays everything closes at
lunchtime and the towns can appear quite soulless.
At least we have now sorted out one burning issue, finding somewhere to
watch a few World Cup games in pleasant surrounds as the site has a TV room
and I think the staff are quite looking forward to watching the odd game or
two over the next few weeks. So we shall stay here for another week or so
and see how it goes. There is plenty to do from site, walking and cycling in
the hills around, and also a few more small towns to check out.
Ciao
M&S
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