WRITTEN by JOHN MORRIS
From Italy to Roatan and back… is tele-transportation possible?
Throughout Tuscany, the countryside is dotted with ancient hilltop towns left over from the days of the Roman Empire. Many have been restored and are now tourist destinations visited by folks from all over the world.
Chances are that if you have seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun starring Diane Lane as Frances Mayes, author of the book of the same name, you will remember Cortona where it was filmed.
The town is gorgeous – both magical and mystical at the same time – filled with nooks and crannies, restaurants and shops, and of course churches. In the late 1800s there were over 800 priests, friars and nuns here!
We spent New Year’s Eve in Cortona and were dazzled by the fireworks we could see over the valley from our majestic perch… just inside the old city walls.
Next stop, the Adriatic Sea.
Now if you’re planning this route for yourself, try to stay on SS roads and avoid the Autostrada. SS roads, or Strade statali, connect one lovely little town after another, while the Autostrada is a public version of the Grand Prix.
Italians drive very fast and police are few and far between. When you do see a police car, it will most likely be an Alpha Romeo with a turbo-charged engine!
After crossing through Tuscany, Umbria and Marche, we ended up just across the border into the Emilia Romagna region, in charming Cattolica, a family beach town where my wife spent her summers growing up.
Obviously the town has changed since then, but what has remained the same is the feeling of welcome and sense of family. Perhaps it is the sea that does this to people. As we walked the town streets and beaches, I was reminded of the warmth and friendliness of our Roatan community.
Nothing against Medieval towns… but I prefer the sea no matter where I am.
Now, well after New Year’s, the town is still bustling because the Italians have figured out a way to extend their holiday. Shocking, right?
You see, Italian children do not get their stockings on Christmas Eve, they simply wake up to see what Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) has left under the tree. The stockings await a flying witch, who shows up sometime in the early hours of January 6th.
Yes, I said a witch, and her name is Befana. Once purely a regional folk tale dating back to the 13th century, La Befana is now celebrated nationwide. She rides her broom all over the country filling children’s stockings with candy… if they have been good. And if a child has not been good? You guessed it… coal!
As our time is drawing to an end here, I am a more educated man about this beautiful country and its traditions. I have struggled with the cold occasionally, but we have been lucky with a warmish spell during our visit.
I will miss Italy as I miss Roatan… I just need to figure out tele-transportation!
Ciao for now….
Sign up for our weekly blog!
