Having set out nice and early, hoping to arrive at a decent hour to our campsite, we were disappointed as we hit the dreaded Rome traffic on the ring road. As usual, we arrived around ten at night, totally exhausted. Luckily the owners were extremely lovely and knowing how tired we would be when we arrived, had set up our tents for us! It may seem like a small thing, but at the time it was absolutely fantastic. With that hurdle out of the way, we decided to make some quick pasta on the gas stoves provided. We chucked it into a pot and waited for it to boil. And waited....and waited...and finally at 11:30pm we finally sat down to eat, because apparently pasta takes forever to boil on a camp stove. We barely had time to look around, apart from quickly admiring the sunset as we arrived, and then we were too busy getting sorted to take in our surroundings in the new region of Abruzzo.
Waking up to a new day at Kokopelli camping was awesome. A small, family-run campsite, I can honestly say it was the best camping I have ever been to. Only a few families stayed there at a time, and as such, we soon knew their names and were having evenings chats as we cooked our dinners. Everything was run by honesty boxes, from being able to pick whatever you wanted from their veggie patch and herb garden, to the home-brewed beer they had in the fridge, to the boxes of red, white and rosé wine that flowed freely. Did I also mention there were hammocks? And that we were camping in an olive grove? And the fireflies that flittered through the camp at night?
Evenings were my favourite time of day, as the heat lessened slightly and the shadows grew longer, allowing relaxing swinging in the hammocks. One evening as we watched the sun set over the mountains and the valley below, we could hear floating up from the village below the roars of the Italians winning the football match against Spain.
Our first day waking up at the campsite, we decided to head to Lake Scanno which we heard was meant to be beautiful. Unfortunately as Italy so often does, a sudden thunderstorm occurred leaving us no longer quite so keen on swimming. We had heard that a pizzeria in the nearest village (which happened to be a beautifully medieval town) was meant to be excellent, but upon arriving discovered some sort of car event going on where incredibly beautiful cars from the 1920s and 1930s were driving and parked all over the town, effectively closing all the roads. And that pizzeria I mentioned? Just the place where they had all decided to meet for lunch. Knowing that it definitely must be delicious if that was the case, we nevertheless were forced to give up and feed Harvey a nutella sandwich to keep us going (this, upon reflection, may not have been the most intelligent of ideas).
Waking up to a new day at Kokopelli camping was awesome. A small, family-run campsite, I can honestly say it was the best camping I have ever been to. Only a few families stayed there at a time, and as such, we soon knew their names and were having evenings chats as we cooked our dinners. Everything was run by honesty boxes, from being able to pick whatever you wanted from their veggie patch and herb garden, to the home-brewed beer they had in the fridge, to the boxes of red, white and rosé wine that flowed freely. Did I also mention there were hammocks? And that we were camping in an olive grove? And the fireflies that flittered through the camp at night?
Evenings were my favourite time of day, as the heat lessened slightly and the shadows grew longer, allowing relaxing swinging in the hammocks. One evening as we watched the sun set over the mountains and the valley below, we could hear floating up from the village below the roars of the Italians winning the football match against Spain.
Our first day waking up at the campsite, we decided to head to Lake Scanno which we heard was meant to be beautiful. Unfortunately as Italy so often does, a sudden thunderstorm occurred leaving us no longer quite so keen on swimming. We had heard that a pizzeria in the nearest village (which happened to be a beautifully medieval town) was meant to be excellent, but upon arriving discovered some sort of car event going on where incredibly beautiful cars from the 1920s and 1930s were driving and parked all over the town, effectively closing all the roads. And that pizzeria I mentioned? Just the place where they had all decided to meet for lunch. Knowing that it definitely must be delicious if that was the case, we nevertheless were forced to give up and feed Harvey a nutella sandwich to keep us going (this, upon reflection, may not have been the most intelligent of ideas).
Our next foray out was to a nearby river in the forest just alongside the camping which according to the owners had a great swimming spot. Although we had an initial problem of going completely the wrong way as nothing was signposted, we eventually made it to the lovely Abbey of San Liberatore a Maiella. Rebuilt after a huge earthquake in the 11th century, it had even older roots dating back to Charlemagne where supposedly he built the church after a great military victory at that spot. Becoming a Benedictine Abbey of enormous importance, it eventually developed workshops, oil presses and watermills as well as a granary, a hospital and many other buildings. It was difficult to imagine standing there today, as little is left but the restored church, which we picnicked outside of.
There was almost no signposting, but we found a well worn track leading into the forest and decided to follow it, crossing quaint little bridges and overgrown paths, following the faint sound of rushing water.
There was almost no signposting, but we found a well worn track leading into the forest and decided to follow it, crossing quaint little bridges and overgrown paths, following the faint sound of rushing water.
We finally reached the diving spot, and it was even more beautiful than I had imagined, and looked more like New Zealand than anywhere else I have seen in Europe. Although it was a burningly hot day and the water looked deliciously clear and refreshing, we quickly discovered it was the most bone-chilling water I've ever actually felt, coming straight from the mountains and far too cold to swim in. Great for paddling however!
As we explored further on, we found evidence of how sizeable the abbey's complex must once have been. An old stone wall along one side of the ravine, and then on the other, a clearing with carved crevices going into the cliff. The Tombe Rupestri as we found out later, were probably niches made by the original graves and hermit cells of those first monks who settled here, along with a tiny chapel carved into the rock.
Although a somewhat perilous climb due to the narrowness of the crumbling 'path' once I reached the hollows themselves, I could see stairs cut into the rock, and niches where coffins would have been placed. Fascinating! Unfortunately there is no written evidence for these tombs at all, so the identity and purpose of their original settlers are nothing more than educated guesses.
All too soon our camping days were over (but I shall return one day!) and we were headed to our last airbnb, somewhere in the deep countryside a few hours from Siena. A big two story house all to ourselves for the price of peanuts was a pleasant surprise, even though it was a rather old and just slightly creepy house. Determined to enjoy ourselves and having a real kitchen - not to mention an outside table - at our disposal, we decided to cook Joy's speciality dish which I had yet to try. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (spaghetti with garlic and oil) is a delicious and simple recipe involving lots of garlic, parsley and olive oil, along with a little chili and lemon juice. I highly recommend giving it a go. Aside from a minor mishap when we realised the mains were turned off and we had no water (somewhat problematic when trying to boil pasta) the owner soon turned up to save the day and gifted us with a bottle of wine in apology too!
I spent the next few days there, admiring the nearby medieval villages and trying wild boar pasta for the first time, as well as enjoying the company of Joy and her little family. Then quite suddenly it was the morning of my departure, and to my great excitement, I would not only be heading to Greece for the summer, but getting to spend it with my dad, whom I had not seen in two years! 2016 was shaping up to be a fantastic year.
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