Ivo e Bacco

16 ottobre
Bacco seems to be getting bigger by the day! At least I am having trouble carrying him about for very long. He is doing better in the house as long as I am vigilant. I need to start training him to retrieve so he can live up to his ancestral name.
I was a willing tour guide for Ivonne who visited us from Costa Rica and we three toured the beach and the mountains which reminded me I need to escape more often from the end of the road here and experience the local activities and scenery.
The Marche is green again after our rain and very beautiful. I am still awaiting the changing colors of the leaves; just beginning to see a bit of red in the vineyard across the way.
Raffaele is off with Elisa for a week of vacation to celebrate her graduation from medical school. I am a bit jealous as I have never been to the Dolomite mountains, but hopefully there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
The pictures today are of Arquata which is your entrance into the mountains of Sibillina. From the mountain pass above at 1600 meters you look into the plateau where Castelluccio is located and there you find the famous lentils which are really wonderful and are a Presidi Slow Food product. Then you see a terrible photo of me explaining the Pecorino cheeses and wines to John with Raffaele at my flank to correct my errors. On to the beach where Bacco made his own bed (I promise more beach and Bacco photos will be forthcoming), then one of me and Bacco in the side yard and finally Ivonne and Bacco above the mountain pass, a beautiful day trip on the way to the altopiano and Norcia.
A dopo. dwight