April 22, 2017. Visiting a medieval castle and town

LOCATION:  Housesitting outside of Casoli, Italy in the Abruzzo region

WEATHER:  Back to glorious sun and temps.  Highs in 60s

 

Our British friends came over to check on the homeowners' house and to say goodbye to us.  Tony helped us clean the pool. They are such nice people.

We did some gardening work, then took off for the day.  Today's destination was Roccocascalegna, home of an 11th century castle.  It is a short drive, about 30 minutes away.  As we approached the village, the castle appeared before us.

It is perched high on a rock in the middle of the village.  It must have been a mighty fortress, difficult to fight against, in its day. We opted to stroll around the town, vieiwng the castle from below, rather than try the steep, grueling steps up to the castle itself.

The village itself is also from medieval times. Everything looks ancient but has been lovingly kept.  The doors and windows were particularly fascinating. 

Here, and in many villages, workers use these little tuk-tuk trucks, similar to ones we saw in India a few years ago.

After our stroll, we found a nice cafe with outdoor seating (good for Gino the dog).  I could read part of the sign out front.... "Pasta made in-house".  I didn't know what oggi means.  I assumed it was a kind of pasta.  

So, when the waiter came by to take our order, I asked for the oggi pasta.  He looked a bit confused, but explained (in Italian) that yes, homemade pasta is one of their specialties, and we could choose from 3 styles.  The menu talked about the culture of the cafe, priding itself in only local products.  We ordered a bruschetta/antipasti and one of the pasta plates.  Once again, the waiter checked a few times to make sure that we didn't want second plates.  

 

The antipasti was super.  It had some unusual items that we could not identify, one like a super tempura roll, and something like a slice of omelette on bread.

The pasta dish's name was something like "perfume of the forest".  It came in a beautiful sauce with slices of mushrooms and wild asparagus.  The homemade pasta was tender and delicious.

 

Back home, I looked up the word oggi.  Much to my chagrin I learned it means "today".  So, the sign read "Today we have homemade pasta".  No wonder the waiter looked so confused when I asked for the oggi pasta!  I also looked up the pasta's name, spagne, and learned that it is a specialty of the Abruzzo region.  

The view of the castle from the cafe was magnificent.  We could have sat there all day!

We did some yard work and I skyped with the homeowner.  

 

DINNER:  Not being too hungry after such a good and big lunch, I made a small batch of pasta using leftovers.....artichoke hearts, onion, garlic, and bit of chicken in a sauce made of pesto and ricotto cheese.  I made another chicken cacciatore casserole to give to the homeowner for his dinner when he returns tomorrow night.