Serra Sant’Abbondio

Serra in estate—Part 4

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26 August – 02 September 2019

We are still based in Robert’s Italian home town of Serra Sant’Abbondio and this post has bits of this and that. Errands in Pergola, an almost climb to a mountain top, a trip to buy wine and see friends, even a fashion show. No need to hold onto your seats. This read will be a gentle ride.

Places visited nearby Serra

Serra wanderings

Baby food—apple, veal, lamb, chicken, and rabbit.
What remains of an abandoned frazione near Serra
Serra’s butcher shop, open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The butcher refused to be in the photo, and she ran out the front door to make sure she wasn’t!
Serra’s bakery, open Monday-Saturday mornings. The clerk practices her English with Robert who comes in every morning for bread and two pastries (one for Luciana).
Great bread
Great pastries
Luciana and Rita review photographs of a local wedding last weekend.

Chiesa di Santissimi Biagio e Abbondio in Serra Sant’Abbondio

Yep, more posters!

Most advertising special events, dinners (sagras), or food.

Pergola errands and . . .

We drove 15 minutes to Pergola to buy vegetables, have lunch, and exchange a faulty Italian debit card at the post office. The exchange went smoothly, and in conversation the clerk Christina mentioned she had relatives in San Francisco. Just for the heck of it, Robert asked for the last name. Turned out to be Magagnini, her uncle and a good friend of Robert’s family. Actually Tony Magagnini lives in Menlo Park, and at the next window the customers Carol and Tony Roselli overheard us and announced they were from Menlo Park and staying in Frontone! Tony is a member of the San Francisco Marche Club like Robert! The world is sometimes smaller than you think.

Tony Magagnini’s niece Christina, discovered by chance at the post office in Pergola
A friend of Luciana runs this restaurant on the edge of Pergola. He bought the 15th century villa built first for a carndinal and restored it with his father in the 90s.
Red potato gnocchi

Mt. Catria—The hike

At an elevation of 1,701 meters (5,580 feet), Mt. Catria is the highest mountain of the Apennine Mountains near Serra. It is composed of karst and has numerous sea fossils. It served as a dividing point between a variety of nations over the centuries. On top there is a large steel erector-set-style cross, first constructed in 1901, damaged by 1907, and reconstructed in 1963. During reconstruction workers discovered bronze statuettes more than 3,000 years old. So Mt. Catria has been considered a spiritual site since ancient times.

Adriana, Guiliano, Luciana, and Robert decided to hike to the top of Mt. Catria. Since Robert’s last visit in 1972, the locals installed a funivia (two-person carriages suspended from a cable) to make part of the ascent. They met at 9:30 and waited about 30 minutes for the operators to “fix a part.” The trip up took about 20 minutes.

The funivia was installed to promote Mt. Catria for skiing. Local communities committed to fund the project, and developers cleared forests for ski runs. Several new roads were added at the base to reach the lower end of the funivia. The problem is that Mt. Catria gets sufficient snow for skiing only about two weeks a year, and when it does snow, major winds usually blow the snow away. On our hike we saw a crew dismantling some of the secondary funivie that went to higher elevation ski runs. They do promote the area for mountain biking and have a refugio at the top end of the funivia that has a cafe and food service.

On the map posted at the top of the funivia we noted that the hike to reach the cross at the summit of Mt. Catria would take 1.5 hours. However, this did not factor in the Italian conversation time coefficient of 3.12. It took us 1.5 hours to reach a junction of trail and road where the estimate to reach the top was one hour. That coupled with a weary Luciana and the lunch planned at the house in Serra convinced us to turn back and begin our return trip to Serra.

Next time, if he is not too old, Robert will drive to the trail junction and hike from there to the top of Mt. Catria. Bucket list item.

Funivia
Clearing for a ski run
Robert was surprised that the forests were mainly comprised of alder trees with very little understory.
The cross on top of Mt. Catria in the distance.
Mt. Acuto, 1668 meters (5,472 feet)
Luciana happy to have made it that far on the trail
Trail marker
Chianina is a breed of cattle first used for hauling carts and later in life for their meat. Their DNA matches DNA of cattle in Persia, perhaps a link to the Etruscans who once settled in this area of Italy.
Sign post at the road-trail junction
Alder forest
If you look closely and know what you are looking for, you can see Serra Sant’Abbondio in the top far distance right of center.
Returned to Serra for our pranzo: fettuccine handmade by Robert
One satiated group.
Bought in Conegliano, drunk in Serra

Matelica—Vino e pranzo

We did a day trip with Luciana to see her friends Nery and Renzo in Pioraco with a stop first to purchase wine in Matelica (not Metallica for you heavy metal fans).

Bellasario cantine in Matelica
Small young fruit, all under grappa. An ingenious use of fruit thinned from trees. Robert may try this in the future.

Pioraco con Nery e Renzo

We went to visit Luciana’s friends Nery and Renzo who live most of the year in the small town of Pioraco, about 15 kilometers south of Matelica. Pioraco experienced two devastating earthquakes, one in 1997 and the most recent in 2016. The result is that 36 families now live in a basic housing complex constructed by the government, and many buildings in the historic center are no longer in use.

The town is in a mountain valley with a river and several streams. Quite beautiful with lots of sport amenities. Renzo spoke enthusiastically about fishing for trout in the area. Robert made a mental note.

Robert had no choice.
Luciana wanted some of the action on the bridge too.
The town has been known for paper production since the 1300s, making use of power provided by the river. This machine was used in the 1800s to pulverize old cotton clothes, which was then recycled to make new paper. The Fabriano paper company still makes paper here today—some used for banknotes.
Built into the hillside, this is only one of three churches in town that survived earthquake damage and is still in use.
“The tree that was, 2018.” In the elegant but seldom used passato remoto verb form.
Roman bridge dating from the first century BC on the Via Salaria. It has survived all the earthquakes so far.
City hall now closed because of earthquake damage.

Mercato Day in Pergola

Robert arrived in Pergola early for the weekly mercato, around 9:00 am. (Bonnie slept in.) Some stalls were still being set up. Robert remembers going to the mercato in 1962, when it seemed very big and impressive to a 12 year old. The market is still big, but some of the magic of 57 years ago has worn away. Still fun though.

It seems as if most pharmacy signs in Italy were designed during the Liberty (Art Nouveau) period.
Sketch material
Robert went in to talk to the clerk about fishing. Only lake (pond) fishing for trout around here.

Cattedrale di Pergola

Madonna del Grottone, Petrara

This grotto was used during WWII to shelter locals from the bombings. The Germans retreated through this area, pursued by the Allies. The grotto was abandoned for decades before a local man decided to clear out the vegetation that had encroached on it. He dedicated it to the Madonna and it has since become a place of prayer and meditation. Just 50 meters or so further into the canyon, the mountain rises dramatically. The grotto is near Petrara, one of the frazioni (small hamlets) attached to the town of Serra.

Fashion under the Stars, Serra

Rows of chairs and a red carpet appeared midday up the street near the city hall. All in preparation for an evening fashion show of clothing by students from the high school in Fabriano. About 200 people showed up. Standing room only. Lots of children’s clothes. Lots of families. Lots of fun. Very well done.

Cibo e bibite a casa

One more round

Cibo e bibite fuori la casa

Oops. Robert forgot to take photos of food.

Lunch at Frontone Alta

You remember Tony Roselli don’t you? We met and his wife Carol in the post office in Pergola. He grew up in North Beach and then East Palo Alto but has moved around quite a bit since then. Most recently he and Carol bought a house in Frontone to live in year round. His father was a Marche Club member and Tony knows a few of the same people Robert knows in the Bay Area, including Tony Maganini. You remember Tony’s niece? She is Christina who helped Robert at the post office in Pergola.

Tony and Carol met us in Frontone Alta at the Taverna della Rocca, a must-visit place when you are in this area. The restaurant is known for grilled meats and especially crescia. Always a treat.

The locale is charming, with narrow streets and great views of the surrounding landscape, most of it under cultivation in a patchwork with woods and houses.

Carol Roselli, Robert, Tony Roselli
Video!
Their ingredients for crescia consist of flour, water, salt, egg, and lard (strutto). They also baste the crescia with melted lard when it is on the grill. That might make it more flexible.
Panacotta with a mirtillo jam. Not bad!
Great views!

Cagli

After saying goodbye to Tony and Carol in Frontone, we took a short ride to Cagli, population 8.000. We got there a little too early because the shops did not reopen after lunch until 4 or 5 pm. But we had a nice walk in a light rain. The rain turned into a downpour on our way back to Serra via Pergola with all the dramatic lightning and thunder we now expect in Le Marche.

Torrione Martiniano designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini and built in 1402. Martini is the same architect who designed the rocca (now gone) in Serra Sant’Abbondio.

Oratorio San Giuseppe—Cagli

More to come on Serra, wanderings, and observations of Robert’s Italian culture

Serra in estate—Part 3

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22-25 August 2019

After returning from three days at the coast in Pesaro-Fano, we spent one day in Serra and then took off again to visit Luciana’s son, Dario Forato, near Parma.

But our day in Serra is one we will remember. We were invited by Claudio Pantaleoni, his wife Natasha, and the three children to see their summer house in Bellisio Alto (about 8 kilometers from Serra). During the school year they live in northern France and Claudio teaches religion in Luxembourg, but during the summer they like being close to Claudio’s childhood home in Serra, so they renovated a stone house built around the 15th century. When they were searching for a house, their main objectives were finding a great view of the countryside and being in a quiet area. They succeeded wildly in both. Their view is one of the best we have seen, and they are even deeper in the countryside than the town of Serra.

At the house they treated us to late afternoon champagne and snacks as well as an impressive piano recital by all three kids. Afterward we drove to Pergola (very close) for pizza and more conversation. Major topics were home schooling (they are pursuing it after disappointment with a small French public school), learning languages (they all speak several), the decline of the monastic life at Fonte Avellana, and conflict in Ukraine.

Bellisio Alto and Pergola

Side of the house. Several photos below, you will see the view they have from their window.
Pantaleoni house on the left
They call this the family “tv”—scenery always changing.
Video
Pergola and pizza

Serra and some wanderings

The next morning we woke early to a great thunderstorm. It reminded Robert of his hikes in the Sierra with Mitch, Jim, and Sig.

Lighting strike on Leccia, 26 August 2109, from the window of our house in Serra
Video! The above with sound!

Cibo e bibite a casa

Luciana’s panzanella, Tuscan style

Sant’Andrea Bagni,
Province of Parma

On Friday we loaded our luggage back in the car and headed northeast toward Parma. We were taking Luciana to visit her son Dario and supply him with additional bedding, towels, and food. The predicted 3 hour 20 minute drive on the autostrada took 6 hours 30 minutes. (Friday traffic, August vacation traffic, and a few accidents.)

Dario’s apartment is in a small spa town in the green hills outside of Parma, just ten minutes from his job. The town of Sant’Andrea is (was) known for its terme (hot springs for bathing). It has only one hotel, which faces a wooded park. Very pleasant and laid back.

For almost a year Dario has been away from Rome, working as an engineer at a company that does thermo coating of airplane parts. His degree in aeronautical engineering is paying off, and he is enjoying the work. Unemployment for young people in Italy stands at about 25 percent, so landing a full time job deserves a celebration.

In our conversations with cousins, most of the families with teenagers tell us that because of the economy they are preparing their kids to work abroad—elsewhere in Europe, in Britain, or in the US. This is a real cultural shift for Italian parents, who have long expected several generations to stay in the same home town. But it echos the great wave of immigration from Italy to the US in past decades. Parents we know are focused on English language fluency and job skills for their children.

Serra to Sant’Andrea Bagni
Places we visited near Dario’s home
Proud mamma Luciana beams at her son Dario
Map of the many castles in the area west of Parma

Cena in Roccalanzona

We ate dinner in the countryside, a short drive from Dario’s apartment. Close enough that everyone knew Dario—the chef, the waiters, and the customers! Great local food. Torta fritta is one of the specialities of the region. And Robert believes this area should be called the Capitol of Maile (Pig Capitol) because the region seems to make full use of pigs in all manner of cured meats as you will see in the photos.

Lambrusco is very popular here
Torta fritta
With vegetables
With squash
Squash filling
Potato filling
Coniglio (rabbit)
Potatoes . . . but you knew that. Bonnie is surprised by the heavy use of potatoes throughout Italy.
A few of Dario’s many friends

Parmigiano Reggiano in Rubianno

Dario sent Luciana and Robert to visit Rastelli, a company that makes Parmigiano Reggiano. After Luciana purchased some cheese, she asked for a tour, and we were surprised to get a very thorough look at the cheese-making process. The owner along with two workers were enthusiastic about their work. The owner knew Dario, said what a great guy he is, and said she hoped he would find a “bella ragazza” in the area. Everyone seems to be on the lookout for Dario!

The owner started the tour by explaining that the milk must come from specific breeds of cows who graze in the hills and mountains nearby. They add a coagulant to the milk and pour it into copper kettles with double walls to allow heated water to circulate and warm the ingredients. After two hours, the cheese is ready to be lifted, divided into two portions, and placed in plastic forms to compress the cheese for several days. Next the cheese goes into metal forms for several days. After that, they soak the cheese in salt water (the same water can be used for 30 years), air dry, and place it in a room for aging, for 12, 24, or 36 months. All the steps after the copper kettles take place in refrigerated rooms. They pull off cream from the remaining liquid to make butter and sell what remains to local pig farmers.

Video—Say cheese!
If you every wondered (Robert did) how the markings are made on the cheese, now you know.
Salt bath
Air drying
Aging
2243 is the identification of their company. It goes on every wheel of their cheese.
Without this stamp, the cheese is not Parmigiano Reggiano.
Recommended by Dario, in Fornovo di Taro

Parma—Wanderings

Otherwise known as cupcakes

Parma—Giardino Ducale

Parma—Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

Parma—Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista

Fontanellato

Dario suggested the small castle town of Fontanellato for a Sunday outing. This area of Italy is filled with castles. This castle has a moat, and on the Sunday we arrived there was a mercato that extended far into the town.

Fontanellato—Wanderings

Dario in his GQ pose.

Fontanellato—Mercato

Prosciutto at about six dollars a pound
Mercato selfie. The clerk wasn’t quite sure what we were up to but didn’t seem to care.

More posters!!!!

Pranzo in Fontanellato

On the way back to Sant’Andrea Bagni

We couldn’t quite figure out what this was until we stopped the car to look. Basil in mass cultivation!
From the car Bonnie photographed this station for the high-speed train that we spotted on the autostrada near Reggio Emilia. The architect is Calatrava. Three single-tubed arched bridges (not shown) provide access to the station.
We had a great time with Luciana visiting her son Dario!

Next—More of Serra in the Summer!

Serra in estate—Part 2

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17-21 August 2019

We spent a few days in Serra before heading to Pesaro and Fano with our cousin Luciana for three days of eating, music, and bureaucracy.

Serra Wanderings

Near Serra
Emblems of Serra
Z
Zia Paola with Robert and Luciana
Learned something new. Zia Paola stakes her zucchini. They use less space that way.

Serra—Mercato

Every Thursday there is a small mercato in Serra with great fruit and vegetables and sometimes shoes. (Lots of shoes are manufactured in this region.) There was a bigger mercato 18 August for the summer fiera.

Thursday produce market from our bedroom window.
(The vans must squeeze through the town gate.)
The bigger mercato features lots of clothing at H&M prices.
The bigger market blocks our doorway at number 15.

Fano e Pesaro

We went to Pesaro for three days for Bonnie’s Permesso di Soggiorno appointment, for the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF), and to see our friends Adriana Molarolli and husband Guiliano Giampaoli in Fano. Pesaro and Fano are about 12 kilometers apart, both on the Adriatic coast. They are beach towns with a large fishing industry.

Cibo e bevande con i nostri cugini

We landed at our Airbnb in Pesaro and, first, we agreed to have lunch before we headed to Fano. Second, we decided to eat near the beach instead of in the city center. Third, we found a restaurant on Google. And fourth, while looking for parking, Luciana spotted cousin Guiliano from Rome in a restaurant with his daughter Michaela and her husband Maurizio! What a coincidence. We joined them for a leisurely lunch, and they graciously picked up the tab. Small world indeed! Great fish restaurant by the way.

Zio Guilano—90 this November
Zio Guilano, wearing shorts, in 1962. Robert in the middle.
Three cousins

Pesaro Wanderings

The Airbnb for Luciana, Robert, and Bonnie was the top floor of a condo on the outskirts of Pesaro. Bonnie found Pesaro booked up because of the opera festival, and our “two-bedroom” flat turned out to be one big room with a curtain separating our beds. Oh well. It worked. In the morning Luciana and Robert found a nearby cafe for their caffeine and pastry.

Sketch material
Luciana and Robert discovered this pasta store where they were making some type of ravioli.

Fano Wanderings

We spent much of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with Adriana Molarolli and her husband Guiliano Giampaoli wandering and eating our way through Fano. (Adriana and Luciana are childhood pals from Serra. Robert met them when he was 12.)

Our first dinner was on the main square of Fano, Piazza 20 Settembre. Adriana’s sister Mirella and her daughter Silvia from London and English son-in-law Jonny, joined us. After dinner we all strolled and stopped at Maki gelateria.

The next day we met at Ristorante Laterna for an elegant fish lunch. And on Wednesday, after a late night at the opera and then an 8:30 am appointment for Bonnie in Pesaro, we strolled the morning mercato in Fano (while Bonnie caught up on sleep). Then we had a great lunch prepared by Adriana, followed by naps for everyone and more Maki gelato.

Mt. Catria in the distance.
Piazza 20 Settembre, Fano
For Mark, Jan, Debbie, and Adele
Mercato in Fano
Luciana stocking up for her son Dario’s apartment near Parma.
Video!

Dinner on Piazza 20 Settembre, Fano

Ristorante Lanterna, Fano

Robert saw Adriana Molarolli’s Facebook post about this restaurant several months before our trip and decided we must go. Lanterna specializes in fish. It did not disappoint. Fano is known as one of the fish centers of Italy. Turns out the owner has a friend in Los Angeles who runs the restaurant Angelini Osteria on Beverly Boulevard.

The owner
Local wine, and we mean local. Ten kilometers from Fano.
Passatelli with fish
Lemon sorbet and meringue

Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro

Bonnie has long wanted to go to the annual Rossini Festival in Pesaro, and this year our timing was right. We saw Semiramide, a four-and-a-half-hour tragic opera premiered in 1823 set in ancient Assyria with florid belcanto singing over a full orchestra in front of an edgy Freudian set. Wow. It was a fabulous spectacle. One of the props was a 12-foot stuffed teddy bear. The Assyrian queen wore a sassy black business suit and spike heels.

The 1,500 seat theater was sold out, with large contingents from Japan (some in kimonos), Germany, and other countries. This old-fashioned decorative style of singing is seldom heard currently in the US, but it was done fabulously by this cast. In fact, Rossini seems to be popular at operas all over Italy. Robert, Bonnie, and Luciana napped much of the next day.

To hear the whole opera . . .

Permesso di Soggiorno

The morning after the opera Bonnie had an 8:30 am (gasp) appointment at the Questura in Pesaro, the provincial capital, to request permission to stay in Italy for more than three months. Robert is an Italian citizen, so he can stay forever. (Not that Bonnie is hoping he will. At least not yet.) And let’s ignore the fact that Bonnie has already been in Italy for four months. This was the earliest appointment available.

Bonnie had done extensive research online and found conflicting lists of what she needed to bring. These included an official translation of her marriage certificate, evidence of medical insurance, evidence of household income, an Italian fiscal code, form B, Robert’s multiple documents confirming his residence in Serra, four photographs, a photo copy of every page of her passport, a stamp issued by a tobacconist for 16 euros, and on and on. It was a daunting list of things to assemble, but she was thorough. She took her squad, Robert and Luciana, to translate the Italian bureaucratese and lobby for her. These government transactions are not straightforward, even when you come fully prepared.

When we arrived at the questura, the police said, No, no, no. This is not the right office. They sent us to another bland government office a half mile away where we waited with others, many young men from Senegal. In the end we walked two miles in the heat to three different offices, some twice, to get everything, including fingerprints, in the correct order. But Bonnie was approved!

Her final Permesso document will be ready in two to three months (we have to check online), and it cannot be mailed to us but must be collected in person in Pesaro. (The chief clerk in this ordeal delighted in saying to us, This is not like in America.) By the time the Permesso is ready we may be on our way home to San Francisco, but Bonnie is clutching a receipt that should be fine for now.

It was a four-month slap-in-the-face experience in Italian bureaucracy. Actually it was somewhat streamlined because Bonnie is married to an Italian citizen. Cousin Luciana did the heavy work of debating, questioning, explaining, and disagreeing, while Bonnie stood in late-night-opera-stunned silence holding a big folder of documents. We’ve noticed that frequently in the middle of acquiring documents, the government computer system breaks down, a software expert is called to assist, data is reentered, and everyone waits. In addition, the controversial politician Salvini has made everything more difficult for foreigners. He shares Trump’s view on immigrants.

Pranzo (and a nap) at Adriana and Guiliano’s in Fano

Another great lunch by Adriana (and Guiliano). Fish, of course. Mussels followed by a pasta with clams. All fresh. All good. All better with friends and cousin.

Slovenian wine

Gelateria, Fano

The best gelateria in Fano, according to some, so we went several times. Great flavors. We’ve noticed that many Italians get their gelato cones with a large helping of whipped cream on top. And here, in August, the most popular time for gelato has shifted from 5 pm to 10 pm or later.

Crypt of San Biago

Buried in the ground below Serra’s cemetery is a crypt that dates from the 7th and 8th centuries when Christianity was introduced into the Cesano Valley where Serra is located. The columns are of different shapes and were probably from a pagan site elsewhere, if not this one. The crypt may have been underground to hide the fact that Christians were worshipping and to prevent thieves from finding it.

The crypt was recently restored, and you can pick up the key at the city hall. The remarkable part of this visit is that we went with Claudio, Natasha, and their family. We met by chance in the cemetery a few days earlier while Luciana was cleaning the family plots. Claudio recognized Robert from 1972! Robert’s grandfather asked Claudio, then 12 years old, to take Robert to the crypt. It was Claudio’s first time there. They had to dig through a pile of dirt to get into the crypt. Claudio clearly remembers Robert, the American, with long hair, big beard, and large Nikon 35mm SLR camera (Nikon F?).

At the unexpected cemetery meeting Robert showed Claudio photos he made on an even earlier trip to Serra in 1962. When Claudio saw both his grandparents in one photo, he felt this was profound because this was 15 August, the day Italian families reunite.

Now Claudio lives in France, teaches religion in Luxembourg, and has started a foundation promoting peace. His current focus is Ukraine, his wife Natasha’s homeland. The foundation sponsors a student to study outside of Ukraine.

The last time Robert and Claudio met was 1972. Claudio, then aged 12, showed Robert this crypt.
Altar
Although Saint Biagio is known as the saint who cures diseases of the throat, the Serrani say the crypt is great for curing ailments of the bones and muscles if you rub against the stones or lie on the altar.
Clockwise from left: Gleb (a visitor from Ukraine), Natasha, Robert, Luciana, Claudio, Laura, Daniele, and Michele

Luciana’s turn to make pasta

Luciana channeled her mom’s expertise.

Tagliatelle amatriciana
Robert made the sugo with guanciale, onion, and tomato concentrate. (They raise BIG pigs here.)

Steak the Marchigiana way

Saturday night behind the city hall. At least 200 people.
Robert and Luciana with Gianfranco and Rita. Giamfranco was recently made a Cavaliere (a kind of knight) by the Italian president for his work promoting the agriculture products of the region.
Dessert!

Cibo e bibite a Casa

Pomodori con riso alla Zia Santa

More to come as our stay in Serra continues!

Serra in estate—Part 1

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09-16 August 2019

We have begun to take part in the summer events around Serra Sant’Abbondio, Robert’s Italian home town. And there are lots! Flyers are posted all around Serra, its frazioni, and neighboring towns. All involve food and music. What else? The majority start in the evening and last until the wee hours.

During the August holidays, many Italians return to their family’s home town. Some even come from abroad. All the events around Serra give everyone an excuse to return, to meet old friends, catch up, discuss events of the day, hunt for mushrooms and truffles (they will not say where), and argue about subjects they have debated for 30 years or more, often food—How does the neighboring town’s piadine differ from Serra’s?; Have you used the local flour from the Le Marche? Expensive but very flavorful; How do you make pomodori con riso, with or without onion? WITHOUT!; Do you boil the rice before? ARE YOU CRAZY? You get the picture. With a few drinks these conversations last pleasantly for hours.

The conversations are not just around the table. Walking to the grocery store (300 meters from the house) can take one to two hours because you run into friends you have not seen for a while. Ask our cousin Luciana.

Of course we also find time to take day trips to nearby sites, research Robert’s family history, and visit relatives. Even though the distances can be short, a 12-kilometer trip can take 30 minutes or more because of the narrow winding roads and a few stops to photograph the countryside.

First week of travels
Serra and its frazioni
A list of events in and around Serra
We missed this one. Isola Fossara is where Robert’s grandmother, Gacinta Berardi, grew up. It is just a few miles from Serra.
Olga Nolfi’s side of the family is from Frontone.
We missed this one too. The accordion player would have been fun!
The first night we arrived in Serra, they had a poetry reading.
Many people from Serra read poetry they had written.
When trippa is part of the event, you can count on Robert to be there.

Making pasta . . . Robert’s turn

Robert and Luciana took turns during the week making pasta using Zia Santa’s rolling pin. We tried our best to channel her expertise and love. You will see Luciana’s artful attempt in the next post.

Robert can’t figure out what is taking Luciana so long.
Pasta ragu with Luciana’s sugo

Meteor sightings . . . Make that Eating

Italians celebrate Le Lacrime di San Lorenzo (the tears of Saint Lorenzo) on 10 August. We know it as the Persiad Meteor Shower. The next day, cousin Luciana’s Serra gang of about 20 met at Fonte Avellana for a picnic dinner. Although it was supposed to start at 6:30, we probably didn’t get going until close to 9:00. Great food all around. When it got dark, we formed a car caravan and took the dark road to Isola Fossara, turning off in a high pasture before reaching the town. Unfortunately, the moon was almost full, making sighting a meteor a miracle. Bonnie managed one.

Bonnie’s strategic meteor sighting position on the hood of our car. (The halo is a plastic sheet.)

Hot Hot HOT!

Le Marche had the highest temperature in Italy on 08 August. Robert decided we should go to the Grotte di Frasassi that day. Smart move. It’s very cool inside the caves.

107 degrees F

Grotte di Frasassi

This is another karst cave, like the one we visited in Slovenia. This one is close to Serra. It was discovered in 1971 by chance and opened to the public in 1974. One of the caverns is large enough to hold the Duomo of Milan. In a prior visit, they told us it was big enough to hold Saint Peter’s Basilica.

We knew we were going to the cave during the August vacation season, but we were still astonished by the crowd of people there. Bonnie timed the tour groups: 50 to 60 people in each group, entering at five-minute intervals. The parking lot is vast and it surrounds a large cluster of tourist and food stands. The cave tour, unlike the one on our prior visit, was rushed, although it takes almost two hours to shuffle through. The place has become much more impersonal and commercialized, but it is worth a visit . . . in the off season.

Frontone—La Radica

The Frontenesi have their act together. Frontone is about 8 kilometers from Serra. The locals have an active social group, La Radica, that gathers for events throughout the year. This one celebrated the families of Frontone and its frazioni (small hamlets associated with Frontone). They focused on the nicknames of individuals or entire families shown in a large collection of old photographs.

The Passettis of Frontone are on Jan, Mark, and Deborah Nolfi’s side of the family. We saw one of the San Francisco Marche Club members—Gigi Braccini, and his wife Lola, as well as their daughter and son-in-law who live in Frontone. In fact, we overheard San Francisco mentioned in several conversations. Many Frontonese immigrated to San Francisco. On the way to the event we walked through Frontone’s mercato that was large that week as it celebrated the Fiera di Mezz’Agosto

Sketch material
Sketch mateial

Pizzaiolo

No poster for this one. One of the bars in Serra (there are two!) invited a pizza maker and his oven for a special evening. They served pizza to more than 100 people sitting outdoors, and provided live music. It was a long wait for pizza so some hungry people had gelato first. The evening was another good excuse to gather with friends and family!

Scheggia and Gubbio

We took a day trip to Scheggia to do family research for one of Robert’s cousins and had time to visit Gubbio as well.

lt amazes us that you can go to a city hall here and ask for the birth, marriage, or death documentation of relatives from the late 1800s, and they go to a metal cabinet and pull out a book with the handwritten records.
Example of one of the documents. This one from 1873.

Gubbio

The door on the right is the “Door of the Dead,” used to remove those who had died in the house. One or two of these doors still exist in Serra which once was under the rule of Gubbio.
Walk around this fountain three times and you can get a certificate confirming you are crazy.
Just in case you need a ceramic piece.

The Cathedral

Gubbio has several saints buried in the cathedral that had deep associations with Fonte Avellana as evidenced in this painting of the monastery near the altar.

Isola Fossara

After Gubbio, we made it to Isola to see Berardi relatives. It was a great gathering.

We stopped to see Elia Giovannini who filled us in on Berardi family history. She is 94 years old and remembers everyone. Our great grandfather married a sister of her grandfather.
Bruna Nitzi has this photograph in her vacation house in Isola.
The two women from left to right are
Maria Giovannini Berardi (wife of Sebastiano Berardi and Robert’s great grandmother) and Elizabetta Masci Berardi (Joe Berardi’s mother).
Elizabetta’s four children from left to right are
Guiseppe (Joe) Berardi (Robert’s godfather), Delphina Berardi. Guido Berardi, and Guistina (Rina) Berardi,.
The photo was taken about 1923/24.

Cibo e bibite della casa

In Serra, we often eat at home, which is a nice change from the past three months. It gives Robert and his cousin Luciana an opportunity cook together.

Pasta ragu
“Caponata”
Curried beef
Bought in San Palo di Pieve at the insistence of my cousin Silvana Marchesin. So glad she insisted.

Cibo e Bibite fuori della casa

Frontone
Passatelli with truffles
Gubbio

More to come!

News Flash – Sono Serrano!

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When we arrived in Serra, Robert was invited by the syndico (mayor) Ludovico Caverni to meet at the Municipio (city hall).

Expecting that the mayor wanted to say hello, Robert was not prepared to be joined by a reporter from the regional newspaper Corriere Adriatico, Veronique Angeletti.

She interviewed Robert at length about why he became an Italian citizen. Cousins Luciana and Adriana helped a lot in the interview as they spoke about the many generations of Sabbatini who resided in Serra. The article below was published a few days later. Local shop owner Vittorio Diamantini upon seeing the article said to Robert “Addesso sei un Serrano!” (Now you are a person of Serra!)

Robert was a bit overwhelmed but took in every second of the celebratory afternoon event hosted by the mayor, which included gift books of history and many photographs of the group. The event underscores the reasons Robert became a dual citizen of Italy and its importance not only to him, but also to his cousins and to his fellow Serrani.

Group photo in front of the mosaic seal of Serra Sant’Abbondio
Ludovico Caverni, il syndico di Serra Sant’Abbondio, con Robert
La giornalista Veronique Angeletti
Corriere Adriatico. 27 Aprile 2019Download
Adriana and Gino Secondo hung flags on the family home in celebration of Robert’s dual citizenship!
Article in the Corriere Adriatico

Serra Sant’Abbondio – Walk, Eat, Drink, Walk, Eat, Drink, Sleep

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20 – 26 April 2019

Rome to Serra

Tested the Peugeot heading northeast out of Rome using the built in navigator toward the old Sabbatini house at Corso Dante Alighieri, 15; Serra Sant’Abbondio, a small hill town in Le Marche. Arrived four hours later greeted by Adriana and Gino, who had already arrived, stocked the refrigerator, and hung Italian and American flags out the windows, in honor of the new citizen, Robert.

Adriana and Gino Secondo arrived a few days earlier to air out the house and fill the fridge with local goods! Marta and Luciana arrived about 20 minutes later. Dario, Marta’s brother, arrived by train from Parma where he works. His friend Michele drove Dario from Fano. After a brief visit with the family, Dario went out for a night with his friends. Dario says he got back at 3 AM. His mom says it was 5:30. (We believe his mom.)

The Family Home

The three-story stone house, just inside the town walls, has been the family since 1700, with each generation undertaking renovation/expansion—addition to the back, expansion of the top floor. The ground floor ceiling of the cantina has large timbers that support stone for the floor above. Nonno Delfo believed this original structure dates back to 1200. Adriana recently undertook renovation of the facade. Removing the plaster revealed stone, and lots of repair made the place fit the historic character of the commune.

Family home with restored facade. Grazie Adriana e Gino Secondo.
View from outside.
View of ceiling on the second level where we eat and enjoy the fire
View of the ceiling from the cantina (ground level)
View of the ceiling timbers in the cantina

Pasqua (Easter) in Serra

At 9:30 pm mass up the street on the evening before Easter, they lit the new candle for the year from an outside fire. The whole event took two hours. The good news is that everyone could sleep in the next morning, rising to munch on all the food Adriana prepared for Easter breakfast, which lasted three to four hours reflecting the range of early to late risers. The lunch was bigger with lasagna, lamb, and coratella (a recipe typical of Rome–a mix of artichokes and the internal bits and pieces of a lamb—I won’t go into more detail). Delicious. La bandiera (Italian flag) inspired the desert cake.

One of the local vintners. Dad loved his sparkling red.
Una torta bandiera. Grazie Adriana e Gino Secondo!

The local anisette, made in Pergola

Permesso di Soggiorno

Bonnie filled out intricate forms for a Permesso di Sogiorno (the visa to stay longer than 90 days). She will be an expert when this is done. She has brought the required attachments: copies of her passport, marriage certificate translated into Italian, FBI clearance, proof of medical insurance, return plane ticket. After a call to the Questura (police) in Pesaro we learned that Bonnie required Robert to become a full time resident of Serra. As the married partner of an Italian citizen in Italy, Bonnie can gain permission to a stay for a long period of time. The result is that the family home is registered in Robert’s name. His cousins are now Robert’s guests in Serra. Robert will determine how much rent they will need to pay him. He offered a discount for extended stays.

We will submit the required paperwork for Bonnie in Pesaro when we return from Sicily. Stay tuned to find out how this turns out.

Il giorno normale

The typical day here for our cousins is breakfast around 9, lunch around 2, followed by dinner around 8:30. Bonnie goes to bed around 10, Robert 11, our cousins follow around 12:30 after playing cards. I gioveni (the youngsters) return from a night out around 5:30 AM. 

At the table 2019
At the table 1962
Adriana and Marta grilling sausage in the fireplace
Marta, Luciana (la madre), e Dario
Marta
Bonnie getting some sun and catching up on the NY Times
Starting to play cards at 11 PM
Dario
Gino Secondo fa un pisolino
Luciana keeps guard over Corso Dante Alighieri
Serra’s forno (bakery)
Luciana adds some euros to her PostePay card at the local tabacchi
Luciana fa un appuntamento immediamente con la parracchiere da Serra
Late afternoon spritzes
Late dinner at Il Paradiso. Crescia, salami, formaggio . . . to start.

Sheet or …?

We have spent lots of time coaching Luciana on English pronunciation and laughing at the difference in pronunciation between sheet and shit. We have advised her to ask for a piece of paper rather than a sheet. We too have had corrections. There is a difference between fico and figa/fica. Look it up.

Sheet or . . . ?Click here for a brief lesson in pronouncing the word “sheet” in American English with Robert and Luciana

Le Passeggiate (Walks) di Serra

Bonnie and Robert have taken long and short walks around the town enjoying the vistas, the old and new stonework, and chats with the Serrone. Weather is pleasant during the day, cold at night.

Leccia—one of the frazione of Serra
Leccia
Wild cyclamen
Fiume Cesano

Festa della Liberazione d’Italia

On 25 April, the Italians celebrate the liberation of Italy in 1945. We went to a lecture and concert at Fonte Avellana the night before. The next day, Serra held a brief ceremony at their monument to the fallen soldiers. On TV, they had many discussions about the current rise of the fascist movement in Italy showing clips of supporters of Mussolini.

We include a photo of Uncle Rico who was among the first US troops to enter Rome in June of 1944. He was in the advanced infantry, first landing in Sicily and Anzio.

Concert following the lecture at Fonte Avellana
Ceremony in Serra
June 1944- the liberation of Rome. Uncle Rico (Marchesin) from San Mateo, California, on the left. At the base of the steps to St. Peter’s (Vatican).