Month: September 2025

“THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – ” CESI and TERNI”

Cesi

Our trip continued the next day with a train ride to Terni and a stay with Robert in the village of Cesi an ancient village 400 metres above Terni. Things had changed in Cesi (Cesi formerly the site of Clusiolum) is dated back to 6th century BCE. A land slide had closed off the main road up the mountain, so the usual bus was not traveling the road but the ever resourceful Robert made other arrangements with a community bus to give us a lift from Terni to Cesi on the pretext I was an invalid and so my wearing the appropriate neck brace validated his story for the need of the community bus. Our plan was to spend about 5 days in and around Cesi and then to visit Bari and Naples by train with excursions by train to the villages nearby.

Robert has some of the most dramatic views of the valley below and to the mountains beyond. Even though it was overcast most days the view is extensive and includes the city (Terni) to country. The photos that follow speak for themselves.

Another change for Cesi is the restaurant that has opened in the village. Beside the church is a modern restaurant sharing the fabulous views and the tucker isn’t too bad at all. The price is affordable, and the ambiance is a mixture of ancient village and modern restaurant. Kerry (photo bombing again) enjoyed it particularly outside the restaurant the views of the valley and surrounds, and at nighttime the view from the restaurant.

On the face of the building across the road from the restaurant is an ancient Sundial. The Latin inscription reads “Hora fugit, ne tardes.” (“The hour flees, don’t be late.”). Very interesting even if you cannot tell the time using it. The one remaining church along side the restaurant is the only building still in use as a church with the other former places of worship now performing community duties.

There are a couple of sections of the old town walls, and the photo below shows the northern city gate. As we circulated around the village, other features are the church and its bell tower, the former town house and its verandas, and ooh Robert walking the dog (this is another change – the dog is pregnant and although not belonging to him he insists on walking and feeding it – it gave birth to its litter after we had left)

Terni

One morning we visited Terni and what remains of its old town. Because of its industrial past the British bombed the crap out of Terni during WW2 so to find pieces of its old town walls was very surprising. We found 2 remaining city gates and bits and pieces of the city walls. Kerry and I stopped for mid-morning coffee and there behind us is part of the old town in rubble and ruin.

Its market day in Terni. The markets are set up in the streets amongst the remaining old buildings of the old town and the rebuilt town replacements built after the end of WW2. Below are some market scenes. We found the State Archives (built as Palazzo Mazzincolli in 15th century), Palazzo del Governo (Town Hall) and the central church for the town.

We had sought Robert’s local knowledge on places to go in drafting our itinerary but Robert saw our itinerary as fluid. So our next trip was not on our itinerary. We took a train to L’Aquila. We caught the train through a valley bordered by high snow capped mountains in an old two carriage rail motor containing first class and second class (of course we rode in “first class”). We arrived and stumbled off into a pretty, and well organised and clean square with an old church with a relatively unadorned interior, but some old frescoes had been exposed to show its age. The design of all these old villages is that it sits atop a hill, and we found the hill.

Atop the hill was market day, and this seemed to be the reason we were here also (I suspect Robert had a rendezvous lined up). After the rather plain church in the square, here located in this small enclave of the old town was a huge church with its Nativity scene still on show. As we explored around the church (it was not open to tourists) we found what was on the other side of the hill – not such a small village. Then we discovered tucked away nearby was the “ordinary folks” chapel used by the residents with some interesting but not pretty décor. The priest had parked outside – a plastic Fiat. I couldn’t believe it, but it was the real deal just in plastic.

One of the shops offered a product that seemed out of place. So I obtained this photo that all is possible where ever you are.

The day had developed from cloudy to sunny although Kerry’s jumper tells you it still was not warm – pictured below is a wall leading to Roberts front door. The next photo is Kerry in the restaurant again after which we visited the rock fall on the entrance road. It appears to be cleared but some further work needs to be done with retaining the rest of the mountain – nice to know.

Our time in Cesi was up and tomorrow we have an early train to Bari via Rome – it’s a shorter train trip to return to Rome and travel across to the east coast to Bari than to go to Bari directly from Cesi – go figure. Look out for the next chapter and our adventures in “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – “CESI to BARI”

“THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – ROME to CESI”

ROME

I opened the window of our room. It was the 12th and it was Kerry’s birthday. In flooded sunlight and the structure containing the terminus known as “Terminii”. The photos below show the size of the station and the view from the courtyard of the building containing our B&B – the contrast between the front and the back is like a time ship – new and old.

Kerry had a birthday wish. She wished for a celebratory dinner and had chosen from the internet “La Terrazzade de Papi Roof Top Restaurant”. The restaurant is overlooking the roof tops of the city. That morning, we set out to find this place (booked online sight unseen) in preparation for the night. I hate using google maps to guide you to your chosen place – it always seems to play tricks on you like it’s a game. We ended up in a park Piazza Victorio, also known as Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II and we had never encountered it before. Wikipedia tells us that the piazza was built by Gaetano Koch shortly after the unification of Italy. It is the largest piazza in Rome (316 x 174 metres). In the centre of the piazza is a garden with the remains of a fountain built by Alexander Severus (so called Trophy of Marius), and the Porta Alchemica (Alchemist’s Portal or also called Magic Gate or Porta Magica), the entrance to Villa Palombara, former residence of the alchemist Marquis Palombara. It also contains Giardino Nicola Calipari, named after an Italian secret agent, killed accidentally by US soldiers in Iraq on 4 March 2005, in the phases immediately following the liberation of the journalist of Il Manifesto Giuliana Sgrena. I captured some of these features and post the photos below.

Back tracking from the piazza, we found the hotel with the roof top restaurant and checked out the shortest route home. The scenery was a grand mixture. Starting with Kerry photo bombing my picture of the grand church at the end of the street to the hotel passed the Porta Esqualina Gate and the Arch of Gallineus (The Arch of Gallienus is a name given to the Porta Esquilina, an ancient Roman arch in the Servian Wall of Rome). It was here that the ancient Roman roads Via Labicana and Via Tiburtina started. We saw the statue of Santa Maria Maggiore standing on a pinnacle in front of a grand Basilica constructed in her honour through to an architectural museum and conference centre (see Turismo Roma) again unseen by these eyes – very interesting and made us think of George Hazell an architect and former next-door neighbour for almost 20 years. I expect he would have enjoyed visiting the unique oval building.

In Piazza Manfredo Fanti, surrounded by a small garden, is the monumental building, inspired by classical architecture, for the construction of a fish farming establishment with an aquarium the Acquario Romano which has been restored as Casa dell’Architettura. In the garden, there is one of the most interesting sections of the Servian Walls, built around the 4th century BC to defend Rome.

There was a small café in one of the outer rings of the building where we had coffee and lunch. We then made our way to our Dream Station B & B, and I had an afternoon nap a legacy of my chemotherapy then we dressed for dinner.

We retraced our steps back to La Terrazzade de Papi. To access the roof top we followed a roundabout path of stairs and corridors to the roof – 7 to 8 stories above ground. The interior of this level was on level 7 and the exterior on level 8. It was still daylight, so we were afforded views from most points of the compass before witnessing the rising of the moon and the clouds then encircling and covering up the moon. In front of us was the statue of Santa Maria Maggiore in a Piazza to her honour tall enough we felt we could nearly touch it. Behind it was the Basilica also named after the saint. I believe this is the Basilica chosen by the late Pope Francis who was very much alive at this time.

We had no idea what to expect for dinner and were surprised when we were presented with two platters. It was like an Italian tapas with our choice of drinks. We nibbled away at the food and took selfies for Facebook from every reachable corner of the roof. Just the dream come true for Kerry’s birthday. To finish the evening we went inside to the restaurant for Tiramisu and coffee. We were the only ones in the restaurant except for one other patron sucking away on one of the many “hookahs” offered by the establishment.

A slow stroll back to our B&B and early to bed for the trip to Cesi tomorrow and a visit to Roberto’s villa. Keep reading and follow “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – “ROME to CESI ” in Cesi.