Everyday Yogini

I adore Italian hilltop towns.  And we’ve been to many.  But this last weekend, over the Ferragosto holiday we visited a tiny hilltop town just north of Rome. We drove just over an hour and I swear it was like being in a different country altogether. (This is always a surprise to me when we leave Rome- how quickly it turns rural and quaint.)

Cantalice is built, quite literally, into the side of a mountain. With a staircase that spans the city top to bottom, there are no panoramic views for the faint of heart. A dramatic and beautiful city. I particularly liked the homes that were literally mid-way up the staircase, built into the side of the mountain itself…

How did we find this little gem, you might ask? Erick recently joined a cycling team here, and, good fortune for us, the rides begin near Cantalice, so some of the members have homes in this amazing little town. We were invited to stay with a family over the holiday- the highest honor an Italian family can bestow on another. Just like the movies, the Nonna (grandma) cooked enough food for an army while Clara talked to her non-stop…

Of course, Erick rode his bike. Clara and I spent Saturday morning walking up and down the city staircase (over 300 hundred stairs, Yoginis), and just soaked up the Italian hospitality. We ate, we napped, we talked, we laughed, we played… Cantalice and it’s residents utterly charmed me. Despite my limited Italian skill, we somehow managed an open invitation for any weekend we can make it up to the mountains.

I can’t wait to go back again, and soon.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 10:26 am and is filed under Everyday Life: Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.