Civita - 8.2.2010

Known as the dead city because long ago an earthquake destroyed some of the city and about that time the Roman Empire began to fall. Now there are only 10 residents, our two professors are a couple of them. They bought a house about 30 years ago and recently finished the first round of restoration on both the house and garden house. I fell in love with the garden house on the cliff. Daydreams of me living in this just the right size garden house for a summer with magnificent views began to flow into my brain. I can imagine the sun shining, green everywhere, vines blooming on the trellises and climbing the walls, the smell of rosemary, lavender, and fresh flowers. This all exciting my senses as I sip a glass of wine on the terrace with a good book warmed by the gentle rays of the sun. Finally falling back to Earth I could not get over how efficient the houses were and the materials adding there own character to the existing one. Friends of our professors prepared a fabulous lunch cooked over a wood burning fireplace. Then to finish it all off I had my first taste of Grappa. It reminded me a little of whiskey and scotch; a strong robust flavor that warms up your insides. For dessert a few of us went to the only place open in town and got a cup of cappuccino and a nutella filled crepe. My conclusion, nutella is good on just about everything. Civita definitely has a different feel than all the other places we have visited; stepping into history discovering things that have not been touched or seen in many to maybe a hundred years. There is plenty to capture on paper with a pencil in a perfectly peaceful environment.