Italy 2018: Piano Grande and a villa of our own

Piano grande

Friday, 15 June 2018: after a lovely breakfast (soo much to choose here) we left our room at the hotel in L'Aguila and drove through the mountains to the Piano Grande. Not all roads along the route were open due to the recent earthquake (18 months ago), so we had to detour now and then. 

And again today we passed through a lot of villages with collapsed houses, churches, hotels etc, where the people still live in emergency housing, which are located at the edge of the collapsed villages.

And then there was the beauty of the Piano Grande: wild flowers everywhere, enchanting colours. Let the photos speak:

on the horizon you see the shape of Italy made of trees

cornflowers

cornflowers mixed with poppies with on the hilltop the demolished town of Castelluccio

We hoped to find a bar that was still intact at Castelluccio where we could have something to eat and drink. We were surprised when arriving at the square where all 'business' was concentrated now as the road up to the town was closed due to the earthquake. There were food trucks and wooden sheds where food, drinks and local items were sold. 

lunch  

After a few more photos of the enchanting wildflowers, we drove to Ascoli Piceno, where we revisited the Piazza del Popolo with our fav bar Anisetta Meletti, which fortunately still is there. We had drinks and enjoyed the view. 

the inside of Anisetta Meletti

Afterwards we continued driving to our home for 3 nights in the countryside with swimmingpool and private garden: the Antica Tenuta Le Piane, Il Cerro at Amandola.