Hike to La Cisa

Oh here is a random picture of the walk I take to the botega in Gravagna.  The house to the left is the house my father was born in.  It is sadly no longer habitable.  The house to the right belongs to my neighbor Carla.  It was her mother in law's house but there was a fire and they moved out.  Carla still uses the courtyard for her wood and her cats live in the burned up house. Just out of the picture to the right is a huge fig tree and a little stall that Carla keeps a sheep in that she won in a lottery.

 Today was a pretty much perfect day.  The baby slept in until I had had my coffee  which always makes for a great beginning.  Then my neighbor Carla, who is the most amazing cook,  invited me over to watch her make her "sugo"  which was a ragu that she makes with boar.  After she made the sugo she just gave it to me because her husband is a notoriously picky eater and won't eat it.  (How anybody could be married to that woman and turn their nose up at such fare is beyond me).   Since dinner was taken care of and it was a beautiful breezy day I decided to pack the girls up and go for a hike up to the Passo della Cisa.  The ascent up the mountain went well.  There was a strong wind blowing down the mountain and the smell of pine trees mingling with the freshly made hay in the fields was invigorating.   We even passed a barn with a cow sitting in the stall all by herself.


The chapel up at La Cissa is one of my favorite little spots.  It is very gothic and also everything is scaled down in miniature.   It almost feels like a dollhouse.  I was very proud of the girls for walking the whole way up and down the mountain as it is no small walk.  We started out at noon and didn't get back home until close to six and they are now all sleeping peacefully.  More to come.  . .