Tuesday morning we awoke to a foggy morning around 7:30, but an hour later the sun started to break through. We had heard the forecast for rain overnight and the timing could not have been better! Our sleep was still a bit 'fitful' and our let muscles a bit strained from the uphill hike in Neive.......particularly Andrea's shins. Good thing we brought some Biofreeze!
Hot showers and a warm breakfast were just what we needed. That was followed by the obligatory packing and preparation for our drive down to Bogliasco. We had a nice chat again with the ladies at the front desk to tell them about our 'single lane' road trek through the hillside yesterday and they applauded our courage! We packed up the car and headed out, planning a drive past La Morra and on to Barolo for a quick lunch stop. Again, we managed to find ourselves on an impossibly narrow back road (cart path!) up the mountain to La Morra.......thank goodness we did not meet another car!
We stopped briefly in Barolo and grabbed a coffee and a pit stop before heading out again. We decided no more back roads, so took the directions to the autostrada! Our Google Maps function on the phone was not communicating with our car console so Andrea had to hold the phone and pay closer attention than usual to the directions, as there was no audio! It was about a two hour drive to Bogliasco and the autostrada from Alessandria to Genova was a full 50 miles of construction. The traffic moved along well, but there were continuous road 'narrowings' that kept us alert! We made one stop at a highway rest area for the bathrooms and some gas.......and made it to Bogliasco around 3:00.
We were the third group to arrive and it was great to see Ivana, Valeria and Marta. With their help we unpacked the car quickly and were in our room for a nap by 3:30! We are back in the room (#3) that we stayed in first in 2016 and realize how much we love the view and corner exposure to the water. We got unpacked later in the afternoon and also got all the computers and ipads connected and working.
The aperitivo hour was at 7:00 and we realized that the group this year was a bit larger than 2 years ago.......Ivana said 15 total! It was a crazy hour of trying to meet/greet and place faces with names. I think it will take a couple of days! One of the fun surprises was running into Jeff Schiff (sculptor) and Blair Tate (weaver). They were at the American Academy in Rome when we were there 49 years ago! It has clearly been a long time, but the connection was a good one, not reflective of the actual years! Really very nice to see them again.
Dinner was energized, with many folks clearly recovering from jet lag and travel. We had a short after dinner 'amaro' digestivo (served by our old friend Danilo - who gave us a big hug) and along with most of the group, bade a buona notte!
Barolo is a medieval village, which recounts its past with the 13th-century castle where the Barolo Regional Enoteca and the Wine and Ethnographic Museum are now housed, Barolo is one of the eleven municipalities in whose territory the Nebbiolo grapes can be grown, used to produce the famous wine to which it gives its name. Today, this village is considered the capital of the 'king' of wines: thanks to the fame that this precious nectar has gained not only nationally but also worldwide, many events are organized here in its honor, to make it known and to tell its unique flavor and history.
BOGLIASCO VILLA DEI PINI
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