First Official Day of Biketouring - Spello to Spoleto

So the grand tour is now underway.  Yesterday morning we said goodbye to our lovely albeit extremely noisy apartment.  The restaurant across the alley played loud music every evening from a pretty weak playlist. Everything from what sounded like the Italian version of the Andrew sisters to YMCA - also Italian style.  This is the apartment corner location and the crew getting ready to roll.  






So since this is an Italian bike tour we are practicing embracing the Italian morning rituals of caffe and cornetti.   Our first town of significance was Trevi.  Here is Trevi in the distance on our approach, coffee in the main square and some shots around town. 








Sadly I can’t figure out how to insert videos into this blog.  As we were walking by a building, we heard these two female opera singers singing to as accompaniment of a harpsichord.  We were all speechless and were able to peek in the door and videotape them.  Then when we arrived in Spoleto later once again an opera in rehearsal for what we think may have been Carmen.  We sneaked a video of them too.  Mind blowing.   

Spoleto is our night’s destination and since we have spent a fair amount of time here, it feels very familiar.  We met a couple here last time we were here in 2019.  They are an older couple.  As the Italian gentleman explained he was doing art in San Diego and fell in love with this beautiful woman, Annabella from San Diego.  They married, lived in San Diego for a long time and they just moved to Italy three years ago.  I said to Jim, let’s keep our eyes open for that couple.  Shortly after Jim says that woman looks familiar about a woman stepping out of a shop.  Sure enough I said, scusi.  She said not recognizing us right away.  Do you speak English and need help? I reminded her of our conversation three years ago and she said , oh yes the bikers!   She was so happy to see us as if we were long lost friends.  We had a really nice chat and was really thrilled that we would possibly buy a place here in the future. She is going to send us listings and pictures. When we left her she had tears in her eyes and I also felt like I was leaving a dear friend.  We tried to visit her husband but he was not in his art gallery when we went by.  I am moved over and over again by the extreme warmth and feeling devoted to relationships from Italians.   Sadly, we did not take a picture of the beautiful, Annabella but I really feel like she will be a part of our lives someday.  

As always Spoleto is remarkable in its stately elegance.  It is evidence that the city was historically a center of power throughout a large part of history 





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