Vote for Felice Ciccone or alternate title- Not a Straw Bed - Fornelli to Civitanova del Sannio to Agnone

​We left Fornelli early and had a nice cool downhill run before the short climb to Isernia, the capital city of this part of Molise.  Although surrounded by some busy city outlying areas that were heavily trafficked, the historic center was an absolute jewel.  Narrow winding, lovely buildings.  We stopped at a bar for coffee and a breakfast cornetto and did a quick tour of the historic street from our bikes.  

Then we continued on through several small towns including S. Angelo in Grotte where we stopped to look at the grotto church and ride around town. Jim tried to fill his water bottle at a fountain and an elderly man said it did not work then waved Jim into his place to fill his bottle.  Again the kindness of strangers.  

Then we catch up to Doug and Shawn in the town of Macchiagodena where they are seated at a bar with a vacationing woman from Rome who is complimenting  them on their youthful appearance and physical fitness!  

We buy some snacks and beverages and we are approached by a nicely dressed man who asks us if we like the town, where are we from, do we like Molise and so on.  After a while Doug asks him if he is the mayor and yes, of course he is.  He walks around talking with everyone within site and soon we are being corralled for a photo with him and other people he had gathered up.   We never really figured out if they were visiting officials, local residents or just other Italian tourists!  I ask him his name and it is Felice Ciccone.  As he said, like Madonna.  Her last name is Ciccone.  

Note the benches in this very literary park. 

Before we leave he tries to buy us all coffee and we are Facebook friends.  Vote for Felice Ciccone if you ever move to this town 

We continue on passing through more lovely countryside as always on our way to Civatanova Del Sannio where I have warned the group that this might be a lesser accommodation than what we have had in the past.  There are even some jokes about sleeping in a straw bed tonight with sheep and cows. 

Shawn and I arrive early as we have opted for a shorter easier route for the final part of the day. As we sit in a shady park waiting for our husbands I walk around to find our lodging. Of course a helpful stranger wants to help me    He doesn’t know the address so he calls a friend. Then he leads me into a really ancient part of the town twisting and turning up narrow flights of stairs. We don’t exactly find it but as we walk back he tells me about the town, pointing out where his son lives.  By the way no English is being spoken.  We stop at one house and I finally figure out he is telling me an English speaking person lives here.  The only expat in town.  

I ask him dagli Stati Uniti o Inghilterra?  He doesn’t know so he asks another old man on a nearby park bench who says Canada!   So back to the park where Shawn awaits and she is engaged in conversation with an old man who has joined her.  His name is Tony and he asks about our bikes , and the usual questions about where we are from etc.  He has a lot to say about the importance of the Catholic religion and is happy to hear I am a member of the club. I don’t tell him a somewhat lapsed member….   He also says the town is important for supplying water to the area and yes we did notice there are tons of water fountains and various streams and waterways.

So finally our host arrives.  Our new boyfriends reluctantly leave us.  She had to drive from Agnone to meet us and Jim and Doug arrive from their ride over the mountain.  We all follow the host way into the heart of the very old borgo with trepidation regarding what the place is going yo be like.  More than a pleasant surprise when she opens a door and we follow her into a nice cool, spacious apartment with two lovely bedrooms.  Not a bit of straw in site nor any farm animals to share with. The apartment was kind of like grandma’s house Italian style.  Again we shop for food and enjoy another night of cooking in.  

The door in the background is to the apartment and this fountain is tight in front.