Solitude and Destruction - Pioraco to Visso to Norcia

​The roads from Pioraco and for most of the day to Visso are very quiet and remote.  


We are deep into the earthquake prone part of Italy and the powerful earthquake of 2016 which this day happens to be the anniversary of reveals the magnitude of what the residents of this area have lost.  



The ride out of Pioraco involved a lot of gravel and broken pavement roads and nary a car to be seen with the exception of a farm vehicle or two.  


A long gravelly climb puts us at this atmospheric spot with an ancient church and watering trough. 




 

The other side of the mountain takes us into deep forest with the occasional verdant green farm field. 




We check into our bnb which seems oddly new and wooden or so it seems in this land of stone and antiquity!  The town appears to be a newly built town to house the displaced residents and businesses of Visso which were totally destroyed in the earthquake.  It feels a little strange but also you can feel the sense of community even here that is present everywhere we have been.  There is a lot of construction going on around the bnb and we hear laughter, singing and the usual loud Italian banter in the background.  

That evening as we are sitting outside our room, the hostess Emelia joins us in conversation.  She does not speak any English but through careful listening and lots of gestures we learn a bit of her poignant story.  The earthquake destroyed all of her families’homes in Visso which they had been living in for four generations.  A total of 7 homes razed to the ground.  Also five businesses belonging to her relatives gone in an instant.  She showed us pictures of their original bnb which of course was a stone structure before and then the pictures of rubble that it became. She teared up a time or two and told us that tomorrow would be the six year anniversary of the tragedy.  She kept saying something like what could we do and then gesture like she was rolling up her sleeves.  So I guess it is the same expression we have you just roll up your sleeves and get to work again.  

The next morning we leave and we ride by the ruins of the town which is totally surrounded by barriers to prohibit access but you can see hints of what the town used to be. 

The departure from Visso starts with a ride through a gorge along a rushing crystal clear river.  It is the first morning of the trip that I broke out my hat and gloves.  It was chilly and we were going downhill!

Then a long very steep climb.  The other side reveals a lush green valley. 


The following picture if you look carefully you can see the town of Preci in the background.  It too was devastated by the quake. 


We stop at a scenic crossroads for a snack and are promptly surrounded by the local beggar cats.  



On interesting site of the day was this ball of something on the ground.  I immediately thought it was a giant nut of some kind. So I am looking above to see what kind of tree dropped this kind of nut but I don’t see another.  Upon further investigation we realize that it is a living animal.  Yes it is a hedgehog and it is curled up and breathing.  Jim rolls him off the road so he doesn’t get squished by a car and he continues his slumber! 


Then a long but not too steep seven mile climb begins.  It starts in a large agricultural valley filled with large fields under cultivation as well as some sheep farms. 



We see the occasional earthquake rubble as in this church.  


Finally the summit. 



Then the plunge down to Norcia with a splash of fall colors. 



Norcia is best known as the birthplace of Saint Benedict who is the patron saint of Europe.  It is also known as the place to get the finest cured meats anywhere. Every city in Italy has a store called a Norcineria where one can buy cured meats from this area.  However Norcia also suffered great losses in the recent quake. Here is St Benedict among the ruins of the cathedral which is under reconstruction. 




I thought this was interesting - Mary with a sword?  


Then finally one of the many stores dedicated to the craft of meat!  Jim purchased a beer here maybe by the local Benedictine monks. 



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