Day 11- Piacenza
Our day began at the hotel in Piacenza, where we were met by Andrea (center). He led us to our final residence, his cousin's apartment. His cousin and family were not living there at the moment, they were living in a near city, closer to his work. Andrea's mother, second from right, and his aunt, far left, had just cleaned the apartment. Lucia is second from the Left. It was a very nice clean place, with two bedrooms, two baths, and a nice kitchen. but, we never ate there, as we had so many invitations to eat with their family members.
After unpacking and distributing our two suitcases of gifts, we went to Lucia's home for a quick but filling lunch of Pasta. Then Andrea drove us out to the countryside to see one of the more than two hundred small castles that dot the Province of Piacenza. They were used by the villagers for protection in time of war. Each small community has one.
The entrance to the village is through a narrow street with high walls. If the enemy succeeded in breaching the main gate, they were contained in this street with high walls, where they could be attacked from above.
The view below is from the streets of the village.
Notice the rolling green hills, and farms as seen from the castle.
Above, is the second castle we visited, called Rivalto. It is on the banks of a River, and was a little larger than the first. The surrounding town is also larger. We climbed the six or seven flights of stairs in the tower to get this view.
This view from the top of the castle of the countryside kept me captivated. It was so green and beautiful.
I had to take a picture of this classic Italian meat shop. The Salamis and other cured meats are so good.
Our day ended with a fabulous meal at Andrea's home. His mother fixed a classic Italian meal with appetizers, vegetables, a pasta dish that consisted of a cream filled pasta, followed by two meat dishes, chicken in mushroom sauce, and a beef dish. It ended witha fabulous dessert of custard, strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. We were so full. If we took a normal portion of anything, ,then they would take the serving plate out of our hands, scold us for being bashful, and dish out more.
After unpacking and distributing our two suitcases of gifts, we went to Lucia's home for a quick but filling lunch of Pasta. Then Andrea drove us out to the countryside to see one of the more than two hundred small castles that dot the Province of Piacenza. They were used by the villagers for protection in time of war. Each small community has one.
The entrance to the village is through a narrow street with high walls. If the enemy succeeded in breaching the main gate, they were contained in this street with high walls, where they could be attacked from above.
The view below is from the streets of the village.
Notice the rolling green hills, and farms as seen from the castle.
Above, is the second castle we visited, called Rivalto. It is on the banks of a River, and was a little larger than the first. The surrounding town is also larger. We climbed the six or seven flights of stairs in the tower to get this view.
This view from the top of the castle of the countryside kept me captivated. It was so green and beautiful.
I had to take a picture of this classic Italian meat shop. The Salamis and other cured meats are so good.
Our day ended with a fabulous meal at Andrea's home. His mother fixed a classic Italian meal with appetizers, vegetables, a pasta dish that consisted of a cream filled pasta, followed by two meat dishes, chicken in mushroom sauce, and a beef dish. It ended witha fabulous dessert of custard, strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. We were so full. If we took a normal portion of anything, ,then they would take the serving plate out of our hands, scold us for being bashful, and dish out more.
posted by Katherine and Rick at 11:18 PM
1 Comments:
The rolling, green hills and farms are so beautiful. I wish everyone in the world could live near such a beautiful view. What gracious hosts you had, the dinner sounds wonderful.
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