Wow! What a week!

Picture the opening dinner scene from an Agatha Christy murder mystery-set in the castle of a small, foreign village. Accents from around the world are heard as small talk begins around the table. There is the retired military commander who spent his career in exotic foreign postings; the manager of the large international corporation whose territory involves all of Europe and the Near East; the doctor from America; the quiet, prim school teacher from England and the mysterious couple from ....... we're not quite sure, because their accent is unfamiliar and they keep to themselves. This was our week in Sorriano nel Cimino.

After leaving Switzerland, we spent a few days traveling through Aix-en-Province, Genoa and Orvieto on our way to the Palazzo Catalani in Sorriano nel Cimino, Italy. Aix is beautiful. We hit it on a festival week-end which featured every organization in the province putting on a display of their work. It was great fun- lots of good food and entertainment. Genoa has the biggest collection of wealthy yacht owners I have ever seen. There were eight cruise ships in the harbor, besides a few freighters. Orveito is one of those beautiful hilltowns that everyone has discovered with lots of tourist shops and beautiful views of towers, churches and quaint, narrow streets. This leads us to Sorriano.

Sorriano sits high above the Tiber River Valley midway between two main arterials leading to Rome. Because it is not on a main line, it is a little difficult to get to, hasn't grown as much as it should and hasn't been discovered by many.

Our hotel is the only one in town. It has only eighteen rooms of interesting travelers (the characters from our Agatha Christy play) who appreciate what they have found here and a staff that any business would die for. There are no other visitors in this town, unless they are staying with friends or family. The main square is filled with locals until 1:00 pm, at which time everyone disappears and all businesses close (except caffes) until 4:00 pm, when the town gets temporarily crowded.

A great cup of capuccino costs £.90, an out-of-this-world pastry is another £.90; the wine and olive oil are locally produced. A great, multi-course dinner for two with a couple bottles of really good wine can run to £25-30. A really good dinner for two with a bottle of wine can be £12-15.

While here, we have been treated to a night of dinner-opera, tours of a wine cava and olive pressing works and a beautiful park in nearby Bagnaia which was a castle hunting grounds. It has a series of water features cascading down a hillside which was the model for Versaille.

Last night we had dinner in some local people's home. It was the nicest, fun-filled evening. We were treated to home-made aptipasti, tons of home-made wine and , while the homemade sauce cooked, the men had to make the pasta from scatch.

We have walked thousands of steps in and out of our city. We have sat for hours in the square and watched people. We have made a transition from strangers to be watched to visitors to be spoken to. The people here are so friendly and helpful. We have made some new friends from around the world. Interestingly, two of the people we met and enjoyed most tremendously are from Chelan, WA. They are over here on their first visit and we are hoping to spend time with them on their next visit here.

Tomorrow, with a lot (and I really do mean a lot), of sadness we will leave Sorriano. We are headed for Sorrento on the Amalfi coast, probably getting into Naples for a day. They have a good museum that we missed last time because of a labor strike. We are looking forward to more great places and more great people.

Now, disregard all the good things I said about Sorriano nel Cimino. It is a terrible place and you never want to come here. Don't tell anyone else about it and don't look up info or pictues on the internet.

See you!