“Left The hospitable Casa Bella Hostel, shortly after fine breakfast. After Paulo, our guide had briefed us on the local banditry, we set off on what was promised to be a shorter, but no less beautiful walk to Cartore Casore. Like many of the remoter villages, there were a number of boarded up dwellings and some almost falling down – a good investment we were advised as you pay no tax if there is no roof.
We soon reached the Riserva Naturale Regionale Montagne Della Duchessa – one of the largest in Italy. We were anticipating Coffee at Spedino but the cafe was closed – the owner had gone shopping,apparently.
There are a lot of forests in the Abruzzo and Lazio regions and wood burning stoves and fires are the norm,however, I had never seen such pride taken in its storage, before.
The views were dramatic and after pausing to look at the difference between Roe Deer and Wild Boar prints, expertly explained by our guide,Paulo, our attention was frequently taken by rare Orchids unique to this Riserva Naturale. Thanks to Maggie one of our party for some of the photos.
Some of us then took an optional climb up through a nearby gorge, pausing to take in the mosses and trees that thrived there.
it was quite a strenuous little excursion and we enjoyed a local beer in our hostel Casalidicartore, served by our welcoming host.
Paolo and Maggie, one of our Brigantes, photo taken from the mezzanine floor.
Later we enjoyed dinner on the mezzanine floor of the restaurant, supervised by,Anna.
Assortments of grilled meat and local vegetables are a specialty.
Sunday dawned misty over the mountains with a threat of rain and overcast which meant a change of plan for the day. Paolo explained that it would be pointless to climb up to a lake as intended because the cloud levels were so low there would be no views to enjoy and also Limestone becomes a treacherous surface when wet.
Our breakfast was notable for the quality of the homemade jam and cakes made by our talented and cheerful hostess.
So we set off alongside fields to biggest village in the area Corvaro di Borgorose and after three miles or so we could see the church tower and behind it the ancient hilltop village, now largely deserted.
The bells rang summoning the faithful to 11 o clock mass. Adjacent to the church was the town square in which stood two market stalls and a van sporting local fruit and vegetables – Helen, one of our group bought some fresh apricots, which she shared out as we enjoyed a coffee opposite.
There was a very imposing war memorial dominating the square.
We then made a short walk to the Museo Archeologico Cicolano, where we enjoyed the services of a guide.
This is a well designed museum and fortunately for us, all explanations were written in English as well as Italian. Some of the most interesting displays were from nearby Necropolis that had been built 2500 years BC and used in other epochs, sometimes with centuries between.
Some of the finds were startlingly beautiful, a necklace, bronze discs and statuary in particular.
After thanking our museum guide we were shuttled in Paolo’s car to the local brewery Birra Del Borgo,which looked quite unprepossessing from the outside…the interior was something quite different. State of the Art! Over a dozen drafts available and numerous bottled brews, including BRIGANTE .
I chose Water Melon Weiss simply because I was intrigued to taste a beer infused by Water melon, which although very refreshing is not a particularly flavoursome fruit. The beer was very good with a sour edge to it which was a perfect accompaniment to my Foccacia like sandwich of local salad and cheese.
Yet another guide for our tour and he explained how the business began fourteen years previously and soon moved to these much larger premises. Their driving force was to be experimentation and innovation whilst openly acknowledging the influences of more traditional beer brewing countries like the UK,Belgium and Germany, using hops and barley from various countries.The whole brewery system and pipeworks ( 42 km total length ) was custom designed mainly by their own workforce. They now export all over the world. Maggie’s photos at the Brewery.
On our return to the bar area we were given three very different beers to sample – strengths ranging from 4.6 ABV to 10.2. The latter being a hybrid of beer and local wine for sipping not supping!
We walked off these heady brews along the Camino Brigante, thankfully rain free. A number of Brigands were in need of some siesta time by then.
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