La Strada.......

...that is not 'a road' is getting worse. Thunder, lightning, torrential downpours has turned it into a quagmire. August 2008, we first started making noises that we were not happy. Our dream of turning our small holding into a Biker's B&B "Far From the Madding Crowd", started to hit serious problems. Only truly hardy bikers would ever contemplate travelling down "La Strada".....

Video of "La Strada Brutale" to follow soon, only if I have the courage to publish it. You might have to watch this space. It does exist, and 3 copies have been made and sent to the Comune.

A Bold Biker
Ian was one such brave and non-plussed biker. Had he known the true condition of our road, he would never have attempted to ride down it at midnight one dark and scary night. He hit the road, but undeterred, he carried on until he saw the flickering lights of our abode, shining like a beacon in the distance.

He stayed for 4 nights and the experience was truly magical. Many fairy lights on the balcony, many talks long into the night later, Ian proved to be a fantastic guest of Moto-Abruzzo. I tried to be the 'Hostess with the Mostess' and I was in my element!!


Back to 'La Strada'......

Ringing up the Lord Mayor of Civitaquana on his mobile phone is not something I relish, but I have had no choice. My livelihood has been at stake and so has K's. I don't want to damage our car by constantly driving it up and down 'La Strada', so I have had to take up working virtually, which I hasten to add, has been a dream come true.

This is a fantastic area of experience for me and one which I am really enjoying immensely. In fact my dream was to work from home, all because of "La Strada".

Giulietta
I love the name GIULIETTA. It's my sister's name. Nobody in England can spell it correctly or pronounce it correctly. I think it's a beautiful name. Giulietta Masina won great acclaim for her portrayal in La Strada. My father named my sister after the actress Giulietta Masina. A fabulous circle of events, don't you think?

An ever evolving theme: Life is a CIRCLE.

Facts about Giulietta Masina here. Not many people know that she was known as the female Charles Chaplin and that she was married for half a century to Federico Fellini, one of Italy's most outstanding film directors.

Romeo and Giulietta
In a way, I'm glad my father didn't have his way. He had planned to call his future son ROMEO. Can you imagine how my possible brother's life would have panned out in school before the days of Romeo Beckham?? Yes, he might have been teased remorselessly. On the other hand, what an intriguing life he might have had! Maybe that is why I have a fascination with the story of Romeo and Juliet? To have had a brother and sister named Romeo and Giulietta might have been seriously cool.

Confession: A part of me does regret not having a brother. I wonder if my life might have turned out differently?? Having two wonderful sisters is amazing, but having a brother might have been quite cool. I will never know.