Monday, July 26, 2010

Bertolotto Cova Apartment, Levanto
1845 EET

Our last full day in Levanto, which began like most days during our stay. I awoke some time during the night, returned to sleep, and rose at 0900 when Mom mentioned the time. After showering, breakfast was toast with jar and raspberry yogurt with strawberry slices. Following that, I was able to do some writing, but halted after a short while to guide Mom to the train station as she hadn’t paid attention on our previous trips and still “gets lost” here, making her desire a map of Levanto. Don’t know how much good that will be because in Firenze and Venezia we “got lost” because our maps were insufficient and didn’t label the streets, and for Roma, the piazza we were in. So to the station we went to buy our tickets to return to Roma tomorrow. That done we headed to the Bertolotto apartment for Zio James for our Castello walk and meet Enrica and family at the entrance door, who kindly called Zio James down for us.

Comune di Levanto map.

The Italiano home addition--the bathroom.

The only regret of the walk was that Mom had not cued into and passed on the “hour and a half” bit so we were without water for the hike. Passing the loggia Zio James highlighted a XIII-XIV century building of brick with marble arched windows that had been discovered, like most, during renovations that removed the inches of plaster and paint covering the building.

XIII-XIV century building.

 We walked past Chiesa di San Andrew, around the old city wall, and past the old quarry Zio James had already shown me the night of the concert. We did not spent much time looking at the Castello before continuing on our way on the original trail that lead to Monterosso before the train and highway. While up the hill, there were once again like the Rossola climb, some great views of Levanto and especially the vast ocean. The three of us walked to the edge of the houses, which is where the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre begins.

Mom and the old city wall.

Chiesa di San Andrew bell tower from outside the old city wall.

The path outside the old city walls towards the Castello.

The Castello.

We essentially talking about various things, like the eclectically decorated B&B we passed; a three-star hotel with a great patio and waterfall swimming pool as a great place to host a wedding reception; and how in that area Zio James would build his home and not live in Levanto with its noise. And it is quite peaceful there without the noise of the cars, scooters, and voices of vacationing people late at night. He also discussed a similar situation in Dublin with renovating historical homes and removing the plaster and paint to expose the original wood and stone which is also what he’d want to build his home of, not the poured cemented they currently employ.

Wall and part of the grounds of the eclectic B&B.

View of Levanto and Rossola.

Mom and Zio James on the path.

Part of the way was on road that Zio James use to attempt to run, he never made it the full distance without stopping, at 0600 in the morning following a dip in the ocean and returning home by 07000 which is when Zia Michela would be getting up. It is an exercise program could get behind myself living here. On our return to Levanto, we visited Piazza Cavour where the three Bertolotto daughters had taken their father Giovanni for his walk and read. When that concluded, all eight of us returned to our places for lunch. I prepared our usual and following our meal, wrote my last postcard of the trip to Mac and then attempted a siesta that was unsuccessful because of Mom’s shoring, which as been an annoyance some times at night but not during naps until now.

Lovely Italia.

Rolled up nets underneath olive trees.

A century plant and the sea.

We left for our last ocean beach trip around 1600 and proceeded to the sand beach where, after a few steps from the steps, Zio James whistled at us. So we once again joined them, and after some sunning on my part, and swimming on the part of the Carswell males, San Giacomo—Saint James—decided to perform a miracle through our James by finding my intact, if not ocean battered, glasses. San Giacomo must have been feeling benevolent and empowered with his festival being yesterday. After exclaiming over the find and me saying “on the third day they rose” we returned to our beach activities of sun bathing and swimming. The water was pretty much the same as yesterday, but I enjoyed my last dip in the ocean before returning to my sun worship. Mom was the one to spring for ice cream this beach visit, with her getting a lemon popsicle with a liquorish handled called Liperli at €1.30 [$1.7452] for a bar and I selected the €1.80 [$2.4165] Biscotto Cinque Stelle, a half chocolate covered, half ice cream sandwich bar. Following the treat was more sunning and the appearance of Heather, Stefano, and Elisa (Marco made his appearance when Nichola and I were buying the treats) and as the sun began to sink and I was more and more in shadow I declared the beach too cool and within minutes, because of the lateness, we all returned to our homes. Supper tonight was a co-op effort, with me preparing the meat filled past strained over the greens and Mom cooking the last zucchini in most of the butter as we did our best to empty the fridge of perishables. Afterwards, I boxed up the pieces of beach glass I had sorted before my nap attempt that I had selected to take home, with my road and ocean shells, and my first collection of pine nuts. Mom in the morning had already selected her desired stones and returned the unwanted ones to the beach during our visit.

Bertolotto Cova Apartment, Levanto
2200 EET

At the beach, we confirmed a 2030 visit to Betta’s to use the phone to call Dad to get him to arrange an appointment with Dr Diakow [optometrist] on Thursday the 29th. So we arrived just as Nichola and Elisa were departing for the movies, but were able to pass on our gifts of Saskatchewan landscape fridge magnets, Saskatoon jam and pins to Marco and Betta. The first gift to Betta given on our first visit, Hannigan’s creamed honey was a great success and I am to report back to Ruby and Murray, that Elisa who did not like honey now does—theirs anyway. We also gifted Zia Michela and Zio James with two glass water pitchers we had purchased today, to replace their lidless pitcher and pot system of keeping water cool in the refrigerator.

Marco had his laptop there and showed Zio and myself pictures on his Facebook page and his B&B website: www.bedandbreakfastmarco.com, and explained that the drawing on the gateway page and his brochures was a gift to him from a German woman that had stayed at his B&B four years ago—a drawing of the exterior building. During our walk to the train station, Mom had actually asked if I missed my laptop and I honestly missed it for being able to write out plots and other things, as well as read, well check for, some new J/S fanfic and read Femke’s updates. So, in a way, it’s the writing and reading I miss which Zio said during our Castello walk, is a good thing to miss a computer for as he himself wants to check the news, in particular the recent reaching scandal involving Ferrari. Mom borrowed the computer to check for any notices about flight changes from Air Canada and there were none.

The night’s big surprise was a small, and delicious, ice cream cake with a 5 and 0 candles for Mom’s fiftieth birthday. I sported it when depositing things in the kitchen as Zia was lighting the two candles and enthusiastically joined in singing Happy Birthday to Mom as Zia carried it into the dinning room. The cake was shared with those that could eat it and wine was poured for cheers, which I drank all of though the taste was not the greatest but it did not burn which is my benchmark. Giovanni, shortly after the song was sung appeared to wish Mom a happy birthday and us goodbye. As I worked on my two pieces of cake, I listened and watches as Zia and Betta began filling out a small family tree of the Bertolotto’s from Nichola back to the fifth generation. As Mom asked for dates when known, Zia will visit the cimiteri to gather more information and sent the sheet to us, and for our records, we photographed the page. After our visit and saying our final goodbyes to Betta and Marco, we returned to our rooms to first pack all the gifts and unneeded garments into my large black suitcase, and then I swept floors and Mom mopped. At 2245 we retired to bed, still with its fleece blanket, for our last sleep in Levanto. Like Mom, though I will happily return home, I am not eager to leave Italia let alone Levanto.