I have been staying at Casa Debbio during lockdown. I go down the mountain once a week to shop and have made a couple of trips to our apartment in Ponte a Serraglio. I have not been walking around Vergemoli because I thought that the older residents might be wary of a foreigner wandering about.
Yesterday I decided it was time to spread my wings a little and take a walk to Vergemoli. I need not have worried, everyone I passed was happy to chat. It was great to see the village looking pretty in spring.
The road from our house comes out beside a pretty little church.
I walked through the arch formed by the plane trees.
My nearest neighbour has a lovely garden.
His cherry tree is laden with almost ripe cherries.
He also has the best garden shed.
His potatoes are growing well.
There are some very pretty gardens in Vergemoli. Every available space is filled with plants.
A lovely lady who is in her 90s lives in the house below. Her garden was the inspiration for mine. I looked carefully at what she had growing. I thought that if she could grow it then I could. She has Banksia roses, acanthus and she has beautiful peonies, my favourite flowers. I now have 70 thriving peony plants and 40 babies I have grown from seed.
You can see our house from a couple of spots.
Like all villages in Italy Vergemoli has some great doorways.
Even an abandoned doorway with a couple of weeds in front has charm.
The drinking fountains have a similar style.
I love this little niche.
I walked through the village to the last house at the bottom.
They must have a great view from the front of the house.
There are stunning views from many vantage points.
On the way back to Casa Debbio an elderly man called to me from the balcony of the palazzo in the centre of town. It was bought by the village and turned into a meeting place with kitchen for village gatherings with some accommodation for back packers. There is also a shop open 6 days a week. It is an excellent project and a credit to the people of Vergemoli.
The man called out and asked me who I was. I replied that I am the Australian with the house up the hill. He relied “La signora con i fiori “ the lady with the flowers. How nice to be know for that.
Vergemoli is a beautiful mountain village. It now has fewer than 100 permanent residents. In summer it swells to 3 times that number when original residents return to their family houses to see relatives and friends. There is a small group of foreigners, many from Denmark. I have always been made welcome here and am often invited to join village celebrations…I love it.
From tomorrow many restrictions will be lifted in Italy. Bars, restaurants and shops will be open, with social distancing measures in place. We will be able to travel a little more freely. Travel will be relaxed a bit more on 4th June. The numbers of people contracting the virus are dropping and let’s hope that continues. Everyone is looking forward to the reopening with some trepidation.
I have been busy making plans to dine out with friends…more on that soon.