Fred works Mondays through Thursdays here in Viterbo, so we have three days in a row to ourselves. Friday we hit three small towns under an hour’s drive away in Lazio: Corchiano, Fabrica di Roma and Civita Castellana. Most likely we won’t be going back to them, but it was interesting enough. When we get to a town, we walk around together for a while, then separate for Fred to go make a sketch, and for me to find a coffee shop and work or blog or sort and edit photos or nag the boys via Facebook Messenger or pay their tuitions…. or all five. I’ve been freelancing as an art director for all but one year of the ten we’ve been coming here, and it would not be good business to turn down work for the month. It’s good though. I don’t like relaxing unless I’ve worked some to earn it.
Corchiano is too small to be on this map, but the others are there.
Most of the cats live outdoors and are scrawny, weepy-eyed and flea-ridden, but once in a while there is a loved-by-humans one—flea collar and all! I love their faces.
A rare door left open to this courtyard. Corchiano.
Thank you very much!
These are ruins we roamed looking for a good spot for Fred to draw. See Fred midway up, halfway from the middle toward the left.
Some artist ex-pats in Civita Castellana. Friends of a friend. Small world.
There were two guys in this tractor, one teaching the other.
Fred doing what he does.
At the end of the last town of each day trip we meet up and have a drink in a piazza. Yesterday was a spritz and a beer at the Grande Café in Civita Castellana (big white building with the flag). Free peanuts and chips, too :) The funniest thing is when we get to these towns, we wind and wind and wind our way up to the centro (the historic center of town)—having learned never to grab a spot too early because the walk can be miles!—and every so often we realize, once we're there and the main piazza opens up to us, that we've been to this town before. Such was the case in Castellana. But it's nice to know where to have that drink.
We got home around 8:30 and went out for dinner at 9:30. AMAAAAAAAZING dinner around the corner from our place.
Pappardelle, asparagus and pig cheek (guanciale).
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