ANCONA AND ATRI

Nov. 14, 2024

B&B La Grancia, Chiaravalle, Italy

Even the best of trips contain off days. This one started with an annoying tapping seemingly coming from my neighbor’s room. When I finally looked out the window, I realized that it was raining … hard. My plan to walk the 1.2 miles across Pesaro to the station wasn’t going to work. This concept was reinforced by the fact that one of my suitcase wheels blew apart while crossing the hotel lobby. Never buy a suitcase with “tires” on its wheels!

Suitcase Blowout

I took a taxi to the station in the pouring rain. There were no ticket machines in the station in Pesaro, but a uniformed agent printed my ticket for the regional train while I was waiting in line. That was pretty slick. It was cold, but the platform was dry and the elevator was working. My nice Patagonia raincoat, however, was rapidly giving up the ghost and I left a trail of white “dandruff” as the waterproofing flaked off. I still think of it as new, but I guess it’s probably 12 or 13 years old.

I had been waiting for half an hour and was pretty damp and cold by the time the train arrived. Italian trains really do run on time. The ride to Ancona took about 45 minutes. I never really got warm. We headed south and the second half of the trip was right along the coast, close enough that one storm like we have in the Pacific would have washed out the tracks.

I had reserved a rental car at the Ancona station. I was supposed to meet them at noon. I arrived at 11:15. Google Maps made it look like they would meet me in the parking lot across from the station. It was pouring rain and I got pretty wet while looking for the office and then deciding they were just going to meet me with the car. About 11:45, they tried to call me. It took four tries before I successfully managed to answer their call. It turned out that they did have an office at the far end of the station building, on the outside. One of their employees waved me down and I got wetter dragging my defective bag a block down the street.

Rainy Ancona

I had tried to reserve a Renault Captur, a car I had enjoyed driving in Portugal. Instead, of all things, I got a diesel Jeep. Ancona is a big city and most of the historic parts were destroyed during WWII. I didn’t relish the idea of driving an unfamiliar, stick-shift car through city traffic in the rain. I decided to head out of town towards my B&B. The only problem with that was that check-in was not until 17:00 and it was only just after noon.

Watching It Rain at Palombina

It was easy enough to take the coast road north out of town. The Jeep was easy to drive. At Palombina, I pulled into the parking lot for the train station and sat there for an hour watching it pour rain. There was a nice beach, but there was no way I was getting out of my dry car. When I started to get colder, I decided it would be a good idea to go back to the McDonald’s I had passed to try to get a decent sized cup of hot coffee and use the restroom. The McDonald’s was in a section of Ancona called Torrette. It was a modern area. I found the McDonald’s easily, but it took quite awhile to find a parking space and, when I did, it was a tricky parallel parking spot on a sharp curve. Fortunately, I grew up in San Francisco.

McDonalds' Coffee in Italy

The McDonald’s was packed. They used electronic kiosks to order and pay. That was okay with me because computers speak English. Ordering food was simple, but getting a cup of coffee was not. Coffee was not an option with a combo. Nor was it to be found under beverages. Eventually, I found the McCafé option. I just wanted a coffee big enough to warm my hands. I’m not a big coffee drinker. I ordered a decaf American coffee and hoped. I began to worry when they delivered my food and asked me if I wanted my coffee now or later. Practically shivering, I told her, “Now.” When my coffee came, it was served in a maybe six ounce ceramic cup. At least the cup was warm. There was no cream available. My dream of familiar coffee was dashed. I had Googled a Starbuck’s and found the nearest ones were in Florence. At least the hamburger was normal and they did have a restroom.

B&B La Grancia

Back on the road, I headed towards my B&B in Chiaravalle. I had been unable to find an affordable hotel in Ancona and I think that was fortunate, as the city was not attractive. The Grancetta neighborhood of Chiaravalle is located on the side of a hill a few kilometers from the coast. It was still raining, so I didn’t feel like exploring. I arrived at the B&B at 15:00. I found a parking spot across the street. I was prepared to sit there for two hours, if necessary. At least I was dry. At 15:30, Filippo, the host, texted me to ask me when I would arrive. I told him I was already there and would like to check in at his earliest convenience. He was kind enough to let me in slightly before 16:00. The room was nice and there was abundant heat. Coffee options were all tiny, but there was an electric kettle and I was able to prepare the Nescafe cappuccino I had brought in a small mug. I was happy and out of the rain.

Nov. 15, 2024
B&B La Grancia, Chiaravalle, Italy

Grancetta

Lovely Home in Grancetta

The Church in Grancetta

Private Road in Grancetta

There was no rush to get started, but I left the B&B a little after 9:00 and went for a walk around Grancetta. There wasn’t much to see. Grancetta consists of some very nice homes perched on top of a hill and surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and fallow fields. It wasn’t very big. I had hoped to find the restaurants recommended by my host, but discovered that none of them were nearby. I was back in less than an hour and spent the remainder of the morning working on my blog.

About noon, I set off in the car to locate a shopping mall. My suitcase wheel had fallen apart, my backpack was on its last legs, my raincoat lining was disintegrating, and I had discovered a hole in my black sweater. With nothing else to do in the Ancona area, I decided to go shopping for replacements. Google Maps recommended the Centro Commerciale Conero on the other side of Ancona. It took about half an hour to get there. I had some trouble locating it and stopped at a big supermarket on the way. I bought salami, bruschetta, peccorino, fruit, and some single serving wine boxes. Then I reoriented myself and continued on my way.

Centro Commerciale Conero

The Centro Commerciale Conero was a hideous orange and yellow monstrosity on the outside, but was nice enough within. The Christmas decorations were exceptionally nice. I walked around the entire mall. I picked up some hand lotion and decaf Nescafe in the grocery store and a zebra striped turtleneck, but couldn’t find any of the items I was looking for. 

Xmas Decorations in the Mall

After touring the mall, I ate a picnic lunch in my car and then asked Google where to find a luggage store. It directed me to a nearby store called Globo. Globo was an enormous store that seemed like a cross between Walmart and Big Five Sporting Goods. I could have gone crazy in there if I hadn’t been limited by what I could carry. I did find a decent backpack, nice black sweater, and a serviceable suitcase on sale for 50% off. The raincoat was the only item I couldn’t find. My friend, Mary Nell, and I had failed to find one for her in Portugal, either. Either lightweight rain shells are not sold in Europe or they are not sold in the fall. I would have to look for one in the United States.

Inside the Globo

I packed my loot into the car and drove back to the B&B, returning about 16:00. I spent the evening practicing the mandolin, reading and writing. My stay in Ancona had been practical and relaxing but I hoped Atri would be more interesting.




Nov. 16, 2024
Condo in Borgo Santa Maria Immacolata, Italy

I left the B&B in Grancetta about 9:30 and headed south towards Atri. The first half hour was familiar ground. I drove slowly through the hills and fields between Grancetta and Ancona. There was a lot of road work in process. Italians are not crazy drivers. Actually, they are very polite and don’t take wild chances like Mexican drivers do. However, they completely ignore posted speed limits, which are unrealistically slow.

Traffic on SS16

I was following SS16. I had decided not to take the toll road because I had lots of time to kill and wanted to see as much as possible. Toll roads are fast, but tend to bypass towns. Once I reached the coast past Ancona, traffic slowed to a crawl. It was Saturday and everyone was out doing errands. The sun had come out and I had to stop and shed a couple of layers. The coast of La Marche had been developed fairly recently. The highway was lined with pink, yellow, and orange condos and strip malls. It looked basically the same from somewhere north of Civitanova all the way to Pineto where I turned off. The highway parallelled the coast, which looked much as it had in Rimini and Pesaro. Inland, low hills covered with olive trees rose to the west. Somewhere beyond those hill were the Appenines where I was headed next. I saw two or three churches, but not much else of interest.

About an hour before I arrived at my condo, I stopped at a McDonald’s for lunch. The combination of quick food, parking, and a restroom was irresistable. It seemed irresistable to the Italians, too, as the place was packed. I saw a lot of McDonald’s along my route. Fast food seemed to be catching on in Italy. I even saw one Burger King.

My Condo in Pineto

The condo was the first floor of a duplex in the Borgo Santa Maria Immacolata section of Pineto. The landlady lived upstairs. It was nice enough, although I would have preferred an actual couch to the two daybeds in the living room. The heat seemed to work and there was a (tiny) washing machine. There wasn’t a dryer or drying rack, so my laundry was hung all over the place. The neighborhood was dull. I considered driving up the hill to Atri, but decided to stay in and do laundry so it would have time to dry. I was reluctant to give up my parking space.

Only Beds to Sit on in the Living Room

The internet didn’t work and I had very little data coverage, which made it impossible to work on my blog. I did a little writing and uploaded photos to my computer so I could work on it the next time I had internet. The landlady was out, but promised to drop by later and I hoped she could get the internet working. The router seemed to be in her unit.

Nov. 17, 2024
Condo in Borgo Santa Maria Immacolata, Italy

The landlady showed up and got the internet working, but it continued to be weak. She also pulled a drying rack out of a locked spare bedreeom,  The internet worked through Saturday evening, but was intermittant by Sunday.

View from the Atri Belvedere

Somewhat concerned about parking in Atri (Hill towns are notoriously cramped.), I left before 9:00 and drove the 8 kilometers uphill before breakfast. There was a large parking lot along the road that circled the town and I found a spot easily. The view from what they call the Belvedere was stunning. The tall peaks of the Appennines were covered with snow and the trees were in fall color. I could see the entire sweep of Abruzzo from the peaks to the Adriatic.

The Atri Cathedral

My first mission was breakfast. I climbed up to the cathedral square and had a cappuccino and a lemon crème filled donut in a the Cathedral Cafe. Once again, I had gone to visit a cathedral on Sunday morning. I made sure to check out the interior before it closed for the 11:00 mass. The church was built in the thirteenth century and occupies the site of a Roman bath. It was the first cathedral I had seen where steps led down into the nave from the main portal. Frescoes were peeling off the walls and columns, but the 15th century frescoes by Andrea Delitio in the apse were still in good condition. The baptismal font was in the process of restoration.

Frescoes in the Atri Cathedral 

The Theater in Atri

Atri Theater Interior

Across the plaza from the cathedral was the theater. Despite its small size, it was renowned for its acoustics. Diagonally across the square from the theater was the fourteenth century Church of Sant’Agostino which is now used as an auditorium. The church had a striking tower, distinguished by its colorful tile ornaments. I really wanted to photograph the tower, but it was impossible to get far enough away from it without the view being blocked. I circled the area in vain.

Sant'Agostino Tower

The next church I came upon was San Francesco. It had a quaint grotto with a statue of the virgin hiding underneath its entrance steps. A bit further on was another plaza fronting the Ducal 

Grotto Under San Francesco

San Francesco

Palace, now used as the city hall and police station. During the 12th and 13th centuries the Guelphs, who supported the Pope, and the Ghibellines, who supported the Holy Roman Emperor, were struggling for power in the city-states of central and northern Italy. It was this division that caused the famous feud between the Montagues and the Capulets in Verona. The duke who built the palace in Atri was so at odds with the citizens of the town that his family was never able to live there until the Spanish came to power in the area.

The Ducal Palace/City Hall

There was a large crowd standing around outside the church of San Nicolo. This seemed to be the popular church on Sunday morning. All of the other churches had been deserted. I didn’t get a chance to see inside. I could barely squeeze past to keep walking.

Santa Rita

Santa Rita Interior

Near the city walls, I stopped into the Santuario di Santa Rita, a pretty little church with an oddly two-dimensional bell tower. Atri was a city of bells. It seemed as if they rang continuosly.

I passed through the city walls and climbed down a staircase to begin my walk to the Calanchi (Gullies) di Atri Natural Reserve. The park was located a mile outside of town and had a good view of Atri, as well as the Appennines. The local soil was composed of just the right combination of clay and sand to erode the steep valleys into badlands. I elected to walk the four-mile loop trail that descended to the bottom of the gullies and then climbed back up the far side. The sign said the trail had an average grade of 17%. It was a workout. The path led down through vineyards and olive groves with majestic peaks in the distance. It was gorgeous. The steepest sections of the road were paved, no doubt to prevent them from becoming as eroded as the badlands. The reserve was maintained by the World Wildlife Fund.  A small shrine protected a cylindrical stone that was reputed to have healing properties.

Snowy Peaks in the Distance

 

The Stone Shrine

After hauling myself back up out of the valley, I still had another mile to walk back to my car. My knee seemed to have healed and my foot wasn’t any worse. I definitely felt fitter. The hard beds and lack of ergonomic chairs were doing a number on my back, however. I was reduced to wearing a back brace every waking hour. I walked around the periphery of Atri and enjoyed the view on my way back to my car.

  

Pines at Pineto al Mare

Sandbagged Beach Club

The Beach at Pineto

I was hungry after my exertions. I returned to my condo and looked around the neighborhood for a restaurant. The only open restaurant had a bunch of old men arguing inside, so I got back in the car and drove down to Pineto. I parked and walked around the town. It was deserted on a Sunday afternoon. None of the restaurants were open. The only sustenance I could find was gelato. I had a small cup and walked down to the pine bordered beach. There was no food there, either. The beach clubs were closed up and protected by humongous sandbags. The path along the beach would have been a great place to walk if I hadn’t already walked six miles. I headed back to my car and went to the grocery store to buy soup and salad for dinner.