We are enjoying our time in Monforte, however we have decided to seek an injuction with the Mayor of the village to stop the motorcycles coming in on the weekends! It is unbelievable, they are sooooo noisy , and there are soooooo many of them! That is our only complaint we have…..so far anyway!

 

We are still having our usual cappuccino at our local

 

We are gaining an understanding of the variety and more importantly, the quality of the wine grown in the area.

It is still a bit daunting to be presented with a 38 page wine list at dinner , with a price range of 20 euros to 800 euros!

We visited the village of Barolo, above,  which is apparently where the first Barolo wines were made by the Marquise Falletti.

The Falletti Castello in Barolo is now a Wine Museum , and throughout the region there are many references , ( and Palaces ) to the Falletti Family!

 

Pierre is handling the narrow winding roads well, nothing to do with Greg’s driving of course! Pierre has even had an Italian car wash!

We checked out the village of La Morra where the first wines were made in 1400…….by the Falletti family! Greg decided to do some black and whites , just for a change!

It is another Medieval village, again perched on the top of a hill, with a great Belvedere, with a fantastic view!

We decided to test Greg’s knees , and do a walk to Serralunga d’Alba, it was a 5 km hike up and down through the vineyards.

It was a fairly strenuous walk, but well worth the effort, as we rambled through the vineyards and marveled at the countryside.

Serralunga is another typical Medieval village, changed very little since the Old Times!

 

The FALLETTI Castello dates back to the first half of the 14th Century! We are thinking that this Falletti Family is the Packer or Rinehart Family of today! The Castle was impressive from the outside , but closed , so we need to return to go inside and check it out!

 

 

Of course Greg’s knees needed a GOOD rest so it was  a good excuse for a lunch stop!

It took us a little longer to return home , and at one stage Rhonda thought that she was going to have to piggy back Greg home!

However we made it……..JUST……..and after packing Greg’s knees in ice, and drinking a few beers he recovered!

So was it the ice or the beer??????????????????

We ventured into Bra for a “lunch date”, another Medieval town. We loved the Town hall, above, remodeled in the 18th Century.

 

More ABC’S too. We were impressed with the ceiling in the Church of Saint Clair built in 1742.

 

 

 

Bra is famous for it’s sausage! So of course we had to try it!

It is a gourmet sausage made of lean veal , and we finished our lunch with coffee and cake in true Italian style!

We are eating at “home” too and enjoying lunches of melon, prosciutto, parmigiano, and peppers! YUM!!!!!

We were also invited to our Landlord, Elena’s home for lunch! It was fantastic. She cooked us a traditional Piedmont lunch all washed down with local wine and grappa! Yummy!

In typical Italian style, after lunch we partook of a little siesta! When in Rome………

We visited the village of Grizane Cavour and went through the Medieval Castle. The tower dates back to the 13th century , and the main body to the 16th century! The best part was the Hall of Masks with it’s wooden ceiling constructed in 1547.

So as you can see, we are still having a great time, although missing everyone at home…..especially our little Abigail! We hope she remembers Nanny and Poppy when we get home!

So it is Friday night and we are going for a pizza for dinner!

Ciao for now

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxx