Creepy Italian Ducks

Today began with a plan: make it to Tuscania early in the morning for my second lesson on jewelry design. The day went however completely against the plan:

When I reached the bus station this morning, silly lil ole me went into the bus station—even though I already had my bus tickets—just to check and make sure I had the right time for my bus. As I was checking bus times, which bus should pull out of the parking lot? Oh yes, my bus. Rather than wait around for another hour and a half for the next bus, I decided to hop on the next bus and see where it took me.

Five minutes later I am sandwiched between a foggy window to my right and a plastic, graffiti-covered seat that doesn’t allow enough room for my legs.  Italians are generally short. The view was amazing. Spring is on the way and the fields are brilliantly green at the moment filled with grazing sheep. The bus took me through a town called Montefiscone, which is where one of the more famous wines we sampled in cuisine (Est Est Est!) is manufactured. Montefiscone is a beautiful town, but only a twenty minute ride away from Viterbo. I was feeling a little more adventurous, so I stayed on the warm bus.

Next stop was a town called Marta. Marta is beautiful and sits high above Lake Bolsena. An ancient tower appealed to me, but not enough for me to disembark.

Capodimonte brought me right to the water edge and I jumped off with a little, old woman carrying her groceries in one hand while clutching her head scarf tightly with the other. I walked into a café and ordered a sandwich and for a treat a donut. Capodimonte is the perfect town for a picnic, but seeing as I was alone, I enjoyed my sandwich on the water edge watching couples push strollers up and down the boardwalk and a little boy trying to real in his fishing line.

Exploring the town did not take long. I reached the top of the town—a little out of breath—within ten minutes of leaving the bus fermata. In Piazza della Rocca I found the town’s only fountain. Most of the cities I have traveled to are pockmarked by fountains, so I was surprised when I found the town’s only fountain was a very modern one (fourth picture down). There wasn’t anything else of interest in the piazza except for the phenomenal view of the lake below. I found a few little pathways down the side of the hill leading into the water. Sadly most of them once you came within 100 feet of the water, the paths became blocked off with Private Property signs. Although it was cold, I still wanted to dip my toes into the water—Italian Lake Water!

Walking through the town’s slopping, narrow paths I realized the only people I was seeing were older people. Down by the water’s edge I had seen the young ones playing on the play set near the water and throwing bread to the ducks, but here, in the ancient part of the town, I didn’t spot anyone under the age of eighty. The old men sat outside their homes, talking to one another from across the narrow streets as the apron-clad women walked back and forth glaring at their lazy husbands.

On every side of the peninsula, gardens dropped into Lake Bolsena. I was able to walk down one area—which resembled an amphitheater (picture right below)—right up to the water’s edge where I could see the boats parked for the day at the dock across the small harbor.

The docks were in the sun, so as I made my way back to the bus stop, I enjoyed the warmth and the view of the sailboats as I walked up and down the dock. Ducks were out and about and began to follow me thinking I must have food for them. I noticed a different kind of duck in the water, one I had never seen before. It was….a creepy Italian duck! Look!

Capodimonte will be an excellent place to go to for a little quite time once it warms up a bit.

   And what day trip would be complete without a gelato (although the zuppa di inglese tasted a bit like eggnog)?