Sunday, September 25, 2016

Hilltops, and Towers, and Castles, Oh My!

(with apologies to The Wizard of Oz)



As Carol and Roger traveled through the Piemonte, they ran across so many beautiful images that just didn't fit in our previous blog posts.



So, we'd like to share this portfolio of photos with all of you.













We'll start with the ruins of the castle and tower that overlooked the town of Cortemilia.

















The castle and monastery above the town of Prunetto.









You get no sense of how really huge these medieval castles are....
















...until you stand next to them.















The church in Cessole seemed pasted to the side of a hill.













In the year 1050, some monks built the first bridge over the Bormida River.  The stationed a toll keeper in the white building in the upper right corner of the photo.

With the tolls collected, they were able to build and maintain....








...this monastery...



...which, over time, grew into the town of Monasterio Bormida.














A pretty little balcony in the town of Perletto.











Our final stop in the Piemonte was the town of Monforte d' Alba...the base for our Barolo adventures.








These are some of the 11 villages that make up the Barolo wine country...









Grinzane Cavour (the castle where Count Cavour lived)







Serralunga d' Alba
















The view from the hiking path between Monforte and Barolo.

















The town of Barolo, surrounded by its bread and butter.














Castiglione Falletto.









La Morra.














A loggia overflowing with petunias.














The vineyards had an ordered geometry to them that is very pleasing to the eye.












A grizzled veteran of many years of wine production.




















The old and the new.






And finally, there was our lunch stop at the small osteria in the town of Arguello.


There was only one thing on the menu...tagliatelle with porcini sauce....


And the customer had to hand pick the porcini.














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