Our next stop was staying at the Villa Castellani on a hillside near town of Mogliano, a diamond in a hidden gem of a region. Family-owned and managed, it could not be a more welcoming spot. Mogliano is a commune (village) located about a 4-hour drive south of Verona, past Bologna and Ancona.

From here we did ½ day adventures to several hilltop towns, seaside resort towns, and even hiked for 2 hours in a natural reserve park atop Monte Conero. We were up so high that the clouds blocked the view of the sea below. But the trail, we discovered after the walk, is intermediate hiking with rocky paths, steep inclines/declines and the need for hiking boots. We were so tired out that we took a ½ mile path down the cliff to the beach area of Sirolo, which looked inviting. We finally made it, swam and slept under beach umbrellas, before trying the dreaded hike back up to the car. About one block in the climb, a city bus appears to take beach goers back to the city. We were so thankful.

That night we go into Mogliano’s 1774 Costume Festival, very similar to our Fourth of July, complete with fireworks at midnight. The town elders and VIPs, all in George Washington-type costumes, parade around the cobbled streets of the village visiting all 5 neighborhoods. In reality, the neighborhoods are only about 1 block from each other. Everyone in town joined the parade led by drummer boys and the costume group. At each neighborhood, we stopped for drinks and food. Acrobats, street musicians, carousels, and many other festive events enlivened that night.

We also visited an old abbey, Monastero d’Fiastra, and heard monks in brown and white robes chanting in their chapel. We did a self tour of the underground cantina where the wine barrels, food, and water were stored and then walked the nature trails around the massive Riserva Naturale surrounding the monastery.

We used the pool at the villa at least twice each day, then napped in the hammock or read on the peaceful grounds. Our balcony room overlooked rolling hills of bright sunflowers and farms.

The meals at the villa (again, no menu) and around here were some of the best ever and featured items such as papardelle with a duck ragu, melon and proscuitto, carpaccio served with riculo (rockets), and duck gnocchi. Each day we had some sort of pizza also. Dinners start at 8:00 pm and by 9:00 pm, the tables were all full. The standard presentation is an antipasto, then a primo piatta (usually the pasta dish), a secondi piatta, and dessert and coffee. It is no surprise the meals go 2-3 hours. Our evening time line was altered since we usually are in bed during the 9 o’clock hour, but we saw 11:30 -12:00 eight days in a row! What a pleasure to see no McDonalds or TV. Evening meal time is for the family and people gathering.
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On previous trips bottled water was always natural or “gassata” everywhere. This time everyone called it “frizzante.” Joan kept thinking they were talking about her hair. Ice cubes were non existent in this area.

We especially liked the seaside town of Grottammare, a resort town with a palm tree lined boardwalk separating the sandy beach activities from the 19th century villas overlooking the sea. It reminded us of Miami’s South Beach without Art Deco. We could have spent 4-5 days there easily.

Other stops included the hilltop towns of Moresco, Petriolo, Campofilone, Tolentino, and the famous intact medieval town of Ascoli Piceno.