d met in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Gary was talking to one of the hotel workers, and up until then they were always polite and helpful, but not overly friendly. Gary mentioned to him that we were going to Valle Vaccaro to see the home where our Grandfather grew up. As soon as they found out that we were "of the De Federicis family" and that our Grandfather was from Abruzzo, they couldn't do enough for us and they were suddenly much more friendly! It was funny! The family arrived with several cars to take us all up into the mountains, and that's when we found out that Zia Evalina was not feeling well. It was a very sad situation because we all wanted to see Valle Vaccaro, and we were so disappointed that Zia Evalina was thinking of not going. Both Joyce and Annette immediately said they would stay behind with her, but Joyce and Zia Evalina insisted that Annette should go since this is what she had been waiting for and the main reason she wanted to come to Italy. So Joyce said she would stay with her, but Debbie insisted that she be the one to stay behind since it was important to all of us, and she was the only one not related to the De Federicis family. We all felt bad and we all knew it was very thoughtful of Debbie to volunteer. So we left them behind and got in the cars and left for Valle Vaccaro.We rode for a long time up twisting and turning roads higher and higher into the Appennine Mountains and through the Gran Sasso National Park until we arrived in a little town called Frattoli, which is close to Valle Vaccaro. We all got out of the cars in Frattoli and walked through the streets and along the stone walkways to an ancient 14th Century church called Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista. The h
ouses along the way were all very pretty, and everyone seemed to be watching us out their shuttered windows and knew we were "the Americans". We saw some cats and a white Abruzzo Shepherd, which Francesco told us was one of his favorite breeds of dogs. We arrived at the church, and went inside. It was very small, and very rustic with many homemade statues and icons that were all very old. We spent a long time inside looking at everything, and what was especially interesting was the small roo
m off of the main room that had a skeleton with a scapel over a doorway. It seemed very strange to see something so gothic inside of a church, but Rossella and Angela explained to us that it symbolizes the entry into the other world after death and that you leave all your material things behind. We went outside and walked behind the church. The outside of the church was beautiful, and the scenery of the mountains and valleys all around us was even more beautiful! It was a beautiful day, and Luigi and Carla decided to make a picni
c out of it and laid down a blanket and enjoyed the sun. We all stood looking at the view, and Angela showed us the walnuts that could be found on the ground. She found two rocks and used them to crack open the walnuts. They were so fresh and delicious and we ate all the ones we could find. When we couldn't find any more, they decided to try to pick some from the tree. The branches were too high, so someone tried tossing the end of their backpack up onto the tree branches to pull them down so we could reach the walnuts. Instead, the backpack got stuck up in the tree where no one could reach it. Since Rossella was so tiny, all the guys boosted 
her up to get the backpack. It was funny - but also scary since all this was taking place on the edge of a mountain!
We had been at the church for a long time, but then we were told it was time to leave since a service was going to st
art. As we were leaving, the bell ringer came out and pulled the long ropes to ring the three large beautiful bells at the top of the church. It sounded so beautiful and it was a great way to end our time at this ancient church in the mountains.
We were now on our way to see Grandpa's family home that he left when he was only 15 years old, never to return and never knowing that his grandchildren would be arriving in 2007!!!
ouses along the way were all very pretty, and everyone seemed to be watching us out their shuttered windows and knew we were "the Americans". We saw some cats and a white Abruzzo Shepherd, which Francesco told us was one of his favorite breeds of dogs. We arrived at the church, and went inside. It was very small, and very rustic with many homemade statues and icons that were all very old. We spent a long time inside looking at everything, and what was especially interesting was the small roo
m off of the main room that had a skeleton with a scapel over a doorway. It seemed very strange to see something so gothic inside of a church, but Rossella and Angela explained to us that it symbolizes the entry into the other world after death and that you leave all your material things behind. We went outside and walked behind the church. The outside of the church was beautiful, and the scenery of the mountains and valleys all around us was even more beautiful! It was a beautiful day, and Luigi and Carla decided to make a picni
c out of it and laid down a blanket and enjoyed the sun. We all stood looking at the view, and Angela showed us the walnuts that could be found on the ground. She found two rocks and used them to crack open the walnuts. They were so fresh and delicious and we ate all the ones we could find. When we couldn't find any more, they decided to try to pick some from the tree. The branches were too high, so someone tried tossing the end of their backpack up onto the tree branches to pull them down so we could reach the walnuts. Instead, the backpack got stuck up in the tree where no one could reach it. Since Rossella was so tiny, all the guys boosted 
her up to get the backpack. It was funny - but also scary since all this was taking place on the edge of a mountain!
We had been at the church for a long time, but then we were told it was time to leave since a service was going to st
art. As we were leaving, the bell ringer came out and pulled the long ropes to ring the three large beautiful bells at the top of the church. It sounded so beautiful and it was a great way to end our time at this ancient church in the mountains.We were now on our way to see Grandpa's family home that he left when he was only 15 years old, never to return and never knowing that his grandchildren would be arriving in 2007!!!
SEE: A Visit to Grandpa's 17th Century Home
1 comment:
we read your lovely account of Frattoli a little while ago & finally we made it up there for a Sunday walk - what a stunning town in Autumn. You can read our account here
http://www.lifeinabruzzo.com/frattoli-dizzy-gastro-walking/
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