Day 17: Levanto to Venezia via Fugazzolo di Sopra

Another delicious and filling breakfast to start the day. We packed our bags in earnest for the long road ahead. We had just got everything sorted when Auds noticed that one of our kobos (I refused to buy a kindle for the same inexplicable reason I wholeheartedly despise apple) was missing. The room was basically empty, and neither of us had packed them. Brief panic. Standard annoying question - where did you last have it? Retracing our steps we remembered having it at the cafe for dinner the night before. Unable to find a contact number we had to drop by and see if some kindly soul had handed it in.

So we returned to Bonassola, only a 45 minute walk, but probably a 25 minute drive given the slow and windy roads. Forethought probably would have suggested that my cycling there and back would be the most efficient approach, but we were both keen to get going so we jumped into the Oopi and wound our way to the scene of the crime.

Fortunately our waitress from the night before had collected the kobo while clearing the table. She didn't sound too impressed when we came asking for it though. I guess she thought we just been passing through and probably wouldnt see us again, would have been a nice little tip for her. We got back in the car and checked the with our navagatrix - 1.5 hours via autostrada or 2 hours taking the alternative route. Not in a hurry? Save some cash? Yes thanks.

Queueing in Bonassola. Awesome.

The most direct route was back to Levanto before heading inland, but of course nothing is ever that simple. We came across a closed intersection manned by the Carabinieri. The road is closed for the next hour. Not quite sure why, some sort of public event. If we'd been just five minutes earlier the road had been open. Dammit. So we turn around, again, head back up the road and find a quiet spot overlooking the town. Enjoying the view, we have a quick snack, read, catch up on some blogging, etc. 45 minutes later we head back for the closed road to find a massive queue, it was a relief at least  know why. Almost another hour later the road finally reopened, apparently a cycle race was on, but there were a lot of stragglers causing the delay. Hmm, maybe we should have taken the autostrada, we're a little more pressed for time now. 

Also this insane fog and black clouds had rolled in, making the twisty mountain roads almost invisible. Safe. 

Ten minutes later we were in it...

Auds overriding the occasional instruction we followed the roads through towns that basically consisted of a cafe and a house. Cafe wasn't open of course, it was perpetual siesta. Eventually we reached Fugazzolo,  Audrey's ancestral italian homeland. The streets weren't really wide enough for a car to pass through; and although that hadnt stopped us in Salerno we decided not to push our luck and parked just outside the village. Set on a hill in the middle of what seemed like a rather panoramic nowhere, the place seemed to stop and stare when we ambled through looking distinctly non-local. We spent an hour or so walking around (probably in circles) admiring the quaintness and isolation of the small town.

I think I see it ...

Fugazzolo !!

We visited the church where we think Auds' great-grandparents were married, and the cemetery where there only seemed to be about three different surnames in the whole place. Old men with pipes stood in the middle of the street, chatting idly and regarding us carefully. I think at some point we wandered into someone's backyard, and somehow stumbled upon the only person in town who actually spoke English.

It turned out that Karina had spent most of her life in Switzerland, hence the language proficiency, but had returned to Fugazzolo in her retirement. She asked if she could help (ie, why were we in her yard) and we tried to explain we were looking for someone who may have known or remembered any of Aud's relatives.

Auds great grandmother had left for New York alone as an indentured servant in her teens, returning some years later for her childhood sweetheart, and they married and sailed together back to New York. There were undoubtedly many branches of that family tree still in the Fugazzolo hills though.

Thanks for your help, Karina :)

Karina's reaction and the ensuing ten minutes had to be witnessed to be believed, and was quite a surreal experience. She led us to a nearby house and started rattling on one of the windows calling Maria! Maria!!, all the while asking us for more details of Auds bisnonna Margherita. Husbands name, age, etc. Maria didn't show but another old woman threw open the shutters on her second story window and got involved, then the priest and his granddaughter came by, before half a dozen more locals popped out. Thirteen in all, standing in this tiny little village street. True story. None of them remembered Margherita (not unexpected, she was born in 1885) but they were all happy to talk at once about how they didn't know, and ask multiple times if we were sure her name was not Maria? Periodically, the woman leaning out her window would shout Aspetta!! (Wait) as if she had remembered something. She would then pause dramatically and say no, no, no. No Margherita. 

We thanked them all, said goodbye to Karina, and wandered through the cemetery before heading off.

I would have killed for a chicken parma at this stage...

We then took a few more pictures and headed for Venice. Well, more specifically, Mogliano Veneto, the cheaper town inland where you can stay if you don't have 300 to spend on housing each night. Mogliano Veneto is also apparently quite popular for its nightlife, as we learned when driving in, casually passing multiple ladies of the night, easily distinguishable by their bright stilettos, microscopic skirts, etc. 

Our feeling of comfort only increased as we drove up to our destination, which looked like this. 

On the bright side, as advertised, they serve Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine, sometimes in fusion. Great. We were too exhausted to brave the prossies, so we braved the food instead. Fifteen minutes later, Auds came up with a dubious tray of what looked like 4 alien shrimp still with heads and swimming in watery juice, small pile of minced chicken and salted cabbage. Everything was swimming in salt. We were so hungry we ate it all anyway, and passed out-- door locked. One point was regained for having a nice shower though.