After a tranquil drive through the mountains, we arrived at Hotel Alisma in Alfedena looking like “Zombies Invade Italy”. But I was not about to let a slight lack of sleep interfere with my vacation. After a quick nap, we made ourselves presentable and headed out into town. There were lots of people around as it is still vacation season so we enjoyed strolling up and down the street taking in the wonderful atmosphere of Italy.
The local bar was overflowing (bar is a coffee house/gelato shop as opposed to a saloon, but this one did have adult beverages, which was a plus because restaurants had not yet opened. I walked up to the counter to order two wines, when the owner looked at me and said something in Italian that sounded like “Is your name Myra?” Now you understand that I’m a student of Italian, but still learning. So I think to myself, whatever this fellow is saying to me, he sure said a word that sounded like Myra. And then he said, “Myra… Facebook”. WHAT!!! Are you kidding me? They know me in Alfedena! It turns out that he is Giacomo Campana, a member of a FB group that I belong to of descendants of Alfedena. What a surprise to meet him. Giacomo is also a great photographer. http://www.giacomocampana.com
But that’s not all. While Dennis and I are people watching enjoying our wine, I see a woman stroll by across the street and recognize her as the concierge of the hotel three years ago when Lindsay and I were here. She was so nice and helpful to us. So I jumped up, ran over and tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Luisa, sono Myra dagli Stati Uniti.” And then the hugs began.
Luisa joined our table to meet Dennis, and Giacomo came over to chat. Then the pictures started. It was becoming apparent that the Americans had arrived and everybody wanted in. Giacomo invited us back in the morning for coffee. I can’t wait.
Alfedena AQ 