Our Italian Adventure Continues: Envisioning Life in Another Century

Like traveling vagabonds, on Tuesday, Douglas and I made our first long-distance foray, a two-hour drive (both ways) to see the remains of a Roman city. The excavation is ongoing, but what was there was worth the drive. Thankfully, the rental car included a Garmin GPS that was accurate. We finally figured out why it pinged loudly at us: it reminded us to obey the speed limits!

In this part of Italy, the Abruzzo region, there are tunnels galore, some quite long. If you have a phobia of tunnels, don’t visit here. But, the scenery is stunning and you need more than two eyes to take it all in. There are villages so high up on mountains that I vetoed visiting, but I was enthralled at the ingenuity and determination it must have taken to build them. At least one city is still recovering from the 2009 earthquake that devastated some of this area.

Douglas has a full-blown cold, but with fortitude, he was determined not to miss the opportunities to see Roman ruins. I am still sore, more so after a full day of walking and moving, but, I, too, don’t want to miss a thing! We both love seeing the ruins and picturing what life was like in those ancient times. There were houses near the site, so we had to be mindful not to cross barriers. Their dogs were not very welcoming, but they did not bite, just a whole lot of barking, thankfully!

Even though it was raining and cold, a day probably not good for someone already sick to be outside or someone a week from surgery, we just could not resist the wonder of this place. This place is called Saepinum, and it is in Sepino, in the province of Campbasso. Here are some of the highlights I wanted to share with you. Photography is not one of my claims to fame, but I so enjoyed taking these pictures and imagining seeing the place alive with people.