After all those trips to the cold north I was ready for sunshine and more agreeable temperatures: Back to Italy! As a warmup, I spent a few days in Rome packed with museums and gelato and the excavations of Ostia Antica.
Leaving all that buzz amidst millions of tourists behind, the next two weeks were filled with hiking and camping in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. The Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo is a protected area for almost 100 years, and it shows: The valleys are overgrown with ancient beech forests where bears (found a paw print!) and deer live. Mountain tops were full of chamois, it was quite a safari. At last, I climbed the sun-scorched moonscapes of Monte Amaro, where I seemed to have all of the Majella Range for myself. And what a view it was, under one of the most brilliant, clear skys I have ever seen.
Oh, and I broke my streak of bad luck with the local dogs: They were very nice and relaxed. I also met two wolves, they were rather shy though. 😉
