The Long and Winding (Gravel) Road

I leave Montelucci and head home down the ‘back gravel roads’. In a perfect world, it should be a 20 minute drive. But it’s a bit before midnight, nothing is lit, and very little is well signed. (quick Italian road sign lesson – there is no ‘east or west’ – it’s all “in the direction of …”, so you have to know which towns are between and beyond where you are and where you want to go. On the main roads, it’s not a huge issue once you get used to it – but the little gravel ‘back roads’ … fuggedaboudit!!!!)

A reasonable sense of direction and adventure had me off and running. At one point, I realized that I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHATSOEVER where I was, speeding through winding gravel back roads, completely in the dark, with dense forests on both sides of me. I thought to myself – “self, you asked for adventure… you got it!” Figuring I had ¾ of a tank of gas and 6 hours to figure it out, I just settled in for the ride and didn’t get anxious about it. When you ask for adventure, you can’t be picky about how it is packaged!

(I did – about 50 minutes later, thanks to random luck and probably a directional angel or two – find my way into my darling little town, albeit from a directional approach I had never taken. I’m sure the town was startled awake by my loud ‘yee-haw’ of recognition!)