THE DREAM HOUSE WALK, part two:EN ROUTE!

The “next nice day” designated for the pilgrimage to my dream house arrived, and it was far more than nice. It was splendid! Who would guess that the last day of such a year could be so perfect—cloudless and the ideal temperature for a 4-mile hike to a magical place? We have had a wonderful tradition of going on holiday walks led by dear friends Lois and Paul who generously share their knowledge gained from over thirty years of exploring in Italy. However, as excited as I was about the chance to realize my long-held dream, I tend to be anxious about leaving home. The rumors I had heard about the property left me with some questions. Lois had previously sent me the photo of our own house they had seen from across the valley—the sighting that had set this entire plan in motion.

LOIS TO DIANE 

Here’s the view of your home from your fantasy house. Not much to see but a fine roof. 

DIANE 

And the slide for our granddaughters! 

Grazie, Lois! It’s fascinating to see things like our own house from a totally different perspective. Maybe those bees in the boxes that I think I see over there who have been watching US feel the same way?🐝😉 

*

Next, here’s my exchange with unflappable Lois the day before our outing— 

 DIANE, aka Nervous Nellie 

 Salve! I’m super-excited about the chance to realize my dream of getting close to my fantasy house. Thank you for suggesting it. But here’s a query from the Naïve Neurotic Question Department: Have you ever encountered dangerous animals on any of your walks? And if so, what did you do? 

 Our Dutch friends who had finally found their way to the house said they were greeted by barking dogs, and many years ago I used to see in the distance what looked like sheep. But when I once asked Farmer Galli why there were no more sheep, he said, “Il Lupo!” (“The WOLF!”) I hope s/he’s long gone, but a neighbor reports hearing lupo noises in the area. Have you? 

LOIS 

One would be extremely unlucky (or rather lucky, depending on your point of view) to encounter a wolf. They’re very wary of people and tend to roam at night. There was one of those white maremmana sheep dogs near the house but as usual, they are all bark and no bite. We have never been attacked by dogs in over 30 years of walking in Italy! 

 DIANE (OK, phew! But even so…) 

 Our Dutch friends have accessed the place by two different routes—once from their own house near us and also from the Castel Giorgio side. Although they didn’t see anybody there, they had the impression that one of the buildings might be inhabited. They said it was quite muddy up there and that there were fresh tire tracks visible. But because of the dogs, they were careful not to venture too closely. 

*

 

AND NOW, FLASH FORWARD TO THE BIG EXPEDITION DAY: EN ROUTE! 

 I felt somewhat reassured but still uncertain what to expect as our holiday-walk posse of seven set out. We were surprised to see at the place where we were told to meet a sign that read "TO THE ZEBRA FARM."  

If you're looking for the Zebra Farm you will get more than one good hint. 

 Who would have guessed that the way to my Dream House also led to a zebra refuge? Paul and Lois had figured out a loop that would get us to the house by a somewhat challenging route on muddy trails that took us past some high towers topped with a little lookout hut—"for the wild boar hunters,” explained Paul. 

So THIS is where the hunters go to stalk their prey. It looks like quite a climb! 

There was plenty of evidence that we were indeed in wild boar territory, but they’re not known to come out to greet hikers. As for animal greetings, however, at a little stream that we forded to get to the house, we met a sweet dog who befriended us and led the way. 

 As we got closer to the house, we encountered amongst the trees a table topped with two mysterious objects and a chair. 

 There was also an abandoned backpack on the ground at the right. I wondered what might be in it—a boobytrap to thwart trespassers like us? I wanted to take a closer look at the stuff on the table.

 But since I was already bringing up the rear, the best I could do was take a photo or two to study later. 

 The closer we got to our destination, the louder the barking. One insistent barker remained on guard at one of the buildings, while a white sheep dog with an equally impressive bark rushed toward us. 

However, he decided, perhaps based on the recommendation from the friendly dog who had adopted us on the trail, that we had good intentions. 

After 13 years, I was thrilled to find myself face-to-face with my fantasy. There were a number of different buildings, some more crumbling than others, including a roofless chapel. 

That's hungry ivy gobbling up everything, instead of a roof. It's a bit hard to see, but the altar with a cross on top is still intact.  

But one relatively intact building still had the remnant of an address over the door: the number 3. 

That's Paul and Lois chatting with the watch dogs. I wonder what the street name might be and how often the postman stops by.  

Although the dwelling looked shuttered and abandoned, I noticed on the second floor a window with glass, so who knows? 

It was thrilling to get to my destination, but there is still plenty to wonder about. The strange table in the woods? This possibly inhabitable room? These bits of mystery added to allure of my dream. 

 The uphill return lap of the journey was more straightforward, and the rest of our team was eager to get back to Lois and Paul’s for a delicious lunch.

I never did get to the bottom of the hill where I had been ogling from afar what looked like bee boxes. Nor did I see the penned sheep, safe from hungry wolves, that Jim and Lois saw. Yet in trying to process the experience, I realized that somebody had to be feeding those dogs and the sheep. Somebody was driving the vehicle that left tracks on the trail. Somebody was keeping the place from being consumed by nature. 

Hmm…Plenty of reasons for a return visit! 

I brought back my walking stick both as a memento of this long-wished-for day, and to use next time.

Diane Joy Charney 

Orvieto, Italia 

January 1, 2022

When I got back home, the sun was starting to set as I looked back across the valley, with gratitude, at my Dream House.