Hadrian’s hideout
If you were an emperor in ancient Rome you would get a big city built around your palazzo with a small lake with an island in it, where you could go to meditate or just get away from everybody. We stopped on our way out of Rome at the ruins of Emperor Hadrian’s villa. Hadrian decided to move his digs out of town and the whole government followed him, so it was more a city than a villa. It was larger than the Vatican, with just as much underground, where the slaves unobtrusively made everything run. No wonder he needed a retreat surrounded by a moat.
We continued across the mountains that run the length of Italy. We saw many picturesque hill towns. When we got to the higher elevations we were surprised to see snow on the mountains around us. There is not usually so much snow in May. This long trip was a chance to catch up on our sleep, but the scenery was too beautiful to miss.
When we hit the east coast, the Adriatic, we followed the coast around the Gargano Peninsula, the spur on the Italian boot. We stopped at the town of Vieste, a charming resort with steep cliffs and a historic core of narrow cobbled streets. It is really cold. We hope tomorrow will be warmer. We’d love to explore this town.