Today, you and I will visit the grand city of Teramo, Italy. Located less than two hours by car from Rome, this ancient city allows you to wake up first thing in the morning, grab the old pole and tackle box to inhale the salty air as chilling sea waters splash on your face from deep sea fishing and be done in plenty of time to drive back, strap on those dusty ski boots you haven't used for two seasons and ride down the snowy slopes of a mountain side.
How is that possible? It's because the people from ancient times, as early as 295 B.C., saw value in being able to snowboard and boat race on the same day and so they looked down at their map and said to themselves, "Let's put the city here. Right between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains."
View Larger Map
And so they did.
Ok, that's not exactly how it happened.
Pop Quiz #1: For 10 points, in what year was the first object that resembled a snowboard invented?
A. 1964
B. 1966
C. 1968
D. 1970
It was called the Snurfer by the way. That's short for Snow Surfer. You know, I kind of like the idea of combining two words to make a brand name. I think I will rename my blog JUSGO from now on.
So by car, Teramo is ideally situated 30 minutes from the Adriatic Sea and 30 minutes from the Apennines Mountains. Eat your heart out my friends living in Denver, CO. Sure, you can drive 30 minutes to get to the Rocky Mountains, but wouldn't it be nice to not have to drive 16 hours to get to the nearest major body of water?
Pop Quiz #2: For 10 points, what major U.S. city (relatively close to a major body of water) is estimated to take you 16 total driving hours by car when starting from Denver, CO?
A. San Francisco, California
B. Los Angeles, California
C. San Diego, California
D. Houston, Texas
Come back tomorrow for the answers. And the electronic delivery of points.
Well let's hit the road, shall we? Here, I'll drive. You be the passenger. Sorry my car is so small. Four-door sedans are considered VERY large out here and aren't common. We honestly wouldn't fit through many of Rome's side streets if I had that type of car.
Not much to see as we deal with the Rome traffic exiting the city boundaries. But wow, check out the view as we approach the Apennines.
 |
| The mountains are so pretty in the distance. |
 |
| Wow, I never expected that we would pass by L'Aquila on this trip. They had a massive earthquake in April 2009, remember that? |
 |
| Looks like the city is rebuilt and hopefully doing fine now. |
 |
| Love those mountain photos! |
Ok, Let's put the camera away. You are starting to look like a tourist and I hate when the other drivers look at us and just shake their heads in disgust. Besides, once we go through the tunnels and get on the other side of that range, it will be much darker outside and you won't get good photos then.
Excellent! We arrived at our hotel, got unpacked and changed into clothes more suitable to the colder temperatures...finally feels like fall! Let's go walk around the city a little.
 |
| I love the city's main piazza. Nice bell tower connected to the Teramo Cathedral. |
 |
| The back side of the Teramo Cathedral. |
 |
| A view in the piazza. |
 |
| A street with lots of retail shops already closed. |
Well let's grab some dinner and go to bed. I bet the city will look great in the sun tomorrow.
 |
| Wow! The cathedral is beautiful in full sunlight. |
 |
| This is the front of it. |
 |
| And there is an outstanding view of more mountains in the background to the city. |
 |
| Let's step inside the cathedral. Interesting. My expert tells me many renovations were made over the last several hundred years. |
 |
| Back outside, the piazzas are booming. Plenty of people to watch on such a beautiful day. |
 |
| Does that guy on the left have the longest stride in his step you have ever seen? |
 |
| So pretty. |
Ok, we've seen all the stores, a few piazzas, some of the major sights of the city. There is plenty more to see here, but let's go home now. We can always come back.
 |
| To get back to the autostrada, highway, we need to turn right up here. |
 |
| Whoa! Cool. Road art. |
 |
| We just need to continue around this and it'll loop us on the highway. |
 |
| First tunnel on the way back home! |
 |
| Perfect view of the largest peak in Italy. The mountain itself is called Gran Sasso d'Italia (a member of the Apennines). It's tallest summit is called Corno Grande, Large Horn in English. It tops out at 9,554 feet. For better perspective, the Rocky Mountains have summits that top out over 14,000 feet. Fun Fact: Hiking enthusiasts and natives of mountain areas know those as "Fourteeners". |
 |
| One final pretty view of the mountains. Bonus 10 points go to the first person who can name what kind of cloud that is in the sky. |
And we are home, back in Rome! Ciao! Arrivederci!
Tune in to JUSGO tomorrow for more fun and adventures.
No comments:
Post a Comment