Page 23 - A Life - my Live - my path

Herding goats and sheep in Italy

village. The coach took a winding route from San Giovanni
Lipioni to the various villages on the way to Vasto, a
beautiful medieval town with its beaches, ramparts,
belvedere, and old town. The journey, which was about 30
km as the crow flies, took at least 50 km by road and more
than 3 hours. Because of the winding roads, many people
were ill. For my mother, getting to Vasto was a nightmare.
In 1985, a new road was built along the Trigno river.
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Today, it takes just half an hour to cover the 38 km from the
village square to the seafront.

Anecdote: Fish in the well
In 2002, I was on holiday in Istanbul with some friends
and we visited the 'basilica cistern' built by the Romans
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in 532. It could hold 80,000 m of water.
3
A 30-year-old guide, who spoke excellent French,
explained the details of this rather imposing structure
made up of large vaults 8 m high and hundreds of columns.
The entire surface of the building was covered with 50-60
cm of water. We walked on wooden walkways with railings
raised over a metre. I was admiring all this when I saw
several fish. As the guide wasn't far away, I called out to
her and showed them to her. Surprised, she said to me:
"I suppose they've put them there to entertain the
tourists."
Quite pleased with myself, I said: no, I don't think that's
the real reason. Back home in Italy, we have a well and my

13 The Trignina
14 Under a former basilica after it burnt down.
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