There is an ideology, a romantic notion of “getting lost”. To get lost is to throw away the maps and the plans in hopes of discovering something new. Driving on the Autostrada, 70 kilometers outside of Rome, we saw a small town sitting on a high cliff. It was shocking in contrast to the surrounding landscape. We drove into the small town on a narrow road that runs one-way through the entire town. And when I say narrow, I could reach my arm out of the car window and touch the stone walls. I craned my neck to stare up the length of the buildings and the only thing keeping my mouth from hanging open was the repeated utterance “Guys look at this, what a gem!” It was a gem because it was a treasure we were not seeking yet discovered all the same.

Visciarelli al tartufo, the best pasta dish of the entire trip!

In 1685 an aqueduct was built to carry water to Orte. Because of the height of the rock platform upon which the town is situated the conduit reached the main square several feet below street level so that the public fountain had to be built underground.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
― Marcel Proust

And sometimes we are gifted with the experience of both.

WanderlustThe Road Taken