Christmas out on the towns

I was fortunate enough to get another shot at internet so soon! I'm at Federica's house, where we just ate another huge lunch for Santo Stefano. Seriously, that's all we do, is eat huge lunches. You have no idea. But ooooo, honey, is it yummy. Here's some pictures from yesterday's Christmas lunch:

The girls, hungry and ready to eat!

Mmm...the second course!

So yesterday after lunch Azzurra's uncle took Azzurra and me for a ride around the countryside. We saw more of Lungra, the town where he and the grandparents live, including the Greek Bizantine church (circa 1300) and a view of the whole town from the top of the hill.

After, we went to a town about 30 minutes away, Altomonte, which was sooo old and sooo beautiful. We had to get out of the car and walk through the cobblestone passageways. I have so many beautiful photos (none of which accurately portray the true beauty of seeing it in person, unfortunately)...here's a couple:

After, we went back to Lungra to visit Azzurra's great aunt's house, where everyone had reconvened. Her house was very antique, very particular. I took pics of that too because I knew my mom would love to see it! To be honest, I've taken pics of just about everything!

Azzurra with her great aunt and uncle

How cute is he?

In the evening, we returned to Castrovillari, and the 'young ones' got ready to go out again, because the Italians party all day and night for these holidays. I was exhausted from eating, exploring, and speaking Italian all day, but I didn't want to miss out, and I'm so glad I went! So Alessandro picked us up and we went to meet our other friends at a bar.

Shawn and me at the cute little bar in Castrovillari

Outside the bar, a natural photo op...
The branches look like a cobweb!

After, the three of us plus Shawn (who's also here staying with his roommate for Christmas) went to a town called Murano which is spectacular. We went up to the ancient castle in the dark, where it was completely silent and the fog was rolling in. We explored the castle a bit, walked around the town, and popped a bottle of champagne. It was simply magical.

You can just make out the castle in the background

After we crawled into the castle...the view out the window!

It looks surreal, doesn't it?

The lights shining through the champagne bottle

My-sized door!

That's Murano in the background.
And for comparison....

Here's what it looks like during the day

After, we did another quick tour of San Basile (where Alessandro lives, and which we had a quick tour because San Basile is smaller than a pin) and finally returned home. The pictures don't even do it justice...but it was a wonderful, magical night I'll never forget!