The Lair is situated in the region of Lazio/Umbria in a little hamlet called Civitella d’Agliano.
It is north of Rome, south of Florence and within driving of some southern Tuscan towns. The Lair is part of the Mottura estate, consisting of 130 hectares, where wine and olive oil are produced. We were met by the daughter, Francesca, and shown around the “house”. The house sits on a series of underground caverns, or cellars, and it is here that the Asti Spumante is fermented in the bottles. We were shown to a selection of rooms – each one more cavernous than the last. We settled upon two on the second floor, not anticipating the climbing of the third story.
With map in hand along with some local knowledge imparted by Francesca, we started our first adventure.
What is so particular to this area, is the winding, hilly roads. Our first stop was Civita di Bagnoregio. It reminded me of Mont St Michele in France. It is a city atop a mountain pinnacle accessible only by a footbridge.
Because of continuous erosion, it has been considerably reduced in size. We found out later that there are only 6 permanent residents of the city!! The view was spectacular and it was pretty amazing to walk on that bridge!! We had lunch in an osteria, and then walked back (across the bridge) to the car. From there we went to Lago di Bolsena. This lake is the top of a volcano crater and is huge!
It is surrounded by resorts, camps and parks. We stopped at an archaeological museum for a photo-op and returned back to the Lair by 4.
After an afternoon siesta, we got ready for our tour, wine tasting and dinner. We met our host and hostess, Sergio Mottura and Alessandra.
We were joined by a group of Australian women, and a couple from the states. The wine was yummy and the dinner was fantastic!! By 11, I was a little too silly (6 different wines!!)so I excused myself and collapsed into bed and slept like a log til 8!! Maybe that’s the answer to my insomnia – MORE VINO!!!
Today dawned with high clouds, intermittent sun and on the cool side. After breakfast, we mapped out Adventure #2 – drive to Assisi. The drive took us along the Tiber, past a hydro-electric power plant ie: a dam, and up and down more hills!! Assisi was crowded - more than I’d expect for this time of year. When we finally arrived at the church of St Francis, there seemed to be something more going on than just tourism.
As it turned out, there was a “convention” of sorts, and the church was not open to visitors!! What a bummer – I was disappointed to say the least. However, we managed to have a nice lunch on a terrace overlooking the city. 
The vistas were quite beautiful. Got back to the lair by 6 after a few wrong turns and a lot of laughs!
Tomorrow we leave – 2:40 flight – Arriverderci Italia!!
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