L'Aquila - New Year's Eve 2006

(128 km from home). As often happens to those who love travelling, it was the unshakeable urge to set off and go anywhere rather than stay put that got us aboard for this destination. A destination that at first glance really did seem like a life raft, but which turned out to be a pleasant city — certainly not memorable, but the important thing is to set off, right?! We found a hotel at 7 in the evening and left at 8 in the morning on 30 December; we arrived early and immediately visited the Spanish fort, where the remains of a mammoth with a very complicated scientific name are kept. L'Aquila is defined by the number 99: it's said that, besides the famous Fountain of the 99 Spouts, it has 99 churches and 99 squares.

The Fountain of the 99 Spouts is an incredible thing: every time you count them you'll get a different number! You'll think someone is making fun of you and hiding the spouts from you each time, until you realise that to make the count come back to 99 you have to count the 6 spouts set in a corner, not the ones in the central row. Not to be missed is the fabulous Basilica of Collemaggio: it looks as though only the façade is resting there and there's nothing behind it. We woke up on 31 December and immediately asked where they were setting up a stage for the square party, but they told us it's not the custom of the people of L'Aquila to celebrate in the square; they prefer a fine table groaning with food.

They recommended a nearby village for a New Year's Eve in the square: Santo Stefano di Sessanio, where we spent the fateful final hours in a truly unique hamlet (we also found out that it's part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy). Special atmospheres in a hamlet that risked being left deserted but has been turned back into a real little gem. My final assessment is definitely positive, always starting from the premise that the spirit with which you approach a journey is the most important thing.