Page 8 of Change of Heart
‘A lot of the land is forest and it’s very hilly, but I really don’t know if they do much farming at all. I didn’t see any sheep or cattle close by. In fact, I didn’t see much in the way of livestock anywhere around there. That’s one of the first things I want to look at. If they’re short of cash, it would make sense to start working the land. Don’t be surprised if I’m on the phone to you asking for help, Dad. By the way, how are the ostriches working out?’
Her father had always been keen to try out new methods, crops and livestock. Ostrich farming in one of the fields was his latest venture, but Alice knew from her mum that this hadn’t been without its problems. She saw him grimace.
‘Have you seen the size of the things? Even the dogs are afraid to go in the field with them. I think it’s unlikely I’ll be expanding the flock any time soon.’ He shot her a grin. ‘That’s a thought: you should be able to keep all sorts of exotic animals over there in Italy where it’s warmer. You could always open your own safari park.’
‘Firstly, the castle’s in the foothills of the Apennines and I imagine it gets very cold there in winter so I’m not sure how lions and giraffes would get on but, more than that, can you imagine the bureaucratic and practical headaches involved in opening a safari park? It’s going to be tough enough just making sure visitors to the castle don’t trip and fall over, let alone preventing them from being eaten by wild animals. No, Dad, thanks for the thought, but I think I’ll keep the safari park idea in reserve for now.’
Chapter 6
At the end of May, Alice drove over to Italy in the little Mini she had bought four years earlier. It had already been pretty old when she had bought it, and she was relieved that it managed the journey without mishap. The trip itself took two full days and cost a lot more than her air ticket to Bologna the previous month had done, but because she had to bring clothes and all the other bits and pieces she would need for a prolonged stay, she had no choice in the matter. As they had told her she would have a car provided, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with this one, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it – as long as it got her there. When she finally turned onto the narrow road up the valley towards the castle and got her first sight of it on the hillside ahead she was filled with mixed emotions: relief at having got here intact, coupled with considerable apprehension for what now awaited her.
Simonetta had sent over the details of the apartment to rent in Varaldo, so Alice drove straight there. She hadn’t been sure what to expect and it came as a welcome relief to find that this was in a pleasant, if bland, small nineteen-seventies block of four apartments just on the edge of the small town. She drew up outside, climbed out of the car and stretched. Her leg was feeling a bit stiff but after two days of driving that was to be expected. She went up to the front door and saw that set into the wall alongside the door was a panel with four bell pushes. Beside each was a name and it was immediately clear that the four flats all belonged to the same family. The names were: Rossi Francesco, Rossi Antonio, Rossi Guido and Rossi Emilio. Simonetta had given Alice the name Luisella Rossi, so she was momentarily puzzled. While she was still standing there, debating which bell to ring, she heard a car pull up behind her. The door slammed and she heard a voice.
‘Signora Sterling?’
Alice turned to see a friendly looking lady carrying a big bag of groceries in each hand.
‘Good afternoon. Are you Signora Luisella Rossi?’
The lady came up to the door and set her bags down at her feet before holding out her hand towards Alice. ‘That’s me. Did you have a good journey? It’s a terribly long way from England, isn’t it?’
‘It was a long drive, but I’ve seen some beautiful scenery and the trip wasn’t too tiring. I’ve just been trying to work out which of the doorbells belongs to you.’
‘My husband and I live on the top floor. He’s Francesco and I’m Luisella. My brother-in-law and his wife have the other top floor flat and his son Guido and his wife live on the ground floor. Your apartment’s opposite theirs. It used to belong to my father-in-law, Emilio. He passed away two months ago and we haven’t changed the name on the bell yet. Do come inside and I’ll show you where everything is. Just let me take these groceries upstairs first.’
Alice insisted on helping Luisella carry her bags up the stairs to the first floor and they were greeted at the door of the apartment by an elderly terrier who eyed Alice suspiciously before waddling over to sniff her hand. Reassured that she didn’t smell too bad, the dog began to wag its tail and Luisella nodded approvingly.
‘Geronimo likes you. That’s good. He’s a good judge of character. Come in and let me make you a cup of coffee, or would you like something cold?’
‘A coffee would be wonderful, thanks.’ Alice sat down at the kitchen table and the little dog came and joined her. She scratched his ears as Luisella filled a much-used moka coffee pot and set it on the stove. As Luisella started putting away the groceries, they chatted and Alice asked about shops and shopping in the area. Luisella was a mine of information.
‘Tonino in the minimarket in the piazza stocks a bit of everything, and the baker makes wonderful cakes as well as bread, and if Vincenzo in the hardware shop doesn’t have it, you don’t need it. It’s like a labyrinth in there. I tend to do a big shop once a week at the supermarket down in the main valley. You can’t miss it. Anyway, knowing you were coming, I’ve bought you some basics to get you started. Here…’ She placed one of the bags on the floor alongside Alice who was quick to thank her and offer to pay, but Luisella waved away her money and her thanks.
‘You’re very welcome. Call it a housewarming present.’ The coffee pot started bubbling on the stove and Luisella brought it over to the table and filled two little cups with steaming hot black coffee. Along with it she produced a tin of biscuits that looked very similar to those made by Ines up at the castle. Clearly this was the traditional local variety that appealed to people here in the valley. Luisella took a seat opposite Alice and offered her a biscuit. ‘I understand from Simonetta that you’re going to be working up at the castle. She told me they’re hoping to open it to the public. How exciting.’ She lowered her voice and looked around almost furtively. ‘Of course, not everybody’s happy at the idea.’
Alice’s ears pricked up. ‘Is that so? I would have thought people would welcome the prospect of new job opportunities, and maybe being able to make some extra money from tourists.’
‘Some people are never happy, always complaining about something. They’re saying this’ll bring in more cars and maybe coaches as well, and cause chaos on the roads.’
‘Would you say that’s the opinion of the majority of the people around here or just a few?’ Alice remembered how important the local mayor could be in small communities like this. ‘What about the town authorities? What does the mayor think?’
Luisella shook her head. ‘I’m afraid he’s the ringleader and it’s nothing to do with traffic or anything like that. The fact is that Cesare, the mayor, is a Montorso, and they’ve been fighting the Varaldo family for centuries. Even if Baron Lodovico was offering to build a new hospital or donate a million euros to the town, I’m sure Cesare would be against it just on principle. You know how it is: these feuds go way back, and after so long people probably can’t even remember why they’re fighting, but they still do.’
‘So the Montorso family and the Varaldo family are at daggers drawn…’ Alice shook her head slowly as she digested this news. This could be awkward. ‘Where does the mayor live? Is there another castle around here somewhere? I haven’t seen one.’
‘There used to be one centuries ago, but there’s nothing left now except a pile of rubble. The Montorso family still have a farm and a lot of land, but no castle. Cesare Montorso farms over on the other side of the valley. You’ll be able to see the farmhouse from the castle. It’s a long red brick building surrounded by fields.’
Alice weighed up what she had just heard. In order to get all the permits the castle would need, she felt sure not having the support of the local mayor could prove to be a major impediment. Maybe she could play the part of neutral peacemaker but, if the two families had been fighting for centuries, it was going to be an uphill struggle to bring such a long-standing feud to an end. She suppressed a sigh. She hadn’t even started work yet and she had already encountered what might prove to be an insurmountable obstacle.
Once they had finished their coffees, Luisella led Alice downstairs and showed her the flat where she would be spending the next few months. To Alice’s relief, it was clean and comfortable and the furniture was functional and more than sufficient for her needs. She even had her own little piece of lawned garden at the rear of the property and from there she could look directly up and see the tops of the towers of the castle on the hillside above. She reckoned she should easily be able to walk up there in ten or fifteen minutes, so she wouldn’t need to use a car every day and it would be valuable exercise, just like the physio kept telling her. Before Luisella left, Alice asked her about the restaurant she had spotted in the piazza and received a positive review.
‘The Casa Rosa’s very good. Giorgio who owns it used to work in one of the really posh restaurants in Venice and now his son is taking over in the kitchen, but Giorgio still keeps an eye on things. Why don’t you go there this evening and see what it’s like, or maybe you prefer to have an early night after your long drive? I’ve bought ham and cheese and salad for you and there’s fresh bread.’ She opened a cupboard door revealing two huge two-litre bottles of red wine without labels. ‘That’s good. Francesco said he’d put some wine in for you. He gets it from a man in the Veneto region and it’s very good. The water here’s perfectly pure so you can drink from the tap.’
‘That’s really kind of you and your husband, thank you so much.’ Alice glanced at her watch. It was almost six o’clock. ‘I must say though that the idea of a good meal cooked by somebody else and then an early night sounds perfect. What time do you think the restaurant opens?’
‘Well, the bar’s open all day, but the restaurant starts serving at seven, so if you go in then you should be able to have a meal and still get your early night.’
By the time Alice had finished unloading the car and unpacking her things it was almost seven and she headed off on foot to the Casa Rosa. Although she had left cool, damp weather in England, here in Varaldo it was a pleasantly warm, late May day. She took off her jumper and slung it over her shoulders as she walked. It took barely ten minutes to get into the centre of the little town and she enjoyed checking out the various houses as she went along. The closer to the centre she got, the older the buildings became, and she saw that many of them had probably started life as smallholdings and still had an agricultural connection. Almost all of them had a courtyard, many had a noisy barking dog, and she counted at least half a dozen tractors. Farming was clearly still an important part of local life.
