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AMANDOLA |
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Though perhaps not the prettiest of the Sibillini hill-villages
AMÁNDOLA is easy to get to on public transport and makes one of the best
bases for seeing the region. Its main sight is a Museo della Civiltà
Contadina (daily 9am-noon & 3-6pm; free), housed in the ex-convent of
the church of San Francesco. The collection is fascinating, ranging from
wine-making and grappa-distilling apparatus to a hand-pulled ambulance
and carts decorated with Fascist symbols. It's in the kitchen, though,
that things really come alive - the clutter includes a jar of roasted
barley (a coffee substitute), a sausage-making machine, mosquito spray,
a primitive potty and a wooden baby-walker. Amándola is also a rather
forward-looking place, holding an excellent week-long international
theatre festival in the first week of September. Low on pretension and
high on participation, the festival overcomes language barriers with
mime and movement performances and workshops - the atmosphere is
irresistible, and it's well worth sticking around for the whole week.
Otherwise, Amándola is a great place to unwind after a day's hiking. It
has an excellent hostel in a converted eighteenth-century palazzo, the
Casa per Feria , Via Indipendenza 73 (tel 0736.848.598; L35,000/¬18.08;
in winter only open to groups of 15 or more) run by a co-operative and
aimed particularly school parties - but open to individuals too. It has
nine dorm-style rooms with en suite bathrooms each containing between
four and seven beds. There's also a dining room in the basement. The
only other hotel is the slightly run-down Paradiso at Via Umberto 1 (tel
0736.847.468; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98), reached via steps leading
from the steep narrow alleyway at the entrance to the main square: turn
left at the top of the steps through the unmarked stone gateway. As an
alternative, the restaurant Savoy Valdaso at Via C. Battisti 90 usually
rents out rooms (tel 0736.848.522; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98).
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