MONTE PETRANO: Sky high and loving it

THE ROAD TO THE top of Monte Petrano is a sidewinder - and a difficult one at that.

The curves are sharp and the incline is steep. Our little Lancia's engine screamed the whole way up.

Amazingly, along the road, there were bicyclists chugging up to the top where cool breezes are the ultimate reward.

There were hundreds of people relaxing in the cool air on the flat top of the mountain, one of the highest in the region. People played bocce, flew kites and ate picnics. A few people were harnessing the strong winds in huge kites that pulled them on skateboards and in little buggies.

The vast expanse of land is a doggie wonderland. The open fields are great places for pooches to run on blazing summer days.

- G. Miller