What a view! This is what I see from our balcony every morning when I wake up. Straight up the mountain, a little to the left, there is a black opening that you can barely see. I had always thought it was just a crack in the rock. However, I later discovered something quite interesting.
My cousin Giovanni took us to see the view of Cattolica Eraclea, which happens to be my Nonno Joe's hometown. From the top of the mountain we could see this quaint little town surrounded by other beautiful mountains. Not only did I feel like I was on top of the world, but it was wonderful to see the view through my grandfather's eyes.
We drove up the mountain and Giovanni stopped his Jeep. Here we are standing on the mountain, way above the town. We walked for awhile along a winding path. Then I stood in awe as I was now about to enter the same black opening that I saw as a tiny crack from the balcony. I discovered that it wasn't just a crack, but it was actually a grotto.
This photo shows Giovanni and me entering the grotto. It seemed dark and mysterious until we all got inside. Our eyes adjusted after a few minutes. We all sat on the steps for quite awhile and played with our echoing voices. It was fun to yell at the top of our lungs and know that no one could hear from the outside. It was a nice cool place to take a break from the scorching heat. We were amazed at the beauty
of our surroundings and the grandness of the mountain. It's amazing to
think that we were actually inside, hanging out. I'm sure that the people who lived nearby many years ago would come here for some relief from the heat as well. 
Giovanni then took me deeper
into the cave. At first,
I didn't know what
to expect and it was difficult to grip the stone with my feet to find balance. Then, I got used to the dips and bumps in the stone and I was able to walk without clinging onto him. We stopped midway and he pulled a piece of rock off the wall of the cave as a souvenir to remember the experience. It was a spectacular moment as I was standing in a dark, cool cave inside a mountain. As we kept moving further into the mountain, I began to see light. Not only was this a grotto, it was also like a tunnel. This tunnel was a short little passageway that allowed you to go to the other side of the mountain.When we got to the other side, we stood and took in the beautiful scenery of the land and water. I clung onto Giovanni as we climbed around the bumpy, rocky mountain. I felt like I was going to fall off because it was so steep! We climbed all the way around the mountain and returned to the other entrance. My sisters and mom were surprised to see us appear outside of the entrance of the grotto.
-Jennifer xoxo
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