Busy Week so Far

 This has been a busy week, but hopefully it gets a little lighter as we head into the weekend. Saturday night, I met up with my cousin Mario and his wife Cassandra along with their kids for some pizza at a campground five minutes walk from my house...that I'd never set foot in. I will be going back sometime as Camping Smeraldo did not disappoint.  

Sunday was very windy. I went to the beach for the first time this year, and on the way I was getting my face blasted with dirt and sand. I sat under my umbrella, number 71 Sud (south), and enjoyed a Lemon Soda. As I was just getting comfortable for my first day on the beach, I could smell smoke, and ash started falling from the sky. I looked up and noticed a wildfire had started in the farming area of the town, just beyond the hillside behind my place. I left the beach, went home in the smoke (thank you Canada for preparing my lungs for wildfire smoke), and waited for the firemen to do their best. After lunch I noticed the wind had changed direction. It wasn't much help to the firefighters, but it was good for the homes nearby. Eventually air support arrived and the fire was put out overnight. Smelled like smoke for a couple of days though. 

Monday, I woke up early and headed on the bus to Termoli, the bigger city just north of us. I wanted to deposit some money, and pay some bills. This was a no-go for Monday. My banker informed me that I needed to get an ATM card from them and do all of the banking and bill paying through a machine. They got me the card, but I'd have to come back the next day because it takes a day to activate and receive a pin. I left the bank, passed the castello of Federico II, and decided to head to La Fontana mall. It was a mile and a half walk from where I was, but I needed some Brita water filters, which I know they sell, and I had an hour and a half of time to kill before my bus ride back to Campomarino. I did spend the remainder of the day on the beach.

Tuesday I woke up early again and headed back into Termoli. I took care of most of the banking, then had two hours to kill, so I went back to the mall, and got a few more things that I needed, including a new internet hotspot. Mine finally died, after 10 years. This new one isn't working yet so I'll have to go back sometime in the next week to exchange it. In the meantime, I figured out how to get my Italian cell phone to work as a hotspot, so that's how this is getting posted.

Today, I got up early again, took the same bus trip north, but this time I was heading a few hours north to Ancona to visit Zia Carmelita at her rest home, and spend some quality time with my cousin Valeria. Zia was in good spirits, and ate her lunch while we were there. When her roommate came back from the cafeteria, and it was time for their nap, Valeria and I headed up to Senigalia, a seaside town about a half hour north of Ancona. It was beautiful there and we had a fantastic lunch overlooking a port. A few hours later, I was back at my place with a plan to sleep in tomorrow. I'll keep you posted how that goes. 




  

Made it to Campomarino

 Three trains and a mile and a quarter walk later, and I have made it to town. I'll be at our family place in Campomarino Lido for the next 19 days. Luckily, I had a lot of energy when I arrived and was able to get the patio washed and the house swept. I put the paddles on the outdoor fan and uncovered the AC unit. It's a beautiful night with a slight breeze and little humidity, so I'm excited to get some good sleep. I have about 5 loads of laundry leftover from last year to go through, then I'll be caught up. 

Tomorrow I'm heading to the beach club to reserve an umbrella and chairs, and then to the market to get some food in the house. My neighbors were kind enough to give me a bowl of fruit and some mozzarella cheese tonight, which went well with a couple of slices of pizza. 

My cousin Greta and her boyfriend Danilo stopped by after dinner tonight. It was great to see them and just have some conversation after three days of traveling alone. 

Foodtopia Moments

 Part of my early journey this summer included a layover in Lisbon, Portugal. For lunch, I stopped at a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop and got a local pork sandwich called a befana. It was simple, yet delicious. The pork was cooked in butter, and very flavorful on its own, but they suggested mustard and that took it to another level. At then end of the meal, I ordered a pastel de nata. I've had them from a Portuguese baker in North Jersey before, and also from Lidl, but this one was next level. The flaky layered pastry of the cup was delicious without the vanilla custard. The custard was perfect the perfect blend of rich and delicate. I culd've eaten a dozen of them. I only had two on the day, and each time I ordered one the people asked me, "only one?" I guess it's odd to only order one, or I look like someone who would order more than one. 

Back to traveling

 After almost two years, the long-distance travel bug bit me again. Last summer, I stayed local in the US to play golf and coach tennis. It was a blast, but traveling is what I still long for.  As I'm writing this, I am in my hotel room in Rome. I spent all day seeing the splendors of the old city, and getting my Italian phone and internet hooked up. This is, however, my second stop on the trip. 

On Tuesday, I started my journey with a red-eye flight to Lisbon, Portugal, where I had 9-hour layover. Armed with two bad knees and a must-see and taste list provided by ChatGPT, I spent the day taking rides with Bolt drivers to a few of the different sites. In Baixa, I saw the Praca de Comercio and the Rue Augusta Arch. Then I took a ride up to Alfama and saw the outside of the Lisbon Cathedral, and got a red roofed panoramic view from Miradouro de Santa Luzia. After a quick stop for lunch and souvenirs, I headed off to Belem to witness the Belem Tower. I stopped back in Baixa on the way back to the airport for a little treat. The pastel de nata custard cups have a special place in my heart. 

I got into Rome last night after 25 hours of traveling with almost no sleep. Slept in today, still hit the town running, and am getting ready for a nice Italian dinner.  I hit the rails in the morning for a three-train trip to my little oasis, Campomarino Lido. 

Foodtopia Moments

 For my last meal in town, I ate at the hotel restaurant. Eating alone is usually somewhat odd, but in this restaurant, a third of the tables were solo travelers. I started off the meal with a Caprese salad. It's the last good buffalo mozzarella I'll have till next summer. I will really miss the stuff. The little black pearls on top are actually little balls of balsamic vinegar.

I finished my meal with a pizza Roma. It was a white pizza, with thinly sliced potatoes, porchetta (roasted seasoned pork), a little bit of mozzarella, and plenty of pecorino romano cheese on top. It was delicious. Each bite had so much flavor. 

All Good Things

 The end of any trip is always bittersweet. This summer trip to Italy is no exception. I'm currently writing this from the Hilton Rome Airport where I'm spending the night before my flight home tomorrow. 

Along with my cousins Maryanne and Victoria, I've spent the past few days walking around, dining, and shopping in Florence and Pisa. It was a whirlwind, visiting the Academia to see Michelangelo's masterpiece "David," and tramping through the Boboli Gardens in 105 degree heat. Florence was its usual mix, filled with art and energy, however, after spending time in a sleepy beach town it seems extra busy right now. I've also never seen Pisa as packed as it was yesterday.

When we returned from Pisa to Florence last night we visited one of the city's wine walls where you order your wine or drink through a tiny window in the wall. Once you have your drinks, you stand near the window to drink and are literally introduced to fellow beverage enthusiasts from all over the world, and you just conversate. I spoke to several people from Australia and people from the US. 

Today we made our way south to Rome, but I pretty much just stayed at the airport and hotel, resting and getting ready for my flight. Tomorrow I return to the States, with an appointment to have my tooth extracted on Wednesday. 

Foodtopia Moments

 On our last night in Campomarino, we actually left town to head to Pizzeria Borgo Antico in neighboring San Martino in Pensilis. It was the night of their pampanella festival. Pampanella is pork belly, roasted with lots of paprika, salt, and red pepper. It's minorly spicy for us, but it's presented as piccante. We learned of the restaurant the week before at a family party, and wanted to return to try the wood fired pizza. It was delicious. I got the Mortadella pizza. It had buffalo mozzarella, mortadella, pistachio, and burrata. No lie, it was one of the best pizzas I've ever had.