Foodtopia Moments

Last summer I tried all of the sandwiches that Eattico, the sandwich shop in Termoli, had to offer. Tonight, I tried a sandwich that was introduced in June, called Alice Marinaia. Alice means anchovies in Italian. The pane (bread) was toasted so it had that crunch on the outside but was warm and soft on the inside. The panini, which I ate half of and took half to go for tomorrow, featured l'alice fritta (fried anchovies – the fresh ones not from a can or salted), crema di melanzane e menta (a creamy eggplant and mint spread), pomodoro (tomatoes),stracciata di Agnone (local type of fresh mozzarella) and cipolla in agrodolce (marinated red onions). It was delicious, perfect in every bite and full of flavor. I also tried their pattatine fritti (French fries) tonight when I realized they were fresh, not frozen fries. The whole meal hit the spot. 

Last Night With a Lancia

Tonight is the last night of my rented Lancia Ypsilon. All I can say is that the car was fine for the purpose it served, but is not recommended for any distance driving. Luckily, I’ve done no distance driving this week. I did, however, use my last night with the rental to head into Termoli.

Parking was not easy to find, but I did find some. Going to Termoli earlier in the evening helps to get a spot. Any time after 9 p.m. and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything remotely close to the antique section of town. I also like to go early to see the sunset. It’s always beautiful to see the sunset up the Adriatic Coast. Tonight was no different. Such rich color in the sky.

Termoli was lit up tonight, literally. This weekend is the Festa di San Basso, the town’s biggest festival where they have a boat parade with the bones of San Basso, and then a processional through the town carrying his bones. Earlier this week the lights were being put up, but tonight they were fully illuminated. After passing under the lighted walkway, I did some shopping, had dinner at Eattico, and topped it off with a gelato. It was perfect weather with temperatures in the upper 70s. 

Foodtopia Moments

Today for pranzo (lunch), I made a chicken sandwich. I purchased some bread at a salumeria (market that specializes in lunchmeat), and used some veggies I’d already cooked yesterday. I used zucchini con promodoro (tomatoes), and also fagiolini (string beans) con pomodori. The bread was a great vehicle for the veggies and pollo (chicken). It did, however, fall apart as a sandwich but was good as like a toast flatbread would be.

Lots of Sun and Family

The past few days here in Campomarino Lido have been pretty nice. Most of my mornings are spent walking, shopping, cooking, and going to the beach. My nights have been filled with beach, walking, and time with family.

I rented a car for a week, just to get some shopping done, and bills paid. Plus it’s a way to get some time in Termoli without having to rush back by bus, which the last one leaves Termoli a little after 9. It is nice having a way to get around to other towns.

Yesterday was a day without sun and sand. It rained for a couple of hours in the morning, then stayed cloudy all day. I managed to head to the pharmacy shortly before the rains came, and did my weekly weigh in. I lost 2.5 kg this week, which is about 5 pounds. Then, I stayed in and prepared the little bedroom for guests. I changed some of the furniture in that room, and now it definitely seems more spacious. Last night, my cousin Renato, his wife Dorette, and their son Mario and his wife Cassandra all visited. It was a really nice night. It’s always good to see family.

Today I was back on the beach. The morning was cloudy, but the afternoon was gorgeous. After a few hours at Lido Ritz, I came home to find that the contractor had made a lot of progress on the fence painting. He says he’ll finish up tomorrow with the fence, then begin work on the cement. After he left, Zia and I headed up to Termoli. It was a great night for a walk and to buy a couple of things for the house including tiles for outside with our address number 10 on it. We got to see a beautiful sunset, and then we sat and talked by the port. 

Foodtopia Moments

A couple of nights ago, I decided to make something from what I had. I needed to cook or throw away chicken cutlets, so I was basically trying to figure out a topping. I went into the cabinet and pulled out a can of tonno con pisseli (tune with peas in a tomato sauce). So right after the chicken was done, I through the tuna and pease into the pan and cracked an egg into it. I scrambled it all together and topped the chicken with it. I was really apprehensive how it would all taste together, but I was very happy with the results. It was delicious. Sometimes things that might not seem to go together actually do work out well.

Shining Sea

This week has been busy. I’ve kind of neglected my blog a bit. However, my animated short script is just about done. I’ve been walking every morning, exercising, cooking and buying delicious meals, and hitting the beach hard.

Sunday was lunch at Zia’s house. She made a delicious sauce with eggplant. It was really good. If she had made enough for seconds I probably would’ve had some. I’ve also had lunch at Ristorante Netti twice this week, and a third may happen tomorrow. We’ve been packing our mornings, leaving a choice of cooking here and going to the beach much later, or picking something up and eating it at home, and going to the beach much earlier.

My time at Lido Ritz has been going well. The weather has been beautiful, must days in the upper 80s. There has been some humidity the past few days, tonight being no exception. I’ve been going in the middle of the day, while most Italians are asleep, because the WiFi works to watch videos when less people are on it.

Tonight was last night of the Festa di Santa Cristina in Campomarino sopra, the main part of town on the hillside. Zia and I headed up early and went shopping at Lidl first. Then we went shopping in the flea market. I bought some delicious olives, and had some torcinelli sausage. It’s essentially a piece of liver, a leaf of sage, some spices, then wrapped in veins and grilled. It sounds way more disgusting than it is. Tomorrow is the festival of Sant’Anna. That one is in Campomarino Lido, the beach part of town where I live.

Progress on our wall/fence is moving slower than I’d hoped. The anti-rust treatment is on the iron fencing and the contractor has started to remove the covering on the cement. He gave me a date of next Friday to be finished everything, but then did not come today. Hopefully this gets done before I have to leave. If you remember the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun,” I’m hoping the work doesn’t move that slowly. 

Foodtopia Moments

One thing that I will always do well in Italy is eat. Sure, I eat well everywhere. However, the well I’m writing about is a quality not quantity well. The food here is different because of the access to good ingredients. I fortunately do not live in a food dessert, however most of the year my fruits and veggies are picked early, sprayed with chemicals to look ripe and are sold to me with little flavor. Not here. In Italy they’re picked ripe and sold full flavored.

Yesterday was a great day food wise. For pranzo (lunch), I made a local classic sauce, tonno e capperi (tuna and capers). I’m making the assumption that the dish is local to this area as I’ve never seen it on a restaurant menu. It’s very basic. Start by putting some olive oil in pot, then add a can of tuna (if in water, drain it first). Let the tuna sizzle a little, then add a small, drained jar of capers. Lit those cook together a bit, like 2 minutes stirring often. Then add a bottle of pomodori passata (crushed tomatoes). Put in a small amount of salt and about half of the bottle or can of water. Let the sauce come to a boil, stirring it, then let it simmer while the pasta water heats and the pasta cooks.

People who know the dish will probably think this is sacrilege, but I put it over fusili pasta, not spaghetti. I’m not a long pasta fan, besides fresh tagliatelle, so I figured it’s just a different shape. It might have coated the pasta even better in this shape.

Last night, Zia and I headed into Termoli to walk around. It was the last night I had the rental car, so we made the most of it. I left my phone in the car, and realized when I was in the middle of the castle and wanted to photograph the sunset. I only ate half of my sandwich last night, the other half tonight so I snapped a photo today. I went back to Eattico and this time got their Polponauta panini. This panini had polipo al vapore (steamed octopus), patate al vapore (smashed, steamed potatoes), cedono (celery) and salsa Eattico. The flavors may seem strange and not earthshaking, but this is my favorite of the sandwiches they offer. I’m always surprised at how good the celery is on the sandwich as it’s not a topping that I ever use. 

Foodtopia Moments

Last night I trekked the 12 minutes into Termoli. I was there in search of dinner and dessert. I found both and they were delicious. I shared a post from the restaurant Eattico last week which featured their Sgombromo sandwich. So I figured I’d give that one a try. I’ve had them all in the past, and each one is great. This panino had sgombro al vapore (steamed mackerel), melanzane (eggplant), pomodoro (tomato), cipolla rossa (red onions), and polvere di capperi (a caper spread). The bread was firm on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside and the sandwich was full of flavor. I continued to my favorite bar in Termoli, Bigo. I had a version of a Tom Collins which had gin and vodka. It was delicious. They gave me pattatine fritte (French fries) and a salad. After walking around a bit on my way to the car, I stopped by Yo-Go Gelateria for some baba rhum and Pistachiosa gelato. Amazing as always.

Getting Out and About

The past few days have been really busy here. I’ve been trying to relax when I can, and write when I have the motivation. The mornings have been filled with runs to different stores like supermarkets and BriccOK (like Home Depot or Lowes). I’ve taken Zia to the supermarket three times. After the first time she made a list of what she wanted. But she only bought one of each thing. I told her then that she should buy more so she has stuff next month. So we went back to the supermarket and, besides bottled water (which is super cheap – like as low as 17 cents for a 2 liter bottle cheap), she bought one of each thing again.

Tuesday was Zias birthday. It rained pretty hard in the morning, flooding the parking lot, so I did some projects in her house like hanging a new picture in her bedroom. I went that afternoon to the beach club and talked to the representative about renting an umbrella and chairs starting in August. I went back on Wednesday and changed it to start today, figuring that even if I have something to do part of the day, I will still have time to go lay on the beach and read part of the day as well. We finished Tuesday with a visit to Ristorante Netti for Zia’s birthday.

Wednesday was a much nicer morning. It was sunny and not too hot. We attempted to co pay some bills. The Municipio (municipal building) has been closed due to damage from the earthquakes last year and this year. So we had to find their new offices. Unfortunately what we wanted to do there we couldn’t. However, it can be done after the summer. We also attempted to go to the water company to get a copy of the bill to bring to the bank for payment. We got there at 9:30 to find a sign with hours on the door. On Wednesdays and Fridays they open at 11, or possibly later. It literally said, or possibly later.

While we were out shopping after unsuccessfully attempting to get some bills paid, the gardener was taking care of the cleanup. He had the township bring their truck and they filled it with scraps. Then he filled three huge bags with leaves, weeds and scraps from the garden. Giovanni the Gardener did a great job. I then swept the patio, and mopped it before setting up all of the tables and chairs, and putting a bike outside. Looks much better now, but I know my mom would be very unhappy with the trees I had cut down. The fence guy needs a clear path and these trees had overgrown the garden. I still remember photos of my mom posing by them, but they were just about her height then. Now they had grown to double that size.

Last night I took the car and went to Termoli. Zia wasn’t feeling well so it was a solo trip. There was a beautiful sunset and the castle town looked as vibrant and beautiful as ever. I ate, people watched, and walked through a thousand year old part of town. There was a full moon over the port, and the main strip of town was in full summer mode. I finished the night off with a delicious gelato from my favorite gelateria in the world – Yo-Go.

Today was my first day at the beach. I went for a long walk and to the store this morning, and then hit the beach after lunch for a few hours. It was too windy to swim today, but it felt great on the beach. I’ll be at umbrella 117 this summer. 

Foodtopia Moments

Sometimes the best meals are the ones you do yourself. That was the case today as I incorporated some fresh tomatoes as I heated up the roasted veggies and a couple of pieces of salsiccia (sausage). Add in some pasta and the dish was amazing. So much flavor.

Good Surprises

Last night I was sitting in the house, tired and ready for bed, but it was a nice night out so I went for an 11 p.m. passiagiatta (walk). The town was filled with people and about halfway through my walk, I ran into my cousin Luigi. It was so great to see him and his wife Carmella and walking with them.

This morning, just as Zia and I were heading out to the bank and to get some more shopping done for the two of us, the gardener arrived. I was surprised because he said Martedi (Tuesday) or Mercoledi (Wednesday) if it rains. You can imagine my surprise when he arrived Lunedi (Monday). He worked hard and got most of the gardening done. Tomorrow he said he’d be back to work on the rest and get things ready for pickup. Then I need to make arrangements with the contractor to fix the cement and paint everything. As we were returning from our trip out, Zia and I could see how clear the Adriatic Sea was today. No haze on the horizon, which is somewhat rare. We could see the Lido part of town with Isole Tremiti in the background.

Tomorrow is Zia’s birthday, so I plan to surprise her with a card and a cake from Shangri La pasticieria (pastry shop).

Foodtopia Moments

When I arrived I was pretty much without food, and the first night I had no time to get anything to cook. So I broke down and went to Parco del Mare and got a pizza and fried calamari per portare via (to go). Saturday I went food shopping and today was able to cook some veggies. I used pomodorini (little tomatoes), patate gialli (yellow potatoes), basilica (basil), cippole bianca (white onions), aglio (garlic), zucchini, melanzane (eggplant), pepperoni rossi (red peppers), and olio di olivo. On top I threw in two different kinds of salsiccia (sausage), and roasted it all together. I’m saving it for tomorrow, but I did taste it for salt near the end and it was delicious.

Just a Shade Under 54 Hours

It has been a whirlwind since I boarded my fist plan on Wednesday morning in Newark, NJ. With a layover Miami of three hours, a nine-hour flight to Milan, an overnight stay by the airport there, a more than 6 hour train ride south, followed by a ten minute cab right, the trip to Campomarino Lido this year took just under 54 hours.

The patio garden is overgrown and the house needed cleaning. So far, the house is decently cleaned up, and I’m working on laundry. All the towels and sheets smell like they’ve been closed up all year. I met with a gardener who will be here possibly Monday, possibly, Tuesday or possibly Wednesday. The gardener works with the contractor who will be fixing my exterior cement and Iron fencing then painting everything. He can’t start until the gardening is done. We’ll see how long this takes.

Once I got to town, I needed supplies. So I took my rented Jeep Renegade that I picked up on Saturday and went grocery shopping in two markets. Is it wrong that I picked up three different bottles of BBQ sauce just to try them? There is one brand they have here that tastes just like McDonalds BBQ sauce for McNuggets.

I’ve also been hanging out with Zia a few times since Friday. Tomorrow we have some official township business to tend to, and then her birthday is Tuesday. I brought a card from home because I have never found a place with cards here.

It has taken me until today to get the WiFi working. The first place I went to said they were unable to do it. Not sure why. They said come back on Saturday. Seeing as that store was way north in Milan, I went to a different store on Saturday. They offered me a deal for three months of service with a total of 100 GB of data, and a newer, faster device for 50 euros. It was going to cost me 40 euros for one month of service with my old device, then another 12 euros to finish out my trip. So I saved two euros and got faster internet and more data (100 GB to use over the time vs 20 GB per month).

While I waited for the WiFi I have had access to things through my Italian cell phone. I also wasted no time and began work on my new script. I dove right in last night and completed three scenes.