Since we arrived in Italy, my cousins Maryanne and Diane and I haven't really stopped for very long. We've been finding interesting ways to fill our days. With some Aperol Spritz, and a lot of laughter, it's been a great time.
On Tuesday, we woke up in Milan and were ready to hit the road at 9 am to head to Venezia (Venice). The rental car, however was not ready. So we went back to the hotel, had an American breakfast, then went back and got the car. We were on the road by 11:30. The time setback meant less time to explore Venice.
In Venice for only a few hours, we tried to make the most of it. We rode a vaporetto (kind of like a public transit boat) along the Grand Canal. We visited Piazza di San Marco, walked the Rialto Bridge, where we stopped to eat cena (dinner), and shopped til we dropped. I'm not going to list the items, because it may be a surprise for some people. We were dragging tail as we hoofed it back through the winding streets, across little bridges over Venetian water, past gondoliers at work and tourists taking pics for Instagram. It was only a mile, but it felt like more.
The next morning, Maryanne, Diane and I hopped back into our Fiat 500X, filled halfway with luggage and the other half with people, and set off for Campomarino Lido. The ride along the Adriatic coast was 7 hours, and it was filled with great conversation, laughter, and the purchasing of a new lunch bag. When we stopped for gas, my cousin Maryanne noticed really cute lunch bags. We thought the sign said two bags for ten euros. The woman at the checkout explained to us, literally holding the bag and each item, that it was one bag, a long baguette, and two packs of lunchmeat (either proscuitto, mortadella, or salami). We all three immediately said yes. We were giddy over the deal, especially since there was literally nothing at the house to eat. One of the baguettes and two packs of lunchmeat were our dinner last night.
When we arrived in Campomarino we met with the gardener who was here working, then went up to see Zia Carmelita. She had just arrived earlier in the day. We talked for a while, then went back down to clean. Between Maryanne, Diane, and I, we got the house ready to go in one evening. Windows, floors, bathrooms, and started laundry.
Today I headed out for a walk for the first time in Campomarino this year. It was a 3.5 miles walk, and I stopped for veggies, pizza, fruit, and croissants. Zia came down in the morning and we all went out to get some food from Ristorante Netti, then off to the Carrefour Market. We used to have a giant Carrefour nearby, but that closed a decade ago. Last year, they opened a smaller market that is less Target and more Aldi. After lunch, we cleaned a little, had a workman come to repair a window, then spent an hour at the Lido Ritz beach club. It was a great day.
After the beach, Maryanne, Diane, and I decided to spend an evening in Termoli, the next town up the coast. We arrived in town just in time to see the tramonte (sunset). We walked through town, visited the castle, and received a guided tour of the church where the remains of San Basso and San Timoteo reside. The church dates back to the 1200s, and they recently excavated some of it, discovering some old mosaics. We then went off to Eattico - Pesci di Strada, a local street food restaurant for some delicious sandwiches featuring octopus and anchovies. I've been there so I knew it was good, but I think everyone was surprised by the flavors of the sandwiches. We ended the night with a gelato from Yo-Go, the best gelatteria I've ever been to, and it was still delicious as usual.
