On the way home

 Campomarino 2023 is in the books and I'm in the middle of my route home as I write this in my hotel room in Iceland. On Tuesday morning, my neighbor Fernando drove me to the train station in Termoli. It was a huge help getting a ride, and I thanked him profusely. Before my train ride, I walked around Termoli a little, picked up something to eat for breakfast and lunch onboard the train, and went down for one last view of the castle and the sea.

The train ride to Milan was great. After checking into the hotel, I headed out into Milan for some sightseeing and dinner. As I was walking through the Sforza Castle, I came across an orchestra warming up before their performance that night. I was crossing the courtyard to the sound of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" played by an orchestra, and it was awesome. 

Yesterday, my flight wasn't until nighttime, so I again went into Milan. This time, I finally went to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which is much more of an experience than it sounds. I didn't take any of the classes that they offer, but I watched them roasting beans, and tried some of the treats. Then I went on to the Duomo of Milan. I have been in the cathedral plenty of times, and went back in yesterday. One of my favorite sculptures, of St. Bartholomew with his skin as a toga, is in this church. It's also home to immaculate stained glass windows. For the first time, though, I went to the rooftop terrace of the Duomo. There were amazing views, and I could see the ornate decorations of the Duomo up close. 

My flight last night to Keflavik, Iceland, was wonderful. No turbulence at all, and I was in the exit row so I had plenty of leg room. It was the middle of the night when I got to the hotel, so I'm excited to head out in a few minutes to see if there is anything nearby. It was much darker in the middle of the night this time than last month when I was here. My flight to Newark is tonight at 5, so I have a couple of hours to spend here. 

Foodtopia Moments

 Never in my life did I ever think I would write a Foodtopia Moments post in Italy that highlights...Starbucks. But, until yesterday, I had never visited the Starbucks Reserve in Milan. It's not a regular Starbucks, though you can still get some favorites, though I didn't see a frappucino in the place. They roast the rarest beans that Starbucks purchases, and the food is on a whole different level, and I only got a couple of small bites. 

I ordered an sfisioso con olive (olive bread stick) and a pistachio mousse tart to eat. For my beverage, I ordered an Oleato cold brew with foam. The Oleato line of drinks feature olive oil in partnership with Partana Olive Oil. I was apprehensive at first when I heard about the olive oil and coffee combo, but it was delicious. You could taste the olive oil, which is a high quality brand, but it was slightly sweetened and went perfectly with the bitterness of the cold brew. The sfisioso was delicious with plenty of whole olives, not just chopped up pieces. But the best thing was the pistachio mousse tart. If they had those at every Starbucks, I'd probably eat them several times a week.

Last days in town

My trip to Italy is winding down. Usually this means that the summer is ending. However, this year my trip here is ending with a decent amount of summer still on the horizon. It's been a great summer, with some time to relax, and some goals accomplished. I managed to lose 14 pounds this month while eating some of the most delicious food. I guess exercise, less stress, natural ingredients, and sweating my buns off in the heatwave was a good mix. 

Friday night, the cold air (temps in the low 70s) rolled in. By 10 at night it was raining, and continued to rain off and on all day Saturday. It was sunny long enough on Saturday morning for me to go for my walk, but by the time I was headed to the beach, the ominous clouds were approaching. There's something really beautiful about being at the water's edge and seeing the storm-front gather. The clouds just look so different when storms roll in here. We're do for more rain this afternoon. It literally hadn't rained more than a couple of drops the whole time I was here until Friday night. 

All week I had been putting together my "closing the condo" list. It got up to 43 tasks that needed to get done before leaving, and I planned on starting it yesterday. That day also happened to be my last day at Lido Ritz for 2023. One major task to do yesterday was get my bags packed. I guess I didn't realize how many souvenirs I was buying. I knew I was leaving clothes and shoes here at the condo, but I guess I overshot the estimated space, and it's not even really that much stuff that I'm bringing home. I still want to go in and rearrange the bag a little before my flights. 

As it was my last day at Lido Ritz beach club, I would hang a load of laundry on the line, then head to the beach club. After a couple of hours I'd come home and fold laundry, then put more wet clothes on the line. Washed and dried three loads since yesterday morning. I also made it to the beach twice yesterday. The water was considerably colder than it was on Friday, but rain will do that. 

Today I went for my normal morning 5K walk, picked up my favorites from my breakfast spots, then came home and got working. I've completed all of the tasks I can complete before tonight. When I'm done with lunch, I'll be able to knock about a half dozen things off the list and maybe play with my suitcase a little. Tomorrow morning I have a train ride to Milan, then a flight to Iceland on Wednesday night, and a flight to Newark on Thursday evening. Lots of travel the next few days. 

Foodtopia Moments

 This post is kind of all about the pizza. Last night, I went to Ristorante Netti for the first time this year and ordered the Pizza Netti. The bake the pizza with only some buffalo mozzarella. When the crust is finished, thy take it out and top it with chopped pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), arugula, shavings of Grana Padano cheese, and top that with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. The heat of the crust makes the tomatoes sweat just a little. It's a perfect combination. 

Walking around town this morning, I stopped at a different bakery for a piece of their Rustica pizza. It is essentially if someone made a stuffed pizza out of croissant layers with a small amount of mozzarella and a layer of proscuitto cotto (cooked ham). It's flakey, buttery, savory and a great mid morning breakfast after my walk. 

Lots of family time

The past few days have been so busy with the beach and family time, that I pretty much forgot to blog.  It's been wonderful having Zia and my cousin Valeria in town this whirlwind of a week. 

On Tuesday, my cousin Mario's daughter Arianna turned one. Her and her three-year-old sister Rosella are absolutely adorable. That night, Mario and his wife Cassandra hosted a party at Lido iBeach, which is beach club at the far north end of town. It's a beautiful club, with a pool, restaurant, and an amazing panoramic viewing spot to watch sunrises and sunsets. I went with my cousin Valeria and enjoyed a great night of celebrating. 

On Wednesday, after spending most of the day on the beach, Valeria and I met up with good friends Monia and Omar to grab a couple of cocktails on the Lungomare. We visited one familiar club, which no longer had fancy cocktails, and then Lido Aurora which has a new Tiki Bar and an 11 page drink menu. Got one with house made basil and cucumber syrups and gin. It was a perfect drink to cap off a night of great conversation.

Last night, again after soaking up the sun all day, I met up with Mario, Cassandra and the girls for some pizza at Ristorante Netti and a quick stop at Shangri La for some gelato. It was my first time to eat at Ristorante Netti this year, though I have picked up food to go from there many times this summer. I got an old favorite, Pizza Netti, and it was once again fresh and delicious. We also ran into my cousin Gino and his wife Carmela a couple of time while we were out on the town.

Tonight, my cousin Vincenzo and his wife Mariella came for a visit. It was great to see them, and to have Zia stay for a longer visit. Luckily, I'll get to see them again in a couple of weeks in the United States. 

As I'm writing this, we are getting our first real rain of the summer. Clouds rolled in after 9 p.m., and it just started storming. Tomorrow is supposed to be 16 degrees cooler than today, with clouds, sun, and rain. Weather is like a coin flip tomorrow. Forecasts also change here faster than the island from "Lost." This is my last weekend in town for this year, so it'll be busy with cleaning, packing, and securing the house for the "winter."

Party and the beach

 The past couple of days have been beautiful out. There has been lots of sunshine, very few clouds, temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s, and a gentle breeze that feels refreshing in the shade. The humidity has still been pretty high, but the slight breeze has helped with that as well. 

Zia's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but we celebrated her yesterday with a little party after she arrived in Campomarino. My cousin's, her grandaughters, Valeria and Greta and their boyfriends Adi and Danilo came with her and were here for the party. We picked up a bunch of food from Ristorante Netti and a delicious cake from Shangri La pasticceria. Shangri La is the only place in the Lido (beach) part of Campomarino for cakes and pastries, and we are blessed that they are so amazing at making cakes and pastries, as well as some of the best gelato in town. 

After the birthday dinner, I took a rest, read a big chunk of book number three for the summer, and then walked down to the beach. It was pretty late when I got there, so I didn't even wear a bathing suit. Just wanted to hang out on a chaise lounger and catch a few rays. This morning I went in my swimsuit and got a nice dip in before grabbing a couple of hours of sun. I reached my peak darkness a couple of weeks ago, so now it's just maintaining a tan. 

On my walk this morning, I came across the sign and flag that shows the town's designation as Bandiera Blue. It's a prideful thing, but the town for many years now has been designated by the government as a beach worth the designation. Not all towns get it, and I remember several years ago when they didn't get the designation, people were pretty bummed.

Foodtopia Moments

 Potatoes. The word itself doesn't illicit any excitement. However, I think they may be one of the most universal veggies, and I don't know anyone who doesn't like some form of potato. I also don't know if it's the soil, or the type of potato, but the ones I get from the farmers here are just better than what I use stateside, and I'm particular about what kinds of potatoes I buy. Saturday night, I washed and sliced about 15 of these smaller potatoes, rich in a golden color, then tossed them with cipolle (onions), aglio (garlic), sale (salt), freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano, and olio d'olivo (olive oil). I baked them covered for 45 minutes, then uncovered for another half hour. Deliciousness. Some got a little char, but a tasty flavorful char. The onions, cut teeny tiny, seemed to liquify or become so transparent that you really cant even see them. So flavorful, easy to make, and delicious.

To Termoli then back again

 The heat finally broke a little. Still it's very sunny, but instead of temps hovering around 100, they've been in the high 80s to 90s, great for the beach since there has been a little breeze. I have been doing more reading, lots of walking, and finished a second book. Onto book number 3.

On Thursday, I went to Termoli in the morning. I wanted to make sure my phone and internet had enough money in the account to just automatically renew for the next month. I don't put it on my credit card as a monthly fee since I don't like the idea of having to call and write to cancel service. Much easier to just let the service run out. I also wanted to use the ATM since there is none in my town, and head to the shopping mall called La Fontana. It was one of my mom's favorite places to visit, and I've always like their supermarket best. This time of year they always have good school supplies, but I was really there looking for something to bring back for the dogs. Yes, I bring my dog a gift from Italy every year. I walked around the town again, and had another small gelato and delicious focaccia slice for breakfast before heading back to Campomarino.

Friday morning, I noticed that my internet was not working. I thought maybe it was downloading an update, and checked again after spending the morning on the beach. Still wasn't working. This meant another trip to Termoli. Without a car, I'm dependent on the train schedule. I used my phone to check the schedule and noticed that I had an hour and a half to shower, dress, and get to the train station a mile and a half away on foot. Or wait until Saturday morning. I hadn't been to Termoli in the evening yet this year, so I decided to get ready quick and head out.

Termoli was still basically asleep when I arrived around 4. I went right to the Vodafone store, handled the internet issue, and then decided to walk around.  By that time, the town was humming. I first went to a different mall. I remember this mall, Lo Scrigno, really fascinating me 21 years ago when I first saw it. It had three levels and all of the stores were open. There were moving walkways to take you up to the second level, and stairs to the third. When I got there yesterday, I instantly remembered a conversation I had with my dad back in 2002 when we first went there. I told him then that the place was incredible, but that no way on earth the Italians maintain it. I was right. There's only one store left open in the second level, and a doctor's office. Only two of the six moving walkways are operational. The paint on the building is faded and chipping away to rust. Sad state to see the place in. It was, however, still bustling with people and the wood fired rotisserie chicken stand in the parking lot is still open. 

After leaving Lo Scrigno, I went looking for different gifts for the dogs. I really didn't like the selection at the supermarket the day before, so I went to an actual pet store that I remembered from last year. They delivered and I was able to get something for the boys (and girl). Still, I had a couple of hours before the bus ride back to town. I walked down toward the water, and over to the area inside the castle town walls. I parked myself outside of an 800 year old church and had a Crudino, a bitter orange drink. They were setting up for a film festival in the piazza. I people watched, and finished the last few pages of the book I was reading.  On my way back to the bus, I stopped for some gelato. This time, Yo Go Gelateria had all of their flavors available. I had pistachio, stracciatella, and ricotta and fig. The last flavor was incredible. 

When I got back to town, I ran into my cousin Gino and talked with him for a little while before grabbing a couple of slices of pizza and heading home. I had walked more than 49,000 steps in two days and needed a little rest. Tonight my plan is to straighten up my place and prepare for Zia's arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing her and my cousins tomorrow.  

Foodtopia Moments

 On Sunday, I saw a steak at the butcher shop, but I already had meat thawed so I said to myself, "wait til Tuesday." As I thought about how I'd cook the steak without a grill and really no broiler, I kept coming back in my mind to the seasoning. I finally decided to buy some heavy cream, and make my own seasoned finishing butter. I'd seen a reel on Instagram on how to do it so I put it to the test. I walked three miles to the store and back in 100 degree heat to get heavy cream, dried chives, and garlic powder. I put it all in a clean jar along with a little salt, and shook it for about 5 minutes making a decent amount of butter. I poured out the remaining liquid, which at that point is buttermilk, and put it in the fridge overnight. I seasoned the steak with salt, sautéed up some white and red onions in white wine and some butter, seared the steak in a hot pan, then finished it in an oven at 425 degrees. I added the butter on top right before putting it in the oven. When it came out of the oven, I continued to spoon the melted butter all over the steak. It was one of the best steaks I've ever cooked. Medium on the inside and full of flavor. 

Butter in the jar

Sun, heat, and lots of writing

 The past few days have been really hot, topping out today with temps over 105 before the heat index.  All week its been in the 90s to a little over 100, with a heat index usually between 105 and 113. Opposite of what I'd probably do in America, I did spend a lot of time outdoors heading into the water, tanning, and reading on the beach.

Last Friday, I had someone come to fix the air conditioner here at the house. Sadly, it was unfixable, and I needed a new unit. The same guys who were here to look at my AC were also here to install a new AC unit at my neighbor's house. While they worked, my neighbor was nice enough to drive me to the store to buy a new climatizadore (air conditioner) at the local Euronics store in Termoli. By 5:30 Friday afternoon, I had a new AC unit.

On Saturday night, I joined my cousin Mario, his wife Cassandra, and their kids, along with a group of their friends for some pizza in town. I was my first time to go to this place, at the very southern end of town. The pizza was ok, but it was a great night. And I got to hold my little cousin Arianna, who I hadn't seen since she was a little less than two weeks old. Now she's almost a year old and cute as can be.  

The beach was packed this weekend, but the past couple of days have been hot with a really hot breeze. The wind has been so strong that today none of the beach clubs had their umbrellas open. I managed to just chill on the bar patio at the beach club and got some writing prep done for a second script. That's write (pun), I completed my first script of the summer on Sunday evening. I now have seven feature length film scripts completed. That's on top of reading a book and most of a second one, and completing lesson plans for the year for one of my classes pretty much mapping out the whole course. Obviously that's subject to change throughout the year, but figured I'd get a jump on it on a bad beach day.

I have also met a new friend here. There are a lot of stray cats in the area, but this one, I'm calling Figaro, has been sleeping in the shade by my back door in the afternoons for four days now. He just curls up and takes his nap. 

I plan on hitting up Termoli some morning later this week, maybe Thursday. Zia is due in over the weekend along with my cousins so that'll be fun. It hit me today that it's already July 25. Time is flying by this summer. 

Foodtopia Moments

 This morning I had breakfast pizza in Termoli, the town just north of mine. In the center of town is a paneficcio (bread bakery) that I love. Aside from their bread, I also love their pizza. They have one style in particular that I think is the best I eat all summer. It has escarole, tomatoes, anchovy, and a little bit of cheese and olive oil. If they have it when I'm there, I'll grab a slice and head to an overlook where I can see the glorious beaches, blue sea, and an ancient castle while I eat.

Fun in all directions

The past couple of days have had very busy mornings. It's also been terribly hot. I know a lot of you reading this are also dealing with heat, but it was 109 degrees yesterday in San Severo before the heat index, and 115 with the heat index when I returned to Campomarino. Today was similar and I feel like I'm perpetually covered in a layer of sweat. I did manage to get a little late afternoon beach time in both days, but the water has been really warm and not refreshing.

Yesterday I hopped on a morning train heading south to visit Zia in her hometown of San Severo. I'd never taken the train there, but it was really easy. Only about 30 minutes on the train, and she lives about a 20 minute walk from the station. Sadly, her air conditioner is broken like mine, so we just kind of sat around in a hot apartment, talked and had lunch. I had a train ride back a little before three in the afternoon, but luckily my cousin Renato and his wife Dorette were able to stop by for a quick visit. It was definitely a hot day (did I mention the heat), and Zia's condo complex is under renovation, meaning there was a lot of banging and construction dust in the air, but that's progress.

The train ride back was great because it was blasting the AC. I had my phone out on my way to the train station and it had overheated after only a few minutes outside of my pocket, so the AC was very much welcome. When I got back to Campomarino, I exited the train and thought it's not so bad out. I was just feeling cooled and refreshed from the AC. The heat caught up with me, so I decided to have my first gelato in Italy this year. I stopped in town at Shangri La. I got three flavors, selecting pistachio and mandorla (almond), straciatella, and melograno (pomegranate) with pistachio butter. Taking a rest on the way home, and the delicious ice cream was a perfect boost for the rest of my walk home. 

I had emailed back and forth with the bank in Italy this week and my rep asked me if I had time to meet up today. This morning, bright and early again, I trekked to the train station. This time I was taking the bus one stop north, about ten minutes away, to Termoli. After handling the banking, I grabbed some breakfast and walked down to an overlook to eat. I had a beautiful view of the Termoli beaches, the Adriatic Sea, and a castle with walled city from the 1300's. Termoli is ideally beautiful and looks like a postcard in most directions. After walking around the city, shopping for a couple of people, and having a drink, I decided that I was going to get some gelato from the best gelateria I've ever been to. YoGo in Termoli hasn't lost a step. I got three flavors again, straciatella, Kinder Cereali (which had a layer of chocolate and crispy cereal on top), and salted caramel. When I got back to the house, I rested a little, then went off to the beach for a couple of hours.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to have someone come to fix the AC. It will be nice to get the house cooled at night, and remove some of the humidity in the house. It's also the Friday flea market tomorrow and I have my shopping list ready. It's paper towels, just paper towels.

Heat wave and family dinner

It's been a few days since my last post, and I haven't left town in that time span. I mentioned my plan to visit Zia at her house, but never made it. I got my things together, packed up the lunch I had bought for us they day before, made it to the train station about 20 minutes early and noticed the screen said the train was cancelled. Other passengers there said they'll probably substitute it with a bus. They did not, and it was one of many canceled trains on Wednesday and Thursday last week due to a train workers strike. My plan is to visit her this week instead. 

Last Friday was the first Friday flea market for me of the season. It's like the last spot that inflation hasn't hit. Everything was the same prices as the past few years. I love walking through the open air market looking for things I might want for the house here, but this time I just bought some paper towels and some linens.

I've spent my days walking, reading (one book "Blood and Honor" done), writing a screenplay (30 pages drafted), cooking, and getting to the beach for a few hours a day. Italy is going through a heatwave, with temps in the 90s most days, and today, though only 88 degrees, had a heat index of 111.  Very humid day. Even the water was warm today.

I finally had some pizza last night, my first cheese pizza since I got here.  I had only had breakfast focaccia pizza. Yesterday was Zia's birthday and also her saint's day. My cousin Luigi's wife is also named Carmela so he threw a party in her honor at his place here in town last night. Even met his son Leonardo for the first time. It was a great time, and it's amazing how much I'm understanding this year. Sometimes I'm even thinking in my broken Italian. I got back to my place at almost 12:30 last night, which kind of setup an odd morning.

My neighbors were out yesterday afternoon when I left for my cousin Luigi's house on foot. And when I came home, they had already gone to bed. I put my sleep mask over my eyes when I went to bed to block out any light in the morning, and slept until about 8:30. I didn't get moving quickly and about 9:30 Zia calls me to find out where I am. Then my doorbell started ringing. Evidently my neighbors were concerned since they hadn't seen me since yesterday morning so they rang my doorbell and called Zia, and she called me.  At that point I was about to hang up some laundry and head out on my walk. At least I know my neighbors are looking out for me, just need to be up before 8:30 I guess.