Puglia - 'Poo lee ah'

I left Puglia this morning and enjoyed the 3 days I was there.  I stayed in wonderful Villa Magnolia owned by Ron (an American) and Leslie (a Brit).  They were the most gracious hosts and have created an oasis in the countryside.  The weather wasn't the most cooperative but I had fun in spite of it. 

One afternoon they hosted a pizza party.  Ron has built a brick oven perfect for cooking wood-fired pizzas and baking foccacia.  They only had three guests while I was there (myself and a very cute young couple from London).  Leslie prepared the dough and then we each created our own pizzas and cooked them in the oven.  Mine was a masterpiece.  She also made delicious foccacia and eggplant parmesan for starters.  We ate under a grape arbor and finished with a dessert of panna cotta with sliced peaches (unfortunately soaked in alcohol, made before she knew I didn't drink).

The next day it poured.  The streets became rivers and I thought my little car was going to float away.  I think it rained at least 4 inches.  I did a bit of sightseeing in the morning and then returned to Villa Magnolia for a pasta making party that evening.  Again Leslie made the dough and we made a Puglian speciality, orecchiette, a little ear-shaped pasta.  I'm anxious to try it at home, at least once.  She made a delicious tomato sauce with meatballs for the pasta .  Dinner started with figs, stuffed with sweet gorgonzola and wrapped with prosciutto.  Oh my, it was so good.  For dessert she made a apple and lemon cake with a lemon sauce. 

With the beautiful dishes I bought in Ravello I can see an Italian dinner party in my future.  Hopefully I can re-create some of what I enjoyed at Villa Magnolia.

Perfetto!

One week down, two to go

I can't believe my first week in Italy is over and that I'll be leaving the Amalfi area tomorrow.  I have really enjoyed my time here.  Words can't describe the unbelievable beauty of the towns, seas and mountains.  There is nothing to compare.

Today I enjoyed a private boat trip up the coast to Positano.  The day was a little overcast at times and the seas a bit choppy but it offered a unique view of the coastline I can't enjoy while driving.  Thanks to Susan and REI for arranging this wonderful adventure.  I felt a little like the Queen of Sheba with my personal driver at my command.  My driver pointed out Sophia Loren's house and we explored a couple of caves.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and now need to get packed.

Ciao Amalfi!

Things I love about Italy - Part Uno

1.  A room with a view

2.  Gelato

3.  Blue skies and sunshine
4.  Warm nights
5.  Sparkling blue Mediterranean

6.  Church bells

7.  Breakfast on the terrace

8.  Pizza

9.  Starry nights
10.  Shorts and flip flops in October
11.  Italian ceramics

12.  My new Kindle
13.  Walking, walking, walking
14.  Fireworks across the bay
15.  Green olives

16.  Caprese salad

17.  Reading poolside

18.  Sleeping with the window open
19.  Lemon trees

20.  Good friends (thanks Diana and Emily)

21.  Lemon, lime and orange peel dipped in cioccolata
22.  Olive trees
23.  Amalfi coastline
24.  Stella Maris (restaurant)

25.  Lemon sorbet

(in no particular order)

Pompeii

Another day of ridiculous traffic along the coast but we finally made it to Pompeii.  What an amazing place.  I had no idea the size and scope of the ruins.  30 feet of hot mud and volcanic ash covered the city in AD 79 with the eruption of Mt Vesuvius.  Of the 20,000 residents, 2000 were killed.  The restoration work is amazing.  That mosaic tiles and fresco's are still in tact.  It was really stunning.  We spent almost four hours wandering the city.  Definitely a must see.
On the way back to Amalfi we stopped in Positano for dinner at a charming restaurant.  The city was delightful and postcard perfect.

Green Eggs and Ham

Monday my friend Diana, and her sister Emily, arrived for a stay of several days.  Since I needed to pick them up in Salerno I thought I would stop first at some Greek ruins south of the city.

Paestum (PASTE-oom) is one of the best collections of Greek temples anywhere.  There are three temples plus other smaller ruins situated in a large open field.  The city was originally founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC and called Poseidonia.  They were imposing and spectacular.  Hard to believe they could survive in such a good condition over such a long period of time.
The plan for later in the day was to pick up Diana and Emily about 1:15.  Unfortunately the doors on their train were stuck closed and they couldn't get off at their stop.  Oh my, what an afternoon of trying to figure things out.  Traffic in these cities is insane.  There is one rule of the road, GO, regardless of whether you have the right of way or not.  I had no map, no idea where to wait for their next train, no idea of where the train station was but it all worked out.  The line from Green Eggs and Ham kept popping into my head as I tried to negotiate my way around...'I do not like this Sam I Am, I do not like Green Eggs and Ham.'  I really was blessed with many tender mercies of the Lord that afternoon.  I'm becoming pretty adept at going with the flow.  I hope and pray I make it out of here in one piece (especially the rental car).

Villa Scarpariello - Bella

I don't know what I was thinking - renting a car in Rome.  The gentleman at the rental agency was helpful as far as his limited English allowed.  I had to walk up and down the street in front of the train station a couple of times before I figured out where the car was parked.  I followed his directions to get out of the city and was fairly successful but my blood pressure was pretty high by the time I got onto the autostrade.  From there it was almost smooth sailing, only one wrong turn and a heated discussion with a toll booth operator (we were struggling to understand one another) but I made it to Amalfi in one piece.

Villa Scarpariello, my home for the next week, is so beautiful.  When I walked into my small apartment I couldn't believe my good fortune.  The apartment seems built into a cliff right above the sea.  I could fish from my bedroom window if I had some line and a hook.  There are two bedrooms, a bath, small kitchen (I can't figure out how to light the stove) and a balcony.  The Mediterranean sparkles with the sun, the grounds are filled with lemon and pomegranate trees, the walls are covered in blue morning glory, hibiscus and bougainvillea, there are marigolds, geraniums and many others.

I went to sleep listening to the waves and enjoying a light breeze.  When I woke Sunday morning I could look out my window from my bed at the sunrise and see bright pink clouds against a beautiful blue sky.  Breakfast was served on a lovely terrace, a nice pot of hot chocolate (cioccolato), croissant, and a tall glass of orange juice.  A perfect start to a perfect day in an almost perfect place (traffic and tourists are definitely the curse of the Amalfi coast, but I have no room to talk since I qualify on both counts).

Real Simple

Arrived in Rome on Friday morning.  It was a long flight, about 14 hours, Seattle to Charlotte then on to Rome.  I didn't sleep much on the plane so I was pretty tired when I arrived.  After checking into my hotel I spent the day walking around Rome trying to stay awake until a reasonable hour.  Maybe it was because I was so tired but Rome didn't seem like as much fun the second time around.  It's an amazing city but I was tired and my feet hurt.  Between the cobblestone streets, uneven sidewalks, traffic, noise and crowds of tourists I was ready to get out of town.
When I returned to my hotel the first order of business was to soak my aching feet but no hotels in my price range come with a bathtub.  For those who have read Real Simple magazine you know they have a section where they highlight the dual purpose of household items.  I have a great new suggestion.  The bidet as a soaking tub for dirty, tired feet.  I don't know if Europeans would be appalled but it worked great.