Category Archives: Travel

Trip Report Salerno February 2026

12 Replies

Salerno February 2026

Tuesday February 17
We drove south to Foligno. The station there had much better connections for some reason. They have a relatively cheap parking lot. We were meeting our friend Jen who was going to stay in our apartment with the kitties. We gave her the key and we went to catch our train. When we got to the platform with about 4 minutes to spare I realized I had left my hiking stick in the coffee bar. Darn. I use it when I’m doing a lot of walking, which I will be on this trip. But there was no time to go get it. Sigh.

We went to Roma Termini terminal, the main one. We arrived in just two hours. We had a bit of time to kill and then we saw our train was also arriving late so we had about an hour. We decided to grab a sandwich there. I got the porchetta . It was pretty good. 

Our train arrived, the Frecciarossa, red arrow, Italy’s high speed train. Off we went to Salerno with a stop in Napoli. I love the Frecciarossa. We always get business class and always the area silenzio. I love that it is silent. They bring the drink and snack cart just like on the airplane. We had a white wine each. They gave us snacks and water too. We arrived about 4:30. A half hour late. 

Finding our hotel, called the Leucosya Luxury rooms, was not easy. It was just 150 meters from the station, so we were walking. We had been warned by our friends Gary and Susan whom we were meeting there, that it was not obvious. We called and Gary came to our rescue. 

We checked into our room. What a strange room. It has more gold that the Oval Office. No joke. There is the biggest bathtub I’ve ever seen in the bedroom. It has golden tiles and a golden filigree over it. A golden Roman chair. Two golden small tables. Many golden statuettes and and incense burner. The wallpaper is Versace. Maybe the room got lost on the way to Vegas? I KNOW you want pictures 😉

See what I mean?

We went looking for a bar for drinks and snacks. We found a great pedestrian only shoppingstreet. It was lined with bars. It was spitting rain but no place had indoor seating. All was outside with covers, some with glass walls, some with heaters. We finally gave up after walking the entire street and went in one that had plenty of places, under cover. They turned on the heaters. Our waitress was super. We got a bottle of red from Sicily and then a platter of cheeses and meats which came with a few other apperitivi. And we ordered two plates of fried anchovies to share. Perfect. And it rained hard while there but stopped before we walked back. 🙂

Salerno centro storico at night.

Wednesday 18 February
We woke to brilliant sunshine! Wow. It has rained constantly for weeks. First thing was take a shower. It is a space age thing with jets, squirters and a shower. It is always an adventure to figure out the fixtures in hotel bathrooms. This particular shower was a great example. I turned the dial to the picture of what looked like a shower. Suddenly the array of jets up the entire backside of the shower shot out incredible gushes of water right into my face. And across the whole bathroom. I slammed the door but that was no solution since I had to open it to figure out how to turn it off.  So I bit the bullet and jerked the door open reached over while these jets of water were dousing me and everything else. Finally got it off. Dripping wet I got all the towels and tried to mop it all up. Then I tried to figure out which thing to turn the dial to to get the shower. With a bit of experimentation, the shower came on. Adventures in plumbing. 

We were headed to Paestum and would be walking around so good weather would be appreciated. We were served breakfast in our room and met to go get the train. It was leaving at 9:30. It took just half an hour and dropped us right at the Archaeological park. I have been twice before so this was the first time on a train and I hadn’t realized where the train stopped.

We walked through the gate and headed up the road to the old Greek city. The history is interesting. In 600 BCE it was settled by Sybaris, a Greek settlement in the south of Italy and named Poseidonia. In 400 BCE it was seized by the Lucanians. Romans took over in 273 BCE, renaming it Paestum and establishing a Latin colony. Later, its decline ensued from shifts in trade routes and the onset of flooding and marsh formation.

The Greeks built three enormous temples to the gods. Neptune, Hera, and Athena. They were built about 550 to 450 BCE. We entered the park. We bought our tickets and walked in. The two temples of Hera and Neptune were just a little walk away. They are amazing. Almost entirely intact after 2,700 years. I’ve been to other Greek ruins and none can compare with Paestum. We walked down to the amphitheater, then over to where the forum used to be. It was the center of town, center of government and center of life in Paestum. Then down to the far end of the city to the Temple of Athena. It was such a beautiful day. This was a real pleasure.

Luther in the Temple of Neptune
Temple of Neptune
Temple of Neptune
Temple of Hera
Temple of Athena
Temple of Athena

We asked in a Bar for them to call us a taxi. Patrizia came to pick us up and took us to the Caseificio Barlotti, a mozzarella di bufala farm. This has been a long time wish of mine to visit the bufala. We had a very nice tour by Andrea. He showed us the first corral which held the 160 cows giving milk. They were milked twice a day. The next one was the females who were pregnant, some were giving milk too. Then across the way was the corral with the young females. Two years old. They were now able to be bred. They don’t inseminate, they just put the bull in amongst the young females. Then the next barn is the newborns. All females. The males are sold to another farm who will raise them for meat. They are allowed to stay with their mothers for only seven days. So sad. They were very sweet.

The females who were milked twice a day.
Baby girl
Curious baby girl.

After the tour we had lunch and a continuation of the tour to explain the process of the cheese making. They milk the cows at 6am and 2pm. The cheese making begins at midnight and goes all night. They make cheese fresh and completely by hand for consumption at the Caseificio and for purchase in the shop. They also export a lot of their products all over, even in the U.S. They make some out of pasteurized milk (for US) and others from unpasteurized. They make other types of cheese. And also buratta. I asked about the buratta. He said the outer case, making the distinctive bag that encloses the creamy interior, is of mozzarella di bufala. But inside, that is cows milk cheese. It would be too rich if it were all bufala. Anyway, I learned a lot and enjoyed the tour. 

Now for the degustazione. They brought many platters of food. A big ball of the fresh, made last night, mozzarella. She split it 4 ways. There were also three other types of cheese made there. A hard semi aged one, a brie type, and a super soft very fresh one. There was a small piece that was the consistency of bread pudding. Very damp, wet made of several types of cheese and I’m sure it was baked. Very good. Then several types of cured meats. Finally a plate of roasted vegetables and a bowl of fresh quartered tomatoes. We had been saying we would have pasta but no one wanted any after that so we had desserts. All were made from their cheese. Two got the cannoli to share and two got the pistachio ice cream made from latte di bufala. Wow was that rich. And delicious. It was an interesting and tasty lunch as well as informing. All in all a nice experience.

Andrea, our guide.
The selection of food.
The fresh mozzarella di bufala.

Then we called Patrizia who came back to get us and take us to the station. Off we went back to Salerno. I highly recommend a visit to Paestum but not in July and August. Patrizia said it is crazy busy with tourists then.

We got back to the hotel and had a couple hours to rest. Then we decided Caserta was not in our future for tomorrow, mainly because it is a two hour trip and the a two hour tour and lunch and a two hour trip back. We decided that was too much especially since rain is in the forecast. Instead we will visit Vietri sul Mare tomorrow.

Susan was feeling under the weather so Gary, Luther and I walked to meet up with our friends Gary and Bill. They have lived there 8 years. I met them through this blog before they came. We have only seen them twice in person in that eight years. But stay in touch online. Anyway, we met up for drinks tonight. They live in the centro and it is a very cool part of town. I think this would be an excellent choice for anyone considering to immigrate to Italy. Right on the sea. Near mountains, main train line. The ferry boats that go up and down the Amalfi coast and out to Capri. The food of the Amalfi coast – delicious seafood. A real city with all services. It doesn’t close up in the winter like the rest of the Amalfi.

Thursday 19 February
Vietri sul Mare is only about ten minutes from Salerno. It was overcast, chilly and breezy. Very unlike yesterday. Rain predicted in the afternoon.

The view of the town from the top. Note the ceramic dome on the Duomo. Iconic on the Amalfi coast.

We started out at the top of the town. We wended our way slowly downhill. It is a town of ceramics. Many wall decorations of ceramics. All different. There was a table I adored. So unique. The design was embossed, and the background was matte, not shiny. The theme was the seasons. I would have bought it in a minute had I a place for it. 

Depiction of a ceramic maker
The table.
Loved all the different professions and activities pictured in this wall.
I got this primarily to show the old dudes hanging out.
I loved the mural outside the alimentari.
Vietri street scene pictured in a ceramic plaque. Note the dome on the duomo is the same as the first photo in this town above.
I loved the monochromatic tone of this one along with the intricate workmanship.

We turned off the main corso and went uphill to the Duomo. Interesting. We couldn’t go inside because there was a mass going on.   

Duomo, even the decoration on the church is ceramic.

We headed back down and stopped in a shop. Gary was on a mission to replace broken spoon rests. He was very particular. Here he found it. And Susan bought a platter. Not to be outdone, I got a trivet. The proprietor seemed surprised and happy to have sold three things. It’s off season. I don’t suppose there are a lot of sales. 

Gary’s Italian teacher had evidently gone on and on about Salerno pizza. Better than Naples she said. So, Gary felt he must try the pizza. Not a hard sell. We all happily helped with this quest. We ate in a nice place back at the top of the town. The pizza was quite good. It seems Florentine pizza is always uncooked in the center. These were cooked through.

My pizza. Yummy.

Back to Salerno. And home to nap and digest. Later we planned our last day with Susan & Gary. We are staying and touring Salerno. We will meet Bill and Gary for sightseeing and lunch. But a lot depends on the weather. Supposed to rain.

Friday 20 February 
Such a great day. We expected it to be raining but I checked and the streets were dry. So it was game on! We had breakfast and headed out at about 10:15 to meet Gary who would lead us to the elevator up to the gardens of Minerva. The elevator only went so far though. We had a continued climb to get up there. 

Palazzo along the way

We made it and watched a super informative video before entering the gardens. It was all about the history of medicine in Salerno it goes way back. To before the year 1000. It was the first hospital to actually care for people. The science was based on the harmony of the universe. When the balance is upset  it causes illness. They saw life as being comprised of four elements: earth, air, fire and water, which correspond to four qualities, hot, cold, moist and dry. The humors are blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. They have a direct relationship to the four elements. They also took into account count the temperament of the individual, his mental qualities, his state of health. All this is the theory of humors. 

Which brings us to the plants. Just as the body was divided and classified by the humors and elements so too, the plants were classified. This allows each one to be classified for what it could treat in the human body. And also it’s strength

See the circle with the colours? That is how they classify this particular plant

We next went into the gardens. They were pretty with many water features. The plants were in winter mode. It would be amazing in spring and summer. We also met the local turtle. Quite friendly. He had a great place to live. I really enjoyed learning about those ancient methods of medicine.

This the everlasting spring. The source of the water for the gardens and fountains.

We headed back down to the flats to visit the Duomo. All the domes on all the churches along the Amalfi coast are made of ceramics. This one is the Duomo in Salerno.

The church was really interesting. It was very big. And very white. No decorations on the ceiling. The painting behind the altar was pretty impressive. There were a few moorish looking tile decorations on a few things. The crypt was, on the other hand super decorated. 

Then we headed to lunch at taverna Santa Maria de duomo. So fun. Us four plus Gary and Bill. The place was in a former church. This was their favorite restaurant. They booked for us. It was a delicious lunch with good conversation. It was all seafood with some most interesting preparations. I will put descriptions on the photos. You knew there would be photos, right!? 😁

My scampi with a Thai sauce.
Tuna balls. Fresh tuna ground up and made into balls and fried. Unusual.
Gnocchi with seafood. Mussels, shrimp, squid, octopus. Very yummy..
Baccalà – salt cod – whipped and put into giant shell pasta. Another interesting preparation.
Panna cotta.

Saturday 21 February
The train from Salerno left five minutes late. It was interesting that Gary’s phone app said it was fifteen minutes late. So we waited a bit, but not TOO long. And good thing because when we got there they showed it on time on the big board. It arrived five minutes late in Roma where we only had a 20 minute layover so this cut it to 15 minutes. It was touch and go getting the train to Foligno. That platform was 2est it is a very long walk. My friend Jen, who used the train alot and lives in Foligno assured me the train to Foligno would leave late, giving us extra time. But…miraculously (unfortunately) the train to Foligno was on time meaning we had  NO extra time. We barely made it. We were not alone, thankfully, because the train couldn’t leave while people were boarding. And a lot of us panting people were still boarding.

Adventures in train travel. I’m fine with riding in the train and watching the scenery, but the getting on and off, finding seats, stowing luggage, can all be stressful. The good news…the Bar had my hiking stick! 🙂

That concludes another trip report.

Ciao!

Odds and ends

10 Replies

We work our way through February. It has been the wettest February I can remember here. It is always the rainy season but not as much as this. It is good for the water table. We will enter the dry season in May and nary a drop for months. So we are going to be in good shape for it.

We had a lovely lunch at Calagrana on Sunday. They have been closed since Christmas. They actually got to take a month long vacation in the US with Ely’s sister who lives near Philly PA. I’m happy they had a good time. We had a good chat with Alberto the Chef. He tried Philly cheese steak sandwiches (loved), and hoagies (hated). And had a seafood boil (loved).

Sunday was their “soft” reopening. They had all but two tables filled. We had all missed them and were happy to go have a meal. We asked a couple, Sarah and Don, who bought a place and moved about 8 months ago, to join us. I had been meaning to get them there with us for a long time. I’m sure they will want to take guests, family, friends who visit there. We all do. We had a lovely lunch. Sarah and I had the tagliolini with cream sauce with truffles. So, so good. Don had the cheese soufflé with truffles. Luther, the ravioli. All the pasta was made in house. Both Don and Sarah professed to not really love truffles but I think they came away believers. They each had the roasted baby chicken, Luther and I had the rack of lamb. It was all delicious. We were so glad to be back and share with new friends. Sorry no food fotos!

It’s Carnivale time in Italy. Think Mardi Gras. All towns have some sort of celebration. We have a parade. I have videos but suddenly the video embedded doesn’t work. Anyway here is a photo.

Tomorrow we embark on a short trip to Salerno. It is the bottommost town on the Amalfi coast. It is not like the touristy towns there it is a real, livable town, year round. We have friends there and are also meeting up with Susan and Gary. Our present plan is to take the train there and check in to our hotel. The next day we plan a trip to Paestum. We have all been there before twice to see the famous Greek temples, which are incredible. This time we will focus on a Mozzarella di Bufala farm. This is the area where the best, creamy mozzarella comes from. I have always wanted to visit a farm. During our previous trips I stared and searched to see buffalo [these are water buffalo brought from India centuries ago. They have very rich milk which makes the best cheese] and I never ever saw one. Turns out, they are kept inside. In the barns. No wonder I never spotted one. So this time we visit an actual producer and have lunch. Excited! The next day we plan to visit Caserta. Very famous. I’ve never been and actually don’t know what I will be seeing! The last day we will spend in Salerno. With our friends for lunch and sight seeing. Should be a fun trip to break up the winter. Stay tuned for a trip report.

I heard there was gong to be a thaw of all the ice that has coated the U.S. east coast! Good news! Enjoy. Ciao for now!

Back home in beautiful Italia.

14 Replies

I arrived back home yesterday. I had a lovely week with my sister. She is doing well after her treatment. Getting stronger every day.

The drive from Dulles to Wintergreen wasn’t too bad. Both there and back were on Sundays so that helped. Also government shutdowns always make traffic in the DC area light. I have lived through a few. There were a lot of reports of delayed flights because the air traffic controllers were not coming in. I don’t blame them. They aren’t getting paid. But that didn’t affect either of my flights. 

I left the Hyatt and drove to Total Wine, a big wine shop, to buy some wine to share. When I got close to Wintergreen I stopped at the last, good grocery to buy stuff for the dinner I was making and the many things I wanted to take home. I had packed only one outfit. Jeans and a sweatshirt. I had ordered a bunch of clothes from Amazon to be delivered to my sister.

She lives at 3,400 feet up on a mountain. I was stunned at the colors along the road up the mountain. The pictures don’t do the color justice unfortunately.

I had a number of things to accomplish during my week. One was to get a flu shot and a Covid vaccine shot. Why not, right? I also had a list for the grocery store. And I had 3 things to mail for a friend. Since the tariffs were instated you can’t mail any packages from Italy to the U.S. Last, Luther wanted a bottle of bourbon. Over the course of the week I got all this done.

The autumn color in the mountains of Virginia is something I’ve missed. I hit it right at peak on this trip. It was glorious. Like driving in golden tunnels. The forests are very different in Virginia compared to Italy. Wintergreen is a four season resort which sprawls up the mountains and along the tops. There is skiing and the Appalachian Trail goes through it. The first image is of the mountain called Three Ridges.

I also watched Monday night football and three of the World Series games. I’m not a huge sports fan but it was something we three could watch and still talk during the games. We cooked together each night. The weather was very brisk. In the 30s F most days with blustery winds. We took some walks. We visited Waynesboro which is over the mountain from her. It is a typical country town. We shopped in a shop run by Mennonites called The Cheese Shop. Much more than cheese. Lots of good stuff. I had forgotten how they go nuts for Halloween in the U.S. I only took one picture but there were some other amazing displays. This guy did not want any vampires around! The wreath is entirely of garlic.

On Friday we visited Early Mountain Vineyards where they have a restaurant. It is about 1.5 hours from their house. We had a lovely lunch and drove back. The GPS directed us to use the Blue Ridge Parkway to get back home. We were fine with that and we got to take some amazing photos on the way. This particular pine is very famous. Bill took this photo.

Sunday I left their house and drove back to Dulles which was uneventful. Then I checked in and went through security which had no lines. Nice. I hit the Polaris lounge and had lunch and a wine and then sat and enjoyed myself for the two hours I had to wait. 

Now I am home. The car I hired picked me up. Nice young man from Brazil. He is married to an Italian. While on the drive home, I was struck by how drab the colors are here. Just nothing like the brilliance of the leaves on the U.S. east coast. Italy has its other charms and a beauty of its own, but Virginia is where I was born and lived so I have a special spot for it in my heart. ❤️ I’m tired and happy to be home. I was pretty proud of myself that I negotiated all the things one must negotiate when traveling internationally. I had been worried. I guess I’m not as decrepit as I thought! 😁

~~~~~~~
Back to everyday life for a while. Lots of laundry to do. It is also time to begin closing up the terrace for the winter. I need to put all the cushions and the outdoor rug inside. Then all the plants must be cut back and disposed of. It is a little sad. Cycle of life. Happily, the holidays are ahead to look forward to. Umbertide already has all its lights up but not yet illuminated.

Fino alla prossima volta, ciao.

First leg of USA trip…not without drama!

16 Replies

First step of the trip finished. I have a half full suitcase. It has several gifts in it and I wanted them to stay safe. Also some packages to mail for a friend. So I packed the entire thing in one half of the case. I’ll fill the other side with things I bought or will buy. My first step was to catch my hired car to Roma. 

Silvia picked me up in a nice, shiny, black BMW. A quick and smooth trip. Arrived at the Hilton Rome Airport hotel in less than 2.5 hours. We talked the whole way. She and her husband own the car service and have four cars. They each drive two cars and they have two employees who drive the other two. She has a ten year old daughter. They do a lot of work for the upscale hotel in our area, Reschio. Their season slows in November and they generally vacation in January or February. She dropped me right at the hotel, got my suitcase out of the trunk and gave me a double kiss goodbye. Only in Italy would your hired car driver kiss you goodbye. 😁

So now I’m happily checked into the hotel, which is HUGE by the way. I ordered room service. Stuck with a salad of melon, burrata, and prosciutto. I figured they couldn’t mess that up too much. I also got a bottle of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Very nice white.
~~~~~~~
Yes, well then. Sunday started out nicely. I got up showered, put everything back in the suitcase and checked out. Found the skywalk to the airport. It had three people mover walkways, one of which was not working. Pretty long walk. Found the check in, last section at the far end of terminal 3, and then went through security. Walked to gates E. Another long walk. Finally found the Polaris Lounge. It was packed! After a while I found a seat. Got a yogurt. And water. Later I got a cappuccino and a small pastry. This is when I left the lounge. I couldn’t believe there was a line waiting to get in. I guess they must meter people in if it’s too full.

Left and went to my gate, which was another long walk and an elevator and then a train. The train went to a new terminal mid-field. Boarded fairly quickly. I had a Polaris pod in business class. I’m too old for tourist now! Nice seat. Welcoming sparkling wine. Then we took off. I moved all the blankets and pillow and propped my phone and iPad on the edge next to the wall. A little while later I noticed the phone slowing sinking down and poof! It was gone. Down into the bowels of the plane. Disastro!

Bye bye Italia!

~~~~~~~
I went forward and informed the head flight attendant, her name was Alexa, that I had a problem. She said, “what is your problem?” I said, “I lost my phone”. She said, “that IS a problem”. She came to my seat and I showed her where it had disappeared and she pulled the foam stuff out and peered down the crevice. She turned to me and said, I think it’s gone. I asked, where. She said, down into the cargo hold. This kind of surprised me because I always thought the passenger compartment was separately pressurized. I guess not! 🤔 She told me I wasn’t the first and that they were working to fix this flaw. It looks safe to put stuff on but it isn’t.

She told me that the flight deck (pilots) had been informed and they had called ahead to Maintenance to be ready to try to find the phone when we landed. Alexa explained it was a security risk. She said, this plane is not going anywhere until they find it. The question was when would they come, and how long would it take to find it.

The rest of the flight proceeded normally with me worrying about what I’d do without the phone. I was counting on using GPS to find my way around. Things have changed around here. I waited after we landed and went to the back of business class. The head maintenance guy came in who Alexa had hoped would be there, he was a friend. I went into the jetway to wait. He and his peeps went into the hold. I swear, no more than five minutes later he was back with the phone! We all screamed! I was so glad. We all have a story to tell. I am glad that it is over with!

I want to commend all the flight crew. Especially Alexa. She was kind and optimistic even though, after it was over, she said she had no real idea. It was a first for her. Anyway, she was great. And another thing I noticed, as I stood in the back of business class after all of that cabin was empty, and I watched all the people from tourist leaving. They were all very cheerful and complimentary to the crew, thanking them over and over with big smiles saying how great the flight was. I will say I’ve flown tourist all my life and many times on United since Dulles is their main hub, and I had some pretty horrible experiences. I’m glad to see things are better.
~~~~~~~
After all that I went through passport control. There was no one there! No wait. And no fuss. Then found my suitcase, went through customs and went to rent my car. I changed out my SIM card and put the hotel where I was staying into the GPS. Now I am up at 4:30AM. My brain said time to get up! So I am finishing a few things like writing this report.

I drive to Wintergreen this morning stopping a few places on my way. I’ll write later about my time in Virginia with my sis.

Going home, going home, I am going home…

18 Replies

I thought that would catch your attention ☺️. No, I’m not MOVING back home but I am flying to the U.S. on Sunday. My sister has Multiple Myeloma and is now in remission, happily! And I have planned to go home to see her for some good “sister time” for a while. I am focusing all my time and attention on seeing her so I am not visiting anyone else. Y’all are just going to have to come visit me! 😁

I am traveling solo. I haven’t done that in over ten years. So I have made copious plans. I am leaving here Saturday. I hired a driver to take me to, and pick me up from, the Rome airport. I couldn’t deal with the several trains. Then I rented a room in the Hilton at the airport. Flying out Sunday at eleven. Arrive in Dulles at 4:45. Of course, when making my plans I didn’t count on a government shut down. Hoping that doesn’t impact my coming or going. Once I arrive and mange to get through passport control and customs then I have rented a car. I have a hotel room near the airport at the Hyatt. Then, the next morning I will drive the 3+ hours to central Virginia,

I plan to cook some with my sister, Cindy. And I am sure we will visit one or two of the “eries” in the area. You know, wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries nearby. Plus a cheese shop Cindy says is really good, which I am really looking forward to. Then I may take time to get some vaccinations. And do a little shopping. Luther wants some good Bourbon which I think Bill will help me find.

Otherwise I will be enjoying fall in the Virginia mountains. All of my forebears have lived in Virginia since the 1600s and 1700s. So I’m a born and bred Virginian. I do miss it. Especially the autumn color. We get lots of yellows here, but few oranges or reds. I borrowed these from the Exploring Virginia Facebook group which I follow. — To that group. This is a totally non commercial site. I just am showcasing my beloved Virginia, thank you. And thank you to the individual photographers.

Photo credit Carol Turner
Photo credit Frank Valenti

I don’t usually really talk about personal things much. But this is something that affects people like us who live abroad very personally and it is part of my life here, so I thought it should be part of this blog. And yes, it expresses my political leanings but I guess that’s alright. Last evening we got together at the wine bar in Umbertide Centro with four friends. Three are American, one is German. One couple lives in Berlin mostly and has an apartment here and visit often. The other spends about half time in the U.S. and half here where they have an apartment. We spoke of many things. Foremost in our minds was the situation in the U.S. We talked of what we could do to make a difference. We spoke of our fears living here and being partially reliant on our well earned Social Security. We spoke of the weakening dollar and how that affects us. We spoke of possible future blocks on sending money from our savings at home to ourselves abroad. We feel vulnerable. We spoke of going through passport control in the U.S. and whether we should disable our phone. And whether we were required to give our password to them if we are flagged and detained. And we marveled that we were even having this conversation. What has happened to my country that ordinary citizens like us, are worried for ourselves and our country? 😔

I probably will post again after I return November 4. Happy Halloween and All Saints Day (which I will miss here). 🎃

Lecce road trip – 2025

10 Replies

We left Sunday at about two so we could get to our hotel after check-in time. It is a drive completely on the big toll highways. As we neared our destination the weather got ominous and the signs on the highway warned of high winds. Even with our low profile car we could feel it. We got to the hotel and it was spitting rain and gale force winds. There was a wedding going on in their restaurant. What a day for a wedding!

We checked in and Luther finally managed to find a parking place but then the car burglar alarm would turn on every time he locked up the car. He finally got it to stop and we decided a bottle of wine was in order. The hotel made a reservation in the only open restaurant around, a pizzeria, but we decided to make do with the snacks that came with the wine instead of going out in that weather again. Morning Adriatic Sea.

Next morning we checked out at 10:30 and headed for Lecce, a four hour drive away. I hate riding on those superstrade because I can’t see much. We are so low and the guardrails so high. I did notice all the dead olive trees along one stretch. There is a disease and they had to destroy acres and acres of old olive trees. But mostly there were literally hundreds of thousands of healthy trees. And grapes. Puglia is famous for its Primativo wine. Used to be it was all sold as cheap wine but they now make some world class wines.

Dead olive trees.

We stopped on the way at a rest stop for lunch of wraps with crudo and cheese. Pretty good. It also killed about 40 minutes so we could get there after three. I am always full of trepidation going to a new town and having to park. We decided to go directly to the car park. The hotel had reserved for us. They gave us good directions. Turns out it was painless and the car park was just like a normal parking lot with normal spaces. That probably sounds weird but so many cities, never made to have cars in them, make these ridiculous spaces into parking. Never should they be called a car park.

We were a six minute walk from the hotel. Lecce is completely flat. It was also still very windy. The hotel, Palazzo Zimara, is in a 500 year old palazzo. Beautiful space. The gentleman, David, who checked us in and took us to our room was very nice.

Our friends Susan and Gary were meeting us there. Well they had issues with their train connections, late trains and ended up arriving at nine pm. We told the hotel to expect them then. And they graciously made reservations for us for dinner in La Scarpetta Hosteria. It was about an eleven minute walk so we headed out about 7:30. 

Just when we arrived it began to rain. And the door to the restaurant was locked. Eventually they noticed us and we got seated. Nice place. Mostly seafood. I wasn’t that hungry so I can’t rave about my food. We did enjoy watching all the action. There were two really big tables set up for big groups and they began to fill up as we finished. We were glad we had gotten there early.

We left and the rain had stopped but not the wind. I had fun taking pictures of the night streets, piazze and churches. There was an almost full moon. We hit the sack early. Pictures during our walk back.

Tuesday 7 October 

We met up with Susan and Gary for breakfast. It was great to see them. They had gotten in just after nine and the hotel had ordered a taxi for them. Luckily as there were none available at the station. They also managed to get something to eat nearby. They had only nice things to say about the hotel staff. We both agreed the spaces are magnificent in the hotel but the bathrooms and storage spaces were not thought out well. There is not one hook or rail in the bathroom for a damp towel. I’ve never been anywhere like that. Our room was also too hot and it was impossible to cool it down. I slept poorly. 

Breakfast was a la carte and not a lot of choices. I got scrambled eggs that were inedible. Never had eggs been so overcooked. Tomorrow I decided to just get fruit. 

We headed out for a walk about. We figured we would stop where we wanted. Mostly there are churches to see. We saw the church of Santa Teresa first. I looked up the legend. The sculpture was of a woman with her heart outside her chest. It was being stabbed by an angel. Evidently signifying holy ecstasy.

Then the Duomo. Nice space, rococo inside. Very ornate. Then we wandered the shopping streets, checked out a couple more churches, and in our wanders went through the old Jewish quarter. First the duomo and its piazza.

One of the old gates into the city. And a church.


Many of the religious “statues” we saw in the churches are made of paper mâche. There is even a museum. This one was on the street.

We stopped for refreshments then headed to our lunch destination, Le Zie Trattoria Casareccia. Salintino traditional cuisine.  

It was a small place on a semi busy street outside the walls. It was run by all the women (aunts and nonnas) and had been in business since 1966. One thing I had noticed on all the menus here abouts, the most popular meat served is Cavallo, horse. I won’t eat horse because I love them and always have since a small girl.  Susan and I got the fried pasta with chick peas. It is a traditional dish here. And then the polpettoncino al vino bianco ripieni di formaggio. So filling. We vowed not to eat for a few days. 

Our walk back was nice enough. There are tons of tourists here. Almost all American. I haven’t heard this much American English since we last visited the U.S.

Wednesday 8 October

My breakfast pancakes. Pretty good. Avoid the eggs in any form!

We decided to visit a museum called Museo Sigismondo Castromediano. Very interesting with many recovered antiquities. Here are pictures. My favorite is the last one which is a headstone for a deceased person. They misspelled his name and so had to insert a tiny letter to fix it 🙂

Along our walk.

We wended our way across town to our lunch destination, Zephyr. It is unique. Situated in an olive grove inside the city walls. Probably the only one! And it is a hotel too. It was a small menu for a light lunch. It was perfectly satisfying and in a lovely space.

The buratta on my tomatoes is made here in Puglia and I really wanted to try it. It was terrific.

Thursday, 9 October

I had the yogurt and muesli breakfast. Not bad. We hung around the room until checkout time. We were off on our way home with a stop in Termoli in the Molise region. It was my third visit but Luther had never been. We walked to the car park and found our car safe and sound. Off we went northward!

We arrived at about two and checked into our seaside hotel. Pretty basic but walkable to the town. We walked up there and had a couple glasses of wine. It was risposta so everything was closed. We went back and had a nap before going out for dinner.

Our restaurant was Osteria dentro le mura. It was situated inside the walls of the old town. Hence the name. Small family place. We got there early but there was a big table set for a group next to us. They came pretty early too. The family consisted of mom and dad and two sons. The one who waited on us was fluent in English.

My sum up. In the future, if we are going to a city and only that city we will not drive. Waste of two days and two nights. Not to say we didn’t enjoy our overnights, but it would have been more expedient to take the train. Lessons learned. The hotels in the costal beach towns were as expected, nothing special but clean and decent bed etc. The hotel in Lecce was very nice but had its issues. The city of Lecce is beautiful, especially after the tour groups leave. I am afraid it will become another Florence. Sad but true. I liked both of our lunches for different reasons. I would go back.

This and that…

4 Replies

Saturday was a beautiful day. 4 October with blue skies and bright, warm sunshine but cool brisk temperatures. I had a shift at Books for Dogs as a volunteer. It was actually a lovely morning with nice folks and I worked with Fiona who is a dear. It is a very social thing this volunteer work. I really enjoy it.

My friend Jane, just returned from the U.S. for a six week visit came into the shop with two friends. They found some bargains as always at Books for Dogs where you’ll always find something you love. There was an interesting conversation about eating out and how we prefer lunch as it doesn’t mean we have to drive in the dark. And the possibility at night is much greater to have a close encounter between auto and cinghiale (wild boar). Fiona piped up that her auto insurance has an extra clause that covers her for cinghiale collisions. Only in Umbria, I said.

We all met up at Bar Mary for drinks after my shift. They are fun group. It was Jane and her wife Christie and Shirl and her wife Dot.

For lunch I made probably the last tomato sandwich of 2025. Sad day. But the two plants produced a LOT of tomatoes so I can’t complain.

Now we are off on a road trip to Puglia. Specifically, Lecce. We stopped near a seaside town named Vasto. Our hotel is nice, but we are having gale force winds here. It is like a howling banshee. The restaurant is closed. We decided to get a bottle of wine from the bar. At least that IS open. And they brought snacks with the bottle. We decided to just eat the snacks and get a big breakfast tomorrow before we leave.

Upcoming trip

7 Replies

We have been madly getting ready to go for a whole month to an apartment we rented in Austria. When I made these reservations last fall it seemed like a good idea to plan a trip to the mountains to beat the heat. The memories of the summer heat wave were fresh. I reasoned we could close up the apartment here and bring the cats along. The drive is about 6.5 hours.

Now that the time has actually arrived I had second thoughts about bringing the cats on such a long trip. I would have been bringing them for me and not thinking about them and the stress it would bring them. So in the end I engaged a cat/house sitter. She is an American who lives in Rotterdam. She has three cats of her own. I know I will miss my boys terribly and I hope they will be healthy during our trip. They turn 16 in August so I know they won’t be with us all that much longer.

We will stay in Wörtersee. It is a pretty lake surrounded by mountains. We will do some short trips to other spots in Austria while there. Two nights in Graz and 3 nights in the Bergenland which is a big wine producing area. We will stay in one of the old buildings the winemakers used while working. They have been repurposed as rooms. We also will do a side overnight into Slovenia. Anyway, the time will pass and I am hoping I don’t get too homesick. I am always happiest in my home.

Our friend Vera came last week and brought me some globe zucchini and some cucumbers. She told me to stuff the zucchini with ground beef and rice. So I took her advice and did just that but I added some tomato paste, garlic, onion and thyme. Plus a good amount of grated pecorino. I parboiled the zucchini and sautéed the rest. Stuffed and baked them. Luckily we have had about a week of cooler, nicer weather which allows for some baking. Here is our dinner.

I also bought a new MacBook Air so I could bring it along and post about our trip while gone. I am doing my first post using the new Mac right now! Stay tuned for some posts from our Austrian retreat. Ciao!

Greve in Chianti

8 Replies

We went for an overnight to a bed and breakfast outside the village of Greve in Chianti. I had ordered a long time ago, some hand painted ceramics. The artist is pretty popular and put me on the list. It was finished, and ready to pickup in November. I wanted to stay in the BnB which was owned by her friend, and where her studio was.

Turned out, I couldn’t go in December because of travel plans and Christmas. And then in January she went back home to Spain and the BnB was closed for the winter. Then we had the big March trip to the U.S., and on and on. When I finally decided to try to reserve a room he was nearly booked! So I took the one day he had open.

Finally on Thursday we headed out for our nice overnight. It was pretty weather. Perfect top-down weather. We decided to do a wine tasting/lunch combination. We went to Savignola Paolina in Greve. It was a pretty place. Not too big. We had reserved online but they didn’t seem to have our reservation. The staff was super friendly. They set a table for us outside with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. They were all very friendly and seemed genuinely to enjoy chatting, asking where we were from and telling us all about the winery and the wines.

We enjoyed a plate of three types of bruschetta, a plate of charcuteries, and a risotto made from their red wine. We tasted a rosè, and three Chianti Classicos of ascending quality. There is no white wine made in the Chianti district. At the end we had a taste of the one Merlot, which is not a DOC wine. And then the one called Mio which was made by the Swiss owner. Both of these had productions of 1200 liters only. I loved the top Chianti we tasted as well as the one just down from it. The rose was also quite nice and much more complex than any other rosè I have had. We bought a a case of wine.

We then went into the town of Greve. Chock full of tourists. We had a dinner reservation there that night. On we went to find our BnB called Selvabella in Chianti. It was down a tiny little gravel road about 2 kilometers. Thank god we didn’t meet any other cars. We parked and were greeted by Marta, the Ceramicist, and three resident dogs. She was super nice. We toured her studio and I got to see my ceramics.

The top two are the two fish platters. Then my favorite, the bird plate with a European Robin, a European blackbird, and a Hoopoe. The last being a favorite bird. Then two nice sized bowls with a snail and a hoopoe. They are a size I was lacking. Big enough for a big serving of whatever side or salad I made.

We were kind of out in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t want to negotiate the narrow road out and drive after eating and drinking. We asked if they could prepare dinner for us and they said they could. We had a nice dish of pasta and a pretty dessert. Both delicious. There was another American couple there from South Carolina and they also enjoyed the same dinner as we did. Bernardo, the proprietor was a good chef. He loved to experiment so had a lot of ingredients that were unusual. For the pasta we had a goat and pork ragu. On top was a pulverized bay leaf powder. The dessert (pictured) a panna cotta, was topped with a pulverized fig leaf. We talked a long time about cooking.

Next morning we packed up and headed home. Took a southerly route which was much better. We can do the trip in just over two hours. I love the Tuscan wine areas. They are also popular with tourists and the whole area is pretty much booked for the season.

Buona domenica a tutti!