The adventure continues...

---

October 19



Our check out went smoothly and when the girl read my note she said that she would take the cat home with her that afternoon. I am choosing to believe that she will take care of all the cats, and since I'll never know, that is the story I am sticking with. We gave her a generous tip and she was thrilled. After one last stop at Caffe Roma, we were on our way.



Our drive to Martina Franca was easy and the rain that was forecast waited until we were eating lunch, which was appreciated. Catherine fixed a fabulous traditional meal (traditional for a Sunday lunch, but we enjoyed it on Wednesday). We had antipasti that included sautéed olives, peppers and prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella. Next we had homemade Orecchiette pasta with tomato sauce, followed by a meat course with two types of meat. A delicious salad came next and then fruit for dessert. We savored the various flavors and textures. We loved Brian and Catherine's house in the heart of the old city of Martina Franca. It is on three levels with the first floor, which is one story up from the street, housing the kitchen and dining/living room. The second floor has a bathroom, bedroom and study and the third level is a lovely roof-top terrace. The steps between each floor are very steep and I needed to pull myself up each flight with the railing that they installed during their remodel. It is a very cozy spot and such fun to walk right into after sightseeing around Martina Franca.



After lunch the rain stopped and we toured around the old city. We stopped in to the nearby butcher's shop so that Catherine could introduce us and show us this unique setting. The butcher does not sell raw meat, but instead prepares all types of meat and then roasts them in his wood-fired oven on skewers. He only serves those with reservations, and the people who come stand at a narrow table in a side room, bringing their own wine and any other food they want, and then the cooked meat is delivered to sheets of paper that are spread on the table and the guests eat the meat from the pile. He is famous for this and has been written about and interviewed on TV. He is booked out to 2014. But he invited us to come back at 6:30 for some sampling of his cooked meats. This was clearly an honor and, although I rarely eat meat and had already enjoyed what Catherine prepared earlier in the day, I knew that I would want to participate at this special event.



Following our tour of this very beautiful city, we went back to the butcher's shop. Brian ran home and got a bottle of red wine and some glasses and then the meat was delivered to where we were standing. We had each imagined very small tastes, but I think we got the full show. There were 4 or 5 different types ranging from sausages to little chunks wrapped up with strings of intestines. I jumped in and ate my share. The butcher posed with me afterwards holding a skewer of raw meat in front of his oven. It really was an experience and we were honored to participate. But we were all stuffed and followed our stomachs back to Catherine and Brian's.



We said good-night and drove out to the Masseria (farm) where we had a reservation for the night. This part of Italy is peppered with Trulli, bee-hive shaped houses. Many have been restored while others are still as they were originally built centuries ago. We had a room in our own little trullo and it was very cool. Our bed was below the point of the conical ceiling and we had a comfortable bathroom and a door to the shared garden of the farm. This farm produces olives, wine, and cherries, and probably other things we were not aware of. The woman makes her own yogurt and jams and cheese. We saw cheese drying in a special box outside and in the morning we were able to sample all of her products. It was a treat and we would happily stay there again.



We woke to a clear, cool and very windy morning. Brian and Catherine met us at the Masseria after breakfast and together we drove into the nearby town of Locorotondo, another beautiful town high on a hill. We wandered around a bit and Catherine and I stopped to look in the church and discovered they were having a funeral. As we turned to leave, the congregation stood and began to sing a song that I used to play on my guitar back in my camp days, "Alleluia." I found it moving to be in a Catholic Church in Italy and to find a group of older people singing a song from a special time in my life.



Next we drove out to Brian and Catherine's campo - the property in the country where they are growing olives which are used in the oil that they export to the U.S. They have 5 acres and their own trullo which has not been restored and it was special to see a "real" one. Since we have been using Pascarosa olive oil at home for several months, it was a treat to see where it all starts. The setting is peaceful and it was immediately clear why they were drawn to the property 18 years ago.



It was time to head towards Calabria but we made one more stop. The local hangout is a bar combined with a small grocery store. Outside the bar we met a farmer who Catherine and Brian know and he joined us for a coffee. I love that the pace of life allows for someone who is getting back into their Ape (small farm vehicle) to change plans and take time to visit over a coffee. Life here is so much more about relationships than it is about accomplishments. We enjoyed our coffee and then went into the market and bought some focaccia to eat later on. It was hard to leave because we felt like we had only started to visit with Catherine and Brian and there was so much more to do and see. We will certainly return to Martina Franca and are so grateful for this new friendship.



When I first planned our route back last November the plan was to go next to southern Calabria to visit my friend Michelle who we had seen in 2011. Since November she discovered that she would be having a baby this month! We are really excited for Michelle, but we determined that she did not need visitors this close to welcoming her daughter into the world. So we changed plans and headed to Santa Domenica Talao to stay an additional day with our friends Doug and Diana. Although Doug and Diana moved to Italy from Oregon, we did not meet them until they were in Italy, when we stayed with them two years ago. Santa Domenica is a small town on a hill looking over the Tyrrhenian Sea and the town of Scalea. Doug and Diana have a charming guest apartment and it is a treat to be back here again. Their home and apartment have been beautifully restored and the result is pleasingly comfortable. Their two terraces look out over the sea and the sunsets are gorgeous.



Our drive took us along the coast of the Ionian Sea for awhile before cutting across the mountains to Santa Domenica. Just before leaving the coastline we stopped in a seaside town to eat our focaccia. The town seemed deserted and we had the beach, the promenade and the plaza to ourselves. We enjoyed our snack while listening to the unique sound that is made when the waves retreat and the water sifts through the tiny rocks that cover the beaches along this section of coastline.



The road across the mountains winds up and down, back and forth, and in many places it has collapsed or sunk. It was a bit like an amusement park ride. The views are spectacular, but the pace is slow. Fortunately it appears to be the road less traveled, so harrowing encounters were limited.



We arrived in Santa Domenica during the passeggiata and it seemed that everyone in town was either walking the street or sitting in the piazza, which we had to drive right through. Our car with French license plates did not go unnoticed! Doug came and found us in the town parking lot and soon we were moved into our apartment for the next few days. We enjoyed a delicious dinner that Doug and Diana prepared - pasta with a sauce of anchovies, capers, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers and a side of green beans! The beans were a welcome site after very few vegetables have been eaten on this trip. For dessert we had gluten free lemon bars that were intensely lemony and tasty. We enjoyed a colorful sunset and then watched the nearly full moon rise above their terrace.



Yesterday I got up early to be ready for the 7:00 am walking group that Di participates in. There are three Italian women and the oldest woman is 80 years old. I was surprised to find the 80 year old in a skirt and shoes with about a 3/4 inch heel, but on the walk I was determined to keep up with her! We walked 3 kilometers and took too short rests. The route took us down hill out of town and then around to the bottom of the village and back up hill to our start. It was fun to walk along visiting with Di but also hearing the constant conversation between the three other women. They speak mostly in the local dialect so it has been a challenge for Di to participate fully in their conversations.



We enjoyed breakfast with Doug and Di - a traditional dish of dried figs and walnuts as well as some of Di's lemon bars. Then we started out for the day. Doug drove and we stopped first at a ruined castle that overlooks the sea. It is just a ruin without any fence restricting visitors and no efforts to restore it and we enjoyed climbing all over the walls. The views from this high point out to the Sea were great and we took many photos. Next we started up a very narrow, steep road that had a sign indicating it was closed at some point. Fortunately we did not reach that point because turning around would have been a challenge. We wound up and up the side of the mountain on the twisting road that did not have guard rails, finally stopping at the base of a hiking trail. We hiked for about an hour and marveled at the views out to sea from this spot more than 2000 feet above. The temperature was rising and our stomachs were growling so we turned back to go for lunch.



We enjoyed our lunch at a seafood restaurant right on the sand. I had a huge salad and then a large piece of tuna and Sam had pasta with mussels and then Sea Bass. The air was warm and the sun bright and it could not have been a more perfect setting. Back at home we relaxed and read and then went up to join Doug and Diana for snacks and wine while the sunset gave another stunning performance.



Today is Saturday so the walking group did not meet - they are a five-day-a-week group. After breakfast Doug and Di took us for a drive along the coast to San Nicola beach, a few kilometers north of Scalea. This part of the coast alternates between rocky outcroppings and pebbled coves, with some larger stretches of beach.



We parked the car and went to the base of a path that climbs up the side of one of the outcroppings. There was a gate and a sign telling us that the path was closed to boats and people. We decided to chance it and squeezed between the gate post and the rock wall. We could see that there was a concern for falling rocks, but decided to go ahead. It was worth the risk! Of course the views of the sea and two nearby islands were great, but the coves that we could access from the trail were a treasure. There were no people and we made our way down to a small cove that was created by the sea coming in through a narrow archway in the rock. The water was clear and gentle, and the retreating waves made the calming rhythmic sound that I love, of water sifting through the small stones that make up the shoreline. We wished for our bathing suits so that we could swim in this magical place. We climbed back up to the trail and then followed it down to another cove and then through a small tunnel carved through the rock that opened up to a larger beach.



We stopped at another seafood restaurant along the coast and enjoyed the 10-Euro-a-person lunch that included a primi, a secondi, a quarter liter of wine each and dessert. Sam and I both had pasta with squid and then a plate of fried anchovies and shrimp, with a side salad. For dessert I had vanilla gelato with a spicy fig on top. After lunch we went across the street for coffee and free wifi. We sat at a table with an amazing view of the beach and the sunshine reflected on the clear water, while checking e-mail and, for me, updating Facebook. It was a perfect spot. While we loved the coast of Puglia and the beaches near our place there had fine white sand, Calabria has its own special secret where beaches are concerned, and I hope we return to this part of the coast.



Tonight we will go to an art exhibit in the basement of the church here in Santa Domenica and then have pizza and salad with Doug and Di, and tomorrow morning we will leave early for our drive to the Greek ruins at Paestum. It is rare for us to still be having such an enjoyable time this close to our flight home, but the combination of people and places this past week has been really special.

---