A week ago, we woke to news of the earthquake in central Italy.  Knowing that we were headed for central Italy that day to spend some time with Chad’s parents and extended Italian family, I was a little nervous about our trip and nervous about how the family was faring.  Fortunately, the damage was north of the area where we were headed.

One of the fun things about traveling around Europe is taking modes of transportation that you wouldn’t use every day in the US.  We started with a ferry ride from Ischia to Naples.  Ferries are pretty awesome.  You’re out on the water with a cool breeze, a view that you can’t get from land (obviously).  It’s just a great way to travel.

Chad on the ferry eating his breakfast pastry

Me on the ferry, looking mischievous for some reason

Look! Another photo of the ferry!

Upon landing in Naples, we found our way to the Hertz office in the Naples harbor (easier said than done) and got our rental car.  Now, driving a car in Italy might sound like no big deal, but let me tell you, Italian drivers have no fear.  I have lots of fear.  It was a good thing Chad was driving.

Our sweet ride

Italian country road

We were kind of hoping that we could make it to our final destination in time for lunch, but the Hangry Monster joined us partway through the road trip, so we stopped for lunch.  I’m going to take a moment and say that we thought we were just stopping at a little mom-and-pop restaurant for some food, but this place turned out to be a destination restaurant. 

Ristorante il Casale? Sure, I’ll give it a try…

The restaurant felt like going to someone’s home

When we sat down at 1:15, there were only two other occupied tables.  Within the next hour and a half, the place filled up with large family groups settling in for a long lunch.  And by long lunch I mean long lunch.  Our little table of two spent 2-1/2 hours in this place.

The interior – check out the wood beams

Uh, the views weren’t terrible…

I’ll come clean and say we didn’t really know what we were signing up for.  Our server started out by saying (in Italian, natch), “I could bring you the mixed appetizer plate – a little meat, a little cheese, some bruschetta,” to which we responded, “Si, va bene.”  (Yes, that sounds good.”)  And then this happened:

Some appetizers

And more appetizers

Oh, and how about some more appetizers

Seven plates of appetizers later, the waiter asked what kind of pasta we wanted.  I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head, and Chad told the waiter he was about to explode (“esplodere”).  The waiter thought that was funny.  Then we were served polenta.  We managed to get out of the full pasta course and meat course, but then they insisted that we have dessert.  Then they brought “digestivi” (after-dinner drinks).  Oh, my lord, I have never eaten so much in my entire life.  And it was all so good.

Dessert

Homemade digestivi

And THEN we got back into the car and finished our road trip into Monteferrante.  Where there was a family dinner that evening.  With more food.  And more “esplodere.”  But that is another story.

We ate so many delicious meals in Ischia that I couldn’t leave there without proper documentation. 

Ristorante Saturnino – This place was so good, we went back a second time.  The chef, Ciro, and his wife are very nice, and the food is exquisite.  Fresh seafood with great flavors and flawless execution.  Located on the harbor in the Old Town.

Ristorante Saturnino

The restaurant’s exterior

The front dining room

A gift from the chef – mozzarella with a tomato puree on top

Pesce crudi (raw seafood appetizer)

Octopus ravioli on our first visit

Grilled fish on our first visit

Chad’s seafood pasta on our second visit

My rabbit ravioli on our second visit

stuffed squid

Peach gelato

Pistachio Charlotte (like a cake) with canteloupe gelato

My Charlotte and gelato came with a proper spork

Rucolino – a digestivo (after-dinner drink) made from arugula

The restaurant has a great selection of wine

Trattoria da Peppina di Renato – We had Chad’s birthday dinner here.  Located up on the mountain, this place has great views, a rustic atmosphere, and a mix of contemporary and traditional dishes.

Entry steps

Entry vestibule

A view of the exterior

Main dining room

Our table on the balcony

Mixed appetizers – not the traditional meat and cheese, but oh so delicious

Traditional rabbit dish with a side of grilled veggies

Chad’s dessert – fig torte with gelato

My dessert – a pistachio cake with a mixed berry (frutti di bosco) jam on top

Street signs on our walk home at 11:30 pm

Pietratorcia – Small place in the Old Town.  The menu was a small chalkboard with 6 items listed.  The traditional dishes were simple but delicious.  Plus, the house wine came from the family’s vineyard.

The inside dining area is small with only 3 tables

The deck outside can fit a few more people

The kitchen was two doors down and was barely big enough for the chef and his helper

I had grilled fish. Chad dish was essentially mac and cheese with potatoes added in.

Wine from the family winery

We had a grappa one night that was amber-colored.  I thought grappa was always clear.

Amber grappa

Pizza place on Piazza Giacomo Matteotti- We were enjoying a quiet lunch when several teenage boys came running through the plaza, yelling and looking at their phones.  I looked at the guy at the table to me and said, “Pokemon.”  He responded in Italian, “They’d be better off looking for a brain.”

Our first pizza

Simple evening meal prepared in our apartment.  We had leftovers for breakfast.

Dinner

Breakfast

We also discovered a great local wine – Falanghina.

Local wine from Ischia

When Chad and I took our first European sabbatical in 2009, we were on a very strict budget.  As a result, when we went to a new city, anything that was free was automatically on our list of things to do.  This included parks, botanical gardens, markets, festivals, and churches.

The basilica

Basilica ceiling

Basilica statue

There are many beautiful churches in Forio.  Italy is deeply religious.  In addition to being part of a Catholic country, Southern Italy venerates the Virgin Mary, and She has prominence in the churches and in the shrines in the streets. 

Santa Maria di Loreto

Santa Maria di Loreto interior – this is all stonework, not plaster

Santa Maria di Loreto side room

Santa Maria di Loreto statue

Also, many churches were built in the 1800s in a kind of Nouveau Baroque style on the interior.  The original Baroque style was in the 1600s, and the churches here borrowed heavily on that style 200 years later.  This means that the churches have the intricate design and decoration of the Baroque style but it is still in great condition since it isn’t that old.   The exteriors are generally simple which makes the decorated interior all that much more surprising.

San Gaetano

San Gaetano cupola with sundial

Figurehead over the entry door to San Gaetano

The Nouveau Baroque interior of San Gaetano

San Gaetano hand-painted tile floor

As Ischia is an island, many churches have a nautical theme of some sort – lines of rope carved into the walls, sailing ships painted into the plaster.  I even saw a pulpit made out an anchor, but I didn’t take a photo because people were praying in the church and I didn’t want to be disrespectful.  (Dad, I can draw you a picture :)

Chiesa del Soccorso

Chiesa del Soccorso interior – see the ships sitting on the plaster molding at the tops of the walls?

Close up of a ship and some baby angels over the archway

There is one church that sticks with me after visiting it.  It was consecrated in 1865, and there is a dedication engraved in the ceiling just above the front door.  Without looking at my notes, I don’t remember exactly which church this was.  I don’t remember if it had the beautiful hand-painted floor tiles or if it had model ships displayed on the walls or if it was the one with the cupola with the pink light streaming in.  What I do remember is standing there, looking at the engraving, and thinking that in 1865, the same summer the church was consecrated, the US was just finishing 4 years of a terrible civil war and coming out on the other side, free of slavery.  I feel like my world just got a lot smaller in a way that is much bigger than I am.

Santa Maria di Visitapoveri

Santa Maria di Visitapoveri interior

Santa Maria di Visitapoveri tile floor

Santa Maria di Visitapoveri interior

Due to the island’s volcanic history, Ischia is known for its natural hot springs and thermal baths, and Poseidon Giardini Terme is the mother of all thermal spas.  Oh Em Gee was this place amazing.  It was like a water park for adults with hot springs pools instead of waterslides.  Much like a water park, you pay to get in, and then you can spend the whole day hanging out in the water.

A wristband gives you access to the park

The main boardwalk of the park

Located right on the sea, the Giardini Terme (thermal gardens) has its own private beach.  It is suggested that you start your day in the sea and that you exercise a little bit in the water to get your muscles loosened up.  So we did as we were told and jumped in the ocean at 9:30 am.  Then we headed to the pools.

There are around 20 pools on the property with varying water temperatures.  The coolest one is 28 degrees celsius (83 Fahrenheit) and each pool is gradually warmer than the last – 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 degrees.  The idea is that you start in the coolest pool and spend about 20 minutes hanging out or floating around.  (They are all saltwater pools so you can literally float around if you want.)  Then you move on to the next warmer pool.  As we worked our way along the circuit, I became more and more relaxed and I moved slower and slower.  It was so great.

A view of the pools and the sea from up on the mountainside

The massage building

We spent the morning going from pool to pool, and we did one of the hot/cold pools right before lunch.  What is the hot/cold pool, you ask?  It is torture.  First you sit in the hot side which is like a hot jacuzzi, 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).  You sit there for a few minutes until you finally become used to it.  Then you rush into the cold pool, 15 degrees C (59 F) and submerge yourself up to your chin.  Have you ever had a sprained ankle and you had to put your foot into a bucket of ice water?  Imagine doing this with your whole body.  To quote Chad, “Argh!!!  Who invented this!!!”  (Only he didn’t say, “argh.”)  You sit in the cold water for 20 seconds and then you go back to the hot pool.  At this point, the hot water feels even hotter, and it feels like thousands of little pins are being poked into your skin.  Then do this two more times.  Chad and I nicknamed this the Shock and Awe pool.

Many of the pathways had spring water running alongside

Because all of the pools are fed by natural spring water, there is no chlorine.  In order to keep the water clean, there are two rules – 1) you must wear a bathing cap (which made me think we were swimming in the 1900s) and 2) you can’t wear sunscreen or lotions.  Needless to say, after a morning in the pools, I was sunburned and we were both hungry, so we went to the cafeteria for lunch.  Of course, the water park cafeteria food in Italy is really good.

Lunch – lasagna, caprese salad, prosciutto and melon plus sparkling water and some white wine

Then we spent the afternoon reading, chatting, and snoozing in the shade.  At the end of the day, we took a trail up the mountain to the Grotto di Vino (wine cave) to have a small glass of wine and look down on the sea.

We spent out afternoon in beach chairs in the shade

Cool rock formations up by the wine grotto

During our week in Ischia, we stayed at Villa Ravino. The property is located on the mountainside above the beach town of Forio, and it has around 20 vacation apartments. Some apartments have up to 3 bedrooms. Ours was a studio with a small balcony, and it was just the right size for us.

The Villa “lobby”

One of the small apartment buildings

Our studio apartment

The property also has a swimming pool and a thermal pool, both of which are filled with natural spring water from the property. The swimming pool has cooler water which you would expect, but the thermal pool has lukewarm water which is good for a relaxing soak without being too hot.

The swimming pool, filled with natural spring water

The indoor warm pool, filled with natural hot springs water

The water is advertised as “soft and sweet” which doesn’t make a lot of sense when translated directly into English. However, if you’ve ever taken a shower in a house that uses a water softener, you will understand what this water is like. Much like a water softener, the minerals in the underground rock dissolve into the spring water and make it soft. The water is more “basic” and less “acidic.” More olive oil and less vinegar. Now it sounds like I’m describing a salad. Just believe when I say that the water was amazing and good for your skin.

The best part about Villa Ravino, though, is the gardens (i giardini). The patriarch of this property, Peppino, has spent years and years cultivating this garden. The focus is on cacti and other succulents, but you will also find lots of flowers and many varieties of trees. The gardens are open several days a week to the public for a fee, but if you’re staying on the property, you have full run of the place at all hours.

Cactus

More cacti

A pretty wall of succulents

Lantana flowers – you also find these all over Atlanta

A really interesting tree – thought it was something out of Jurassic Park

Interesting flower

Succulent that looks like artichokes

More cacti

A fun watering can display

In addition to all of the interesting plants, there are a dozen peacocks, a couple of rabbits, and all manner of little lizards that live in the gardens.

One of the peacocks

A pea hen with one of her chicks following behind her

The resident bunnies

A cafe/lounge is located in the middle of the gardens, and breakfast is served here. During lunch and dinner, light meals are available. It’s also a great place to sit and sip a glass of wine and watch the tourists and the peacocks wander around.

The cafe/lounge in the gardens

Relaxing in the evening

More relaxing

Villa Ravino and Giardini Ravino are owned and run by Peppino, his wife Edith, and their son Luca. They were wonderful hosts, recommending things to do and places to eat, calling taxis, making dinner reservations, and just providing good conversation. I would love to go back and spend a month at Villa Ravino and would highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Ischia.

Chad taking a break in the outdoor lobby

Sunset view from the roof of the cafe/lounge in the garden on our last evening

Last Wednesday, we left the island of Ischia and headed to the state of Abruzzo in central Italy. We woke up early that morning to catch the ferry, and I was surprised to find a text from a friend in the US. “Are you two okay? I heard about the earthquake.” Since we didn’t have wifi or phone connections, I didn’t know what she was talking about.

As the morning unfolded, we learned that there had been a 6.2 earthquake in central Italy. Several small towns were partially or completely destroyed. Because the quake happened at 3:36 am, people were sleeping in their homes and were unable to get to safety. At last count, 290 people were dead, a few hundred more injured, and 2,000 homeless.

It’s now Monday. There is still continued coverage on the news. It’s all over the television. People are still talking about it. I met one couple who live in that area and are fortunate to have a vacation house where we are now staying. They said that their primary home was not damaged but they have come to stay in their vacation home so they can be able to go to sleep at night without worrying for their safety.

Several image stick with me.

A photo of a nun with blood on her habit; she was one of four nuns living in her convent, and she is the only survivor.

A civic building collapsed into rubble, but somehow the clock tower is still standing.

An entire village destroyed with rescue workers and dogs climbing the mountain of rubble, looking for survivors.

A young girl discovered alive, under the rubble, 24 hours later.

The Italian prime minister hugging the survivors and the families of the victims.

On Saturday, there was a Catholic mass to remember the victims, and it was broadcast live on TV. There was a boy of about 14 years old sobbing as the priest placed the communion wafer in his mouth. I was sitting in a small bar watching this while using the internet, and I felt almost guilty for carrying on with my little insignificant blog while others were coping with such loss. Just remembering this boy’s grief brings tears to my eyes again.

The lives of these people are forever changed. They have lost friends and family. They have lost the security of their daily lives. They have lost their sense of Place. Some of these villages are gone forever as it will be too expensive to rebuild. Even if they could rebuild, it would never be the same. I feel especially sorry for the older generation, many of whom grew up in these little villages and were intending to live out their days in their hometown. Now they must start over at 70, 80 years of age.

It makes me feel grateful to be able to spend this week with Chad’s family and friends. Everyone here in Abruzzo has been so nice and welcoming. In a time when others have been mourning and trying to pick up the pieces, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful people who are celebrating life and embracing everyone as family, as though we have known each other our whole lives. This past week has been a reminder to appreciate every minute, every person, every experience as it happens.

The island of Ischia has just a few towns.  Forio is a beach town on the western side, and it wraps along the coast with sandy beaches and small harbors and then it climbs up the hillside with steep, narrow roads and beautiful views of the sea.  Every building seems to have a roof-top deck or a patio, giving great views of the Mediterranean during the day, culminating in a beautiful sunset in the evening.   

The Forio Old Town is nestled on the coast at the bottom of the mountains

Forio harbor where we debarked from the ferry

We’re staying on a property called Villa Ravino which is located halfway up the mountain.  More on the property later.  What you need to know now is that it takes us about 15 minutes to walk down the hill to the old town which has quaint little streets, brightly colored buildings, little plazas, cafes, and shops. 

Walking into town from our little apartment

An interesting facade in the Old Town

Sidewalk display of fruits and vegetables in front of a little grocery store

A pretty storefront for a shop that sells typical products of Ischia

There is certainly good people-watching and several languages being spoken.  Being that it’s August, it is “vacation month” in much of Europe.  We’ve heard German, French, British English, American English, and maybe some eastern European.

I mentioned this is a beach town.  I had this preconceived notion of Italian women and men dressing to the nines to walk around town and then also for dinner.  Nope.  Swimsuits are everywhere.  Did I mention that it’s a beach town?  Usually there is some sort of cover-up but every once in a while I’m all, “Well, there’s a dude in a speedo walking down the street.”  Sometimes it feels like a Florida beach town – cover-ups and wedge flip-flops. 

One of the many beaches around Forio

The most Italian part, though, is the “outdoor living room” culture.  Sitting in cafes and watching people go by.  Walking up and down the beach, ankle deep in the water, chatting with your mom or your BFF, instead of swimming.  Strolling around town and stopping to say hi to people that you know along the way.  

In the evening, there is La Passagiata:  The Italian practice of strolling down the street with a purpose but with no specific destination, getting to the end of the street, and turning around to go back.  This is an art form that Italians have perfected.  Instead of going to bars or sitting at home on their rear ends watching television in the evening, Italians use the evening as a time to socialize, stroll and talk to their friends, bump into their neighbors, get some exercise, and pass the time.  Every night in Forio there is the Passagiata.  For foreigners it can be daunting, but for me, I smiled and went with the flow…

The evening passagiata

Our walk home at night

Taking a break on the way home

Eighteen hours after we left our house in Atlanta – airplane to Rome, train from Rome to Naples, and then ferry from Naples to Forio – we arrived in Forio, Ischia.  Ischia an island is just north of the island of Capri and is often overshadowed by its southernly neighbor.  In doing research for this trip, I had heard a lot about Capri and wanted to go there – beautiful mountains and coast, breathtakingly blue sea… and throngs of tourists.  Research told me that Ischia was just as beautiful plus it has fewer tourists and – wait for it – thermal hot springs spas.  Um, hello!  Did someone just say “first week of vacation?”  Boom!  Decision made.

Ischia has a rich and storied history.  It was the first and the northernmost Greek settlement in the West.  After the Greeks, the island was part of the Roman Empire.  In fact, there is a thermal hot springs on the western side of the island that was used as a Roman spa and has been in continuous use for 2,600 years.  Just to put things in perspective, the US has been a country for 240 years.  Um, yeah.

When we debarked the ferry in Ischia at 2:30 pm, it was clearly time to stop for lunch for 3 reasons.  One, it was time for lunch.  Two, we hadn’t really eaten in 12 hours.  Three, after being in transport for 18 hours, we just need to stop moving and breath.  And that we did.  As we sat down for lunch on the patio of a harbor-side restaurant, we looked around and Chad said, “Well, this doesn’t suck.”  Clear blue Mediterranean, steep green mountains, brightly painted buildings, Vespas, colorful flowers, and good food and wine.  I could stay here for a while…

After 18 hours of travel, this relaxing seafood lunch was wonderful

Four generations ago, Chad’s maternal great-grandparents emigrated from Italy to the U.S.  One couple came from a small hilltop town east of Rome, and the other couple came from a small village in the interior of the island of Sicily.  They emigrated to Cranford, New Jersey, where many other families had emigrated, and they became part of the Italian community there.  The Capodice family had a son who married a Barardinelli daughter, and they in turn had 3 children – Fran (Chad’s mom), Connie, and Jimmy.

Our 2016 Italy sabbatical is a trip to explore Chad’s Italian heritage.  There is a grand family reunion planned for the last week of August in Monteferrante, that small hilltop town east of Rome.  We will be meeting up with Chad’s parents (Fran and Jim), Aunt Connie, Chad’s sister Michele, and our friend Simon in Monteferrante for about a week.  There are still relatives in the town, and, I’ve been told, we will indeed be treated like family.  We also plan to spend some time in Sicily getting to know the island and its culture.

Now, Chad and I have a rule that we never to go Europe for less than 3 weeks.  For one thing, the cost of airfare alone justifies a longer trip.  For another, Europe is awesome, so why cut it short when you’ve suffered through the 9-hour plane ride to get here?  And as long as you’re asking for 3 weeks off from work, why not just go for it and ask for five?

Having said that, of course we are seeing more than the ancestral stomping grounds on this trip.  Chad and I are starting on the island of Ischia for a beach vacation.  Between Monteferrante and Sicily, we will spend some time in Naples.  And after Sicily we will spend a few days in Rome before heading back to Atlanta.

So here’s to safe travels, cultural adventures, memorable meals, and new friends.