Yesterday we took a quick trip to the neighboring town of Casacalenda, a 20-minute drive away. 

We were on a quest to find an ATM machine to get cash.  We were also in search of a gas station to get GPL gas (liquid propane gas) for the car.  When we picked up our car in Rome, we were told that the car could run on either unleaded gas or GPL gas (and it has separate gas tanks for each).  We should always have some unleaded in the tank because the car won’t start without it, but GPL is cheaper for filling the tank and driving.  Not all gas stations have GPL, so you have to hunt around for them.  Alas, the two gas stations that we visited did not have GPL.

Casacalenda is a town of 2,100 people.  As we were walking around the town, I told Chad, “After being in Guardialfiera for 10 days, Casacalenda feels too big.”  This coming from someone who grew up in a town of 3,000 which seemed entirely too small at the time, and who has lived in large cities/metropolises ever since leaving Branson.  I did enjoy walking around Casacalenda, though.

While in Casacalenda, we ran a couple of errands in addition to getting cash.  We happened upon a “caseificio” which is a little cheese-making factory that also has a public-facing sales shop.  We went into the shop and, after consulting with the clerk, came out with three cheeses.

We also saw a little grocery that had all organic products.  Imagine that in a little town of 2,100 people.  However, for us, it seemed to be mostly things in jars like jam and sauces, and we didn’t need anything like that so we kept on walking. 

We then went into a grocery store to get a few things, but it was small and cramped and in the first aisle we were overwhelmed with household cleaning products and customers so we left.  We decided that our grocery options in Guardialfiera were sufficient for day-to-day needs, and we can always go to a bigger grocery in Termoli or Campobasso.

One thing that is unique and interesting about Casacalenda is its outdoor public art program.  There is a map posted in front of the town hall that pinpoints the locations of the art installations.  We walked by a few of the art pieces, but I wasn’t savvy enough in the beginning to take photos, so I was just able to capture a couple.

We returned home being happy for our adventure, and doubly happy with our adopted village of Guardialfiera.

This morning, we headed to Campobasso to run our weekend errands.   We made a pit stop at an olive tree farm to see if we could buy some local olive oil, but unfortunately it wasn’t open.  We’ll have to go back on a weekday morning and check it out.

Upon leaving the olive farm, instead of directly us to the quickest route to the highway, the GPS on the phone directed us on a little country road up the side of a mountain, through the mountaintop village of Lupara (population 500), and then back down the other side of the mountain.  The road was narrow with lots of hairpin turns, but it was a nice detour through the countryside.

We found GPL gas on the side of the highway.  I did the math conversion, and it was $2.80 per gallon.  

In Campobasso, we went into a huge clothing store where I bought some house slippers for five bucks.  Our apartment floors are all tile, so my feet get cold walking around.  Plus, another cold front will blow through this week, bringing temperatures in the 30s and 40s, so cozy slippers seem like a good idea.

We also went to a huge grocery store to stock up on some things that we can’t find in our village. Most importantly, we stopped at a garden store to buy some terra cotta pots and dirt so we could repot the plants we got last weekend.

All in all, it was a successful trip, and our little apartment is feeling more like home with plants and cozy slippers.