We had a fun weekend exploring new areas of Molise and Abruzzo.
On Friday, we went to the town of Guglionesi. We knew nothing about the town; we had only seen signs from the highway pointing “turn here for Guglionesi.” Before hopping into the car, Chad did some research and found a caseificio outside of the town that had great reviews. A caseficio is a local cheese factory, so of course we went there. This one was on a farm, and it had a little sales counter for the public. We bought – wait for it – 1.5 kilograms of fresh ricotta in a bowl and (I think) a 2.0 kilogram wheel of aged pecorino. We thought we would share cheese with our new friends in Guardialfiera, but so far we have been little piggies.
cheese displayed on the counter for us
freshly made cheese behind the sales counter
After buying the equivalent of 7.7 pounds of cheese, we went into Guglionesi to walk around and explore.
view from Guglionesi looking down into the valley – note the snowy mountains in the distance
walking through a small street in Guglionesi
the corner of this little building with all of its plants was cool
I liked the arch at the end of this pedestrian street
I saw this turtle pile in a fountain and thought it was a sculpture – nope!
On Saturday we went to Fossacesia to meet Chad’s cousin Alice. We first stopped at the greenhouse where she works. It is a huge wholesale facility that grows only cactus and other succulents. It was so cool!
beautiful cactus flowers
Then we went down to the marina for lunch. We went to a quick-service seafood joint, kind of like a cafeteria. There is a small storefront where you walk up to the counter, look at the display cases, and order what looks good. We sat at a table out on the sidewalk, and the food was delicious.
seafood salad, stewed squid, fish croquetas, and other delicious bites – not pictured is the calamari
After that, we drove to Vasto just down the coast to see the town and get a gelato. Vasto was on my list of places to visit, so that was fun. We walked around the old part of the town, taking in the views of the Adriatic Sea.
view of the coast and the sea from the old town in Vasto
We also saw lots of old buildings. (I’m showing them here in approximate order of construction since I don’t know the actual dates.)
perhaps this was a defense tower since it’s on top of the hill
old Romanesque or Medieval church courtyard walls (with Chad and Alice in the photo)
a Renaissance church
looks like a Renaissance palazzo (mansion) to me!
After all of this old architecture, we glanced into a shop window and saw some Givenchy eyeglasses frames that brought us spinning back into the 21st century.
these babies only cost 458 euros
Then we found a gelateria that was open during the lunch hour when so many businesses are closed, and I ate the best strawberry gelato of my life. We laughed and talked about all sorts of things, and then we took this fun photo.
Chad, Alice, Juli
On Sunday, it was raining all day and Chad and I were tired of being in the car, so we just chilled out in the apartment reading books, watching Netflix, and hanging out together.
in Guardialfiera, rain clouds over the valley
And Chad just made cannelloni with his homemade pasta plus ricotta from our Guglionesi adventure.
Chad’s homemade cannelloni
Fun, fun, fun report and pix.