It’s been a quiet week here.  We made a trip to Termoli to do some paperwork for Chad’s citizenship.  We also went to Campobasso to run some errands and try to ship a package back to the States.  The shipping price was 320 euros, so we said “no thanks” and decided we would just take it on the plane with us as checked luggage.

The weather here has been generally rainy and cloudy and foggy.  That and the language barrier has been putting me in a grumpy mood.  However, here are some random photos from the last few days.

our neighbor’s garage door has a cow head

super fluffy clouds across the valley

Italy has poppies all over the place

sunrise the other morning

this kitty was perched on our neighbor’s chimney – I have no idea how she got up there

we had a mix of typical Puglia dessert cookies in Monte Sant’Agnelo

this was our “drinks with a view” in Vieste where the restaurant owners commandeered the town’s retaining wall and used it as a cocktail table

Chad with his dream car, an Ape – “ape” means “bee” which, if you hear one of this cars, you will understand why it is called a “bee”

a full moon over the sea at Vieste

me on the trail in the Umbra Forest

we saw lots of painting on the walls of houses in Rodi

the craziest fog rolled into the valley a couple of days ago

and the fog tonight is ridiculous

and some wildflowers

It’s been a quiet few days for us with cloudy and rainy weather.  So here are some photos of food.

seafood salad and ceviche

ravioli stuffed with fish and decorated with basil cream – it was so delicious!

a version of gnocchi with prawns

mille feuille for dessert

and a glass of grappa

Chad

this is the Italian version of take-out – green beans, arancini, seafood salad, and a roasted pepper stuffed with polenta and cheese

potato chips with the flavor of roasted pork and rosemary – surprisingly delicious

happy hour view a view in Vieste

lunch in Monte Sant’Angelo

lunch in Monte Sant’Angelo – Chad is having a local beer from Gargano

our lunch appetizer in the Umbra Forest – bread/cheese dumplings, olives, sundried tomatoes

and the second round of appetizers in the forest – meat, cheese, egg frittata, grilled zucchini

and the third round of appetizers in the forest – breaded bell pepper, breaded zucchini

our neighbor dropped by to give us some fresh ricotta from his farm

and our thyme plant is blooming

On the way home from Gargano, we drove down the east coast of the peninsula.  We found a hiking path just off of the highway, a path that took us along a mountain ridge with incredible views of the sea. We walked maybe a mile along this path and then turned around to go back to the car because we thought we would take another hike down at the sea.

a resort on a bay in Gargano

view of pine trees and the sea

a trail on the mountain with a view of the sea

The Gargano coast is beautiful with its white limestone cliffs and rock formations.  The most famous are the Pizzomunno formation in Vieste and the arch just down the coast.

the Pizzomunno

the limestone arch, as seen through trees

When we got to sea level, we couldn’t find the trail head.  We walked and walked and realized we were traversing farmland and were nowhere near the trail. 

well, we walked through some agricultural fields

But we did notice that every electrical tower had a built-in bird basket for a pelican nest.

a pelican nest – if you squint, you can see the baby’s head poking up from the middle of the nest

We then traveled up into the mountains to visit two important pilgrimage churches.  And when I say we went up into the mountains, WE WENT UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS.  We went from sea level to 2,600 feet in 30 minutes, navigating 20 hairpin curves up up up.  I think the Tour d’Italia bike race might have been going through here, because we saw lots of advertising banners on the fences and guardrails along the way.

Monte Sant-Angelo is famous for the cave where the Archangel Michael appeared three times in  490, 492, and 493.  The cave has now been integrated as part of a Renaissance church.  We visited in early May, and the town and church were already unbearable with tourists; I can’t imagine what it must be like in July and August.  If you’ve ever been to the Sistine Chapel, it was like that – packed with people and the docents constantly saying “shhh”.  However, it was very interesting from an architect’s perspective with the way the new church was built around the cave.

the facade of the Archangelo church

the door of the church that wasn’t thronged by tourists

the cave where Archangel Michael appeared – now a pilgrimage site – and filled with tourists who were sitting down for Mass

down in the cellar where the “new” church meets the face of the cave

I was intrigued by the architecture of the houses in the town

Our next stop was San Giovanni Rotondo, another Catholic pilgrimage site.  Padre Pio (1887-1968) was a capuchin monk at the convent in this town for 50 years, and he was known for his healing powers.  He was canonized as a saint in 2002.  To this day, you can see his image all over southern Italy. 

Padre Pio’s original church is still open to the public. 

Padre Pio’s church – the original old church is on the left, the “new” church is on the right and looks like it was built in the 1930s, I need to do a little more research on this

However, it is the new-new church that drew me to the town.  The new church was designed by world-famous architect Renzo Piano, and it opened in 2004.  The church can seat 6,000 and can also accommodate 10,000 standing.  That’s a lot of pilgrims!

 The architecture is interesting, but the most beautiful parts are the stained-glass windows and the mosaics leading down into the crypt.

the Renzo Piano church

the campanile, off to the side of the church

modern stained-glass windows

mosaic hallway down to the modern crypt

the crypt

close-up of a mosaic

another close-up

Perhaps the strangest part is the fact that Padre Pio’s body was exhumed in 2008 and is now on display in a glass box in the crypt.  The faithful were lined up to view the body and pay their respects.  Of course, I got in line as well, because, tradition.  While all of the other (Catholic) people in line did the signs of the cross and the finger-kiss in front of Padre Pio, I just held my hands in prayer.  And while many people took photos of his body, I did not do so because it seemed disrespectful.  You can Google it if you want to see it.

the queue to view Padre Pio’s body

And in Monte Sant’Angelo, we had a wonderful lunch and also bought some wine and snacks to bring home.

savory snacks, three bottles of wine, and two Gargano guidebooks that were gifts from the patrons of our lunch venue

When we had lunch at the B&B in the Umbra Forest, we chatted with the restaurant owner, his wife, and their friend Gianni.  We learned that there would be a festival over the weekend to celebrate the citrus harvest in Rodi Garganico.  Rodi is a town on the coast that is known for its orange and lemon produce.  In fact, Rodi used to export citrus to the USA if you can imagine that.  We looked at a book that showed all of the labels from the export boxes over the years, and it was a graphic designer’s dream of labels.  We also learned that each orange was wrapped in its own beautiful piece of paper before being packed into the shipping box. 

oranges from Rodi

Anyway, knowing that there was a citrus festival, we hopped in the car on Saturday morning and drove to Rodi.  It is another beautiful town where the houses drape down the side of the mountain and land at the sea. 

view down onto Rodi at the sea

a cute street in Rodi

we saw many houses which were painted with special scenes

this house had a painting of a barn with the horse “tied” to the original horse ring

a church in Rodi

a cupola in the church

pipe organ in the church

and a very modern “Last Supper” painting in the church

and this little restaurant had tables made from street signs

The festival was strung along two plazas which were connected by a little alley.  There were many booths with products for sale ranging from marmalade to liqueurs to artwork to jewelry. 

festival decorations

festival decorations above a door

We bumped into our new friend Gianni and took a tour of the festival with him.

Chad and Gianni in a little shop

we bought some things from the little store – cime di rape (cream sauce from rapini greens), finochietto (fennel liqueur), sour orange marmalade, olive oil soaps, local olive oil in the can, and oranges and a lemon which were gifted to us

We had fried pizza dough for lunch.  You could get it bianca (plain) or with tomato sauce and cheese.  It was delicious!  We also had a little beer and did some people-watching on the square.

fried pizza dough snack with a free glass of chilled red wine

beer on the square

a view of the square

All in all a good day!

in addition to artwork painted on houses, we saw lots of poetry on the walls…

We spent a long weekend in Vieste in the Puglia region of Italy.  Vieste is one of many towns in the Gargano National Park.  It is right on the coast with beautiful sandy beaches, and its old medieval town center spills down the hillside to the sea. 

one of the beaches

the lighthouse

fishing boats in the marina

a trabocco – a traditional fishing pier which is common along the east coast of Italy, nets are hung from the pier to catch schools of fish as they swim by

The town has a population of 14,000 people, and it is relatively compact in size.  However, based on the sheer number of hotels, B&Bs, and camping resorts plus the number of restaurants and pizzerias, I imagine it gets crazy with tourists in July and August.  I’m glad we visited in May when it was relatively quiet.

one of the staircases from the lower town going up to the upper town

the original entry portal into the old town, looking back into the new town

a side street in the old town with hanging plants for decoration

a piazza in the old town with a full moon on display

And this is a monument to a sad story. Turks invaded Vieste in 1556, raped the women, took the men as slaves, and slaughtered everyone else (elderly, women, children) at this rock outcropping.

The weather was bright and sunny with a cool breeze during our trip.  We alternated between walking and walking and walking and just sitting and enjoying the views. 

snacks with a view

the sea at sunset

I would definitely go back and do it all again.

and then I loved this painting on the facade of a children’s clothing store

and this one…

On our first day in Gargano, we went into the Umbra Forest.  The forest is the last stand of native beech tree forest in Italy, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is absolutely beautiful.  We were up in the mountains so, in addition to the shade from the trees, we were at high altitude which made for perfect hiking weather in May.

We went on two very different hikes, both on flat trails but with different scenery.

a hiking trail

We heard lots of birds.

the Larghetto in the Umbra Forest

We saw an insane amount of tadpoles in the pond.

we saw some deer

and we found this spectacular meadow with springtime wildflowers

Then we went in search of lunch and found a wonderful B&B restaurant in the middle of the forest.  This B&B would be a great place to stay for a couple of days of nature walks in the forest.  The owner gave us a tour of all of the rooms so we got a chance to scope things out for a future visit.

lunch in the forest

the menu is written on a chalk board

appetizer #1

appetizer #2

pasta with cinghiale (wild boar)

after-dinner drinks – grappa on the right, and on the left is a drink made from citrus and olive leaves

After we finished lunch at 4 pm, we scooted down to Vieste to check in at our beachside B&B for the weekend.  We finished the evening with dinner at the seafood restaurant Al Dragone in the old medieval town center of Vieste.  And of course, this dinner lasted for 3 hours and was delicious.

the napkins were embroidered with dragons

an amuse-bouche of local cheese with pickled beets and basil

raw seafood appetizer

Chad ordered branzino which came with a side of potato pie

Chad’s dessert – semi-freddo with chocolate sauce and almonds

and the sign on the ladies restroom door made me giggle

We spent a long weekend in Gargano National Park in Puglia.  Puglia is one of the three southern regions of Italy.  If you think of Italy as a boot, Puglia is the heel.  The Gargano peninsula is the spur on the back of the heel of the boot.

The Gargano peninsula is one big national park with  mountains, forests, lakes, and beaches.  There are numerous walking and hiking paths in the forest, around lakes, and along the sea, and the views are incredible. 

We drove on many winding mountain roads where the max we could drive was 25-35 miles an hour due to the curves and inclines and hairpin turns.  Apparently this was a dream for motorcycle drivers who zoomed past us and leaned into the curves.  These roads were also popular with bicyclists who have my deepest respect for going both up and down these roads.

Gargano has villages and towns lining the coast, starting in the north and running down the east side of the peninsula.  We stayed in the town of Vieste for the weekend.  We took a day trip to the town of Rodi Garganico for a festival.  We visited a couple of mountain towns that have significant and beautiful pilgrimage churches.  We ate amazing food.  And we bought some delicious stuff.

typical Puglia fare

Lago di Guardialfiera was formed in the 1970s when a dam was built on the Biferno river.  The lake provides water for agricultural and industrial purposes in the area.  It also contributes to the beautiful view from our bedroom balcony. 

balcony view

Today, there is a national highway with a tall bridge that goes over the lake.  The old road and bridge are down at the lake level, and this is the walking path that we took this morning.  The old bridge now has a boardwalk built on top of it, and the old road is now a gravel trail.

the new highway over the old road

the old bridge with the new pedestrian boardwalk on top

the pedestrian boardwalk with the national highway bridge to the left

the boardwalk is covered in lichen in white, gold, and grey colors

There are a variety of walking paths around the lake. 

walking on the old road at the lake – the national highway bridge is up ahead

the new highway over the old road

walking at the lake

view of the lake

the abandoned pier

The trails are particularly beautiful right now with all of the spring flowers in bloom. 

me with some native grasses

During our walk this morning, we heard a variety of frogs and birds. 

Now that the weather is nicer, we are planning to have more walks down at the lake.

lake view

When we first arrived here, I intended to have themed blog entries for specific adventures and then have an end-of-week catch-all to capture miscellaneous observations.  Well, that happened for the first 4 weeks and then end-of-week thing fell to the wayside.  So I’m going to capture a bunch of random things here, starting with today.

We’re on day 4 of rain in our little village.

rainy clouds descended on the valley

cloudy, rainy evening

Because it’s been cloudy and raining for four days with spring weather, our apartment has been cold and a little damp.  I did laundry yesterday.  The laundry didn’t dry in 24 hours and I was cold, so I turned up the thermostat and dried the clothes on the radiators.

Italian clothes dryer

Yesterday evening we went to our little bar and had a pre-dinner drink.  One of the neighbors came in with samples of freshly made cheese, and Chad and I tasted it and swooned.  Then the bartender brought out samples of two other cheeses that he gives “only to his favorite customers.”  They were also delicious.  (No photos available because we were too busy with the tasting.)  Then Chad ordered a shot of rum to go so he could use it in a recipe.  Small-town hospitality from the bartender.

rum cup

Tonight the cheese farmer rang our doorbell and delivered a fresh round of ricotta from his farm, which I am sure was just made this morning.

fresh ricotta from a neighbor – it’s missing a bite that was eaten by Chad

We went on a walk the other day, and this sweet dog went with us.  We passed him on the street while he was taking a rest, and he stood up and trotted around with us.  He was so sweet.  Cute.

a sweet walking companion

We passed a house in Guardialfiera where the street address had changed at some point.

old address and new address on a house

And there was a beautiful moonrise this evening.

Tomorrow we head to Gargano for the weekend.  If you think of Italy as a boot, Gargano is the spur.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a state/national forest and quaint villages and towns.  We’re excited to see a different part of Italy and do some hiking and eatseafoo d on the coast.

Ciao for now.  Alla prossima (until next time) and ci vediamo doppo ( see you soon).

On April 25, 1945, Allied forces liberated Italy from Mussolini’s Fascist government and the Nazis.  May 25th is now a national holiday which is celebrated with marching bands, music concerts, festivals, political rallies, and other public events around the country.  Government buildings, schools, and most businesses are closed for the day.

Chad and I had a very interesting Liberation Day holiday.  In the morning, we took a leisurely walk out of the village into the countryside.  It is spring here, and the wildflowers are in full bloom.

spring flowers

I think this is a type of thistle

a mix of tiny flowers in a variety of colors

While walking on a country road, a car stopped next to us and it was Danilo, a younger guy we met a month ago.  We chatted for a while and then he said, “I’m going to a music festival this afternoon.  Do you want to go with me?  Great!  I’ll pick you up in the piazza after lunch.” 

I was taking photos of goats when Danilo showed up

When we returned to town and were walking through the piazza, we were waved over by Vincenzo, an older gentleman whom we had met a couple of days before.  He said, “Let’s go for a tour” and ushered us into his car.  We drove a couple of blocks and stopped at his granddaughter’s house.  There were several people milling around in her yard. 

It turns out that there is a traditional bread that is made on Liberation Day, and she makes a ton of loaves and hands them out to people in the village.  Chad and I were each handed a loaf, and then we were back in the car with Vincenzo.  I honestly had no clue where we were going.

We drove up, up, up the mountain, and we parked at Vincenzo’s friend’s house.  Now, it was getting close to lunch time, and I didn’t know if we were about to have lunch with his friend, but his friend wasn’t home.  Vincenzo just wanted to show us the view from the terrace.

The view – you can see Guardialfiera in the middle of the photo

With Vincenzo on the terrace

Then he asked if we like rosemary and sage, and he harvested some wild herbs out of the yard for us.

Wild rosemary blooming with purple flowers

Then we got back in the car and went up and over the mountain and then came back around and down into Guardialfiera.  We parked in front of Vincenzo’s house, and he told us to come inside.  I thought, “Okay.  Are we having lunch here?”  Nope.  He took us down into his basement and gave us a jar of dried oregano that he had prepared.  Then he asked, “Do you like wine?” and gave us a bottle of red wine from his favorite region.  And then Chad and I went home for lunch.

Gifts from Vincenzo – traditional bread, red wine, a jar of oregano, and wild rosemary and sage

Danilo met us in the piazza after lunch, and we hopped into his car and headed to the music festival in Montenegro di Bisaccia.  We parked at the edge of town and then walked down a path into the countryside. 

walking…if you squint you can see the red tent of the concession stand

I was captivated by the views of the hills and their folded textures.

the hills

view of the concert area from the other direction

The path widened out into a clearing where the music festival was happening.  Some people were standing, some were lying on blankets, some were having picnics.  We each had a glass of wine and listened to music.

The path ended at a grotto with a religious shrine inside.

entrance to the grotto

the shrine

We left the festival and returned to Guardialfiera and had an aperitivo at the bar before going our separate ways for dinner.  All in all, it was a spontaneous and fun day.  And I will leave you with some more photos of spring flowers.

spring flowers

a flowering succulent

this is wild rapini greens

more spring flowers

more flowers

a flowering tree

and wild grasses…