We drove about an hour south to visit the island of Monte Argentario surrounded by sparkling turquoise water. We began at Porto S. Stefano. The port area is filled with fishing boats and is fronted by stalls selling the bounty of the sea. They have stripped canvas awnings pulled down protecting the fresh fish from the sun’s rays. We walked along the palm tree lined Lungomare dei Navigatori sided by a rock wall where a local man was diving for sea urchins, he happily showed us his prized catch before placing it safely inside the mesh bag he carried.
Picnic time had arrived yet again. Today we found the most amazing little cove at Il Pozzarello. The water was clearer than clear and small fish swam happily about, in and out of the rocks. We sat on a rickety old wooden pier with our legs dangling above the sea. We made up our focaccias with fresh fillings any Italian would be proud of and enjoyed life’s simple pleasures yet again. Two elderly swimmers passed by, emerged from the water and we exchanged pleasantries. They were holidaying from Florence. Two of their family dogs looked at us longingly awaiting some of our picnic. We fed the sea birds that visited too, laughing at their antics and the bossy one who stood on the shore keeping them in order. I loved our little clear watered cove and wish I could return here every day to drink it in over and over again. I looked back longingly as we walked to the car on the road above it to try and secure how beautiful it is in my memory forever.
The next stop was Porto Ecole, a charming little seaside village with great gelato! Yes, we sat by the water enjoying our daily treat, it was just what I needed to keep me going, it was hot in the sun today. We watched the fishermen mending their nets by their old fishing boats, just as they would have years ago, their life seems simple and unhurried, I’m sure ours does to them as well. We walked along the sea wall towards its end facing the Spanish fort, Forte Filippo overlooking the village. Fishermen and women sat with lines dangling in the turquoise water, it was transparent and deep with glorious colour. AJ and I were hit by the lazy stick and kept stopping, JR however was keen to keep on the hoof so we dragged ourselves along.
The drive up to La Rocca fortress is a beautiful one, just after the turn off to La Rocca is a road with a gorgeous view of the coast from high up, the view was of paradise, dotted with boats bobbing in the bluey green expanse of water. La Rocca fortress itself is high above the town. From there we walked along a cliff-top track lined with strange cacti and wild fig trees with fruit awaiting ripening. The track led us between the fortress wall and the cliff face leading us into the old town of Porto Ercole. The streets were rough to walk with their ancient and uneven cobbles, big and small. AJ and I descended back to the port for a coffee and coke by the water while JR took some snaps.
We all enjoyed driving up to Forte Filippo, another Spanish fortress overlooking the port but from the other side. Up here we were able to walk along the outer wall in between the old moat and the outer wall giving us amazing views of Orbetello and a strip of protected land covered in pine forests and a sanctuary for bird life, called Tombolo di Feniglia. There was an old cannon at a defence post that AJ paused to look at. I could not help reminiscing about years past when he would have played imaginary games at places like this, those days are long gone.
The sun was slipping away behind the mountain tops. We drove a twisty road to Il Telegrafo, the highest point of Monte Argentario. There was no one else up there, and from the car park we slipped through a small gap in the trees. There was a rock sitting on top of the universe as if just put there for us to sit. Below us were forests of trees covering distant hills and then the water which called the red ball of the sun closer and closer until it drank it deep within. The sky turned a pale pink and we felt bathed in its colour as we sat on our rock on top of the universe.
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
From Bad To Worse. Monday 21st September, 2009.
I came home armed with a small cob of salted Italian bread and a slab of salt and olive oil foccacia this morning, we enjoyed them lightly toasted, mine with sweet honey.
We arrived at the ESSO service station; about 20 minutes walk from home, by 11ish. We weren’t surprised our hire car wasn’t there as Claudia had promised. The guy in charge had no idea about it either, our lack of language skills made it difficult to explain that the hire car had been organised and we were to collect it here today. We had to stock the house with food and had been waiting to pick up the car to do so. As the supermarket was nearby, we decided to do the shopping and haul it home between the three of us which worked out fine.
It was so different supermarket shopping in Italy in comparison to France. JR was amazed at the amount of shelf space dedicated to different things. There is next to no bread where in France it dominates an entire wall. The range of mozzarella, buffalo and otherwise, takes up miles of the fridge section, breakfast cereal is almost nonexistent with only two choices, a variety of cornflakes and a box of something similar to coco pops, that’s it. Oh well, we will have to carry on the Italian breakfast habit of a bombacrema pastry (we had our first on the way to the supermarket today – OMG, memories flooded back to Hotel Regno breakfasts from two years ago!)
So, we arrive home fuming, no car, and the promised delivery of the internet key that was supposed to arrive yesterday still is not here – NOT HAPPY JAN! We get that Claudia is a lovely scatterbrain and is less than organised but this does nothing to calm us. We are all a tad snippy especially after both transport and internet access had been clearly arranged on acceptance of our home-exchange.
We composed an email, JR had to find an alternative internet cafe to use as the one he used yesterday is closed on Mondays. The new one required a scan of his passport and charged through the nose for only 10 minutes. Anyway, the email was sent asking Claudia to sort out the car hire and internet access as previously agreed and email us asap with a clear solution.
On top of this, JR had taken both AJ’s and my French mobiles to the phone shop to recharge them, surprise, surprise – they were locked and will not work outside of France. We were furious! We had specifically requested they be unlocked when we purchased them as we would be all over the place this year.
Luckily I had my Aussie mobile floating around so we took that back to the phone shop (much later as they only returned from siesta at 4) and were able to get it sorted after some delay as the lady in the mobile phone shop had no internet at the time so could not activate my new number, JR wondered out loud if we were in a third world country.
Mobile phone in hand and internet cafe now closed not allowing us to check Claudia’s response to our email with what to do about the car in the morning, I called Claudia and she was so apologetic. I really don’t think she means any harm at all, she is just terribly disorganised. We were able to share with her that the internet key had arrived at long last, the fact that it will not be activated until midday tomorrow is the least of our worries, we are just happy it is here and is another thing we can cross of the list. She assures me that the hire car will be at ESSO in the morning by 9.30 so fingers crossed all will be well.
AJ had requested risotto for dinner so I created a little recipe that goes like this:
Sautee two finely chopped onions in a sliky combination of fruity olive oil and melted butter, cook them gently with three cloves of finely chopped garlic, 12 year old sons do this job the best. When the onions are soft, remove the casings from four salsiccia sausages bought from the lovely Signora at the local Italian grocer, and separate the meat into small pieces, add them to the onions and garlic which will have filled the house with inviting aromas. Let the sausage cook through and firm up a little, give it time to brown a bit too. Add a generous supply of Arborio rice and stir it making sure it becomes shiny as it is coated with the olive oil, butter and juice from the sausage. I poured in a good splash (or maybe two) of bianco wine I bought from the supermarket which comes in a tetra pack like fruit juice, I paid a whole 1.15 euro (don’t be shocked) and stirred it into the rice on a relatively high heat until it was almost gone entirely. My pot of hot chicken stock was simmering away on the back of the stove and I ladled this into the rice bit by bit, JR and I took turns stirring. The rice became creamy and tender. I added a dollop of rich mascarpone (not a patch on my home made stuff) and too many calories of reggiano cheese, mixed it all together and called AJ in for a taste test. I gotta admit it was pretty damn fine even if I do say so myself.
It was JR’s treat for gelato dessert so we piled out the door and down the street to join the families wandering up and down the main street on which we live.
I look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings...
We arrived at the ESSO service station; about 20 minutes walk from home, by 11ish. We weren’t surprised our hire car wasn’t there as Claudia had promised. The guy in charge had no idea about it either, our lack of language skills made it difficult to explain that the hire car had been organised and we were to collect it here today. We had to stock the house with food and had been waiting to pick up the car to do so. As the supermarket was nearby, we decided to do the shopping and haul it home between the three of us which worked out fine.
It was so different supermarket shopping in Italy in comparison to France. JR was amazed at the amount of shelf space dedicated to different things. There is next to no bread where in France it dominates an entire wall. The range of mozzarella, buffalo and otherwise, takes up miles of the fridge section, breakfast cereal is almost nonexistent with only two choices, a variety of cornflakes and a box of something similar to coco pops, that’s it. Oh well, we will have to carry on the Italian breakfast habit of a bombacrema pastry (we had our first on the way to the supermarket today – OMG, memories flooded back to Hotel Regno breakfasts from two years ago!)
So, we arrive home fuming, no car, and the promised delivery of the internet key that was supposed to arrive yesterday still is not here – NOT HAPPY JAN! We get that Claudia is a lovely scatterbrain and is less than organised but this does nothing to calm us. We are all a tad snippy especially after both transport and internet access had been clearly arranged on acceptance of our home-exchange.
We composed an email, JR had to find an alternative internet cafe to use as the one he used yesterday is closed on Mondays. The new one required a scan of his passport and charged through the nose for only 10 minutes. Anyway, the email was sent asking Claudia to sort out the car hire and internet access as previously agreed and email us asap with a clear solution.
On top of this, JR had taken both AJ’s and my French mobiles to the phone shop to recharge them, surprise, surprise – they were locked and will not work outside of France. We were furious! We had specifically requested they be unlocked when we purchased them as we would be all over the place this year.
Luckily I had my Aussie mobile floating around so we took that back to the phone shop (much later as they only returned from siesta at 4) and were able to get it sorted after some delay as the lady in the mobile phone shop had no internet at the time so could not activate my new number, JR wondered out loud if we were in a third world country.
Mobile phone in hand and internet cafe now closed not allowing us to check Claudia’s response to our email with what to do about the car in the morning, I called Claudia and she was so apologetic. I really don’t think she means any harm at all, she is just terribly disorganised. We were able to share with her that the internet key had arrived at long last, the fact that it will not be activated until midday tomorrow is the least of our worries, we are just happy it is here and is another thing we can cross of the list. She assures me that the hire car will be at ESSO in the morning by 9.30 so fingers crossed all will be well.
AJ had requested risotto for dinner so I created a little recipe that goes like this:
Sautee two finely chopped onions in a sliky combination of fruity olive oil and melted butter, cook them gently with three cloves of finely chopped garlic, 12 year old sons do this job the best. When the onions are soft, remove the casings from four salsiccia sausages bought from the lovely Signora at the local Italian grocer, and separate the meat into small pieces, add them to the onions and garlic which will have filled the house with inviting aromas. Let the sausage cook through and firm up a little, give it time to brown a bit too. Add a generous supply of Arborio rice and stir it making sure it becomes shiny as it is coated with the olive oil, butter and juice from the sausage. I poured in a good splash (or maybe two) of bianco wine I bought from the supermarket which comes in a tetra pack like fruit juice, I paid a whole 1.15 euro (don’t be shocked) and stirred it into the rice on a relatively high heat until it was almost gone entirely. My pot of hot chicken stock was simmering away on the back of the stove and I ladled this into the rice bit by bit, JR and I took turns stirring. The rice became creamy and tender. I added a dollop of rich mascarpone (not a patch on my home made stuff) and too many calories of reggiano cheese, mixed it all together and called AJ in for a taste test. I gotta admit it was pretty damn fine even if I do say so myself.
It was JR’s treat for gelato dessert so we piled out the door and down the street to join the families wandering up and down the main street on which we live.
I look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings...
Tuscany Bound at Last. Saturday 19th September, 2009.
Darling and lovable Claudia seems to live a life of casual and stylish chaos, her mobile phone never stops, and I get the feeling she puts out fires as she has to and deals with things as they become worthy of her attention. We had planned to leave for Tuscany between 10 and 11 and were out the door just before 1pm after JR patiently sat with her and booked a few legs of her Aussie travels in preparation for when she arrives in Oz . AJ was excited to be driving through the crazy Roman traffic at last, he sat in the back seat with a grin plastered across his face, happy as larry to be in Italy and on his way to Tuscany. His heart has always belonged to Italy since his first visit with us a few years ago.
Castiglione della Pescaia is beautiful. Claudia thinks it has a population of about 5000 both inside and outside of the medieval city walls. Like so many other Tuscan villages and towns, it sits on a hilltop, a castle and clock tower at its height. The added bonus is that it is seaside with miles of beach to explore and a busy and quite large fishing port. We are all brimming with excitement at our new exchange for the next two weeks. Claudia treats AJ like a Grandson, spoiling him with treats, whatever his heart desires and she loves that he loves it. She took us to her favorite local pizza place and would absolutely not allow us to pay. She finished with a ciambella (sugar covered doughnut), giving into her sweet tooth, and brought a chocolate bombacrema to the table for AJ, he is so spoiled. We drove to a nearby beach to meet her friend Katrina. She was sunbaking with friends and came onto the cafe’s terrace for a quick introduction and coffee. Katrian is our local contact if we need help with anything during our stay. She has a thick smoky voice and is brown and a berry which is quite the norm here on the Italian coast.
Our Castiglione apartment is nice and clean, Claudia shares my need for cleanliness which makes me happy. On arrival she opens the windows and shutters which overlook the piazza below with is beginning to bustle with late afternoon meetings of locals. She hasn’t organised the dongle for our internet connection despite previous communication telling us she will show us the internet connection on our arrival, now we have to await her friends delivery of it, who knows when that will be. I emphasise our need for internet as previously discussed with her. She led us to believe it was all organised – maybe in her mind awaiting the delivery of a dongle from her friend (whenever), is a version of organisation and just differs from ours. Our car exchange agreement has been changed also which is not really a drama, it is just that it is Saturday now and our hire car will not be delivered to Castiglione until Monday, leaving us village bound for tomorrow. We think it will be a great opportunity to explore our new home and surroundings so we are not too worried, we are beginning to learn that this is Claudia and her ways, and it fits in with the Italian way perfectly – it is us who have to adjust and that will come with time in our new host country.
We wave goodbye and give Claudia kisses as she leaves to drive back to Rome. We all adore her and her discombobulated ways. We look forward to spending one night with her when we return to Rome.
AJ has a choice of 4 beds to sleep in in his room with its green shutters opening out over the busy piazza just like ours. AJ is keen to get on Claudia’s bike and go exploring so JR and I take part in the very Italian pastime of an evening stroll up and down the busy via. He keeps running into us and seems a bit down. He sees kids out with their friends and I think it reinforces the feeling of loneliness for him. He loves us I know but we are no substitute for his friends. We show him his boundaries around the streets inside the walls and at one end he is allowed to cross the main road on a pedestrian crossing giving him accesss to the pier area and promenade along the beachfront, it will be great for him and safe I am sure.
We arranged to meet back at our piazza at 7.30 and to our surprise AJ arrived with Manuel, a boy his age. They had met in the nearby square. We were going for dinner but AJ was keener to meet a few local kids so off he went with 10 euros in his pocket and pep in his step. Manuel was eating with a group of 12 and 13 year olds, celebrating one of the girl’s 13th birthday. AJ joined in and was allowed out until 10.30 as long as he was with the group. As it turned out, we saw him a few times as we wandered around the village after an amazing dinner of our own consisting of salsicia pizza and spaghetti carbonara. I love Italian food! AJ’s curfew extended out a few times as we bumped into each other. We could see the kids were having innocent fun, running around the streets, up and down from the castle, and he was so happy. He called it quits just after 11 after his new friend was picked up, he was buggered. He caught up with us sitting at a roadside bar, on padded bench seats, I had the remains of a tall Pina Colada on the table. He shared his adventures with us. We were all so happy in our new home, the next chapter in our wonderful adventure making France a faraway, but no less wonderful memory.
Castiglione della Pescaia is beautiful. Claudia thinks it has a population of about 5000 both inside and outside of the medieval city walls. Like so many other Tuscan villages and towns, it sits on a hilltop, a castle and clock tower at its height. The added bonus is that it is seaside with miles of beach to explore and a busy and quite large fishing port. We are all brimming with excitement at our new exchange for the next two weeks. Claudia treats AJ like a Grandson, spoiling him with treats, whatever his heart desires and she loves that he loves it. She took us to her favorite local pizza place and would absolutely not allow us to pay. She finished with a ciambella (sugar covered doughnut), giving into her sweet tooth, and brought a chocolate bombacrema to the table for AJ, he is so spoiled. We drove to a nearby beach to meet her friend Katrina. She was sunbaking with friends and came onto the cafe’s terrace for a quick introduction and coffee. Katrian is our local contact if we need help with anything during our stay. She has a thick smoky voice and is brown and a berry which is quite the norm here on the Italian coast.
Our Castiglione apartment is nice and clean, Claudia shares my need for cleanliness which makes me happy. On arrival she opens the windows and shutters which overlook the piazza below with is beginning to bustle with late afternoon meetings of locals. She hasn’t organised the dongle for our internet connection despite previous communication telling us she will show us the internet connection on our arrival, now we have to await her friends delivery of it, who knows when that will be. I emphasise our need for internet as previously discussed with her. She led us to believe it was all organised – maybe in her mind awaiting the delivery of a dongle from her friend (whenever), is a version of organisation and just differs from ours. Our car exchange agreement has been changed also which is not really a drama, it is just that it is Saturday now and our hire car will not be delivered to Castiglione until Monday, leaving us village bound for tomorrow. We think it will be a great opportunity to explore our new home and surroundings so we are not too worried, we are beginning to learn that this is Claudia and her ways, and it fits in with the Italian way perfectly – it is us who have to adjust and that will come with time in our new host country.
We wave goodbye and give Claudia kisses as she leaves to drive back to Rome. We all adore her and her discombobulated ways. We look forward to spending one night with her when we return to Rome.
AJ has a choice of 4 beds to sleep in in his room with its green shutters opening out over the busy piazza just like ours. AJ is keen to get on Claudia’s bike and go exploring so JR and I take part in the very Italian pastime of an evening stroll up and down the busy via. He keeps running into us and seems a bit down. He sees kids out with their friends and I think it reinforces the feeling of loneliness for him. He loves us I know but we are no substitute for his friends. We show him his boundaries around the streets inside the walls and at one end he is allowed to cross the main road on a pedestrian crossing giving him accesss to the pier area and promenade along the beachfront, it will be great for him and safe I am sure.
We arranged to meet back at our piazza at 7.30 and to our surprise AJ arrived with Manuel, a boy his age. They had met in the nearby square. We were going for dinner but AJ was keener to meet a few local kids so off he went with 10 euros in his pocket and pep in his step. Manuel was eating with a group of 12 and 13 year olds, celebrating one of the girl’s 13th birthday. AJ joined in and was allowed out until 10.30 as long as he was with the group. As it turned out, we saw him a few times as we wandered around the village after an amazing dinner of our own consisting of salsicia pizza and spaghetti carbonara. I love Italian food! AJ’s curfew extended out a few times as we bumped into each other. We could see the kids were having innocent fun, running around the streets, up and down from the castle, and he was so happy. He called it quits just after 11 after his new friend was picked up, he was buggered. He caught up with us sitting at a roadside bar, on padded bench seats, I had the remains of a tall Pina Colada on the table. He shared his adventures with us. We were all so happy in our new home, the next chapter in our wonderful adventure making France a faraway, but no less wonderful memory.
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