Monday June 14th, 2010

Today we got started for Terra Novo by 10 am. A pretty amazing undertaking, since we had to mobilize 9 persons!! Lenny with Chris and Doug, went to the airport at 7 am to get the van. And what a van!! The luggage just made it, and seating was for 9!! It was pretty comfortable. Getting out of Rome was a little dicey, but once on the autostrada, all was well.
We stopped on the Amalfi Coast for lunch in a little town called Cetera, at The Convent!!! Delicious and welcome!! We had to walk down to the town, from the road above, so we worked up an appetite! The flowers were profuse (bougainvillea) and the lemon trees abundant!! Ah – beautiful!



The rest of the day was driving, and we arrived in Terre Novo at 7 pm. Pino was waiting for us and it was a great reception!!




We settled into our rooms (complete with balconies and views) and then dined on the most scrumptious meal yet!! Pino is a master chef, who created gourmet delights steeped in the peasant tradition. I must digress here and try to give our menu. It began with frissele (?), otherwise known as hardtack, ladled with a cream sauce and chopped tomatoes. The sauce was absorbed into the frissele, making it moist and delectable. Second dish was a giambotta (eggs, peppers and tomatoes) spooned into individual pastry and then baked.



UM MMMM GOOD!!!!! Third dish – pasta – Pasta Ferro - homemade pasta, shaped on a thin iron rod. It was flavored with many herbs, and wild boar. The boar took 4 hours to prepare for use in this dish!!! Fourth dish – Roasted goat!!! Don’t turn up your noses - it was fantastico!!!! (Potatoes were also served - much to Danny’s delight!!)
Some of us went for a passegiata (little walk) up to the top of the hill – and then it was time to sleep.
I forgot to mention that Cinzino (cousin) joined us for dinner and he was so happy to see us all. I was prepared for him by Rossanna on Sunday. She told me he was a legend!! He is a young man of 76 who has a sense of humor and fire in the soul!! He spoke to me, assuming I understood everything he said. I got a lot of it, but at times looked to John or Fr Douglas for help. We had fun listening to him, and responding to him as best we could. He was a bit of a cross between mine and Lenny’s father.