Today we didn’t take an early morning walk but left early for the beach. We went to Policoro, on the Ionian Sea – about an hour away from Terra Nova. As we came down the mountain, and crossed the river, it was interesting to see the change in landscape. At one point, the terrain looked arid and void of vegetation, with deep cuts (palisades) into the mountains. As we neared the coast, we drove through olive groves, peach and lemon orchards. It was truly beautiful to behold.
We arrived shortly after ten and I was able to communicate to the cashier our need for umbrellas and chairs. I was quite proud of myself. As Chris and I were addressing this, John bought his own umbrella and began walking around with it as if it were a parasol! It was pretty funny.
The beach (Il Sirena) was quite lovely. The sand was dark, but not as black as I remember Rome’s beaches to be. The water was inviting and we had a great time. We had lunch at a little place on the beach called Herculae . It was a great day, and another first!! The beach ringed with mountains – incredible!!
We got home in time for our “date” with Dominic Tufaro. His wife Vittoria plied us with homemade goodies – cake, sausage, supra sotta, salami, bread and tarrales. The best was his homemade wine. We had an enjoyable visit, and left, knowing we had yet to see Franco (Cinzino’s brother) and his wife. By the time we got there, we couldn’t eat another thing!! So, the offerings were packed up for “piu tardo”!! (LATER!). I speak for all of us when I say how amazed I am by how well we are all doing in the communication department. We were laughing and telling stories … dialect and all.
Earlier I had asked Pino about getting into the locked chapel and he had his daughter Marika get the key for us. So before dinner, we went into the chapel and sure enough, the Portomento there was the one built by Grandpa John. Chris was so happy to see it and realize it had been under our noses the whole time. (Cinzino didn’t know anything about it when they asked him earlier in the week)The detail was exquisite.
Now for dinner!
First – tomato with melted cheese (not mozzarella -maybe scarmazzo) and prosciutto
Second – asparagus soufflé topped with fried spaghetti in red pepper. The sauce was made from sausage that had been marinated over night!
Third – taglitelle with black truffles
Entrée – roast beef with peas in a small potato cup
Dessert – tiramisu look alike – same cake base, with custard and strawberry filling. The ladyfingers were soaked in vermouth and sugar.
Pino received an award yesterday - selected by some group for BEST IN ITALY! Well we could’ve told him that!!
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