Underneath the Volcano
(Warning: map and Bulfinch's mythology will be helpful for this post)
We are on Lipari Island, in the Aeolian Islands, off the coast of Sicily.
This is the home of Aeolus, god of the winds. We arrived the night before last, after successfully escaping the Sirens, and then passing over the Scylla and Charybdis. The Odyssey did not take place in Greece, but in Italy.
The Sirens really did beckon, and they were irresistible (Sirens come from Sorrento--did you know that?). We spent our time in the Sorrentina Peninsula at Le Tore organic farm, run by the inexhaustible Vittoria Brancaccio and her husband Gianni.
31 October was a demanding but smooth day--we had left Contignano reluctantly. Our efforts to speak Italian finally opened everyone up, and we had the most wonderful conversations with the residents of our tiny town in Tuscany. I learned an old Tuscan proverb from the owners of the food market: "Tutti Sant, caputi e guanti." (All Saints Day--get out your cape and gloves.) And that it ALWAYS rains on the second of November, which is also an important day in Italy, when everyone visits the cemeteries to remember "i defunti, i morti."
Early on Halloween morning we drove to the train station, found the place to return our car--had to ask directions, and I'm finding I can speak Italian just well enough to get a response in Italian which I cannot understand, until I walk away and think hard about it, and then it comes-- and figured on a two hour wait for the train. Silly us! The time had changed, and the 9:35 had not yet left. You should have seen the look on the desk agent's face when I told him that surely it had left. He rolled his eyes and pointed pointedly at the clock. I had noticed the night before that the clock in Bar Franci said 7:30 while my watch said 8:30, but I figured that was just how things could be in Bar Franci.
Ten minutes later we were on our way to Salerno. Good thing--we knew finding our next destination in the dark would not be much fun. )
We arrived by driving the demanding (but not as scary as most Americans make it out to be) Amalfitan Coast highway--as the Salerno Avis agent said, "it's a good highway-double sense," meaning two lanes wide. This is debatable.
We did have to back up three cars on a curve when a bus could not pass, but Dan now has skills to be proud of--yes, he can drive a stick around a hairpin turn and take pictures at the same time--and we drove into the sunset, arriving at the green gate on the very top of the world just after dark. They were expecting us for dinner--7:30.
Dinner. One long table, six people, all of us fellow guests. Simon and Jane, a UK couple living in Poland, had just put 18-month-old Isaac to bed. Ruth and Marcus had arrived from Switzerland on a walking tour using only public transportation. And we were going to have conversation and a lovely organic dinner from local sources. But among all the six adults, and Italian, French, Swiss-German, German, Spanish, and English, there was no single language in common. So everyone had to translate for someone. We have never had so much fun (or such great food) . By the end of it Marcus deadpanned "Schwartzennegger for President," and Dan was making jokes in Italian, and he's only on Pimsleur lesson 24 because he keeps skipping ahead.
And then we woke to find ourselves in the middle of olive and lemon groves and espaliered annurca apple trees, with two lovely white cows.
The farm is near the tip of the peninsula, and near the very highest point. One stone house is for guests, and one for Gianni and Vittoria with a small self catering apartment. This is an agriturismo par excellence.
I wanted to find out more, or even work a little, so I talked my way into a tour of the farm, but just as we were starting out, friends of Vittoria's from near Naples came to visit, the D'Alterio family, and so we all went together, and then it started to sprinkle. I had noticed that looking west it was sunny, but looking east it was black, and I had already forgotten--it ALWAYS rains on 2 November. So we all headed for shelter in the dining room, peeled annurca apples--a remarkable ancient variety that keeps all winter if just left on the ground and turned often--and tried to keep up with the conversation. And then it REALLY started to rain.
By 1:00 we were snuggled in our room with intermittent lights and the howling went on all afternoon. It was great, a wonderful, exciting storm. And a great forced rest for us after a long travel day.
Is it cruel to leave you hanging now? When I could talk about touring the ancient olive grove with the 350 year old mother plants? And about being invited to join twenty or so Italian travel and food journalists for an educational olive oil tasting? I'll get back to this. . . promise. . .but for now, I'll just say that I am in love with the Sorrentina Peninsula, and tell you about Dan's day here in Lipari. Jenny! Take special note!
Dan is now on a first name basis with a Sicilian dentist! A molar with an old filling broke, and even though (thankfully) he was not in immediate pain, we decided better here than Prague, and found the local dentist. He was GREAT. Seemed like the happiest dentist I have ever seen, took Dan right in, and while they were still talking, I could see the assistant preparing the Big Syringe, and an hour and a half later, he had a beautyfull new ceramic-filled tooth. They were full-on modren, with dams and rubber gloves, and those syringes that they all use even at home that look just like apparati from the Inquisition. I'm sorry, I could have stayed to hold his hand, but I went shopping, because I nearly fainted at the sight of it. The only things not current were that there was no paperwork, and that the dentist only charged us €100, discounting his usual price of €150, perhaps just for the sake of international goodwill, or Dan's great popularity here in southern Italy. This translates to about $129.
But now I AM cutting you off, because I need to go check on the patient. Translate this as, I'm hungry and am going to go sweep him up and find something for dinner.
We're staying here on the island until the 13th, so I'll certainly have another post up in a day or two. Love you all, and miss you, and we will now be home soon.
Ciao! Tanti baci!
We are on Lipari Island, in the Aeolian Islands, off the coast of Sicily.
This is the home of Aeolus, god of the winds. We arrived the night before last, after successfully escaping the Sirens, and then passing over the Scylla and Charybdis. The Odyssey did not take place in Greece, but in Italy.
The Sirens really did beckon, and they were irresistible (Sirens come from Sorrento--did you know that?). We spent our time in the Sorrentina Peninsula at Le Tore organic farm, run by the inexhaustible Vittoria Brancaccio and her husband Gianni.
31 October was a demanding but smooth day--we had left Contignano reluctantly. Our efforts to speak Italian finally opened everyone up, and we had the most wonderful conversations with the residents of our tiny town in Tuscany. I learned an old Tuscan proverb from the owners of the food market: "Tutti Sant, caputi e guanti." (All Saints Day--get out your cape and gloves.) And that it ALWAYS rains on the second of November, which is also an important day in Italy, when everyone visits the cemeteries to remember "i defunti, i morti."
Early on Halloween morning we drove to the train station, found the place to return our car--had to ask directions, and I'm finding I can speak Italian just well enough to get a response in Italian which I cannot understand, until I walk away and think hard about it, and then it comes-- and figured on a two hour wait for the train. Silly us! The time had changed, and the 9:35 had not yet left. You should have seen the look on the desk agent's face when I told him that surely it had left. He rolled his eyes and pointed pointedly at the clock. I had noticed the night before that the clock in Bar Franci said 7:30 while my watch said 8:30, but I figured that was just how things could be in Bar Franci.
Ten minutes later we were on our way to Salerno. Good thing--we knew finding our next destination in the dark would not be much fun. )
We arrived by driving the demanding (but not as scary as most Americans make it out to be) Amalfitan Coast highway--as the Salerno Avis agent said, "it's a good highway-double sense," meaning two lanes wide. This is debatable.
We did have to back up three cars on a curve when a bus could not pass, but Dan now has skills to be proud of--yes, he can drive a stick around a hairpin turn and take pictures at the same time--and we drove into the sunset, arriving at the green gate on the very top of the world just after dark. They were expecting us for dinner--7:30.
Dinner. One long table, six people, all of us fellow guests. Simon and Jane, a UK couple living in Poland, had just put 18-month-old Isaac to bed. Ruth and Marcus had arrived from Switzerland on a walking tour using only public transportation. And we were going to have conversation and a lovely organic dinner from local sources. But among all the six adults, and Italian, French, Swiss-German, German, Spanish, and English, there was no single language in common. So everyone had to translate for someone. We have never had so much fun (or such great food) . By the end of it Marcus deadpanned "Schwartzennegger for President," and Dan was making jokes in Italian, and he's only on Pimsleur lesson 24 because he keeps skipping ahead.
And then we woke to find ourselves in the middle of olive and lemon groves and espaliered annurca apple trees, with two lovely white cows.
The farm is near the tip of the peninsula, and near the very highest point. One stone house is for guests, and one for Gianni and Vittoria with a small self catering apartment. This is an agriturismo par excellence.
I wanted to find out more, or even work a little, so I talked my way into a tour of the farm, but just as we were starting out, friends of Vittoria's from near Naples came to visit, the D'Alterio family, and so we all went together, and then it started to sprinkle. I had noticed that looking west it was sunny, but looking east it was black, and I had already forgotten--it ALWAYS rains on 2 November. So we all headed for shelter in the dining room, peeled annurca apples--a remarkable ancient variety that keeps all winter if just left on the ground and turned often--and tried to keep up with the conversation. And then it REALLY started to rain.
By 1:00 we were snuggled in our room with intermittent lights and the howling went on all afternoon. It was great, a wonderful, exciting storm. And a great forced rest for us after a long travel day.
Is it cruel to leave you hanging now? When I could talk about touring the ancient olive grove with the 350 year old mother plants? And about being invited to join twenty or so Italian travel and food journalists for an educational olive oil tasting? I'll get back to this. . . promise. . .but for now, I'll just say that I am in love with the Sorrentina Peninsula, and tell you about Dan's day here in Lipari. Jenny! Take special note!
Dan is now on a first name basis with a Sicilian dentist! A molar with an old filling broke, and even though (thankfully) he was not in immediate pain, we decided better here than Prague, and found the local dentist. He was GREAT. Seemed like the happiest dentist I have ever seen, took Dan right in, and while they were still talking, I could see the assistant preparing the Big Syringe, and an hour and a half later, he had a beautyfull new ceramic-filled tooth. They were full-on modren, with dams and rubber gloves, and those syringes that they all use even at home that look just like apparati from the Inquisition. I'm sorry, I could have stayed to hold his hand, but I went shopping, because I nearly fainted at the sight of it. The only things not current were that there was no paperwork, and that the dentist only charged us €100, discounting his usual price of €150, perhaps just for the sake of international goodwill, or Dan's great popularity here in southern Italy. This translates to about $129.
But now I AM cutting you off, because I need to go check on the patient. Translate this as, I'm hungry and am going to go sweep him up and find something for dinner.
We're staying here on the island until the 13th, so I'll certainly have another post up in a day or two. Love you all, and miss you, and we will now be home soon.
Ciao! Tanti baci!
posted by Cheese Mite at 9:17 AM
8 Comments:
Glad to hear from you. If you've read your email you will know you are registered for Madrona. woo-hoo.
we have a time-change in Europe surprise also. the rude hotelier in Sarlat could have avoided being awoken early if he had only reminded his guests about this in advance. (as we and another American family who had also forgotten DST needed to catch a train.) well, I guess if he had thought about such guest-friendly things he would not have been labeled the rude hotelier.
Okay, I'm jealous enough. You can come home just any time now. When ARE you coming home, by the way?
What an awesome post. I think we've all figured out what your career is going to be, which is going to wonderful foodie places and writing about them so we're all there too. Love ya guys. -Ruthie-
teddy said...
Been checking every day for news from you and was thrilled to hear. Ididn't remember about Scylla and Charybdis and always thought The Odyssey took place in Greece. >My education is woefully lacking. Glad Dan and his tooth made out well - even on a little island that's hard to find on my map.
Bought the VW Jetta - black, of course - and it fits in the garage.
Sorry I missed your call today. I know it must be hard to coordinate times halfway around the world.
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Ouu, it sounds so grand. You are staying at very interesting places too. Maybe we can have a family reunion there next year? What do you think Martha and Teddy? I hope I don't need any more dental work, but just in case I'll bring extra teeth money and since you already know the dentist I'll feel very secure. It's quite a bit cheaper than here! You have been missing tremendous rain and flooding here. Mt Rainier is CLOSED ( washed out roads) and another storm on the way. It's wild. Of course we city dewellers are safe so far. I have to sign in as anonymous becasue I can't remember my password! Jenny
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