Civilized Cross Many Countries

It seems like we’ve been here forever. Was the wine tasting on Monday? It seems like it was weeks ago. It also seems too short — we’re just getting into a routine. It’s been a great vacation and we are all ready to get home, yet sad that it’s ending.

We have had a fairy tale week, yet it’s been so very real. The people and the land and feeling here are exactly what you hope for. It’s honest and charming and spectacularly beautiful and friendly. We have had a luxurious time, but there is no stuffiness or pretentiousness. Not many principessa moments, just the soul of Italy.

The generosity of the people is overwhelming. They forgive your accent, they talk with their hands, they accept you. They walk slowly, they savor moments, they smile at children, and they are proud. They show you peaches like they are babies, open an apricot and feed it to you and nod in approval, tell you where they grow their garlic and who made the ceramics. And you love them and get to know them on a spiritual level — they are sharing their souls with you.

We finally made it to a rosticceria tonight. The butcher cuts the meat and grills it and brings it to you. My mom and dad would have loved this!

Our final family meal. We have had such a great time together. I can’t wait to do it again!

It seems like we’ve been here forever. Was the wine tasting on Monday? It seems like it was weeks ago. It also seems too short — we’re just getting into a routine. It’s been a great vacation and we are all ready to get home, yet sad that it’s ending.

We have had a fairy tale week, yet it’s been so very real. The people and the land and feeling here are exactly what you hope for. It’s honest and charming and spectacularly beautiful and friendly. We have had a luxurious time, but there is no stuffiness or pretentiousness. Not many principessa moments, just the soul of Italy.

The generosity of the people is overwhelming. They forgive your accent, they talk with their hands, they accept you. They walk slowly, they savor moments, they smile at children, and they are proud. They show you peaches like they are babies, open an apricot and feed it to you and nod in approval, tell you where they grow their garlic and who made the ceramics. And you love them and get to know them on a spiritual level — they are sharing their souls with you.

We finally made it to a rosticceria tonight. The butcher cuts the meat and grills it and brings it to you. My mom and dad would have loved this!

Our final family meal. We have had such a great time together. I can’t wait to do it again!

Jenn and Jeff headed out for a romantic evening, leaving the lovelies with us. We decided that a gelato tasting might be the best way to enjoy a hot summer night, so we all loaded up into Uncle Lorenzo’s car and headed to Cisternino.

The kids weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the gelato! We also tried the pizza at Doppio Zero. The best we’ve had in Italy.

The town was buzzing and beautiful. It was like a movie set — outdoor dining, families strolling, shops open for perusing well into the night.

We came home sated and happy and fell asleep putting a puzzle together. We really missed Auntie Kirsten then.

I forgot to mention the Nutella crepes….. what a night!

I woke up early again and went for a walk in the silent, still morning. It’s cool and quiet and there is no one but roosters and bees making any noise. The fields around the Villa seem so uninhabited, but as I walk through, there is a small Trulli here, and a little farm there, and a tiny vineyard someone must be tending. It is all so ancient and I keep wondering what it was like 100 years ago or 1000 years ago — probably not much different. I found dried olives on an very old stone wall under a tree, fig trees everywhere (we eat them every day), and desolate paths that all must lead to somewhere. It is enchanting.

Before breakfast we got in the car and decided to see the surrounding towns, Alberobello, Locorotondo and Cisternino. Each were beautiful and had their own personalities. Alberobello is the Taormina of Puglia — Disneyish, lots of tchotchkes, and perfectly restored Trulli by the hundreds. It was lovely, but a bit manufactured. Locorotondo is a precious little town built in a circle. Cisternino has a real Southern Italian vibe with tremendous little restaurants and a very earthy food scene.

So you know which town was my favorite. We bought fresh foccacia stuffed with Proscuitto and cheese, eggplant parmigiana and the famous Santoro sausages in Cisternino and had lunch together.

Life is good in the country. After our big lunch a storm cloud came in and it started to rain and broke the heat. I’m on the covered terrazzo writing, listening to the rain and watching the valley. Dolce far niente.

After a nap we decided to go for a swim in the late afternoon sun. The zero clearance pool overlooks the valley and a few small Trulli that have been here for hundreds of years. There is a peace here and a natural beauty that sort of sweeps you away.

The V’s got back around 6:30 from an action packed day of slides and wave pools and our chef arrived to prepare Kayla’s surprise birthday dinner. We all decided to get dressed for a formal affair, and here we are in our finest.

Dinner was a bit of a bust. Chef was lovely, but food was made for a different sort of American guest. We had bought wine at a local farm stand, and it too was sub par, but honestly, we were all having such a good time that we didn’t even mind. The joy and love among the group overcame all.

Celebrating Kayla was the reason for the dinner, but the energy and love within the group was the real celebration. The acceptance of one another, the happiness that we are together, the way we all interact with one another is what is special. We truly had a fabulous time with one another. Now that is a gift.

Today marks are youngest grandchild’s birthday, Kayla Marie Vacirca turned 7 in Italy! To mark this auspicious occasion, Auntie Cathy hung streamers and sister Addie helped Grammy make Nutella stuffed French Toast and Special scrambled eggs with Proscuitto.

Tonight we’re having a special formal dinner at the Villa complete with birthday cake. To celebrate the day Kayla wanted to go to the water park nearby. We all had good intentions of tagging along with the V’s, but the 100 degree heat was going to be a little too much for us older folks, so we opted for some air conditioned sightseeing.

We really haven’t explored the area since we’ve gotten here. There are small towns around us — none noteworthy, but all with long histories and traditions. They are charming, and ancient, and uniquely Italian. It has a special feel, a bit Ancient Greek, a bit Sicilian, a bit itself. The churches are built on 6th century ruins, but they are small and crumbling and not particularly beautiful and almost more interesting because they are so real.

It is a small area, but the roads are tiny and winding, it takes 30 minutes to get anywhere. The natives are accepting and gracious. American tourists are as rare as hen’s teeth, and you totally feel away. Like years away. I’ll leave you with some pictures.

We drove over to the sea for lunch at a local spot. After lunch, back for a pisolino (nap) before heading to the pool. And the day goes by…

A bit about The Valle d’Itria, the area of Puglia that we are in. This valley is the largest olive growing region in Italy. The olive oil is smooth and creamy, the trees can be 600 years old, and they are ubiquitous. Every inch of ground is planted with something. At the gas station, the owner has the perimeter of the station planted with tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, onions, garlic, and zucchini. It reminds me of every Italian immigrant family I grew up with — everyone had a garden, not a yard. There is a reverence for the land, a love of the soil, and a gratefulness of the bounty. The people here care deeply about how the land is tilled and worked. It is almost all organic and there is pride in farming in the old ways. There is a twinkle in their eyes when they tell you to pick and eat because there is no spraying.

It’s not all glory here. As we drive back to Bari to pick up our suitcases (yay! — we picked up because courier could have taken 2 more days), we passed many areas that looked like communist block housing we saw in Romania. The south of Italy is poor, people live simply and their desires are modest by American standards. It’s different – not good, not bad, just different. Italy has a special feel, there is a grace to things, even the poorest areas have a softness to them. There’s a lilting presence in the people — men discussing the day, ladies doing the daily shopping, softly and with charm.

I always feel at home here. A past life, an idolized vision, too many movies, who knows. All I know is that I feel good here, I feel I belong, I feel my best self. It doesn’t hurt that I am surrounded by love either.

Onto another day. Kayla’s 7th birthday will be celebrated here. What a gift.

We scheduled a wine tasting in Martina Franca tonight. All of our phones lost cell service for mapping halfway there. We stopped at a Masseria to ask directions and this was the result:

We thought we would never get there, and then this

The vineyard is very special. 3000 bottles of wine per year, and only heritage vines from this particular region. The chefs were spectacular, the food was local and made with love, the Trulli were 1200 years old, and the owner makes the wine for the joy of it, not for profit. We got a wonderful tour of the vineyard, learned about the history of the region and the cultivation of the grapes. Oh, and we had a fantastic dinner paired with great wines!

We were fed the most exquisite local food. Perfectly crisp foccacia topped with ripe tomatoes, zucchini frittata, special coppa from Martina Franca, salami, gorgeous cheeses from the next door farm, eggplant Parmigiano, and fresh cherries. We washed it down with rose and red wine made from Susumaniello grapes.

We took a few interesting turns on the way home, but what a day! La dolce vita!

I woke up early this morning and decided to do a quiet walk in the countryside. It was so cool that I actually needed my cotton sweater for the first time since leaving the airport. I saw a Fox and heard the birds and wandered aimlessly for an hour in nothing but nature that has looked this way for hundreds of years.

A quick breakfast then off to the Adriatic Sea. Lido Bambù is a beautiful beach club with a restaurant and bar. The water was turquoise blue, the sand soft, the breeze heavenly, and the temperature was perfect. We all floated and dipped and sat on cushioned lounges under straw umbrellas and counted our lucky stars.

Then a glorious lunch at the beachside restaurant and more frolicking in the ocean.

The afternoon siesta was long and languorous. These are the moments grandmothers dream of.

We woke up to ice cream pops and then went harvesting in the gardens while mom and dad met some friends.

After all that farming we decided to take a dip in the second pool. The sun was setting, the breeze picked up, not a soul in the world but us on this vast estate.

The girls are making the best of all of this. Lots of sightseeing in Paris and Rome was tremendously fun, but one location with a pool seems like heaven. We could have probably done this in California, but it all seems so very special here.

And if all this isn’t enough, we had wood fired pizzas at the Villa!

Family is everything, and now the girls have gotten to know their Auntie Cathy and Uncle Lorenzo who have spoiled them with pool toys, beautiful outfits and special sun creams. We are enjoying each other’s company and the memories we are all making which we will have forever. This is bittersweet as we are missing Kirsten, Missy and the boys. I think of it at every turn. Guess we had better start planning 2023!