We had a great day in Monterossa. First of all, it was warm and sunny, and all clouds had disappeared. It was a great day to see this charming town when it wasn’t throwing buckets of water at us.
The next good thing was that I ran into a business acquaintance and her husband, who were also wandering around Italy. We seem to have crossed paths for a while, but the wonder of finding such pleasant company by complete serendipity really made our day. Grace and John, let’s have a final recap of all adventures Italian when we can regroup in New York.
One historic thing that did stand out in Monterosso was the church of St. John the Baptist, built at the en of the 13th century. I am a sucker for those striped columns, but what really struck us were the photos from the devastating 2011 flood. Many things in the town had to be rebuilt.
The last third of our day was spent at our pool, in blissful solitude. Yes, the weather can sure color your view of the world.
Don’s Food Corner
We had lunch with Grace and John before their five-hour drive to Zurich. It seemed like it should have been a longer trip. Don’t you have to go over some mountains? But they were unfazed by such an undertaking and were ready for a leisurely Italian lunch.
I had a seaside restaurant in mind. Happily, we got there a little early and were able to grab a table outside. In short order, however, hordes of tourists descended on the same place, making for a harried atmosphere for the staff — and us. Still, it turned out to be a decent meal.
John and I shared a platter of cured meats, which included salami, prosciutto and mortadello.
Moving on to the next course, which took an inordinate amount of time arriving, I had a nice dish of grilled octopus, which included cubes of potatoes. Jo had penne with pesto. Grace and John shared a huge platter of spaghetti with mussels and shrimp in a tomato sauce. (I didn’t ask to taste it, but it looked delicious.)
It was great fun to share a meal and each other’s tales of Italian travels and travails after such a chance encounter.
Jo and Don, as John and I sit here in Switzerland enjoying dinner at an outdoor cafe and watching the Euro 2016 opening ceremonies, we still cannot believe the series of fortunate events that led us to be standing on the same street at the same time in a tiny fishing village in Italy! Even the fact that the store has no working credit card machine sent me out into the street t that moment!
Our only regret is not offering Don a taste of our amazing spaghetti mare – it was worth the wait but we were too greedy/hungry!
Can’t wait for the full recap when you return. You truly inspired and delighted us today. Safe travels.
What a great accident of fate! However, we won’t leave anything to chance next time. Just keep an eye on Don’s wandering fork. That food reviewer excuse can only get him so far. Have a good re-entry back into reality…