Saturday 5 January 2008

Italy - Teramo and surrounding areas

After settling into Casale we decided to go exploring the surrounding territory and set off to find the Adriatic Sea which is only about 30 minutes away from Teramo. We found a town called Giulianova, and then wound our way down the coast to Pescara which is the major seaside town in the region. Along the way we stopped and looked at the shops and had coffee and wandered the streets of the small towns which were busy with preparations for Christmas.

Giulianova had markets in full swing and it was lovely to amble along the seafront looking at all the goodies! Ron bought a pair of slippers to keep his tootsies warm in our mountain cottage.

Pescara has a wonderful seafront and there were a few restaurants that served fresh seafood. We stopped at one and were delighted by the service and the ambience. The sea bass we ordered was cooked in Sicilian style with olives, capers, garlic and tomato. The waiter served the fish onto our plates at the table. After carefully removing the skin he filleted the fish and served it – just so clever and done with such pizzazz! (and no bones JC)

Everywhere we went people were very welcoming and interested to say hello but after that there was not much happening – we didn’t speak Italian and very few people spoke English. The younger people seem to be learning and grateful for the opportunity to practice but the older people have no interest in speaking, learning or understanding English, and like the French, can be quite put off by having to try. We gave a big effort and we ended up understood most of the time.

I must thank Barbara and John Rogan and their friend Giuseppe for their assistance in finding a doctor and translating for me when I desperately needed some medication for acute neuralgia experienced as part of a viral illness. Also the young people, Lucianno and Giovanna and friends who took me to the hospital when my temperature reached over 40 degrees and I thought I was dying! Giovanna was a nurse at the hospital and was just wonderful during our midnight dash (isn’t it always midnight when you get the sickest!). It is at these times that hospitality is tested to the extreme and these people in Italy were wonderful. The Universe will deliver a great 2008 for them I am sure.

We had a few days of complete rest – I slept 20 hours out of 24 for about 4 days! Ron read books and waited on me as I recuperated from the dreaded lurgy and then it was off to the coast and into the mountains again. We were not going to let the virus ruin too much of our holiday.

We visited Castelli which is a renowned centre for Italian Ceramics. As it was Christmas we thought we would buy a hand painted Nativity set to have as a Christmas memory of our trip. It is a beautiful set with about 15 pieces of 20 cm in height. Every Christmas as we set it up we will remember this lovely white Christmas in Italy. I was really happy to see the prices they were charging in Rome at the Vatican for a similar set – about 10 times what we paid. Doesn’t a bargain give you such a warm happy Christmas glow!

Teramo put on a Christmas Pageant that was just a pleasure to see. I think the young people in the play were music and drama students from the local University. Their voices were fabulous – in a real operatic tradition – and the pageant was colourful and spectacular and very moving.

Our holiday saw us take in the whole province of Abbruzzo – so if you want to know anything about the area just let us know – we are now Abbruzzan exzperts!

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