Sunday, February 23, 2014

3 Days In Peschici



Peschici, Italy

February 14-19, 2014

After a wild ride from Rome to Peschici/Vestie, Emma and I found our way through narrow streets and alleyways to our airbnb in Peschici.  Located high above on the cliffs of the Adriatic Sea, we found ourselves at a beautiful stone house with a spectacular view of the sea and Peschici.

In the mornings we would sit outside and watch the sunrise as fishermen in small boats pulled in their catch for the day.  Truly a beautiful spot on planet earth.

Like always, Emma and I wandered through the village in search of authentic local cuisine.
As we walked we came upon a local outdoor market where vendors had arranged vibrant  displays of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses.  We stopped and bought bags of fruits and vegetables all for only a few euros.

We found our way to, Ristorante DA CARLINO.  We didn't know it at the time, but our lives were about to be changed!  We slowly walked by the ristorante and it seemed empty except for a women sitting at a lone table. She saw us, stood up and walked to the door then waved us inside all while saying, "prego, prego."  She sat us at a table (soon to become our table) and immediately we discovered we did not understand eachother. So, after many tries we came to some understanding she would cook for us whatever she wanted, the fun began and lasted for the next 3 days.

We learned her name was Maria, her husband, Enzo, began by bringing us fresh olives from the region, great red wine and homemade bread.  The courses came slowly and Enzo would say, "paino", take your time.  Every course, from the mussels and clams to the mouth watering pasta dishes were out of this world. Maria would come out and tell us about the dishes and Enzo would help translate.  I played my banjo for them and fun was had by all.

Their son came in and we were introduced to Elia (named after the protector of Peschici).
Over the next 3 days we were invited into Maria's kitchen where Emma learned how to make fresh Limoncello, and we witnessed a great chef at work. We met their daughter, niece and her brand new bambino. We sat and talked for hours everyday, our last day we showed up early around 11am to bring them a plant and thank them all for a wonderful experience.  We sat again, talked, had a cafe, breakfast, another cafe, an amazing sea food lunch of fresh clams, octopus, squid, grilled fish and white wine. At 5pm in the afternoon we were filled with sadness as we left our new friends, Maria, Enzo and Elia, all waving us goodbye as we walked away and turned the corner of the beautiful cobblestoned streets of Peschici.