FROM WINTER BLUES TO BLISS
Chiamateci pazzi – call us crazy – but we are fans of winter. OK, we detest ice, sleet, and power outages like everyone else but we look forward to cold weather, snow, and cozy winter nights by a fireplace. What could possibly make winter even better? Enjoying Christmas in Abruzzo – a first for both of us! – back in December. Here are some highlights from our unforgettable trip:
Celebrating Mamma Luisa’s 70th Birthday AMHS member and Maria’s mom, Luisa Caminiti, turned 70 on December 15 but celebrated her milestone birthday with her husband Natale, her entire side of the family, and us in Messina, Sicily on December 18.
The lovely reception site, La Risacca dei Due Mari (literally “the undertow of the 2 seas”) overlooks a breathtaking portion of the strait of Messina and neighboring Calabria, specifically the fabled sight where Ulysses survived the six-headed monster Scylla and the deadly whirlpool Charybdis in Homer’s Odyssey
Window shopping in downtown Messina After the birthday party we braved Sunday shopping crowds and falling temperatures to take in the sights and sounds of downtown Messina. We were delighted by all the twinkling Christmas lights and lighted arches as well as a live bagpiper.
vendors like we had hoped. Also, slick window displays of costly clothes, “White Christmas” sale signs at every turn, and shoppers’ laments of having to do so much in so little time were eerily familiar and indicated that consumerism is alive and well in Italy.
Visiting Altino We enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner at a relative’s childhood home in Altino, an elevated town in the province of Chieti which overlooks the valley of the Aventino River.
Two of the delicious foods we tried were fedelini pasta (DeCecco brand of course!) simmered in a tuna and tomato sauce and Altino’s eponymous deep red peppers (aka Serranelle peppers). They had been cored, seeded, dried, and fried whole and resulted in tasty crisps similar to potato chips.
Christmas Festivities and Feasting At the stroke of midnight Christmas Eve we walked with parishioners from church to a life-size crèche at the nearby municipal hall. Together we recited prayers, sang traditional carols like “Tu scendi dalle stelle,” and wished one another “Buon Natale.
” The next day we sat down to a large Christmas table with Sergio’s maternal relatives in San Vito Chietino and savored a 6-hour meal including mini ricotta “cakes” stuffed with walnuts and fresh thyme, chicken soup, cannelloni, turkey and stuffing (a nod to us visiting “americani”), tossed salad, and the jewel in the crown – pandoro stuffed with gianduia and nocciola gelati and drizzled with dark chocolate ganache.
Outings to Orsogna and Lanciano The next day cousins brought us to Il Feuduccio di S. Maria d’Orni in Orsogna, a highly respected and award-winning winery which grows indigenous grapes such as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Pecorino and boasts majestic views of the Maiella and the Adriatic Sea. Afterwards, we made our way to Lanciano and enjoyed its 4th annual exhibit “Lanciano – La Cittá dei Presepi.” Hundreds of local participants young and Unfortunately, we couldn’t locate any roasted chestnut
old submitted their interpretations of nativity scenes, from wooden hand-carvings and crocheted linens to carefully crafted dioramas.
An Evening in Roma We spent our last night briefly visiting Italy’s capital including St. Peter’s Square. The evening resembled lyrics from “An Evening in Roma” once performed by Dean Martin (and Sergio): "Com’ bella c’è la luna brille e strette / strette com’è tutta bella a passeggiare / Sotto il cielo di Roma / Down each avenue or via, street or strada / You can see 'em disappearing two by two / On an evening in Roma.(sic)”