Vieste, view of our hotel
We were waiting outside in the wind to start our excursion of the day. For some reason I had taken fleece and down to sunny Italy and I was glad I did. When they announced apologetically that the boat trip was cancelled because of wind, I think everyone was relieved. Jerry and I bundled up and had a nice morning wandering through town, exploring the colorful marketplace, the fish market with very fresh whole fish, the narrow lanes and sheer cliffs.
At noon we had a pasta making demonstration at the hotel. They made it look easy. The shape of each pasta is chosen to complement the sauce. We then had a lunch consisting of three of the pastas, with appropriate sauces.
To make up for the boat trip, we had a bonus afternoon trip to an olive oil mill. Jerry chose to stay in town. We saw the trees, just starting to bloom. There are 300 varieties of olive tree in Italy. We learned about the process of turning olives into olive oil and how quickly it needs to be processed to qualify as extra virgin. We then got to taste and compare various oils.
When I got back to town I ran into Jerry on the main street, who was there to see what was happening. There had been cannons fired and maybe fireworks announcing to start of the festival of Santa Maria of Merino, the patron saint of the town. The local marching band played in the piazza and then came up the very narrow street past our hotel. Later we headed to the main street, which was spanned by colorful lights, to join the locals strolling and greeting each other. Ciao, ciao!
When the weather is good this place is crawling with German and American tourists. Right now it’s just our group and the locals, which we are enjoying. It’s worth suffering with the cold.