Friday, May 13, 2011

Italy - Day Three

My blog company went down for maintenance - this is a redo of an earlier entry which hopefully will find it's way back from who-knows-where.

The "Italian Way" is seeping into our hearts and minds.

Each day more and more of our USA-genetic conditioning is washed away under sunny skies and words spoken in a language foreign to our ears. It is pleasant - no eavesdropping on conversations or distraction on hearing outlandish statements by fellow travelers.

Roosters, Church bells, mopeds, and the rumble of indecipherable words - comforting sounds as we roam the street of our new home.

Today we take to exploring the west side of Isola di Procida. Our first stop is to see the Ciraccio and Ciraccello spiagga (read: beach). Joined together these two beaches are made up of black volcanic sand. Beach Club businesses owners were busy reading their establishments for the upcoming season and its crowds. Only a few early season patrons dot the beaches as we make our way along the shoreline towards the Marina Chialolella.

Marina Chialolella is home to sailboats and other smaller craft. The marina was created by a volcano (one of four volcanos that formed Isola di Procida) and you can still see the circular crater that makes up its perimeter. Procida is a sea-loving community and has three active ports to support a steady stream of recreational and commercial activities.

We make our way to the Solchairo neighborhood and catch a glimpses of summer estates behind high walls. Each of these estates have a crows-nest view of Ischia, Capri and the Bay of Naples. Dotted along the way are aging family homes with classic Italian name-plates on the drive and family gardens filled with tomatoes, artichokes, fava beans and yes - the mandatory lemon trees.

Overwhelmed from the endless beauty and exhausted from the sun - we make our way to our Grand Bleu apartment 101 and the shade of our patio. As sip cold Peroni Birra and laugh about our day's adventure - the "Italian Way" seeps into our hearts and minds just a little bit more.


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