Stories from the road

September 30, 2016

Reggio Calabria, Italy

An hour and a half from the Mediterranean there is a ski resort! We drove through a National Park, and came to the area, which looked about the size of a small New England or New York State resort. Later we passed a number of mushroom gatherers on our way down the hills to a seaside resort that was very beautiful. Lunch consisted of a shrimp pasta dish for me and swordfish for Vicki. After lunch I walked into the kitchen and thanked the chef, who had sent out gratis espressos for us. He was a very nice guy as was Francisco, our waiter.

Earlier Tatiana took us to her family’s bakery, where we met her mother and received some bread to take to Sicily. Her mother is only a few years older than me, but looks much older. She has had a hard life with a difficult husband and not many resources.

 

After a few days in Syracusa, we will head back to Rome, where we’ll meet Matt Zetumer and Lynn Corrin, friends from Del Mar for dinner. They will have recently returned from a hiking trip in Cinque Terra. After Rome we’ll be travelling to Boston and then New Hampshire for a week before driving to the Cape Cod area.

Calabria has been an interesting place to visit. The beautiful coastline quickly rises into the mountains to produce a stunning landscape. The region’s natural resources are in contrast to the sense of economic sluggishness that pervades the area. There aren’t a lot of high-end places for tourists, but life here is not expensive. Our meals, which were excellent, cost about half of what they would in the Unites States. The people of Calabria seem very friendly. Over the course of our time here I only saw one grumpy person at a lunch spot, and that was I.

Have a good day.