Day 31: Ischia
Since I'm at the month mark I figured I'd check in and do a bit of a rundown. So far I've spent 6 nights in Rome, 5 in Certaldo, 1 in Modena, 5 in London, 1 in Bristol, 3 in Aberystwyth, 4 in Naples, and soon to be 9 nights in Ischia, from where I am writing now. I originally planned this block of ten days to be split between Ischia and Amalfi, but the rythyms of Ischia are too mellow and I decided not to leave. The island isn't paradise but I have found the daily cycle of a late morning, fresh fruit for lunch, hours on the beach, an evening nap, a late dinner, and wine on the terrace to be a spell too good to break. And while I say it isn't a paradise it really is beautiful, some spots reminding me of Hawaii with its lush forested mountain slopes. Forio, the town I am staying in, is full of windy narrow alleways and white houses that rise up on the hillside.
The hostel I am staying at also runs a restaurant. Basically the two sons (Guiseppe and Lorenzo) man the hostel, do some waiting work at the restaurant, and the mother does all the cooking. The food she turns out is utterly delicious, to the point that I have almost ate at their restaurant every night. So far I've tried her saltimbocca (veal cutlets fried in olive oil and topped with sage and prosciutto), paccheri cozze e pecorino (wide noodles with mussels and pecorino cheese), pesce al forno (baked sea bass with tomatoes and olives), along with other staples like zuppa di cozze (steamed mussels with sauce), calamari, bruschetta, prosciutto with cantaloupe, and pizza. The sea food in Ischia is incredible, the sea bass was maybe the tastiest fish dish I've ever had. And tonight's dish will be coniglio alla cacciatora, or roasted rabbit with sweet peppers and tomatoes.
As you can tell I have enjoyed the food. Other than that, there have been some very sleepy days where not much has happened, and other days that have been very fun filled. Highlights have been climbing the island's mountain, and our midnight hot springs outing where we lounged in springs that bubbled out of the ground right on the beach. In addition, the guys that work at the hostel know literally everyone in this town, which has led to some good times. One night the mayor of the town was eating in their restaurant, along with the owner of one of the clubs here. The mayor decided he wanted a night out, so the club owner decided to open is club up for him (it was about midnight on a Tuesday), and he invited Guiseppe and our little group from the hostel to come with and enjoy drinks on the house. On another occasion Lorenzo and five of us from the hostel were driving down to the beach when Lorenzo spotted a friend of his in the marina, stopped the car, talked with the guy, and before we knew it we were on the guy's boat cruising around the island. On the way back we hopped off that boat and got on another friend's boat where we had bruschetta and wine in the harbor, again on the house. Or the boat in that instance. I imagine that the Guiseppe and Lorenzo's family must be pretty high in the social pecking order here. They can't drive down the street without having to say hi to three or four people. Small town Italy certainly has its charms, at least when you have an in.
