Ascoli Piceno/Grottammare

Originally published on: Sep 28, 2008

I hope those of you who were hoping for emails will forgive me, as my time is limited on the internet in the small towns where I'm staying. I am writing at great length on my computer, but have had few chances to upload my stories to the blog. Wi-fi access is almost impossible to come by. But I will share the details, all in good time. Suffice it to say that I'm having some wonderful adventures, making new friends and continually having interesting challenges. Each time I figure things out, learn something new or make a new connection, it seems life becomes that much richer. I also have scary moments now and then, I guess I should be honest about that.

I'm now in a region where there are few English speakers, so I must rely on Italian for every little thing I do. My brain started switching gears to Italian a few days ago when I spent several hours conversing with a nun on the train, then another six hours with a friend that I visited. Today I was thrilled to manage buying food at the market, ordering a bit of this and a bit of that ...fresh meat, cheese, fruit, vegies, olives, etc., all in Italian. I have a small apartment here in Ascoli, with a small kitchen, and am now managing to cook my own Italian meals. It has been raining most of the time that I've been here, which is a real drag, as it's also been cool. One is not supposed to turn on their heat in Ascoli until the first of November (this rule applies almost everywhere in Italy, though the dates may vary), so I haven't had heat in my apartment.

A view of the terrace outside my apartment in Ascoli.

Yesterday afternoon my friend Domenico picked me up in Ascoli and drove me to his town, about 30 minutes away. Domenico lives in Grottammare, a small town on the Adriatic Coast that is popular in the summer, but during other months of the year, it slows down to a crawl. Domenico and I have conversed on Skype nearly every week for more than a year and have developed a good friendship in that time, feeling at ease with each other from the start.

We walked around town in the rain for several hours, as Domenico shared the highlights of Grottammare, past and present, with me. We drove up to the old part of town, where few people live, to view a panoramic vista of the coast and the beaches below.

Then we walked around the center of the newer part of town, checking out hotels where I might stay later in the week. After stopping at three of them, we found one with the right price, just a block from the beach. We stopped in to meet his mother and one of his sisters, and later arrived at his house, where a sumptuous dinner awaited us, cooked by his mother-in-law. I was introduced to his wife, his sister-in-law, his niece and nephew and his parents-in-law, and was given a place of honor at an elegant dinner table.

The first course was olive all'ascolare, a specialty of the region. Tender olives are stuffed with a combination of meats, dipped in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried in olive oil. Yummy but rich! This was served with vitello crudo, slices of raw beef. The next course was lasagna, with very fine pasta, not the thick, gummy noodles that one finds in the States. Following that was another pasta dish, similar to spaghetti, with a simple tomato sauce (ragu).

With each course, I ate less, as I had eaten quite a few olive all'ascolare and am not used to eating so much food at one meal. There was also white wine, served from a pitcher, and Domenico filled my glass each time it became empty. The final course of the evening was vitello con funghi porcini, thin slices of roast beef with a sauce of mushrooms. I only managed to eat the mushrooms and a few bites of the meat.

But this wasn't the end of the meal. In a few minutes, the children brought in a lemony, pudding-like cake, covered with whipped cream and a few blackberries, while everyone sang, Tanti Auguri (best wishes) to me. This dessert was accompanied by a sweet champagne. How could I not be honored by such a welcome, and such a feast? I was truly touched by their open generosity. Is it any wonder that I enjoy visiting my Italian friends? I only hope that someday I can return the favor when some of them come to the States.