Marina di Grosseto 5-26 to 5-28

5-26

After lunch in Roccalbegna, we drive to the coast to Marina di Grosseto.  We are going to see Pamm’s father’s dear friend Chef Elio Paiglia and his wife Mari Angela.  Elio is the Chef at the Hotel Belmare and Mari Angela manages the restaurant.  It is a great location, right on the beach. 

After we say our ‘hellos’ and spend a little time checking out the beach, Elio fills up a bag of snacks and beverages and takes us to the apartments where we will be staying, as his guest.   It’s about a 10 minute drive inland.  Holy sandcastles - I am loving this adventure!

Marilee and Pamm have their apartment, and I have my very own right next door!  These are the pictures of my pad. 

   

We take a siesta, relax, and do some laundry.  Seems like we’re always doing laundry!  The Roman cold is still dragging us down and Marilee is feeling the worst of it now.  She has no appetite for dinner and chooses to stay back at the apartment and rest so she is up for the big family dinner with Pina and the gang tomorrow afternoon.  Pamm prepares a light meal for her from the bounty in the fridge, then pumps her full of cold medicine and tucks her into bed.  Pamm and I drive back to the hotel restaurant.  It’s only a 10 minute drive, but we get a little lost and it takes us closer to 40 minutes.  We finally get there and tell the gang that we have driven on every road in Marina di Grosseto, and I’m pretty sure some ‘pedestrian only’ paths as well.  Opps…  

We stay late and close up the restaurant with Elio, Mari Angela and the staff.   Remembering our direction fiasco earlier, Elio insists that he lead us in his car back to the apartment.  He also grabbed some tea and lemons for Marilee to help battle her cold.  He and Mari Angela are absolutely lovely and gracious hosts.  

5-27

Marilee had a rough night of it and is still feeling poorly, so she stays in bed a while longer and Pamm and I take off to say hello to Elio and take a walk on the beach.  We attempt to drive to the Hotel Belmare and this time we really get turned around.  This is when I am pretty sure I drove on walkways – either that or they were really, really skinny roads with trees planted in the middle of them…    LOOK OUT PEOPLE – CRAZY WOMAN DRIVING!   Thank goodness we had a compact car.  I went up and down every road.  At one point we came to an intersection and all the roads were labeled as “no access”.  I looked at Pamm and said “well, I guess we have to get out and walk.  I don’t see that we have any other option.”  But instead I turned around and I think perhaps went the wrong way on a one way street, at least that is the sense I got from the passing motorist that were yelling at me.   Oh well - I was only going one way…

We checked in with Elio and Mari Angela and gave them a progress report on Marilee.  Before we head down to the surf, we pop into the kitchen to see some of what is going to be showing up on our plates later tonight. 

Fried Eggplant flowers – out of this world delicious – I’m talking crazy good!  This is one of my very favorite Italian treats!

Roasted veggies – yum, yum!!

Octopus!   Oh my…. (it was delicious!)

We head out to the beach to walk in the surf so the salt air can knock out our cold germs and we can build up an appetite.  We are meeting the cousins at Pina’s house (or so we think) for lunch at 1pm.   It’s a nice beach, no big waves to speak of, but the water is very clear and just a little on the cold side.  I don’t care how cold it is, I am dipping my toes in the Mediterranean Sea!  Holy cow!!!

We go back to the apartment to shower and change for lunch.  Marilee is feeling and looking much better and she’s up for the afternoon festivities.  We drive from Marina di Grosseto to Rosello to Pina’s house and for once, we are early!  So early in fact, no one is there.   Hmmmm…. This doesn’t seem right, you’d think Pina would be cooking up a storm by now.   After a bunch of texts and phone calls, we find out there was a change of plan and the whole family is at Elio’s restaurant waiting for us.   Egads – foiled again!   We hightail it back there; for once we pick the right road and actually make great time, and are reunited with Pina, cousin Laura and all the gang.   We had a wonderful reunion with the family and the most incredible meal that also included a very scary looking crab with our pasta…

 It was nasty looking and a prickly sucker, but the fight was worth it – the crab meat in those spiny legs was delicious!

And Pedro, of course, had to get in on the action…. Oh Pedro…

We said goodbye to Pina and the family here.  Pamm and Marilee fly by to PA tomorrow afternoon and I am catching a bus to Siena in the morning.  It is hard to say goodbye.  I am surprised by how hard.  In such a short time I have come to care greatly for these people, especially Pina and Aimone, and my eyes won’t stop leaking as I hug them goodbye…  Pina again brings up my apartment in Florence for August, again asks why am I going there, she will be in Semproniano – that is where I should be.  I promise her I will think about it and let her know soon.  As she leaves the restaurant, I know I must see her again because my heart is walking out the door with her.   It’s funny to me that we have stuck such a deep bond as quickly as we have.  Especially with our limited ability to communicate with one another.  That and the fact she is 10 years younger than my Mother, but yet she is dear to me like a Grandmother.   I haven’t had a Grandmother for many years and I’ve missed that, which makes this relationship all the more special.   “Nonna”, I say “arrivederci mi amore…” 

Pamm, Marilee and I get ready to go back to our apartment to gather up our laundry and pack up in anticipation for tomorrow’s departures.  Elio wants us to come back for dinner – good lord, more food???  We tell him we will be back, but on the drive ‘home’ we decide we will just go back for a brief visit later tonight and to say goodbye.

Back at ‘home’, Marilee and I take a stroll down the path beyond the apartment house and find nature at work in amazing ways.   We see snails clinging to a fence – they are all over in one particular area, apparently there is something in the vegetation that they like.   I’ve never seen snails hanging on a fence.

We also stop by a local riding stable and visit with all the horses.  I love horses.  My old lady knees don’t, but I do.

In the early days of his career with the State Police, my father rode horses at the State Police barracks in Hershey.   I can remember going there on Saturdays to take care of his horse and play with the German Sheppard police dogs.  Wonderful times – great memories…   I always wanted to ride and when I lived in Albuquerque New Mexico some years back, I took riding lessons and then rode with friends of mine who had several horses.  But it didn’t work out so well.  One Sunday afternoon, a bunch of us cowgirls went out for long, looooooong, ride.  It was 4-5 hours in all.  I was using a friend’s husband’s saddle and it wasn’t exactly fitted to my legs.  I was sore at the end of the ride, of course, but the worst was yet to come.   Very early the next morning, I got up to use the bathroom and when I went to stand up, I fell flat on my face.  My knees were in agony.  I couldn’t walk at all for a full day and had to use a cane for a few after that until my knees healed.   It makes me leery to get on a horse again – but since then ALEVE was invented, so maybe I will be able to try it again one day.

  

Anywho, back to the story….   We did go back to the restaurant with the intention of just staying for a few minutes and say goodbye, but that didn’t happen.  Elio was insistent that we stay and eat something.  The restaurant was closed for the evening and they were feeding staff and friends anyway, so….   He made Marilee sit down with the family, while Pamm and I stayed in the kitchen with him and proceeded to put on aprons and get to work.  We waited on the family table and we got to watch the master at work. 

Did I mention that he doesn’t speak any English?  Luckily his assistant chef, Silvia, does.  And Pamm’s Italian is really flowing by now, so along with my few words and master ability of pointing, we are all able to communicate.   We had a great time drinking a bottle of wine with him in the kitchen, eating tasters of his perfection and just having fun.  I ask Elio if I could work in his kitchen.  I tell him I will wash dishes, do prep work, whatever he needs if he will allow me to watch and learn how to cook.  He tells me to come back in August or September and he will welcome me.  I had also given him a copy of my CD and he says maybe I could sing for the customers as well.  Hmmm….  That would be perfect!!!  I tell him about the apartment in Florence and how I am rethinking my plans and that I will be in touch.  Or rather, I will use Pina and Patrizia to be in touch as my translators.   He seems to be sincere in his offer and I am really thinking about altering my entire plan just to make this happen.  What an honor and great experience it would be to work with this man – and Silvia – the girl is a hoot!

We finally have to call it a night and again I am feeling my heart heavy at saying goodbye.  What is it about these people?  How is it possible they have gotten under my skin so quickly?  Hugs and kisses all around – and we are off to sleep our last night in Marina di Grosseto.

5-28

We get up with the sun as we all have another early bird departure.  Pamm and Marilee drop me off at the bus station in Grosseto and we say our goodbyes.   It’s tough.  I really needed this visit from my home-girl.  I wasn’t doing well at the end of my time in Rome and was thinking I made a mistake traveling this far from home to be in a county where I don’t speak the language.  But Pamm made things so much better for me.  She taught me my key phrases, made me to feel confident again and made me feel strong.  And she has shared her family with me so I now have family in Italy to call on anytime I need or want to. 

I embrace Mama Marilee and ask that she visit my Mom to show her pictures and tell her stories.  Oh how I love Mama Marilee.   

I can barely look Pamm in the eye.  We embrace each other, come apart and then she says “instead of goodbye, just say I will see you Tuesday – it makes it easier.”  I laugh and hug her again.  My friend, my buddy, my pal….  I walk away, turn around once, wave, and yell “see you Tuesday” and then I turn away so she doesn’t see the gushers falling from my eyes.   

What a stellar time…  A wonderful, incredible, award winning, stellar time!  

Next stop – Siena!

Ciao!