Before and After the Wedding

For us, a visit to Italy has to include a visit with our dear friends the Colonna family in Sorrento, and before we traveled to Carlantino for the wedding, that's just what we did. I have written about the Sorrentine Peninsula before, and although we have visited it many times, I never grow tired of its beauty and people.

We had a wonderful time with our friends Marco and Antonella, basking in their incredible hospitality, and enjoying the familiar view of Mt. Vesuvius from the Hotel Cristina.

We also took our requisite Almalfi Coast drive, and along the way made a stop at our preferred ceramic factory, Piccadilly. (This is the shop where we bought our small patio table that we had shipped home back in the summer of 2005. Our mission this time was a gift to take to the wedding.) Afterwards, we had lunch at one of our favorite spots, the ristorante across the road, overlooking the clear blue Tyrrhrenian Sea.

My handsome traveling partner enjoying the view in Conca dei Marini.

View of Positano from the Almalfi road

On another day, we drove down to Paestum to see the beautiful Greek temples and ruins there. We had done so once before, many years ago, but we arrived too late, and they were closed. Turns out it was worth the return trip.

Ancient Greek Temple of Posiedon

Finally, much to our delight, there was a Dalí exhibit at the Villa Fiorentino on the main street of Sorrento, which we enjoyed immensely!

As always, it was difficult to say goodbye to our Sorrento friends, but it was made a little easier with the hope that Antonella and her oldest daughter, Ilaria, will be visiting us here in Sacramento next summer! So we said arrivederci and headed to Carlantino to meet up with Maria and attend the wedding.

At the end of my last post, I mentioned that we when we left the wedding very late that evening, we were looking forward to a comfy bed, but I didn't say what the accommodations were. Not wanting to make the hour drive back to Carlantino that night, Maria arranged for us to stay at her cousin's agriturismo near Decorata, a kind of "farm stay" bed and breakfast, consisting of five lovely rooms with bathrooms, and a restaurant, where they serve all homemade food grown on their farm.

Giuseppina and her husband, Michele (pronounced me-KAY-lay), could not have been more hospitable! Not only did they let us stay for two nights, but they also included us in a huge family meal the day after the wedding! They formed a long table with all the tables in their restaurant, and about 20 family members gathered for the midday meal. Even though they spoke almost no English, we had a wonderful time!

(Sam's Photo)

Later that day, they arranged for a beautiful young woman named Maria Pozzuto to act as an interpreter and show us around the area. Maria is a tiny, but amazing Italian who speaks flawless English with a British accent, has a degree in Japanese, and is presently teaching herself Mandarin Chinese! Michele drove and she showed us around Decorata and Colle Sannita; one of the highlights being a visit to a private museum collection of local antique tools and furniture, owned by a very nice man named Giovanni Carletto.

Giovanni Carletto shows Michele and us one of the "pipes" from a very old pipe organ in his collection.

That evening, we returned to the agriturismo, and after a light snack, Michele and Giuseppina took us out for drinks and gelato. On the way back we stopped at the homes of a couple different relatives to say hello (and have another drink!) before finally retiring for the night. Early the next morning, we had to say goodbye to our gracious hosts because we had a ferry to Sardinia to catch, and they would not let us pay them anything after all they had shared with us!  Italian hospitality is a glorious thing!

Giuseppina and Michele in front of their restaurant.

(Click on photos to enlarge, and go to my Flickr page to see more photos.)