Castiglione della Pescaia: a week at the Tuscan coast

After a cena Americana with our Italian friends Mario, Loretta and their daughters Julia and Laura, we were ready to head for Castiglione della Pescaia and a week on the Mediterranean coast.

Mario, Julia, Tom, Laura and Loretta at cena Americana (above)
and a torta they brought for dessert with our names and the date on it

 The  next day Mario gave us a ride to Euro Car where we picked up our Fiat Panda and headed for the coast--only 2 1/2 hours away.  We rented an apartment for a week in a small town called Castiglione della Pescai.  The apartment was on a hill above the town, up 50 stairs to the apartment, but worth the hike for the spectacular 360 degree view from the balcony.

Views from the balcony

 Castiglione is a beautiful little town with a medieval center and is right on the water.  The sagra della pesche (fish festival) was going on so there were concerts in the piazza, a market, and a tiny circus complete with three sleepy looking tigers.  We had some great seafood, did a lot of swimming in the clear blue waters of the Med, and toured the countryside.  Of course there were roman and etruscan ruins to visit along with a museum of archaeology (Rosselle) and we took a beautiful drive through the countryside into the hills to visit a tiny town called Tiroli and eat at a restaurant recommended by the apartment owner.  They featured typical Tuscan food, emphasizing cinghiale (wild boar.  Tom had an osso bucco of cinghiale that looked like something Fred Flintstone would have eaten.

We had to try the first Mexican restaurant we have seen in Italy--
non era  veramente mexicano

cinghiale (left), Tiroli above

Roman ruins at Rosselle

by the apartment

After a week of beach, sun, and thunderstorms, we headed back to Arezzo, past dozens of fields of blooming sunflowers, where the ever helpful Mario picked us up at the rental car place, took us shopping, and brought us home.  What would we do without him?  Next up, visiting Seattle friend who will be staying at a castle in nearby Anghiari and a trip to Cortona with Mario.  Viva Italia!

Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia

We returned to Perugia for the opening night of the Umbria Jazz festival, kicked off by Seattle's own Garfield jazz band.  The band was great but the weather was not: rain and thunderstorms or, as Clarence Acox said, Seattle weather.  The crowd was sparse but enthusiastic.

jazz fans 'enjoying' the show

To our surprise, we ran into two people we know--former co-worker John Dalton and his wife Susan.  Their 15 year old son plays trombone in the band which is quite an honor as it is rare for freshmen to make the senior band.  They were chaperoning the band's tour through Europe which included stops in Lyon, Venice and Rome as well as 7 or 8 other places.

Following Garfield was a line up of New Orleans style jazz bands, all fantastic.  My favorite was a band from Texas  that had a 3 woman horn section.  They really got the crowd dancing (and the fact that it quit raining helped). Since it is Italy after all, the refreshment booth was selling a tasty white wine, prosecco, and a red wine which I didn't try but a friend told me was not the worst swill he ever tasted (liberal translation from the Italian).  

In other news, we finally have out outdoor table, chairs and umbrella and also a shiny new BBQ.

Tom watches Mario figuring out the instructions to assemble the bbq

We hope to have our Italian friends over for an American style BBQ Friday night. We have figured out how to do a giant shop at the PAM superstore--walk the kilometer there but take a cab back with all the heavy stuff.  The PAM store is like an American supermarket and offers a lot of things we can't find elsewhere, such as soy sauce and a cute tiny Italian bottle of catsup, and even actual hamburger buns (not that we have been looking for those but we  bought a package immediately).  Mostly we loaded up with coke zero, milk, wine, potatoes, laundry soap and other stuff that is too heavy to haul up the hill in the heat without lots of rest stops.

waiting for the cab with a cart full of groceries

First Sunday of the month means the giant antique fair that covers almost every street in centro.  We spent a few hours checking out the goods, but bought only an old picture to put on the mantel.

working hard at the antiques fair (above)

Loggia Vasari crowded with stalls

still searching for the best gelatto in Arezzo--despite the look on Tom's face,
this gelatto was pretty good

Next Saturday it is off to the Tuscany coast for a week (near Grossetto).  Armed with my new microsoft surface (having broken the kindle as previously reported) I am ready for some serious beach reading.  Luckily there are also ancient ruins, old churches, and picturesque towns in case the turquoise water and white sand grows old.

ciao a tutti!