SeaFood

The next day was yet another good adventure. My unplanned hike had lead to very tight calves and the thought of hiking held little appeal; I decided instead that this was to be a slow day; a day of leisure. Following my breakfast with the flowery cappuccino, I wandered into town to explore some of the shops I had missed on my first day – I had been on the lookout for a special memento to take with my from my time in the Cinque Terre and recalled having seen a beautiful gallery from my first night. A quick viewing told me that I was in the right spot; gorgeous hand painted reproduction prints of each of the villages. I checked the hours and wandered off to explore the final village to ensure that I might not find something I liked better. A quick train to Monterosso landed me in the Northern most town and the most touristy of them all – exiting the train station, the long stretch of beach is full of umbrellas and lounge chairs – all lined up perfectly and in uniform colors as these are private beaches with an entry fee and chairs to rent. I walked into to the town, excited as I had read about a anchovy processing facility available for tour – much to my dismayal, I learned that it was in fact just a small shop and showroom and no processing to be seen. I ventured on and found a public beach and stretched out to enjoy some sun. Before long, hunger had arrived and the sun was fading my energy – I decided it was time to explore some seafood. I had scoped many of the restaurants while wandering the town and was soon at a beachside spot – that seemed to have a beautiful selection at a nice price. I ordered marinated anchovies and the deep fried mixed seafood platter. The anchovies were fresh and marinated with lemon juice and olive oil – served alongside crusty bread. The fried seafood was a beautiful selection of lightly breaded octopus and prawns with fresh lemon for squeezing – absolutely fantastic. This is a region that does there anchovies and octopus well. It left me satisfied, inspired and ready for more exploration. I recalled having seen a ferry on my way into town and thought this would be an excellent way to travel back to Vernazza – a quick 20 minute ride with feel of sea spray and sun topped off the afternoon perfectly. Back in Vernazza – I enjoyed some time finishing my book and then it was off to find some gelato. I went and picked up my artwork and decided a nap was in order. Dinner was a quick pizza with anchovies of course.

In the morning I packed up for my venture off to my new farm – grabbing some deep fried anchovies to take on the road with me. The trip was a 4 train, 2 bus adventure of less than 150 miles – about 6 hours of travel time. By evening, I had landed at my new home for two weeks – Ca Penelope. This farm is just outside of Modena in a town called Maranella – the home of Ferrari. While awaiting for my ride to pick me up at the bus station (about 20 minutes), I saw 20 Ferrari’s pass by – we are definitely at the home of the Ferrari. The next adventure begins . . . .