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The Italian Travels 3
Day 3
A journey through vineyards of Italy.
Nothing gets a day moving like a spot of panic, and today I wake, and during a cursory check through my luggage realise that I can't find my passport.
Coffee in Chieti
With visions of me being held hostage in Italy (not a bad thing) I thoroughly search my room and then search it again. I go and search the car and then head back to the room for a further search as panic starts to swim closer to the surface and I make plans in case it actually is lost (these involve thinking where the nearest embassy is - Rome I'm assuming) and wondering if I can sneak over the border and conduct things from my home in France (a no no let me assure you!).
Heading towards the reception, a thought strikes me; a thought of old hotel practices that I'd forgotten, and I ask the receptionist if I gave my passport in.
'I'm so relieved that I almost kiss her, but I'm too British for that!'
She retrieves it and assures me that it's part of the hotel policy and is nestled there if I need it. I'm so relieved that I almost kiss her, but I'm too British for that!
Breakfast is taken and I head to Atomos and another question and answer session with Stefano before he takes me to visit Chieti old town, which is much bigger than it first appears. It's one of those beautiful Italian locations that come straight out of E. M. Forster, and I watch life go by while sampling a coffee and gelato, and sigh at the life I'm living at that moment. The growing heat is trying hard to disrupt things and a sweaty brow is my constant companion.
Everywhere one walks there are secret narrow streets with raised voices belonging to hidden people one never sees, and the whole effect reminds me of nuns whispering in cloisters.
I really like Abruzzo and feel the people are some of the most welcoming I've met. It's as though they are willing to share what they've got and wonder why the rest of us are taking so long to discover the place.
The wines intrigue, and there's food that covers a wide range of culinary areas. There's also a dramatic landscape that provides memorable vistas with every turn. Honestly, what's not to enjoy?
Can there be an average view in Italy
Chieti
Try as I might, I don't think I'll ever understand the art of taking coffee in Italy. I'm generally a Nespresso guy, and full deep cups are the order of the day for me. Here, tiny slugs of a rich, brown formula are inspected after every sip as though treasure is not far away and one will soon discover the secret of immortality. They actually might. The Italians have been at it for decades and seem to thrive marvellously.
To try to paraphrase eighties band, 'The Bangles'. To survive on the roads here, you've got to drive like an Italian. That means you confidently assume right of way, use the horn after the event and don't worry about fitting your car into a space twice as small. Things will take care of themselves.
The visit to the evocative town of Chieti is over all too soon and I head back to the hotel where I pop into the next door bar at lunchtime and see a group of four farmers doing what looks like a coffee cup dance.
This involves resting heavily on the bar, sipping a coffee, and then with a choreographed routine swilling the cup, taking another sip while changing predominant feet, and then once again swilling in unison.
'I see a group of four farmers doing what looks like a coffee cup dance.'
It's as Latin as anything I've seen and reminds me of the pre-striptease sequence from 'The Full Monty'! Perhaps I've got it wrong and that's their job. Maybe tonight they'll be entertaining a group of housewives who get their kicks by watching men dressed as farmers sipping coffee before starting to undress! I'm a guest here. Who am I to question?
In the evening Stefano and I eat in the same restaurant where I'd watched this routine (the farmers have gone home to rest after their caffeine exertions) and there is excitement in the air as we sample his prize winning Rosé drawn from his special (organ) fridge. This wine is different from last night because it has been stored under the sea.
I take my first taste, my eyes widen at what is there. The colour is more Pinot Noir, and the taste is unlike any Rosé I've tried, with a depth that really shows the possibilities that occur now that this wine is being treated with respect.
Stefano tells me that it will go with most foods and should be able to be put down for around thirty years. As I try it with a variety of sauces, cheese, pasta and desserts, I'm not going to argue. For those who have tried Rosé and been dismissive, get your hands on one of the limited number of bottles!
Then the evening is over and a wave of sadness overtakes me. I'm going to miss the Atomos family, because that is what they are. As Stefano says, 'Southern Europeans are high-contact people.' From what I gather this means is that they want to know all about you and what makes you tick. If they like it, you become one of the family, and this group has certainly made me feel that. They have given me a short education into the ways of life in Abruzzo, and through this sliver of an introduction I want to know more. A return visit is a must!
As I reflect upon the day, a memory comes back from my time up in Chieti that might just sum up a marriage of what it is to be Italian. Stefano and I pass an ornate church and decide to pop inside. Here we find carvings, community, and a group of women crossing themselves humbly while whispering in God's ear.
When we leave, there on the steps outside is a husband reading a football paper and studying form as though looking for hidden biblical meanings like Dan Brown. There you have the two religions of Italy working side-by-side. Add the wine and who can argue with such a triple threat!
A performance area in Chieti, but isn't Italy a performance area?
For More Information
if you like more information why not contact the following
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Abruzzo Turismo