WOW!

Today is our first full day here. It has been difficult to adjust to the time difference, and the only internet connection at the hotel is in the lobby. So when I am not able to sleep and here at the hotel, I will write about the experiences.

We awoke to sunshine lighting the sky over the ocean. The view across the beach of the place we stood when we first arrived was awash in sunlight, and the dawn of our day had begun (in addition to the camera shutter snapping from our balcony).

Aside from enjoying visiting with the family here and meeting new family members I have never met, things that I have found interesting are the architecture, the beauty of the geography, and I am most impressed with the people. They are a genuine, kind, and family oriented community that gets together just because they can and want to. Nothing forced! They are the epitome of dolce far nienta (the sweetness of doing nothing).

The first full day in Gaeta was a walking tour through historic "Old Gaeta", a real treat for anyone who wants to witness breath-taking views, architectural marvels, and historic sites. As one Gaetano said to us, "You will find Old Gaeta breath-taking." Little did we expect it to literally take our breath away as we had to walk up easily as many stairs as is in the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to get to the top of the city.

After we parked, we fueled up with a cappuccino at a coffee shop at the bottom of the medieval city. Starting at the harbor on the Gulf of Gaeta, we walked the steps and upward streets, most no wider than the width of two people to pass each other on foot. Along the way, we frequently stopped to take photographs of the architectural marvels we encountered and the very European scenes of buildings, flowers on balconies, vines, statues, memorials to the dead, columns, and views of the city and sea.

Along the way, we were speaking in English. A woman approached us who spoke to us in English. We introduced ourselves to her and exchanged pleasantries with her, even took a photograph of this English speaking woman who professed to be the keeper of all good in Gaeta. Daily, she walks the “streets” we traversed that day to note things to report to the city to make sure that her city was worthy of the tourists that would come to visit. Her name is Assunta Parella, and she lived with her husband in Pennsylvania for several years before moving back to her home in Gaeta. She directed us to go to the monastery at the top of the hill for the best view of the Gulf, and maybe we would be able to see Mt. Vesuvius across the water if the skies were still clear.

We arrived at the monastery and her recommendation was absolutely correct. What a view we had! And the weather was cooperative for us to see Naples and Vesuvius in the distance. A caretaker was working in the garden outside, and Vito knew the man. He allowed us to go into the monastery where the remains of several monks were entombed on the condition we not photograph those remains out of respect for the dead.

The view from here was phenomenal. The fishing boats, the blue water, the seagulls, and the mountains in the distance, as well as the height from atop the cliff below us to the water splashing against the rocks was breath-taking.

When we had our fill of the beauty above the city, we trekked down the street (camera’s still active) to sea level, just in time to head to Tapas for another coffee.

Fueled up once again, we headed back to the hotel to rest. As luck would have it, one of Vito’s friends Gianluca Bronco, his wife Pamela Constabile, and their new baby girl Federica, had just parked to walk along the beach with stroller and dog in tow. They graciously extended an invitation to us for dinner the following evening at their apartment.

Vito took us on another drive out into the outskirts of Gaeta to see some of the city on the north side. From here you could see mountains to the north and east, Gaeta to the south below, and the sea to the west. He said he would take us up high on the mountain another day.

We went back to Vito’s to spend some more time with Wilma, Giulia, and Rosetta. Giulia was being a bit fussy as she had colic, so Wilma and Rosetta declined to go out to dinner with us that night. It was Vito’s birthday celebration and they did not want Giulia to spoil it by being uncomfortable. We exchanged some gifts with Wilma, Giulia, and Rosetta before we left to go back to the hotel to clean up. What a spectacular sunset we experienced from our balcony!

In Italy, it is a tradition that the person celebrating the birthday treats his/her guests to dinner. Vito took us to a fine restaurant to eat called Masaniello’s. We had a seafood salad (octopus, whole minnows, calamari, and shrimp), pasta, some dessert (dolce), and some great white wine. Mark did not eat some of the seafood, but I had made up my mind I would try everything that was suggested to me so I could fully immerse myself into the Italian culture and cuisine.

A long day behind us and Vito took us back to the hotel for another night of hopeful sleep. But not before we received a visit at the hotel from Wilma’s sister, Jessica Mitrano, and her boyfriend, Anthony Salemme. It gave me an opportunity to give her the gift we brought from America. Jessica was sweet and emotional that we would think of her with a special gift. And Anthony was just as nice as he could be. But without Vito to translate we would not have had a good line of communication.