Web Resources

Page 1 | 2 | 3

CASA MANNA
Mike’s parents live about 10 minutes from Vallo della Lucania (Vallo). They greeted us with a warm Italian welcome at the station, then drove us up to their sleepy town of Moio della Civitella (Moio). Moio is a small, tourist-free town (population under 2,000), southeast of Naples. It’s located in the Cilento region, which became famous in 1997 when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) made the area into a national park. The National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano is now the second-largest park in Italy. Moio’s economy is supported entirely by agriculture (production of wine, olive oil and chestnuts). Its wines have been famous since the Middle Ages and are sought far outside Italy. The Manna’s new house has a killer view of the countryside and is bigger than some small hotels I’ve stayed in, though it’s not ostentatious. I spent my time there relaxing, catching up on work and, what else? Eating, of course. That’s what folks in Italy do best.

BUON GIORNO
Each morning, I rolled out of bed at around 9am, but if I forgot to put my earplugs in, the passing fruit or seafood vendors would wake my lazy arse up at 7:30am, as they blasted their sales pitch from their truck’s PA system. The first morning, it startled me so much ... I had no idea what the heck was going on! They speak Italian so fast that for a few brief seconds, I thought the SWAT team was surrounding the house, looking for an unwelcome American (me!) Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. In this town, the locals love Americans!

Every morning before breakfast, Mike, his parents and I would all go for a long walk through the hillside. We didn’t hike in the woods or anything; just ambled (wobbled) along the side of the paved road. We had the whole place to ourselves. As we walked, only a couple of cars passed by, always someone who Mike’s parents knew. This was the highlight of each day for me. It not only gave us some exercise, but the views and scenery were incredible. Along the way, Mike’s folks would point out different vegetation like wild white asparagus, strawberries, and my new favorite nespole, a delicious little fruit that has an inedible nut inside. About two miles up the road, we’d turn around at a beautiful, fresh water spring. It seemed like such a shame as only once in a while would you see locals stopping by to fill their water bottles to the rim.

MANGIA MANGIA
The best part about being in Italy (besides the magnificent scenery, of course) is the food. In my opinion, the food in Italy is far superior to anything that we have in America. Why? Because they don’t use preservatives and everything is freshly made with the most important ingredient … love. Italians love to cook and love to make others happy through their cooking. This couldn’t be any more apparent than when spending time with Mike’s parents. Mrs. M would go out to her garden each day and get fresh ingredients, then whip up some tasty meals … pasta, steak and unforgettable Caprese salads with the best buffalo mozzarella cheese I’ve ever tasted. That’s no lie ... it came from nearby Pasteum, the buffalo mozzarella cheese capital of the world.

BREAKFAST
For breakfast, we went to a wonderful little pastry shop in Vallo where I watched in awe as each Manna order a cappuccino and pastry, the kind that most people would only eat for dessert. "Are you for real?" I asked in shock. They looked at me like I was from Mars and nodded yes. I said, "Now that’s what I’m talking about!" I gave each a high five and showed them how it’s really done, by doubling their order. But instead of eating a cornetto, I stepped it up and ordered a chocolate cannoli. Sitting on the outdoor patio, sipping my cappuccino and indulging on that decadent chocolate treat left me with only one thing to do; rub the ole’ Buddha belly.

VALLO DELLA LUCANIA
Vallo della Lucania is the biggest town in the region. Here, you won’t find any chain stores, just mom-and-pop shops, including a few travel agencies ... gotta love that! Walking around this historic town made me feel like I was back in the ‘70s, but in a good way. No one rushed (except the crazy drivers), everyone smiled and there were very few outsiders. Businesses here, like the most of southern Europe, close down every day for a siesta. There’s nothing like taking a three-hour break from 2pm to 5pm for some lunch, a nap and maybe even some afternoon nooky. Then, everyone goes back to work, usually from 5:30pm to 9pm (times vary for each store). Now that’s living!

FESTIVALS
If you’re lucky like me, you might just visit a town in the midst of one of its festivals. Each town celebrates different saints at different times, so in the summertime, you’re bound to find one going on somewhere. In Vallo, I caught the tail end of the San Antonio festival, which starts off with mass, followed by a procession through the street, a fair and finishes off with fireworks. Italians take their festivals seriously and practically the entire town shuts down on these holy days. Here’s a list of Italian feasts.

PIZZA PIZZA
In southern Italy, Italians only eat pizza at night. What, are they crazy?! Near the house of my gracious hosts the Mannas, there are two fine places to get the authentic good stuff. One is in Vallo at the Old Ranch (26 V. N. Lettiero, 84078, Vallo della Lucania; tel.: 0974-75288) which makes a scrumptious arugula pizza. The other is near the fresh water spring in Moio called Acquaviva (C. da Acquaviva, Moio della Civitella; tel.: 0974-66293). The outside patio is much nicer than the inside and they have a foosball table. No matter where you go, everyone orders their own individual pizza. You won’t have a problem finishing a whole one because not only are they so incredibly tasty, but they’re paper thin, too. The best part: Individual pizzas cost between €3 ($4 USD) and €6 ($8 USD) apiece. In Venice, pizzas can cost up to four times those prices.



1 | 2 | LAST PAGE >>



Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.