May 12, 2008

Peppino and Luigi, and Eleanora met us at our hotel to say good bye. Alfonso, Teresa, GianFranco, Cristiana, and Maddalena picked us up to take us to Nicotera. GianFranco had a whistle (fisciato) and everytime we needed to be herded together, he would blow the whistle. He also had a Mercedes SUV that was very nice and comfortable, and accommodated our many bags with no problem. Cristiana and Maddalena spoke English, and thus helped to translate. We stopped at a coffee shop and took some pictures, and then headed to a panoramic vista that overlooks Nicotera. We were then joined by Lea and Pasquale. We saw a monument commemorating Domenica Nicotera, a captain during World War I.

Next we visited the Museo provinciale di Mineralogia e Petrografia. There were many rocks, gems, minerals, and oceanic fossils. There was an adjacent museum that we subsequently walked through that had ancient jugs and pottery. Next we went to a Norman Church that was built in 1065. It was reconstructed and enlarged in 1586. In 1783 it was rebuilt after a large earthquake. There was a large wooden crucifix hanging on the wall with 7 bullet holes, inflicted by the Turks, who invaded the church in 1636.

Next we visited another museum that was once the home of a countess. She did not have any children, so she gave it to the Capuchin order of monks. This, by the way, is where the name Cappuccino comes from because the Capuchin monks wore a light brown robe. The home was damaged by an earthquake in 1783 and then taken over by a bishop until 1930. We asked where the monks went, and we were told they “went away.” Not sure what that means. Anyway, in 1975, the building became a museum. The museum includes pieces of Catholic memorabilia from throughout the ages including the garments of the priests, many statues, jewelry, candelabras, and chalices.

Next we went to pranzo (lunch) at Ristorante La Pineta. GianFranco started out by telling us that this was a gastronomy museum, which apparently was a joke. Jason figured it out after the first course was finished. During lunch, we discussed the correct pronunciation of bruschetta. It’s BRU-SKETTA, not BRU-SHETTA. People who say BRU-SHETTA sound American and misinformed. Apparently BRU-SHETTA is also an Italian criminal. For lunch we had several courses of pasta Calabrese before a course of pork with arugula and parmesan cheese. Jason took a picture.

Next we drove to Palmi and checked into our hotel. We met with Maryam Poscosta, the president of the local Rotary Club. We checked in to our hotel and then went to a panoramic vista overlooking Palmi called St. Elia. We could see Sicily – it was about 15 miles away. There is a legend that Saint Elia and the devil got into a fight. St. Elia won, and she kicked the devil to the island of Stromboli. On the mountain, there is a footprint of the devil that he left before departing to Stromboli.

Speaking of Stromboli, there is no such food as Stromboli in Italia. Only Calzone. It must be a Philadelphia invention. Oh, and the island is pronounced STRUM-boli, not strom-BOLI. It’s unclear if the devil actually lives there.

This is the farthest point South we will go on this trip. We learned that the government wants to build a bridge between Reggio Calabria and Messina. The span across the water is only about 3km.

Next we went to Palmi. We walked around the town square and saw the Rotary club’s 100 year anniversary project, which is a monument in a little park. We also saw a palace which had bronze statues of military figures.

By this time it was 9pm, so headed off to dinner…Pizza. The restaurant had a buffet antipasti bar that was unbelievable. We each ordered our favorite type of pizza, and when they brought it out, it was all made together into one gigantic pizza. It was about 8 feet long and two feet wide. It took up the entire table. The Pizza Calabrese section had nduja and was very spicy. There was also some pizza that had arugula and parmesan cheese that was very good. Pizza was followed by tartufo for some and Capo (local liquor) for others.

After dinner, we presented some flags and some Phillies caps to Cristiana and Maddalena and drove to the beach. We took some pictures and listened to the ocean for a few minutes before heading back to our hotel. We really enjoyed our new friends, and wish we could stay longer, but it’s time to travel North to Avellino. We have an 8:30am train to catch.