Lilla Travels

Eight years ago on the sidelines of the Belmont youth soccer field Paul introduced himself to a family we heard yelling “vai vai!” (Go! Go!) to their fourth grader running down the field. Luca and his family were in the US for two years on assignment and their son and D were on the same youth soccer team.

We struck up a friendship and when they returned to Rome, Paul kept in contact with Luca, who we’ve seen on previous trips.   

This July they are vacationing in the beach town of Formia, so after a relaxing morning in Pico we drove 45 minutes to meet up with them at the beach. 

It was wonderful to catch up and discuss the cultural differences we’ve observed and comparisons they were able to share having lived in Belmont. For example, Ana remembers her large American washing machine and dryer, but said there is no use for it here as it never gets cold enough that she can’t dry clothes outside. Buying a larger washing machine wouldn’t make sense as there is only so much space in Italian houses, and on the clothes line to accommodate a small load, which I now understand. I was also able to ask a few questions about things that perplexed me during the week, and she got to reminisce with me about things she missed in the US, like TJ Maxx. 

Formia is a windsurfers paradise so throughout the day we watched Luca and 100+ other windsurfers on the water. See video. It was the perfect amount of windy on the beach – enough to make it not feel hot in the sun but not strong enough where it was blowing sand everywhere The water was clear and warm, and there were small waves as the wind picked up in the afternoon. 

We could see the island of Ischia in the distance and heard on a clear day you can see Sorrento and Vesuvius. 

The beach club, Bagni Parisi, served “crema cafe” which we haven’t had in years. It’s basicallly a frozen coffee smoothie concoction and sooo good. For lunch the boys had prosciutto and cheese paninis and I had a smaller sandwich. We enjoyed some beachside espresso and beer and relaxed all day in the sun.   

The beach in Formia recently received the La Bandiera Blu distinction meaning it meets high standards for quality, safety, environmental practices. It’s a source of pride for Italian beaches and promotes tourism as well. 

After a quick shower at their house two blocks from the beach, we had a cocktail at a nearby beach club before going back to Bagni Parisi for “Porcho Gin” — porchetta sandwiches and gin and tonics.

The DJ played Italian pop music and adults lounged under the canopy and on the beach while multiple porchettas spun on a nearby spit. We met many of their friends and relaxed under the stars for hours before calling it a night.  

We’ve been to Italy ten (i think) times and our only experience with Naples has been arriving at the train station and departing from the port to catch a ferry. Our perception was dirty, crime ridden, not worth the time when there is so much else in Italy to see. However on Friday, for seven hours we walked all over the port area, barely scratching the surface of this amazing city. 

We were collectively in shock at how large the city is, the sheer volume of people, and the variety of beautiful structures, statues and churches. Everywhere we turned there was something to look at. Narrow streets were lined with vendors and five stories of apartment window balconies, displaying laundry, people gazing at the crowds and the most proud display of the Napoli soccer support that I have ever witnessed. Napoli flags and art work and shirts and statues dedicated to Maradonna (their favorite player) and banners and signs and stores. It was visually overwhelming. 

And did I mention the street food?

• D has a whole Neapolitan pizza (hand held, folded into fourths, scalding hot), he had a kinder bueno cheesecake, a mortadella sandwich and an espresso
• Paul enjoyed a mixture of fried fish in a cone,
• I had a mini rum baba,
• At the historic Gambrinus Hotel we had deliciously thick espresso
• At Taralleria Napoletana, we enjoyed a savory taralle and Aperol Spritz for only 3.50 Euro! Taralle in Naples are larger than ones we’ve had throughout the rest of Italy and Neopolitans put almonds in them. 

We breezed through a lot of major sites in seven hours:

• We parked near Castel Nuovo, a medieval fortress from the 11th century
• Piazza del Plebiscito, which is an enormous town square built out of rock from Mount Vesuvius. It has several major buildings in it, including the Royal Palace and San Francesco di Paola Basilica, the exterior of which is lit up in Neapolitan blue at night
• Galleria Umberto I, a shopping plaza similarly designed to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. At night the only people inside were a dozen kids using the Galleria as an indoor soccer pitch
• Naples’ cathedral, which was visually stunning
• Via Toledo, one of the main pedestrian streets dating back to the 1500s
• San Lorenzo Maggiore Basilica, one of the oldest churches in Naples and located in the exact centre of the historic city, 
• Walking back to the car we saw the exterior of Castel dell’Ovo, the oldest standing fortification in the city. Supposedly the Roman poet Virgil hid a magical egg in the foundations of the fortress, promising that if the egg were broken, the city would suffer great catastrophes. Hence the name “Egg Castle”.

We didn’t spend much time in any spot, trying to fit in as much as possible in one day.

The boys were also very patient as I dragged them to “Christmas Alley,” a narrow street selling nativity scenes. While it was not as pretty and extensive as I had hoped, we were surprised to learn that the official name of that street is “Via San Gregorio Armeno” or “Saint Gregory of Armenia Street.” St Gregory’s monastery, which was closed, is at the top of the street. For non-Armenian readers, Saint Gregory is the founder of the Armenian church, responsible for converting the country to Christianity, making Armenia the first Christian nation.

It took us over an hour to walk from Christmas Alley to the port which offered breathtaking views of Capri, Vesuvius, Sorrento and the peninsula. We had dinner at Pizzeria Errico Porzio, recommended to us by friends in Pico, and it didn’t disappoint. We didn’t have a wait, but by 9:15 there were 40+ people in line waiting to get in. I had a margarita pizza with San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, D had the Parthenope pizza with pureed yellow tomatoes, fior di latte cheese, basil flavored grano parano cheese, a red tomato cream, and Paul had a La Picante pizza which tomato sauce and fiore di latte cheese, topped with grated cacioricotta, spicy extra virgin olive oil, and basil.

By 10:30pm we were back in the car leaving Naples. Our feet and legs were tired and our bellies very full.

We all agreed that Naples is an under rated city. People were outside dining on every corner. People were dressed up heading out for the night. It was vibrant and fun with people of all ages about. We wouldn’t recommend someone tackle Naples on their first trip to Italy, but if you like cities, Naples is a must visit. We all agreed we want to go back – next time wearing sneakers, maybe with a tour guide, and definitely for more time in the vibrant city.

This morning was outside the norm we had established over the past 12 days:

Paul and D drove to the town of Ceprano to try and get his iPhone repaired (he dropped it in the ocean while in Sperlonga.) The first place couldn’t help him, so they drove to the larger town of Frosinone to try a different place we had researched online. Hopefully we’ll hear by Monday whether they can fix it. 

Next the boys drove to a pick up point that we had arranged in Frosinone for an IKEA order. It is 9 Euro to order online and pick up in Frosinone versus driving over an hour to the store or incurring a 60 Euro delivery fee. They had a hard time finding the pick up point (inside of another merchant) but ultimately successfully picked up our wardrobe and a few other items and managed to fit everything into the car. 

Paul and D did manage to evade a security guard briefly and sneak into the Frosinone soccer stadium, which was a bonus.

While they were out, I walked to the store for a case of waters and yogurts. Unfortunately I grabbed the garden gate key off the hook at the front door instead of the front door key, and locked myself out. 

Leaving the groceries at the front door, I walked back down the hill to La Piuma Nera bar for a cappuccino. Using Google Translate and the few phases I could cobble together (Mio figlio iPhone roto! Giardino chiave, no casa! / My son iPhone broken, Garden key, no house!) I told Mimo about our morning as he shook his head with empathy. 

I then went to the hair salon where moments after I arrived, a woman came in from a nearby bar with a tray of espressos for all of the customers. Italian pop music played on the speakers and thankfully the salon was air conditioned. Only 39 Euro to get my hair colored and dried which is less than half the price than what I pay in Belmont. 

Arriving back at the house, Paul told me that I erroneously bought Gassosa, not sparllng water “con gas.” Gassosa is Italy’s version of Sprite. The first night we were in Pico, Stefano had topped off our glasses of beer with Gassosa to make a drink they call Panache or Radler. 

The day is not off to a great start, but all we can do is laugh it off as we know these mishaps are not serious problems to have.

By 1:30pm we decided to turn the day around and head to Naples, leaving all expensive jewelry at the house. More on the Naples excursion tomorrow as it’s late, we’re exhausted from the day and truly Naples deserves its own post.

This week the town of Pico has celebrated the feast of Santa Marina. There was small procession earlier in the week and mass each day, culminating in this evening’s festivities. Chiesa Santa Marina dates back to the 1100s and while Mass began at 7pm, people arrived throughout the entire hour. The church is so small that not everyone could fit inside; at least 30 people were standing oitside at the side and back doors, and even hanging out the windows of their homes to hear Mass.

At the conclusion, a regional band played while Santa Marina was paraded around the town to the main church, Sant’Antonino. Even Paul got in on the act.

At the end of the procession, there were fireworks but we have no idea where they being set off and it was raining on and off. The sound of the fireworks reverberated throughout the stone town; I felt like it would cause even the strongest building to crumble. 

In the town square there was a food truck with sandwiches. We saw many neighbors and socialized briefly before driving to Sperlonga to pick up D who had spent the night with his friend Andrea that he met on the basketball court three years ago. 

In Sperlonga we ate at Da Mari, a pizza place we frequented three years ago directly across from the beach front basketball court. A pepperoni and fior di latte pizza for me and buffalo mozzerella and tomato for Paul.

We briefly met up with Andrea and D before needing to part ways. Andrea is working hard to become a professional basketball player. At 6’4″ he is one of the tallest people in Sperlonga, trains each morning at 6am with a coach; and plays for a program in Turin during the school year. Hopefully it won’t be another three years before they see each other again. 

While D was in Sperlonga with Andrea, Paul and I took advantage of the free day to clean up the house a bit, Paul worked in the garden, and we drove to the town of Isola del Liri for the afternoon. 

Isola del Liri is known for a waterfall that cascades down 70+ feet in the town center, with a historic castle at the top. It’s the only town in the country where a waterfall falls in a town center.

The town was bustling (until siesta) with restaurants, shops, a bookstore, brewery, salons, etc.

Lots of restaurants with outdoor seating lining the main street. It was a 40 minute drive north of Pico so we may come back here one night for dinner. Maybe we’ll come back on Friday night since my idea of a perfect dining establishment (A Prosecco bar with “Boards, Bubbles and Cocktails”) is only open on the weekend:

For lunch we ate at Miro Ristorante and Pizzeria where I had mezzi paccheri (large tubes of pasta) with a very light sauce of tomato, mushrooms and garlic.  Paul had tonnarelli all carbonara tartufata (thicker spaghetti with boars cheek and black truffle pieces.)

Every morning begins the same: we have a cup of espresso using the small Lavazza pod machine we purchased our first day here. We sit in the shade on the terrace and check our phones to catch up on what may have transpired overnight in the US. 

After our espresso (#1) we walked around town and met:

• Tamara who runs a salon 
• Cinzia who has a salon two doors down from Tamara, and she’ll color my hair on Friday (yay!)
• Aldo who saw us look in the window of his printing/photocopy shop and followed us down the block to see if we needed help
• Aldo (the aforementioned Aldo’s cousin, we think) who runs a barber shop
• Ana and Claudio in the flower shop which create floral arrangements and personalized favors for weddings and other functions. They offered us espresso (#2) and sugar covered almonds while talking with Paul about their relatives in Rhode Island. 
• Domenico who runs the meat market
• And we peered into the bakery where bought lunch on one of our first days here. 

As we walked through the center of town we saw Stefano, Ricardo and Gigiotto outside the bar having espresso. Paul met Ricardo and Gigiotto in April. Already two cups in, we declined joining them. Stefano said the outdoor table is “his office” and as our neighbor Biaggio walked by, Stefano joked Biaggio is the secretary of the office. 

We also met Mario who wanted to be clear that he speaks American versus British English. He used to work for the American company Firestone and appreciates the directness of Americans as the British style of speaking is more locacious and harder to follow. 

After stopping by the fruit and vegetable market (which is separate, but next door, to the dry goods/cheese/meat market) we walked back up the hill. Steps away from our front door we saw Ana on her balcony who invited us in for espresso. How could we say no to her and a third espresso of the morning?

For an hour we chatted with Ana, first in her living room and then her upstairs kitchen which she said is more suitable for entertaining than her downstairs kitchen. She told us about her children; her husband, her ailments, and how she is turning 90 in March. We heard of her pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, where she bathed in the waters only to come out of the water not needing a towel as she was dry. A miracle! In addition to the espresso (#3) which she made on the stovetop, she poured us two glasses of her homemade liquor. The dark colored liquor was stored in a tiny bottle in her fridge, When we tried to tell her that her homemade liquor is better than Paul’s homemade limoncello, she proceeded to pull a small bottle of homemade limoncello from the fridge. 

By Noon it was almost time for siesta so we hopped in the car to drive 15 mins away to pick up Damian’s suit jacket. While we were out we stopped into a different supermarket chain which  was more spacious than a Conad but had some pre-made sandwiches, bags of salad mix, and a large aisle dedicated to all types of alcohol, so D stocked up on 4 Euro bottles of liquor to bring home. 

The sounds of the cicadas and lull of the fan trying to cool down the bedroom was all we needed to take an afternoon nap. Briefly I woke up to the sounds of D playing the guitar, but otherwise D just hung around the house today, sweating and itching since he got eaten alive by mosquitos (aka zanzare pronounced zahn-ZAH-reh) overnight. It’s the only day that the house has been hot — it’s 90 degrees out. 

Late afternoon we looked at paint color samples, had an espresso (#4) and rested some more before driving D to Sperlonga to stay overnight with Andrea, a friend he made on our trip a few years ago.

Upon returning to Pico, we saw the neighbors next door who gave us eggs again and peppers that she jarred. We explained that India, the dog, has warmed up to us and they told us how India used to keep the prior owner of this home company. 

For dinner, Paul made us pasta with tomatoes and garlic with local olives we bought at the market yesterday and the peppers from  our neighbor Angela. Mari joined us via FaceTime for dinner so it was nice to catch up with her. 

After dinner we walked through the medieval borgo, meeting more locals. So many people know the home we bought and comments on the beautiful terrace. And so many people ask if we’ve met Gina, an American artist who bought and is restoring a large property near us, or the Americans two doors down, but neither of them are in Pico currently. 

It’s 10pm and the feels like temp is 78 degrees, but we forgot to open the shutter door to the bedroom when the sun went down so it’s warm inside. Hopefully it will cool down shortly and the mosquitos will stay away as Paul ends the night reading a book on the terrace. 

More Sperlonga

Today we went back to Sperlonga to enjoy more time at the beach. Before leaving Pico, there were several interactions with the neighbors:

• When Paul grabbed the indifferenziato waste bin, Angela our neighbor told him we have been working too hard and she was glad to hear we were going to spend today at the beach.
• Biaggio was also happy to hear we were going to the beach and inquired about where we parked last night. I had a feeling he would notice and ask. It’s not done in a nosy way; it’s neighborly and everyone knows what’s happening with everyone else.
• We didn’t see Ana, but when walking by her apartment we heard an accordion for the second time this week, so perhaps that’s her.
• We saw Federica and her children and gave Manuelle a little motorcycle toy for his 6th birthday. He was very excited and she invited us to coffee which we politely declined to try and get to the beach. 

We need to start buffering in more time for neighborhood interactions when going any place. Paul had mentioned in April that unlike Belmont where you could walk for blocks and block without saying a word to anyone, almost everyone says “buongiorno” or another greeting to you. And if you know them, it is usually a stop and a conversation. 

The drive to the beach takes under 40 minutes and today that included our pit stop to watch the goat herder move his flock. The view is mostly olive groves, bales of hay, concrete houses with terra cotta roofs with a backdrop of the mountains. We passed our first Burger King, seeing a McDonalds yesterday for the first time near Fondi. 

Ten minutes away from the beach the landscape and temperature changes. It feels hotter as we’re no longer in the mountains, there’s a lot of palm trees and cacti, and we encountered a traffic light. There are no traffic lights in Pico.  

We spent the rest of the day in Sperlonga at the Raggio di Sole beach club and then at the town center. The water in Sperlonga is clear, there’s 3-4″ fish swimming around but they don’t bother us, the sand is soft, the water is warm and there are minimal waves. We had two prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches and a caprese salad for lunch, accompanied by Aperol Spritzes and finished with espressos of course. D has taken to the afternoon espressos. 

For dinner we drove a few minutes down the road to the foot of the Sperlonga borgo where we had dinner at Cucino Io (translates to I Cook) right by the water. By Italian standards we dined early (8:30pm) enjoying burrata cheese with anchovies and tomatoes as a starter, octopus and potatoes for Paul and I for dinner, and stewed salt cod (baccala) drenched in butter with vegetables for D. We dined at Cucino Io three years ago so it was nice to return and watch the sunset and enjoy a non-carb heavy meal. 

After a quick walk through town to see the vendors selling jewelry and clothes, we stopped briefly for gelato and to see the little kids lining up to watch the puppet show which was supposed to begin at 10pm. It was time for us to call it a night. Sperlonga was buzzing with people young and old, and we’ll be back there again throughout the week. 

We spent a good portion of the day unpacking all of the items purchased yesterday and building IKEA furniture. (In Italy it’s pronounced ee-KAY-ah)

Biaggio came by with Massimilliano to help remove the lock on the bedroom door to the terrace. It didn’t take him long and there was some gentle ribbing as he told Biaggio to stick to being a mechanic and just call him whenever projects need to be done. Paul took his down number for the future. 

As the men left the house, we saw Ana who was getting her daily exercise of strolling up and down the street. She was pleased to step inside the house to see the progress we were making. We offered her an espresso as we have no snacks, but she said she doesn’t eat much at this stage and already had her milk and coffee for the day. She is truly adorable: my guess is she’s in her 80s, she’s maybe 4’10” and today was wearing a dress, sensible black shoes and black sweater in 80 degree heat. She proudly told us about her two children and I believe a granddaughter who studied in Valencia, Spain. She was sad that we would be returning to the US but happy that the home is being lived in again. 

Our neighbor two doors down is from the US and we haven’t met them yet, but we met their niece at the go-kart race last night. While that neighbor won’t return to Pico until September, we saw air conditioning being installed yesterday so we know that it’s possible to drill right into the stone walls. 

Last night Frederica, the niece of the previous owner of this home, spoke fondly of the house, saying it has a very positive energy. It was very hard for her family to decide to sell, but when they met Paul it made the decision a lot easier for them. 

Paul spent the late morning in the garden cutting branches off all the trees to create more room to move around under them and to give the fig tree more room to grow.  He also cleared the brush around the backup water system. 

Around 5pm Pepino wanted to show us the inside of a massive house in Pico (over 2000 square feet.) It was owned by the Pompei family, his aunt lived there for 70 years, he’s inherited it, and now he’s trying to sell it. If you are interested in a true fixer-upper, let us know! It’s in a tremendous state of disrepair, with pigeons occupying the top floor, with the original flooring, wallpaper and painted ceilings from hundreds of years ago still intact. There were piles of antiques, room after room of decades of debris and historic paperwork, personal photographs of Mussolini, and more, as the aunt only occupied one floor. The multi-story cantina/garage is larger than our home in Belmont. 

We did a quick trip to Orizzante (like a mini Target / Home Depot) to pick up a bunch of miscellaneous items such as more clothes pins, a bottle opener, more cleaning supplies, etc. On the way to Orizzante I saw my first chingale (wild boar.) We were speeding along the winding road and unable to safely pull over, so no pics. 😦

For dinner we went to the town of Fondi to eat at La Canadese (translates to The Canadians.) We started with fagioli con guanciale e pane tostata (cannellini beans with pieces of boars cheek and toasts.) Paul had a mix of roasted meats (pork, sausage, steak), D asked for the waiters choice so he received buffalo mozzerella and meat sauce pizza and my pizza had a fiori di latte cheese with truffle cream and mushrooms. 

Shortly after 10pm we returned to Pico and all of the bars in the town square were closed. We can’t figure out their hours since yesterday they were open well past midnight.

There are four spots directly in front of our house and yet we typically don’t park there. The street is very narrow and with the construction happening two doors down it’s even more narrow, so we usually park 15 feet away from the house in front of a tree just to be safe. Tonight that spot was taken as well so we ended up parking a half block away. Not a big deal at all, but to give you perspective our current rental car is a Renault which is the size of an American Corolla and it barely fits down the streets. It was too small for us to bring the wardrobe back to Pico from IKEA yesterday but barely fits down the streets here. When Paul returns to Italy in a few weeks, he should definitely rent something smaller. I took a video of the drive through town to our house, but videos aren’t uploading for some reason so I’ll have to take a series of still pictures in the future.

We ended the night with limoncello from Sorrento.

Today we deemed as shopping day. 

We started at the Sarni AutoGrill which is basically a rest stop off the highway to get gas, but as we’ve encountered previously, the Italian AutoGrills are so much more than rest stops in the US. We bought a gift for a boy in the neighborhood, sweets, taralli, and had espresso. At the AutoGrill you can get a full meal, and it’s not fast food. It’s of a high quality. 

Next, a two-hour trip to IKEA on the outskirts of Naples with a view of Mt. Vesuvius. We bought a dresser, laundry baskets, bedding and much, much more. The wardrobe doesn’t fit in the car so we’ll look into buying it online for delivery at another time. Shopping in the IKEA maze is exhausting on its own, but navigating the store in Italian, with the metric system and Sunday crowds, was a lot.

Next, we picked up D at the train station in Caserta. He had a whirlwind 24 hour trip to Florence and had a blast. He brought us back gifts from Officina Profumeria Santa Maria Novella which was very generous and thoughtful.

And finally, we went to the La Reggia Designer Outlets, a maze of stores. We’ve been to La Reggia previously and knew we’d be able to get some basics at a higher quality than IKEA, but still didn’t find everything on our list. We were all too tired to shop for clothes and prioritized a few select stores.

Back in Pico by 6:30pm, we spent the rest of the night in the town square, as there was go-kart racing through the streets. Little kids and teens in full race car driver attire, zipping around a course defined by hay bales.

We watched the races for hours,  socializing with Marinella and her family and Tiziana as she tended to the crowds coming in and out of the bar. When D joined us in the square he wore his Mkhitarian jersey from when he played for InterMilan, and that made our friends very happy. “Inter Forever!” Marinella would chant and give a thumbs down to Napoli, while Tiziana would frown, as she and her husband Mimo are huge Napoli fans. We enjoyed the company of our new friends for almost 4 hours just relaxing both outside and inside the bar and meeting new people from the town.

This morning we had a visit from Massimo, the gentleman who plastered the wall cracks before we arrived. Because of the consistency of the walls (everything is textured), filling in the cracks is not a messy job as there is no need to sand to achieve a smooth surface. Paul paid Massimo and enlisted him to paint the interior walls (sans bathroom) in the future. On Monday at 6pm he’s going to bring paint color samples for us to review, so no need for us to go back to the hardware store. 

Massimo is the first person all week to suggest a time for his appointment with us. Biaggio yesterday said “later today” for his visit with the drill. Yesterday we were told to call the beach club “in the morning” and the waste removal people said they’d call us “the day before we arrive.” We’ve been lacking in specifics and are used to it at this stage. 

Before Noon we had dropped off D at the local train station (he’s visiting a friend vacationing in Florence) and Paul and I went to a beach club in Sperlonga. The beach club was ten minutes away from where we had stayed 3 years ago, and only $31 Euro for an assigned, shaded parking spot (no over crowding) in a lot lined with olive trees, two beach chairs and an umbrella.  Upon arrival we saw Marco who we had run into at the hardware store earlier in the week, his wife Frederica, and their children, who live in Pico. While we arrived at Noon, they left at 12:15 for sit down lunch away returning more than two hours later. Because you rent your chairs for the day, it’s safe to leave everything at the shore. 

I just love Italian beach culture: the silver-haired men wearing a blue pin striped button down shirt, mostly unbuttoned, with his bathing suit. The women of all shapes and sizes wearing small two piece suits. The public displays of affection from 20-somethings infatuated with each other; the kids eating bowls of pasta in red sauce as their beach snack. 25 years of visiting Italian beaches and the scene never gets old for me. 

I fell asleep on the beach and awoke to the familiar sounds of a beach vendor selling cookies. “Bella bella signori!” he calls out followed by some indecipherable sentence. It caught our interest on the last visit and know he has a cart of cookies. It’s literally the same guy selling cookies three years later.

For lunch we ate at the beach club: prosciutto with melon to start, fried calamari for Paul, and gnocchi in a very light red sauce for me. 

The music thumped all day long but wasn’t intrusive – a mixture of American songs with a constant dance club beat. Similar to what I remember from years past, the 1950s tunes start in the late afternoon. 

By 7:30pm it was time to leave the beach and drive into the Sperlonga borgo for dinner. Driving is an adventure here; and Paul is very good at it — stick shift and all. We secured a spot in a tiny garage and walked through the borgo to our favorite restaurant from 3 years ago: La Piazzetta. 6 Euro aperol spritzes, an appetizer platter of potato chips, peanuts and local Itrana olives, a platter of bruschetta and a spaghetti cacio pepe (cheese, salt and pepper.

Before driving back to Pico, we walked through the borgo and grabbed our first gelato of the trip: tiramisu for me, and chocolate/nociola for Paul.

Today was our last day of deep cleaning in the house. I’m looking forward to shifting our focus to truly vacationing, decorating and enjoying more of our time here.

This morning I spent two hours on the IKEA website researching what’s available so we can spend as little time as possible in the actual store this weekend. Fingers crossed that we find everything we need.

Paul spent the morning doing odds and ends around the house including arranging for a bulk trash pick up (they said they’ll call the day before they arrive, but we don’t know when that will be).

He also spent a bunch of time figuring out which key in the pile we were handed goes to which lock in the house. Carlo has a front door key, we’ll leave a complete set in the house, and a complete second set will return to Belmont with us. There are seven keys in total: 1 for the front door, 3 keys for doors off the terrace (one of which is missing), there’s a key to the garden gate, a key to the water main box on the street; and a key to the back up water supply cabinet in the yard. 

The door to the terrace from our bedroom is the missing key so we asked our neighbor Biaggio if we could borrow a drill to get the thing open. Biaggio came to look at the door this morning and said he’d come by with a drill “later today” (does that mean after siesta?). I wish we could communicate with him better. He’s a widower, super friendly, has a great smile, and you can tell he wants to talk with us. A lot. Today he was trying to tell us a story but we aren’t sure we caught the whole gist of his tale. By the way he was laughing he certainly got a good chuckle from it, but we just didn’t get it. Paul had him repeat his story twice, but with Biaggio’s Picano dialect combined with his speed talking, we’re not quite sure what he was saying. Something about coffee and a table. (Shrug)

He ended up coming by around 3pm and for 90 minutes tried unsuccessfully to break open the lock with Paul. They did stop at one point for an espresso break. While we’ve purchased an espresso machine, I had no sugar for the espresso, so Biaggio quickly went back to his home and returned with our first housewarming gift: a bag of sugar packets! He laughed at the rather large teaspoon that I offered him to stir the sugar. (Note to self: bring the demitasse spoons that we never use in Belmont on our next trip.) 

In addition to the door lock project, today Paul deep cleaned the hallway while I tackled the cooktop and oven which I had avoided on kitchen cleaning day. They weren’t too bad but I’ve really had enough of the cleaning fumes:

• Maestro Lindo (aka Mr Clean) has a strong odor and we’ve gone through two bottles already pouring it directly onto the floor tiles as we scrub.
• The oven cleaner, Fornet, smells like American EZ-off,
• SMAC is the liquid chrome polish which smells like the polish we use to clean sterling silver.
• Vetril is similar to Windex so using that to clean the glass doors to the terrace is fine
• Emulsio spray is similar to Pledge
• I do like the Nelsen dishwashing detergent since it comes with a curved spout which makes dispensing the cleaner onto a sponge easier than the upright spouts we’re used to on a bottle of Dawn for example. 

Paul and D carried two more pieces of furniture to the cantina/garage so I could finish deep cleaning the living room. The boys then went to find a dry cleaner in Pontecorvo so Ds suit could get cleaned in preparation for the next leg of our trip.

The moment they got home there was a knock on the door: Angela next door bringing us four eggs from her chickens (no idea where the chickens are.) She gave me a big hug and kissed both cheeks telling us we’ve been working very hard. The moment the door closed, D asked “are these things even safe to eat?!” Only time will tell. We put them with the rest of the unregridgerated eggs on our kitchen counter. 

Back to Senza Nome for pizza dinner. Paul had a pizza with sausage, porcini mushrooms, black truffle and cheese.  I had braciola with tomatoes and arugula pizza, and Damian had eggplant parmesan pizza. We fnished the meal with a glass of Amaro for Paul and limoncellos for D and I.

As we walked back to the house, we ran into Carlo and his cousin Stefano that we had seen earlier in the evening at the restaurant. They were chatting with Rafaela, who Paul met during the car rally here in 2018, and her sister Daniella. Stefano invited us to his home (diagonally across the street and above from us) to see how he renovated the place a few years ago. It incredible how beautifull and spacious it was restored.  

After a beer at his place, we all walked up to the castle to see it lit up at night, look at the view and enjoy the cool breeze. The mosquitos didn’t start biting until we got back to the house and I was on the terrace hanging more laundry again at 11:30pm.  

Tommorow, we finally go “alla spiaggia” (to the beach!)

Today we did a full day trip to the town of Sorrento. After a 2.5 hour drive from Pico, we caught up with friends of ours from Belmont who were at the end of their ten day holiday. We also caught up with another family from Canton who had just arrived in Sorrento to start the Amalfi coast leg of their holiday. 

We enjoyed lots of drinks and laughs, popped in and out of many shops and bars, and it was great to spend the day relaxing with friends. 

Paul and I made our way to the Bellevue Syrene hotel where we had stayed 25 years ago on our honeymoon and we all ate dinner at Tratorria da Emilia which we had dined at 25 years ago. While the food was good – I had spaghetti with clams, Paul had seafood risotto and D had pasta with seafood – the service was rushed which was disappointing.

Another highlight of the day was going to Sant’Anna Institute and several other local landmarks which Miss M had told us about from her semester abroad. A student let us into the gated Sant’Anna community and when I went into the main classroom building some of the staff was at the entrance. When I shared that our daughter had attended the school in the spring semester and shared her name, the ladies lit up with huge smiles and got super excited. While we know from Miss M what a positive impression study abroad had on her, it’s easy to forget that the students also make a tremendous impact on the staff each semester. 

A 2.5 hour drive back to Pico – it was a long day but memorable for sure.

Today we focused on cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom. We also started cleaning the living room moving some furniture into the spare room and the cantina, and Paul worked outside to begin clearing some of our land. We also did a half dozen loads of laundry and made four trips to the local market today:

• First by me in the morning to buy more cleaning supplies. My credit card didn’t work and there’s no cell reception in piazza ferruci (the area where the bars and stores are) so I couldn’t call Paul for his card or cash
• Second by me in the morning to get the items I had left behind
• Third by Paul and D who went to get dinner ingredients and a bottle of wine
• Fourth by Paul because we forgot an ingredient 

Good thing the market is only a four minute walk away.

As Paul prepped dinner for us, the boys tried to open a bottle of red wine without an opener. When the cork finally went into the bottle, via hammer and screwdriver, the force was so strong that wine went everywhere — onto the freshly cleaned floor, fridge; walls, and ceiling. We’re so done with cleaning today that we’ll just remove the wine from the ceiling tomorrow!

Paul prepared bucatini alla carbonara with quanciale (thick spaghetti in an egg and cheese sauce with bits of pig cheek.) We didn’t have a pasta strainer and we employed D to manually crush the peppercorns since we didn’t have a grinder. We also don’t have any food storage containers for the leftovers so we’re improvising. I’d say overall first dinner at La Casa Pico was a success!

After dinner D took a walk to the castle, I did two more loads of laundry; and the boys went to the piazza to watch PSG vs Real Madrid. 

Let’s take a step back and talk about some basics for our new followers:

The town of Pico is in a province called Frosinone (fro-zee-NON-neh.) Frosinone is in a region called Lazio and the capital of the Lazio region of Italy is Rome.

Pico is typically 90 minutes south of Rome and 90 minutes north of Naples and 40 minutes to several beach towns. 

It’s set in the Aurunci (Ah-ROON-chee) mountains versus in the valley so the town benefits from a cool breeze on hot summer days. When we’ve run errands in neighboring towns in the valley, you can feel the temperate difference. The gentleman who sold D his guitar yesterday even commented on how nice the temperature is in Pico versus the lower situated towns. 

The highs have been in the upper 80s during the day and it drops to low 60s at night. It is very hot in the afternoon sun, which reinforces why taking a siesta is so embraced here. The house and stores stay cool as everything is built solid with stone. We haven’t needed air conditioning and have one fan that we have been running when cleaning the bathroom and laundry room as they have less fresh air circulation. 

Pico’s population is around 2,800 people which is double the size of Belmont High School. The town itself is 12 square miles, so three times the size of Belmont, MA. 

The town has a medieval borgo, which means at its center there’s a castle and the architecture/buildings for the town are structured around that castle.  Here’s a pic of the town from their tourism site:

The town has a small but jam packed market, multiple “bars” which serve coffee drinks and pastries, alcohol, gelato, chips, granita, etc. The bars have indoor and outdoor seating and tend to be where people congregate.

We aren’t aware of any restaurants in town that are open Monday and Tuesdays. Thursday – Sunday there’s a delicious pizza place where we ate on our first night, and they are only open on Wednesdays in August. 

There is a neighborhood gym (Palestra) and peeking through the window yesterday we saw weight machines and a ping pong table (random!) but it didn’t look open, no sign for hours or phone number. After two weeks of traveling, D is missing his gym membership; yesterday he worked out on the terrace. 

Everyone we’ve met in town has been very welcoming. They are happy to speak with Paul, and I can follow along most conversations. It’s been three years since I was last in Italy so I’m out of practice with speaking to order food, exchange niceties with shopkeepers, etc, but it will come back. 

There is a lot of abandoned property in Pico. Walking to and from the town center we see birds flying in and out of upper level windows that are open to the elements. Directly across the street from us is vacant on the first floor but occupied on the second. As we’ve learned with Italian real estate, property just gets passed down among family members and it’s common for people to own property in multiple towns. With property tax so low it’s easy to hold onto land or buildings and just let them sit unoccupied for decades. 

In the morning we awake to the sounds of roosters, birds and maybe a cow? Sometimes we awake to India, the dog next door, barking at some perceived menace. At night we hear, but don’t see, secadas. Paul said there’s a gecko living in the caldaia (hot water heater cabinet on the terrace.) In other parts of Italy we’ve experienced a lot of mosquitos so one of our first purchases was a disposable, plug-in mosquito repellant which we’ve also bought on previous trips. We haven’t needed to plug it in here though. I think the mountain breeze helps compared to the places we’ve stayed in beach-side communities. Occasionally inside we’ve encountered small spiders but I’m chalking that up to the place being unoccupied for a decade. 

Our friend, Carlo, runs the bed and breakfast in town: Nena Al Borgo Castello. When visiting we recommend staying at Nena!

Late morning D and I found Paul sitting outside L’Angolo Bar with a group of men talking about anything and everything.

Two hours, three croissants and cappuccinos later, we needed to start our day before stores close for siesta at 1 PM. 

As we walked back up the hill to our place, Paul went into the bank, we stocked up on yogurts, milk, water and unrefrigerated eggs at the local market, and I popped into the local flower/gift shop which was proudly guarded by the friendliest black poodle who tried desperately to jump into my arms as I browsed the store. 

Today’s waste pick up was the “indifferenziato” category but upon arriving back at the house Paul noticed that bin was missing. Our neighbor helped us find it — way down the street. Now we know our bins may not be left in the place where they are picked up. Or maybe the waste removal person doesn’t know that someone lives at the flat now and randomly tossed the bin upon emptying it?

In an attempt to get more errands done before everything shut down for siesta, we quickly hopped in car to reach the hardware store, the pharmacy and supermarket (at the last stop it was like a game show trying to grab what we could at the market before closing.)

The hardware store was an experience. It was larger than I expected and had every tool you could imagine plus air conditioning units, inflatable pools, and more. Thankfully Paul was able to converse with the helpful storekeeper and brought photos of what we needed, so she helped us find the correct replacement bulbs, a door lock core and an adapter for the washing machine. When we told her we needed latex gloves, instead of selling us a box of 100 she asked how many we needed. I was confused assuming we would be buying a whole box. As we only needed a few pairs, she took the time to select 4 pairs of medium and large-sized gloves, bagging them separately and labeling the bags with an M and L for us. So sweet! Paul will return there tomorrow to get spare keys made. 

While the rest of the people in the region took siesta, we focused on cleaning our laundry room. Paul did the bulk of the cleaning to spare me the grossness behind the washing machine. It’s a small room located under a set of stairs which reminds me of Harry Potters bedroom. It’s big enough for the washing machine and several shelves, the vacuum cleaner, a laundry basket or two, and not much else. We deep cleaned the machine and ran two empty loads before throwing in the first of several loads. We have two weeks of D’s laundry to do so hopefully the machine will hold up!

This afternoon the boys moved a large blue wardrobe and the base of a convertible chair/bed into the cantina until we can figure out how to do large item or bulk trash pickup. The cantina is the size of a single car garage but the door is only wide enough for a Vespa or motorcycle. We’re using it as storage space for now and our friend’s motorcycle is parked there as well. 

After siesta we went back down the hill to Piumanera, a small bar/cafe run by Tiziana and her husband Mimo. Paul had met Tiziana on a prior trip and we caught up with her and her friend Marinella over three cantaloupe-flavored granitas. 

We promised D he could keep an acoustic guitar at the house, so off to Drums & Music in nearby Ceprano we went. Tiziana was excited to hear about the pending guitar purchase and asked if D could play to help lull customers in for a spritz. 

For dinner we went to the town of Roccasecca to dine at La Magnolia, a restaurant we’ve eaten at previously. We lost the blog post on our visit to Pico (and Roccasecca) from 2022, and we typically refer to past posts to remind us of what we’ve eaten, where we’ve visited, etc. But we don’t need the post from 2022 to remind us of what we ate — it was that good.

The chef has won numerous awards, including a best pizza award from a global competition in Vegas, and an award for their spaghetti carbonara. Tonight we had spaghetti carbonara (it was soooo good), an antipasto platter, and three pizzas: fig and prosciutto, amatriciana and magnola which had two cheeses and prosciutto crudo. 

We ended the night being serenaded by D with his new guitar while hanging our first load of laundry on the line off the terrace. 11:30pm is not optimal laundry drying time but we’re doing the best we can and enjoying every minute of it. 

At L’Angolo Bar, Paul started the morning with an espresso and croissant while I had a cappuccino and a croissant filled with frutti di bosco (a multi-berry jam.)

At 7:30a Paul left for the Rome airport to pick up D but didn’t get back til close to 1pm due to an accident on the A1. It should have been only 2.5 hours roundtrip.

While Paul was stuck in traffic I accepted delivery of our first piece of furniture: a matterasso matrimonio aka European-size queen bed! I’m sure the delivery driver is accustomed to the narrow streets in villages like Pico as they had to park aways up the road as it’s only one car width wide.

We may not have bed sheets yet, but we have a lightweight duvet and five pillows so we’re excited for a solid night’s sleep. D will use the air mattress until we either buy a pull out couch or bed with trundle for the spare room. 

Upon returning from the airport, Paul picked up some pizza, a spinach pie and an Italian version of a full size pig in a blanket for lunch. 

I spent most of today cleaning the bathroom and spare bedroom. I also began clearing out the living room cabinets as Carlo left us a ton of glassware; crystal and plates — 99% of which we aren’t keeping. We boxed things up and D put the items in our cantina until we can figure out how to dispose of items that don’t fit in one of the five designated waste bins:

• Multi Materiali: we know this is for plastic, and we think metal too but unsure and haven’t looked it up yet 
• Carta: paper/cardboard
• Vetro: glass
• Humido: compost
• Secco Indifferentiato: other uncategorized trash

Each of the bins has a separate pick up day. (Note to self: add schedule to house doc for future guests.)

While Paul painted the bathroom, a very jet lagged D and I took a walk to the supermarket which was inexplicably closed, so we continued on to a cafe where he experienced his first true Italian espresso. It’s been three years since D’s been to Italy and at age 15 espresso was not something he consumed. Now as an 18 year old who runs on Dunkin, the art of standing at the counter to order and drink your espresso, the complimentary water, and paying after you have consumed your drink, was all new for him. The barista asked D and I if we wanted a glass espresso cup or one that was ceramic and I don’t know why. I’m adding it to my list of Italian culture questions for when we see our friend Antonella next. 

By 8:30pm, we had enough of cleaning and painting, showered in our clean and freshly painted bathroom, and hopped in the car for a brief ride to the next town (San Giovanni Incarico) for dinner at La Locanda Cascata. It was nice to catch up with D on his Chicago trip over a starter of potato croquettes shaped like mini mozzerella sticks. For dinner, a liter of house red wine, D had capriccioso pizza, Paul had grilled steak, and I had ravioli in red sauce. For dessert, to share a ricotta pear tart and glass of amaro. We were all very happy and full from the day. 

Paul and D ended the night with a walk to see the castle lit up at night.

Paul and I arrived in Rome a few hours apart from each other, and in our rental car began the trip south towards Pico. Departing Rome’s Fiumicino airport always makes me smile with the abundant Cyprus trees (which I love) and the highway median strip ablaze with magenta wildflowers. Such a stark difference from the ride to Boston from Logan airport.

Our first stop of the day was IKEA to pick up items for the house (plates, cutlery, cutting board, hangers, pillows, a duvet, pot holders, dish towels and more.) IKEA Rome is set up exactly the same as IKEA in MA or NJ with many of the same lines of furniture.

Our second stop was a small patisserie in Ceprano where we scarfed down focaccia sandwiches with tomato, arugula and mozzarella, an espresso, and a tiny beignet filled with chocolate and cream.

Next we went to what we’re calling “La Casa Pico” — the flat we purchased last year. Paul had previously shared many photos and descriptions with me that I wasn’t surprised by the size and condition of the place upon arrival. It’s going to be great, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure it’s livable for the future.

After touring the home, we walked into town to help me get my bearings and have another espresso (we were very jet lagged.) Being Sunday afternoon many places were closed, but L’Angolo Bar (the corner bar/cafe we ate at with the kids in 2018) was open. I remembered it from 2018 as it had a little bit of everything: alcohol, coffee bar, a Gelateria selection, a random selection of souvenirs, and a TV playing cheesy Italian pop music videos. 

And what happened at the bar continued to happen throughout the rest of our day in Pico. At L’Angolo, Paul introduced me to Francesco and Giuseppe, a father son duo who served up coffee and small talk. 

Walking back to the apartment I met Biaggio, a neighbor probably in his 70s, who had a lot to share about street parking tips and developments in Pico since Paul had last seen him in April.

We also saw India, the stray dog, and heard her barking at passerby’s throughout the night. Biaggio leaves a few pieces of cooked pasta on the street for India each day. 

A short time later we drove through the mountain, down winding roads for 20 minutes to the town of Fondi where we went to Maury’s and Orrizzonte, two chain stores that are like a cross between Home Depot, Target and the Dollar Store. We purchased a new mop and broom, full size toiletries and cleaning supplies, an espresso machine with pods, a clothes steamer, an electronic mosquito repellant, moisture control containers (mold is a big issue in Italy), two chairs and a table for our terrace, and more.

Back around the mountain to Pico we returned with a car full of purchases. No sooner than we had started cleaning, our friend Carlo came by for a visit. After catching up with him, we spent several hours deep cleaning the bedroom: scrubbing and mopping the floor, cleaning light fixtures, baseboards, and doors to the terrace. With one room clean, we were able to set up an inflatable mattress for the night and we’ll turn our attention to other rooms tomorrow.

For dinner, as we walked three blocks downhill, Paul introduced me to Giovanni, the gentleman responsible for the cemetery and for some reason he was wearing a blue cape, like Superman without the “S.”  Sitting with Giovanni were Mimo, the owner of Piuma Nera Bar. 

And then, upon arriving at Pizzeria Senza Nome, Paul introduced me to our server, Domenico. We chatted with him briefly and had a wonderful meal of Peroni Nastro Azurro beers, a Capriccio pizza for me and a Rucola and Prosciutto pizza for Paul. Senza Nome does a brisk business, only open Thursday – Sunday for dinner (except August they are open on Wednesdays.) They had a steady stream of dine in and carry away orders for the hour we were there.

As we walked back up the hill, ready to call it a night, we saw our friend Carlo and his cousin sitting on a bench. We chatted with them (mostly Paul chatted in Italian and I did my best to follow along) and then another woman arrived who told us about the dozen of chingale (wild boar) at her home invading her garden, and then another woman arrived, and then an older woman (likely 80s) named Ana. Everyone who joined the group conversation in the square was introduced to us by Carlo as the “new entries of Pico”  living down the street and they were very welcoming and kind. The conversation at the Fontana (drinking water dispenser) at the end of our street could have continued for hours but Paul and I were exhausted.

We accomplished a lot on day one, and are already looking forward to day two!

“Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not?”  -George Bernard Shaw

Over the past year, we’ve traveled domestically and internationally, forgoing capturing the details of those adventures here for a number of reasons. Fast forward to July 2025 and we’re about to embark on a different type of adventure that requires a bit of set up:

Thirteen years ago we tracked down Paul’s grandmother’s home in the town of Pico, Italy. Paul returned to the town in 2018 and we all returned again in 2022 (blog post is missing for some reason) vowing to spend more time here in the future. Over the past several years, Paul has been watching the Italian real estate market, researching places near the beach, and doing what many people do when they long to have a vacation home: dreaming, checking websites, researching, and dreaming some more. Some people just let the dream end there, but not us. We said “why not.”

After investigating many properties remotely, in January 2024 Paul flew back to Italy to look at a place in Pico. While that property was not the right fit for us, our friend Carlo showed Paul a place owned by his family, unoccupied for more than a decade. I’ll spare you all the details related to buying a property in Italy, but let’s just say that after hiring an attorney to help us navigate the process, ten months later we became owners of a one bedroom flat in the town of Pico. 

In April 2025 Paul returned to Pico for five days, picking up the keys to our new place. He began to clean and organize all of the items left behind. He explored the area, finding a hardware store, a homegoods store, a furniture store who will deliver a bed to us this July, and arranged for trash/recycling/compost service. He snacked on mandarins from the tree in our yard and had Easter dinner with Carlo’s family. He opened an Italian bank account. He brought in a handiman to fix the caldaia (hot water heater), tested all the outlets and most appliances, and arranged for a handiman to fix various wall cracks and imperfections. Upon returning home, he figured out how to pay our Italian property taxes online and shared photos so Miss M, D and I could begin to envision life at La Casa Pico, because “why not”?

And so this next chapter begins. Paul and I are flying from Boston to Rome on Saturday, and D is flying from Chicago to Rome on Sunday. Posts going forward will be about this next adventure. If you want to see photos without extensive detailed commentary, follow @lacasapico on Instagram.