Rocky seas, but everyone is feeling fine, and Stacey and mom enjoy their first times on the perch up at the very front of the boat.
But then there are so many great places to hang!
Sitting in the captain’s chair:
Eating leftover carbonara:
Snoozing in the salon:
Or chatting out back:
Dinner at a great little enoteca, where we hear the story of the owner (who truly looks just like Shrek, without the green skin and little trumpet ears) and the menu for the evening.
So clever: we choose our fish (ugly-ass stone fish), then we have a little amuse bouche of grilled bread with garlic and herbs. In the back kitchen, Raymundo filets the fish.
The bottom filet is used to make carpaccio and tartare,
the head and bones are used to make a soup/sauce for our vesuvio pasta,
and the upper, better filet is covered in thinly sliced potatoes and baked in the oven. Nothing is wasted! Excellent wine accompanies it all and we are delighted with the whole experience, right down to the pistachio and chocolate cake, which I attack with “da craw”!
Next morning, late, we take a taxi with our man Peppe up to the thermal baths. There are pools at 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 degrees Celsius.
Don’t you just love the little caps that were required?
Everyone enjoys different temperatures, and Lance, Michael and Matt end up at the hottest, which has an icy plunge alongside. Michael says that it’s rough the first time in each, but each subsequent round is more and more invigorating/enjoyable. A couple hours later we head to the showers and back to the port, where we have a bit of lunch at the only place open (most close at 3). A quiet afternoon and then a taxi ride back up to Il Focolare from the first night of the trip. Again with the non-stop antipasti, and then just a few secundis (including rabbit). The owner shares the island history with those who hadn’t yet heard it, then we head back down the island for a long night’s sleep.
Friday we awaken to rougher seas. We walk through town to visit the monastery/castle that was first settled in 700 BC.
It’s just so amazing to think about, how long humans have lived there. Of course, it was up on a rocky islet – in the 17th century a bridge was built to cover the short span to the mainland – and was attacked and possessed by many tribes/rulers throughout the years. Visigoths? You betcha. Romans? Definitely.
A panoply of rulers, each leaving their own mark and expanding the defenses and rooms. Beautiful views from all of the balconies and terraces:
The most fascinating area to me was the nun’s cemetery. Evidently, when a nun died, her body was put upon what looks like a potty: a chair with a center hole. As the body decomposed, all of the essences would run down and accumulate in a bowl. The bones remained. The purpose was a visual reminder of the unimportance of the body itself, being most importantly a vessel for the spirit. However, sometime after the great war, American soldiers put a cigar between the teeth and a hat on the head of one of the skeletons, so the area was closed off to the public after. Those Americans have no respect!
Stopped at a recommended restaurant near the boat to get some salads and pizzas to go.
OMG! These were the best pizzas yet.
Once we finished, we headed out of port toward our final (and original) destination of Procida. High winds gave us the chance to sail for about an hour and we were hauling ass! Had to be careful moving around the boat:
ust as fast as with the engine on and we were all loving it. We took turns on the front spot and enjoyed sliding over some truly big swells.Tay rides with style (headphones under the beanie and an apple in hand):
After that, we headed into port at Procida. Matt and Michael bought ferry tickets for Napoli and began their journey back to Rome and then their separate ways. We all packed up, had cocktail hour, dinner (at which Stacey and I were laughing uncontrollably as we are wont to do), then back for bed. Early wake up call, stripped the beds, and off to the ferry ourselves after a cappucino stop. Taxis to the stazione centrale, then off on the fast train to Torino.