When Maureen learned that she would be attending a work conference in Lisbon, the first thing she thought was “maybe I can squeeze in a few days in Italy to see Dad and Margaret.” And that’s just what she did.
This woman loves to travel, so she jumps at any opportunity. She was able to arrange with her employer to fly first to Rome, then, after the conference, fly back to Chicago from Lisbon. She left Chicago on a Friday, the conference began the following Wednesday, so that gave her two half days and two full days with us. (A flight from Rome to Lisbon is less than 100 euros, which she was more than willing to pay herself.)
After arriving in Rome, she took the bus to Pescara where we happily picked her up.
I had researched vegan restaurants in Pescara, so I knew exactly where to take her for lunch. The Flower Burger did not disappoint. We had hoped to walk around Pescara afterward, but the rainy weather changed our minds. So we dashed to the car, drove around a bit to show Maureen the area. We drove along the Lunga Mare, admiring the beautiful Blue Flag beaches. We stopped at our beach club, which was of course closed, but she got to see where we enjoyed sunny days last summer.
At home, we settled in and relaxed for a few hours. I had sent Mike to the Friday market in the Citta’ Sant’Angelo marina without specific instructions, so he had come home with kilos of fresh green beans, eggplant, red and green peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, ugly tomatoes, and an assortment of fruit. He always buys a tin full of porchetta from our favorite food truck vendor Nadia.
So, for a low-key first evening with us, I sauteed the green beans, onions, and mushrooms in our best olive oil. With the right seasonings – fresh basil – it tasted pretty good. I sliced up one of those ugly but delicious tomatoes. I had some vegan patties that I bought at our grocery store for Maureen, and for Mike and me I warmed some porchetta. It was nice to sit around our table, enjoy a simple meal, and chat about all kinds of things.
To help Maureen get adjusted to the time change, we elected to stay up and watch a movie that evening. I can’t say publicly how I felt about their choice: Tremors with Kevin Bacon. A 1980s relic.
Sunday morning we kinda took it easy. Then we drove up to the Citta’ Sant’Angelo historic center, where we walked around admiring the old buildings. Maureen took dozens of photos. While walking around, we met an American couple, Joe and Beth. They own an apartment there, and are originally from Monterrey, California. Joe is retired from the Naval Post Graduate School. We had something in common, having a daughter who attended DLI twice. Maureen and Joe had a long conversation about photography. We hope to see them again soon.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that we’d been curious about, but was closed every time we tried to go there. Called “Hosteria Cavour” it is charming, the service was very good, and the food was delicious. Great choice! There, we met another American couple, Shine and Bill, from Florida. They were staying in their daughter’s home in Citta’ Sant’Angelo. We are all hoping that their Florida home survived the storms.
Then we walked around the belvedere and admired the views. Each time to go there, it is beautiful.
Back home, Mike and Maureen relaxed while I chopped veggies and prepared a ratatouille for dinner. The fresh veggies that Mike bought were very ripe and screaming to be cooked. I added some flat pasta, and it turned out pretty good. Very good, actually.
Sunday evening was another movie night. We watched “Instant Family” with Mark Wahlberg where a childless couple adopted three kids, including a teenager. Nice happy ending.
Monday was the day I was excited about. We drove about 40 minutes to the Zaccagnini Winery for a tour. Mike and I had been buying and drinking Zaccagnini Montepulciano wine for years, ever since we found it at Costco in Chicago. And we’d heard that the tour was one of the best in the region. It certainly was amazing. Be sure to look at our photos.
The winery originated in the garage of Cicco Zaccagnini in 1978 and has become a world-wide business. But the owners have not lost their passion for quality wine and art and for preserving the environment. Yes, art is important to them because they believe that creating good quality wine is an art.
After the tour of the winery, we tasted five different wines: A sparkling rose’ produced from the same grapes as the Montepulciano, a Pino grigio, a Trebbiano, a Montepulciano riserva, and a San Clemente Reserve. What was my favorite?
It was time for lunch when we finished, so Angelo called a restaurant for us: Ristorante La Quiete near Rovetone. Excellent service and food. Again. Ahhhh, Italy.
Tuesday morning was pack up Maureen. The weather was sunny and relatively warm, so we drove to Pescara for a walking tour of this charming city. We were able to show her the covered market, the beach, and the many shops that the city has. Hungry, we searched unsuccessfully for a vegan restaurant that was open. However, we did stumble across a restaurant, Salamico, that offered a vegan tagliere and a yummy tagliere with cheese and meat for Mike and me.
We reluctantly walked to the car and retrieved Maureen’s suitcases, then walked across to the bus station. Her bus arrived promptly, and we sadly waived goodbye.
We will see her again in month!
Click HERE to see all the photos!
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