The View That Wasn't

My next town in the Italian adventure was another dartboard throw.  The city of Agropoli, on the coast, south of Napoli.  I picked out my BnB because it appeared and alluded to a terrace with a view of the sea.  When I arrived at first seemed to be a total lie.  Once I re-read the listing, I saw what the illusion was.  Sure it was the letter of the law, because on my tiptoes out of one window I could view the sea, but not the spirit of the law.  The first time I have experienced this degree of creative and carefully worded exaggeration. 

The BnB was under construction, the drywall taping only having the first coat.  Only a few of the walls painted.  The bathroom was recently remodeled but the door to the shower, broken.  Not that things would get overly wet.  There was only about five minutes of hot water.  Can’t flood much in a five minute shower.  There were lots of other problems as well but nothing so bad I needed to move on.  It was maybe a metaphor of my stay in Agropoli

The concept of a bar in Italy is different than what it means in America.  In Italy it is more of a combination.  A hybrid of coffeeshop and drinking establishment.  They sell coffee, pastries, sandwiches and oftentimes cold pizza all day long.  And yes, alcoholic beverages too.  I don’t know if that is all day as well, I am not much of a morning drinker.  Happy hour starts about 4:30 and runs until about eight and during that time the bars are often filled with people drinking primarily Aperol Spritz with a few wine drinkers mixed in.

Gigi, a fellow busker who asked me to
join him.  He sang "Love the way you
lie" in Italian.  Beautiful!

The first morning after I arrived I walked into Bar Premier right in the town square and ordered my usual.  It was a pretty good croissant and when I arrived the second day the barisista was standing at the door, she asked me “Caffè Americano and croissant cioccolato?”  Surprised I said yes, and she told me to go ahead and sit down.  I am a loyal customer and total sucker for treatment like that.  I had my coffee there the next five days.  Why not?

The tip-toe sea view

Most of this post has been drafted in this bar over my morning coffee.  It has been rainier this trip than past years. This morning has been typical that way. I am glad I packed my rain poncho. So being rainy, and the Italians really hate going out in the rain, I have had the coffee shop all to myself. But then a few minutes ago a group of five men filtered in and took up the corner table.  Now they all shouting at one another, waving their arms around, talking with their hands. Not in disagreement, they simply don’t seem to have, or utilize, indoor voices here.  It is easy at times like this to understand why stereotypes become stereotypes. 

Another thing that was new to me, there are lots of dogs here in Agropoli and an interesting situation at one restaurant.  Dog owners could check their dog with the host at the front door who would keep track of them while the owners were eating pizza. The dogs seemed totally relaxed with the situation so it must be common. 

On my walk home at night I pass through a church piazza.  These places are often surrounded by buildings with large nondescript steel doors.  The first couple of nights there was nothing going on and all the doors were closed. But last night, Sunday, the entire town was busier. Restaurants were full. Lots of people on the street. It was different than America where Saturday night is the big night. Just outside a bar a three piece band was playing and the piazza was filled with people.  It was fun hearing the mix of Italian and American songs. 

The city has a tourist project it is working on.  They have a castle which looks like it had been in bad shape but now they are doing a lot of work on it.  Hoping to turn it into a magnet I think.  I don’t know if the town has enough other things to keep the people once they are drawn.  But maybe I will put it on the list to return in a few years and see if they have it opened yet.

Short skirts, fishnets and strollers!

Agropoli is a town for young families.  In no other Italian city have I seen so many beautiful and exquisitely dressed women with perfect makeup pushing baby strollers.  Heels and strollers can work together!

But I was not a big fan of the food in this town.  I have trouble with mollusks, so no clams, oysters, scallops, etc.  By far this was their most common proteins in pasta.  I did have some spaghetti with anchovies at one restaurant but it was too much.  I tasted anchovies for two days.  It was at this point of the trip I started to cook.  The kitchen was fairly well equipped and there was a nice grocery store on my walk back from coffee.

Large supermarkets do not exist in Italy.  Instead there are lots of smaller places.  Sure, in many cases the selection and variety is not as good as America.  In other cases it can be better.  For instance, the pasta section will be huge!  There might be a few brands but an incredible number of different types, shapes and sizes of noodles.

Broccolini is very popular.

The produce selection tends to be much smaller and typically you do not handle your own items.  In most cases there will be a produce section worker there.  You can point to the pepper or bundle of parsley you want and that employee will bag it, weigh it and put a price sticker on it.  The produce itself is beautiful!  Very, very fresh and perfect.

There is also usually a fairly extensive alcohol isle.  Lots of wines, but also another Italian favorite.   Years back I hung out with a lot of photography equipment manufacturers and distributors, many of them from Europe.  They knew of the finer things in life, something I was always wanting to experience.  One of those things they introduced me to was Italian rocket fuel.  Grappa.  A distilled drink made from the leftover byproducts of wine production.  In Italy they consider it a digestive.  Something you drink after a meal to help settle your stomach.  In America, if you want a bottle of grappa you need to visit a very large liquor store.  They might have it or you will have to special order it.  You will pay upwards of fifty dollars a bottle.  In this small grocery store they carried more than two dozen brands, from ten Euro up.  I availed myself here as well. :-)