Italy Service Program Blog

This is for the foodies. Our weekend has come and gone and each of us has a tale to tell….but first the antipasti, which I have been promising for three emails.

I keep putting it off, because there are so many different dishes and varieties and many change daily. Some are common and one samples them often in the US. Suffice it to say, there is something for everyone. I will attach photos of one night’s offerings soon. There are always several different salad type dishes, seafood dishes – cuttlefish, octopus, clams and when I am lucky, my favorite, mussels. There are vegetables in bite size portions, some stuffed and prepared roasted, sautéed in olive oil. Then, there is always the tradition salad with lettuce and radicchio. Carpaccio is another popular item, sometime; it is smoked beef, regular beef or tuna. Often there are raw vegetables, such as celery, carrots and radishes. Finally, of course, we begin the main courses - there is the primo, secundo and dessert.

My evening in the dining room was spent primarily the photography mode. In the afternoon, my lunch (pranzo) with my friend, Elio and his family in Ostuni left no room for any more food. So I did not eat dinner. Elio’s wife, Marisa is an excellent cook and she prepared a meal fit for a king. We began with lasagna with a béchamel sauce, layered with sautéed artichokes and ham. Then we moved on to breaded meat fixed by grilling, salad, rapini, walnuts, cheese (it was so sharp, it bit your tongue – delish!); and finally, a delicious torte filled with homemade orange marmalade. Wow…I could barely move. His daughter, Alessandra, who is studying languages at the university in Bari, was home for the weekend. I remember teaching Alessandra English when she was in 8th grade in the Ostuni middle school, while Elio would come for English tutoring in the afternoon. It is a blessing one can form lasting relationships with such wonderful people in this beautiful country.

As for my colleagues, they were kept busy exploring Monopoli and one visited the home of her mother, Rodi Garganico. She spoke to townspersons with the same last name and strolled the streets her mother did as a child. Rita, our Italian teacher host, took them to a site, where a baron has a collection of all types of animal and birds. They so very impressed.

Finally, just a word about the weather - our first week was cool and pleasant. Saturday, these gale force winds blew in from ??? and we have been besieged by them for the entire weekend. The wind is called ‘maestrale’ in Italia and I swear it is kicking the Adriatic Sea to waves higher than the Pacific Ocean. I have been here for this wind before, but in the summer and it is not as chilling. As we walked to school in the morning, the wind was at our backs; however, fighting it coming home was a chore. I keep thinking I have to make this shorter, but, I seem to ‘get on a roll’. I will attempt to contain myself more in the future. I seem to be filling up the Global Volunteer Facebook page daily! Ciao…and Sam, thanks for all the ‘likes’. Is it warmer in Greece?...the winds are taking the fun out of weather!

- Phyllis