Termoli Bound

We said our last goodbyes to Zia Teresa and Zio Mimmo this morning and hopped on a 7 and a half hour train ride to Termoli. Lucky us it was direct and we didn’t have to hop train to train. We got settled in our two seats and played many games of crib (which I won most of), read a bit, slept, listened to music and watched part of Schindler’s list as our laptop only had enough juice for about half the movie. I took a few pictures too. Surprised? It was cool to see water of the Adriatic Sea reach all the way to the train. The east coast of Italy is beautiful.
When we arrived at the Termoli Station, we didn’t see Zio Enzo right away and since we have never met, it can be an awkward experience looking people in the face and wondering if they are looking for you too. After about 10 minutes we found each other and headed over to their place to meet Zia Connie (Concetta, another one of my grandma’s sisters) for the first time. It’s so funny that the sisters can be so much a like after being apart for so many years. My grandma last saw Zia Connie in 1974 during her last visit to Italy. It was so nice to be welcomed so warmly by family I didn’t really even know. Later on that evening, Zia Connie told my grandma that we could just stay here and she would find us jobs. It was pretty cute. Not long after yet another delicious supper, Dan and I hit the sack. We were tired from the long trip and Zio Enzo was ready to take us to Casacalenda first thing in the morning.

Still Full…Do We Even Need to Eat Today?

After eating pretty much nonstop for the past 48 hours, we were given a bit of a break and we ate pretty light most of the day. Zia Teresa and I spent more than 3 hours looking through all of her pictures. I love looking at pictures and to see them of my family from before I was born is always a treat. I got to see pictures from the “old country” as grandma would say and it was a real special time for me. I even snapped a “few” shots of the pictures to bring back to Canada with me. I know my grandma will enjoy seeing them. (The pictures above is of my grandma's parents kissing...so cute!)Later in the evening we packed up our bags to get ready for our 7am train to Termoli in the morning.

Still Full…Do We Even Need to Eat Today?

After eating pretty much nonstop for the past 48 hours, we were given a bit of a break and we ate pretty light most of the day. Zia Teresa and I spent more than 3 hours looking through all of her pictures. I love looking at pictures and to see them of my family from before I was born is always a treat. I got to see pictures from the “old country” as grandma would say and it was a real special time for me. I even snapped a “few” shots of the pictures to bring back to Canada with me. I know my grandma will enjoy seeing them. (The pictures above is of my grandma's parents kissing...so cute!)Later in the evening we packed up our bags to get ready for our 7am train to Termoli in the morning.

Christmas Feast

After getting home at 3am the night before then waking up at 7am to skype with family, Dan and I decided to go back to bed and sleep in a little. When we woke up, snow was on the ground, lunch was ready and Christmas supper was in preparation. I could not believe it was time to eat AGAIN. Zia Teresa excused herself as she said lunch wasn’t much because we had a big supper to eat this evening. We were more worried about having to eat again than not having an elaborate lunch before another feast. After lunch, Gian-Luca’s girlfriend, Elise and her dog Camilla, Elisabetta and her husband Michele and their dog Marte came over for Christmas supper. You may think it’s funny I included the dogs but no lie they eat with us. I’ve seen maybe dogs get scraps fed to them under the table but I have never seen a dog get spaghetti fresh from the pot toppled with sauce and a few meatballs, then freshly grated cheese on top. It’s dog heaven in Italy! These dogs do not get scraps but their own dish! It’s was pretty funny. We had a nice evening together after eating another feast, again seafood eyes included. We took a family picture in front of the Christmas tree. From Dan to the left it Michele, Elise and her Dog Camilla, Gian-Luca, and Zio Mimmo. In front is Elisabetta and her dog Marte and Zia Teresa.

Christmas Eve Feast

Where to begin? Well, we went to Zio Mimmo’s brother’s house, Peppino (that’s a nickname for Guiseppe (Joe)-weird I know but cute and fitting). We were joined by another 21 family members. When we arrived, I headed straight to the kitchen with all of the other women to get cooking and preparing for the feast while Dan followed Zio Mimmo to the living room with all the other stallions. I loved being in the kitchen getting my hands dirty. All of the older women seemed to love it, I mean I did get my cheeks pinched for the first time since arriving in Italy. I have a love-hate emotion when it comes to cheek pinching. So once everyone arrived and the sound level got a few decibels higher, it was time to let the eating begin. Here’s our menu.

Pre-antipasto

A variety of olives, cheese, nuts (including ceci -Enzo, we found them but no one put them in their orange juice!)

Martinis

L’antipasto

Fruit skewers of grapes, kiwi, cantaloupe, mandarin, pineapple

Baked brie cheese (one 3 inch diameter wheel per person)

Lox on orange slices

Seafood salad served in scallop shells

Ribs

Vino

Il primo

Ravioli in noce sauce (creamy walnut sauce)

Vino

Il secondo

Scapece (small type of fish)- served whole, eyeballs and all.

Vino

Il contorno

Spinach salad with pomegranate and walnuts

Potato salad

Coleslaw

Mixed vegetables

Vino

Il dolce

Frutti

Nuts

Caragnole ( a special dessert originated from Casacalenda!

Torroncini

Panettoni

Pandoro

Scrapelle (also originated from Casacalenda!)

Chocolate

Champagne

Needless to say, we were the guests and we didn’t really have much of a choice whether we ate or not. Aldo made sure our plates were always full and by midway through our 3 hours meal, our stomachs were in pain but our mouths were happy. I hope on our next visit, I will not be considered a guest. The rest of the evening was filled with a visit from Babbo Natale and 2 hours of opening gifts. Everyone was so sweet and made sure we had a few packages to open up. We cleaned up the kitchen and then ate again…I know, I know! It was a night to remember.

Pizzelles!!! Remember these guys???

Later on today, I had the privilege of baking pizzelles (or Ostie) with my Zia Teresa using the old school method (or so I thought it was old school. She makes them like this all the time.). For most of my family and friends, you know what cookies I am talking about. They have been a staple in my life since I was still in the womb. (Alex, I wish you could have been there. You would have really enjoyed this.) So normally, we make pizzelles using an electric waffle-like iron where we make 2-4 cookies at a time. My grandma is a machine and uses 2 electric irons at once. But back in Italy, my zia Teresa bakes one pizzelle at a time over the flame of her gas stove using a heavy long-handled iron. It was fun for me since my grandma's "old school" iron has been used many times as the object of my show-and-tell, for demonstrations, projects and I have even used it in my teaching. It's close to my heart and I hope to whip it out and bake a few pizzelles with my grandma this way when I get back to Canada. We'll save a little on electricity and make a few more cookies. Coming to visit then Alex???

Castello di Rivoli

So we got a chance to explore Rivoli a little bit today. We made our way through the streets and ended up at Castello di Rivoli. This was once a very important castle. It is also home to the largest snowball in all of Italy. Modern art, who would of known. The view from here was magnificent as we could see the Alps surrounding us. It was a beautiful day and we soaked up the sun and enjoyed the fresh air.