At Rest on the Adriatic

After a busy month of traveling, Carrie and I booked a full week in a spacious two bedroom apartment in a small Adriatic town called Termoli. Our apartment had a view of the beach and wharf, was walkable to the old city and castle, and most of all had it had a clothes washer. When we arrived here on a Saturday afternoon, we checked in with our landlord, unloaded our things, and immediately went out to explore the town and load up on a few groceries. As we ambled down the main pedestrian street, we were surprised to see the streets vacant and quiet, with very few people around. All the shops and restaurants were shuttered. Not until about 4:30 did we start seeing the stores opening up and a few people wandering about. By 6:30, the streets were full of locals and tourists and the shops were all opened for business. We quickly realized that this is a typical small Italian town, where most folks, after lunch, take a short break from the bustle of daily life, and retire to their homes before getting busy again in the afternoon. Prior to arriving in Termoli Carrie and I had mostly been visiting larger communities with an active tourist trade, so the down time in the afternoon didn’t exist or was not as noticeable.

Our apartment faces the east, and every morning, just as the glow of the sun breaks the horizon, we could hear the drone of diesel engines from fishing boats going out for the day’s catch intermingled with shouts from crew boats as they paddled their way across the same waters.

Just like everywhere we’ve visited in Italy, the food here is amazing, with an emphasis on succulent seafood. Along this section of the coast, south of Pescara, in the 1600’s, a family of Sephardic jews built piers on which they built a mechanical system of nets and pulleys (called trabocchi) to reap the bounties of the sea. There are still remnants of these devices up and down the coast.

Day trip to the Termiti Islands

Just a few miles off the coast of Termoli are a group of rock formations called the Termiti Islands. Carrie and I took a ferry across the waters to visit this interesting place where the relentless waves and wind have created sea caves and steep rocky walls.

Day trip to Pescara

A great way to experience the culture of a city or country, especially if you don’t have a car, is to book a tour. There are many tour operators, such as Get Your Guide and Viator that cater tours to specific interests of tourists, You can also take guided walking tours in the historic areas, some paid and some free. Some of the tours can be an excellent way to spend your time and money, but not always. We booked a walking food and wine tour in the historic part of Pescara. After a pretty good start, visiting a long established city market, discussing the local products, and tasting along the way, the tour abruptly came to and end when our planned lunch spot was not prepared for us. Because there was no lunch, the tour ended there. We demanded a full refund, and are still waiting for Viator to do the right thing. Even though the tour was shortened, we were able to taste a few treats from a bakery and a stall which served roasted pork. Of all the delicious seafood and pasta meals we’ve enjoyed while in Italy, the savory pork sandwich we tasted here, with a bit of the pork crackling skin, was one of the most flavorful foods we encountered.

From Termoli we will continue our trek south, eventually reaching the boot heal of Italy.