FOODIE IN FLIP FLOPS

The reason we chose to stay in Vieste was that it looked beautiful and it had ferries running to the Tremiti Islands. Unfortunately during the low season and winter, the ferry and helicopter only operate from Termoli a few times a week (the islands would not be the place to have a heart attack or stroke!!!) With our new free day, we decided to visit Peschici.  With Puglia being a top producer of olive oil, it was important to visit a mill. We visited Oleificio F.Ili Vieste and the son Rafaele Vieste greeted us enthusiastically with a tour of their operation! They were pruning the trees removing the old branches getting ready for this seasons fruit.  They will not harvest until October, so we saw nothing in action, but Rafaele went through all the steps with us. These are the granite blocks resting on a granite platform that they use to first press the olives. After the tour we tasted the olive oil, it was so fresh, and also a little spicy. The...

The drive from San Marino to the Gargano Peninsula was long, but gorgeous! On one side of the highway it was layers of hills covered in vineyards and farmland and the other was a view of the Adriatic Sea. We wanted to break up the five and a half hour drive, so we stopped in Vallevo for  lunch on a trabacco. Trabaccos are fishing platforms that have mostly been turned into seafood restaurants. Unfortunately, we were a little early in the season as they will open in mid April. Driving into the region of Puglia, there were olive groves everywhere! Puglia is Italy's number one producer of olive oil and has over 60 million trees. They also have the oldest olive tree dating back 3000 years.  We stayed in Vieste, which is said to be founded by Noah. After the flood, he left the Ark, came to this region, fell in love with a woman named Vieste, and named the town after her.  The San Francesco church and convent, which is placed nex...

San Marino is one of the oldest republics in the world. It is perched on a hilltop, Monte Titano 2200 feet above sea level. The drive from Verona to San Marino was beautiful with cherry tree farms everywhere. There were pink and white cherry trees in rows in every direction. Once entering the Republic of San Marino it is a twisty road up to the old city.  This is the government building located in a beautiful piazza overlooking the cascading Tuscan mountains in the distance. We had lunch and wine at Trattoria Righi in the piazza while soaking up the sun.   We happened to be here on a day that the government officials meet. Their leaders are two captains regent that are heads of state and government. San Marinos' government is modeled after the Roman Republic of Ancient Rome. Interesting fact, San Marino has had more female heads of state than any other country.  These are two of the honorary guards. You have to be voted in to be a...