The Enchanting South

Ciao from Christina and Giuseppe - www.italybestsecrets.com
Firstly, Happy Birthday to Ashley! Hopefully this will catch you before you sign off and go to sleep.
We drive from Terracina on a rainy morning, and stop for an enjoyable coffee break at Pico where a good (what Giuseppe calls 'proper') espresso costs one tenth of the amount you would pay in Venice. At Pontecorvo we enter the A1 autostrada towards Naples and exit at Caianello, looking for a suitable lunch spot on the way to Benevento. In the quiet and people free Faicchio, a medieval town, with an impressive monastery and tower, we find a friendly restaurant, very unimposing, as they often are in Italy, and have the best lunch we have had so far. Bruschetta with chopped tomato, prosciutto, local ricotta cheese garnished with chestnut honey, pecorino with pomegranate honey - these form the antipasto. We all chose different pasta dishes, and they were all superb. Followed by roast lamb with the most delicious roast potatoes, and green salad. Completed by dessert - chocolate and mascarpone sponge. All washed down with a good Aglianico and mineral water. Hmmm, molto buono! Total cost 92 Euro for the four of us.
Feeling replete, we continue our drive towards Avellino, Salerno and Agropoli. Traffic around the Battipaglia-Agropoli area is chaotic and stressful and to top it off, the speed limit is 50 kms, meaning that trucks and cars are hooting at us and wishing to overtake (so much for the speed limit). A couple of mistakes are made, resulting in delays in the arrival to our destination Pollica. Our accommodation is at The Convent in Pollica (a real Franciscan convent), which is located at the top of a winding road with hairpin turns. We never seem to arrive! As we start to climb we see the coastline and it is absolutely spectacular in the evening light. Finally we arrive and are rewarded by warm hospitality and excellent food lovingly cooked by Angela. The rooms are spartan, but do have private facilities. From the windows we soak in breathtaking views up to Palinuro Gulf.
Gardens with fruit and olive trees, and roses lead us towards the terrace which has a very large and imposing statue of St. Francis with his arms outstretched.
The next morning we decide to do some exercise and take the walking track to Celso, the adjacent village. This take us about one hour all up. In the afternoon we all visit the archeological park at Velia, which is much larger than we thought. The entry fee is 2 Euro, which includes an english language brochure. Velia is a slice of history of the settlement originally founded here by a Greek colony of Foce.
At Pioppi, a charming coastal village below Pollica, we find the Museum of the Mediterranean Diet closed as Tuesday is their day of closure.
Back to the Convent for rest, in readiness for another delicious dinner that evening which is the most enjoyable so far. The menu: fried pizza with tomato sugo, marinated anchovies, typical of this area; monkfish and calamari in guazzetto (similar to a fish soup); eggplant stuffed with cheese and herbs; chocolate cake made with ground hazelnuts and fresh nectarines. Our tariff at the Convent included breakfast and dinner, including mineral water and wine, at a cost of 40 Euro per person per day. Unbeatable value, for 5 star hospitality and panoramic views. Interestingly, the Convent is run by a local co-op, who have to pay the two resident elderly monks 10 Euro per person per day, a bit like a licence fee. We catch a glimpse of the monks, it would have been great to chat to them, but they stay in solitude. Apparently sometimes they conduct holy mass at the local church.
Departure in sunny weather the following morning, to Matera, city of the old stones.
Driving there is a pleasure, through winding roads with hills and olive and fruit trees, a huge lake with a dam and unexpected beautiful villages like Montesano della Marcellana, where we encounter the weekly market in the main piazza with a gothic style church, built in 1958 by a local who made his fortune in Venezuela.
Back on the road where the landscape is changing to Calanchi rocks, white looking rocks, which gives a moon like appearance to the land. Lunch is at the Agriturismo i Calanchi, near Pisticci. Different flavours here, we have crossed into Basilicata region. We arrive at Matera on schedule around 3pm, and Signor Franco meets us at a rendezvous point and drives ahead towards his property, Residence San Gennaro, a few steps from the Duomo. We are so glad he is with us, as the laneways are narrow and we would not know where to park. Our rooms at the Residence are very characteristic of Matera, being carved out of a grotto, are very spacious and comfortable, with independent entrances. Signor Franco is very kind and gives us some maps for our afternoon sightseeing, followed by another wonderful dinner. Tomorrow we are off to Puglia, so please stay with us. Bye for now, Christina and Giuseppe, xx.