We really didnt have an awful time. We had some good fun too! We showed Willie the Italy has California too. And despite it being found in an area of mild climate and not too far from the beaches and water....it has absolutely nothing to do with our California. This place has about 2 houses and a scary bar - and it is near a beach, but none are actually in the town. They are another few kilometers away. And despite all the beautiful towns and scenery in the area, this place has none of its own. Its a total hole! The best thing about it - the taking pictures next to the sign!
We did finally get to Donoratico, where my sister in law Paola's parents have a house that they lend us. The beaches are lovely - there are chairs and umbrellas as far as the eye can see. There are few 'public beaches', most are private. Every few hundred feet the umbrellas and chairs change color and there is rope in between that sections off the pieces of beach to show where one private beach ends and the next one begins. In between each rope there are changing cabins, maybe a bar, some showers, maybe a bathroom, the one that the Nonni go to even has a playground and a stage. And each family pays for how many chairs they want. If you want a
changing cabin that's extra. Why would one want a changing cabin when there is the house so near by and you dont need to drag the chairs and umbrella to the beach since you need to rent them? Well most Italians come to the beach and stay for at least a week if not a month or the whole summer. Some dont have a house quite as near, and some people dont like draggin the air mattress, the kids' shovels and pails all the way to the shore every day. We dont get the cabin, just in case you are wondering, we drag everything and but we do rent a chair or 2.
The public beaches are few and far in between and can be quite crowded and dirty, so we just pay the extra buck for the few days that we are there. So after building sand castles and bringing water back and forth for Princess Sophia its a long and tiring day and we go back to the house. Max's parents took us out to dinner at this place that looked like it was a hole in the wall, was mega cheap and had the best seafood!! We totally over ordered - I wanted the mixed seafood appetizer - and for 7 bucks I thought there was going to be 2 shrimps and some parsley, instead there was a big platter of various
different seafoods - octopus and potato salad, mixed mussels and clams, cold mixed seafood with olive oil, ecc. And I still had a whole platter of grilled fish and prawns (10 bucks) to eat after that. I was stuffed! Willie got the salmon/cream and pasta, Max a pizza margherita and Max's parents both got pizza napolis. It was all very good. And Sophia ate a little of everything (this is the airbrushed version of her story because I already ranted enough in the last blog entry!). After dinner we went back to the house and Willie caught a firefly. There were a couple buzzing around the area. And then we went to a bar about 20 feet from the house to have some drinks, cigs and destress from the days 'excitement'.Well we also learned another valuable lesson tonight...dont give Willie alcohol if you are sharing a room with him. The house in Donoratico only has 2 bedrooms, one of the rooms has a double and a single, which is where we all slept - plus Sophia's crib was in there too. Beppe was already sawing logs loudly when we went to bed, and then he and Willie had a snoring duel...I think I was the one who lost! Max said he heard them...but I have my doubts....at a certain point Beppe, Willie, Max and Sophia were all having a concert! I didnt have any ear plugs, but I did prep my phone with head sets and was ready to listen to the MP3 audiobooks I had on there. The volume is pretty good on the phone, and I actually have to have it on the lowest level because it feels too loud otherwise. The lumberjacks in the beds next to me were so dang loud, I actually had to turn up the volume a couple of notches to hear what was being read and drown out the noise!!!!
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