La Dolce Vita
>> Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Leaving the concrete jungle to enter a secluded hideaway in Southern Italy is definitely a refreshing and wonderful time of the year that we look forward to, especially in summer, where work has also taken a long vacation to faraway land. This is the best time of the year to be in Antonio's hometown, Torraca (Sapri). 
There are many secret hideaways located in the little towns, many unknown to even the local visitors. Mery (Antonio's cousin) found this old bridge along the Bussento River while driving back to Sapri from Morigerati, it was tucked away under the new road that we were travelling on. Filled with excitement and adventure, we decided to park the car by the road and made our way down to the river. The boys had heaps of fun climbing up the sides of the rocks and jumping into the chilly crystal clear water.
Some of our daily activities include waking up to the lovely smell of the mountain's fresh air, hearing absolutely nothing but the chirps of the birds and the lovely smell of dense forest greens. We would find some of the freshest berries that grow along the roadsides. It's unbelievable that we have to pay so much back home for a small punnet of berries that anyone can easily pick up from the roadside. 
Peaches grew extremely well this summer all around Southern of Italy and we were fortunate that many of our friends and relatives have peach trees in their gardens. The taste of the lovely orangy-red fruits bursts into tiny drops of sweetness with each bite. It's a lovely sight seeing the tree in full bloom and knowing that it's as fresh as it can get. 
The aroma of the freshly brewed caffe fills the room like an instant energiser for the day to begin. We will spend the entire day on the beautiful beaches of Sapri, Positano or Maratea. The Italians worship the sun and many would spend their entire day lying on the beach, watching the world (the time) go by. 
We usually end the day's activities with a delicious gelato from Cafe Turco..and this is what I call La Dolce Vita.
