First up, our wonderful Fourth of July weekend in Calabria!
We traveled almost 7 hours to reach the agriturismo pictured above, and as you can see, it was well worth it! This one in particular had beautiful grounds, comfortable rooms, and best of all, the nicest personnel I've encountered in Italy to date. You can see the remnants of the old farmhouse (hundreds and hundreds of years old) in the newly-remodeled pink facade.
Since they are usually attached to some kind of farm, agriturismos are usually more rustic than luxurious. That said, this place knew how to pamper. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast spread--it's not often I indulge in cakes in the morning--which included cute little jars of jam made from the farm's own fruit. Both breakfast and dinner were enjoyed on the terrace; all the food was fresh and tasty, at an unbeatable price.
The staff had thought of everything: lounge chairs, towels, and an umbrella were all provided; there was a beautiful pool with a little diving board; and there was plenty of wrought-iron seating outside for relaxing in the shade or late-night card games.
But the best part was the virtually private beach we had access to. (Or was it A/C in the rooms?!).
Despite the deserted beach, we found lots of things to do. Of course, there was beachside reading, sunning, and general lazing about. But when our agriturismo announced they'd be hosting a wedding reception one evening, our friends thought of a great alternative for dinner that night: a beach bonfire and picnic!
Unfortunately, it was so windy that it was hard to keep our fire contained. We endured the sand whipping around us for just an hour, but it was great while it lasted!
There were just a couple downsides to the trip, the first of which (for me) was the yowie sunburn I managed to get on the very first day (of course). Except for my left shin, I managed to stay pretty pale overall. Unfortunately, the wind must have caught my spray-on sunscreen as I was aiming for my left leg, and just one afternoon later, I had myself a blistering sunburn that hurt so bad it had me limping. So for the rest of the trip, I combated the sun the only way I could: layers upon layers of SPF 50, plus towel-blankets to shield me even further.
I wasn't the only one to prefer the shade...
(That's our friends' dog Roma, pictured with her beloved stick buffet).
As you can see, Roma wasn't the only afficionado of sticks. Hubby enjoyed the challenge of lugging this really big "stick" to the water, where he used it first as a surfboard...
...then a banana boat.
Our friends brought snorkeling gear, which provided some entertainment, as well as the confirmation that my arch-nemesis, the jellyfish, was indeed patrolling the waters. That was enough to put the nail in the coffin of hopes that I would enjoy the water, but it didn't stop the more courageous among us.
A beached, but happy, Alan:
Flying his Toy Story kite (one of two at the local grocery store):
Overall, it was just the getaway we needed. We were sad to leave, but on the way home enjoyed a brief stop in Santa Severina, a small town on a hill:
Things were going great until we got back into the car and made mistake #2 of the trip. Calabria may be beachy, but it's also mountainous, and the Garmin unfortunately took us right through every single winding turn. A couple hours later, we weren't exactly the bubbly crew we had been on the way down, but like my sunburn, the hairpin path back home was definitely worth this happy smile.
