More Adventures in Italy

After my first exciting day in Southern Italy, the fun continued. The next morning we got up and went to the house of another relative. He and his daughter took us to Pietrelcina, which is the birthplace of (and I know my St. Pat's friends will appreciate this) who else, but Padre Pio! It found it to be incredibly ironic that I ended up there so shortly after the Dottie Z scandal. I was half expecting to see the woman herself pop out from behind a building. Who knows, now that she has so much free time on her hands, she very well could be traveling around Italy!

When we got back to the town in which we were staying our Italian relatives took us to the most amazing restaurant where I had my first real Italian meal. In Italy, you start with one of two antipastos (appetizers) and then you have one our two pasta dishes. Next comes meat, of which there are several varieties. Then there's fruit and after that dessert and coffee. The food just keeps coming and coming. It was soooo good but afterwards I was pretty sure I would explode.Luckily we all got our share of exercise afterward. My grandma attracted the attention of a baby horse that ended up charging at us. It was cute though!
After lunch we were able to go see a grotto that had been covered up to protect it from invaders and then forgotten. It was only recently discovered when a man's cow fell through the roof. Obviously the statue and the tacky paint job are new additions, but you get the point.

The next day we went to a Montevergine. It's a mountain top abbey where women used to go to pray if they were pushing 20 and still weren't married. Hence, Montevergine. It had a gorgeous chapel.
My grandma and I almost got kicked out because I was in a sleeveless dress and she was wearing polo (apparently two of the cardinal sins of church going in Italy). Luckily, my grandma played the dumb American card and the guy trying to kick us out just gave up. Go Grandma! After our perilous trek up the mountain (think hairpin turns plus crazy Italian driver) we stopped at a restaurant for another amazing 7 course Italian meal. While there made friends with a parrot who lives at the restaurant’s bar. So cute! During our last two days in Italy, we stayed with another family and were able visit even more Italian relatives. They were all the sweetest most welcoming people you could hope to meet. Here's my grandma with an Italian relative.
Some of the things I didn't expect to see while in Italy were tons of wild dogs (I don't know why he's sideway, but still cute either way).
Telepizza (home delivery, 1 meter long!)
and tons of tobacco farms.

I’m so grateful to my grandparents for taking me on this trip. I learned more in a week that I ever imagined I could. I really hope that I’ll be able to come back and visit these people again!