I was staring out my dining room window this morning and thought, how magical the snow covered trees look – like the setting for a Russian love story. Then I walked outside the door to smell the clean winter air – it’s freakin’ freezing. Dashing back into the house I knew I had to think summer thoughts.
Winter blahs getting to you too? Tired of snow, sleet and brr? Take a breath – close your eyes – NO – I mean pretend you’re closing your eyes. Imagine sitting in the bottom of a salad bowl and looking up at every color green in the spectrum. Green to the right of you. Lighter green to the left of you. Cascading greens floating down the side. That is what it feels like to be floating in the pool on a hot summer day at Queensley Country Resort in Morcone (BN). Ahhhhhhhh.
When one of my Pontelondolfesi pals told me about the swimming pool in Morcone, I thought they were exaggerating about how gorgeous it was. We are in the hills of Southern Italy – not on the Amalfi Coast at a swank resort. Under duress, I took a ride one afternoon to see this really “elegant” swimming hole. Yawn, could we go for gelato yet? We road around the whirly gigs of hill roads, came to a tired sign and made a left up the longish driveway. Holy Shit! How did I get to the Beverly Hills Hilton? Were we beamed up to some super chic spa in Tuscany?
No my friends you can find this ten minutes from our little village –
Private Spots with a Great View!
Ten euros gives you a full day of feeling like a princess. The price include a lettino – a lounge chair. It is more to reserve the Prive Bellavista – 4 spots for 100€. The club like resort opens from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The youngsters tell me it is open at night for the restaurant, bar and general partying. In July they had a Toga Party – free admission with a DJ! It started at 10:00 PM. We never made it.
My first trip was with my worldly London-living niece, Alessandra Rosaria, she quickly grabbed up one of the brown circular lounges, globbed on the sun screen and declared she had found sunbathing heaven. That day, not knowing what to expect, we packed our lunch and dragged bottles of water. We noticed the more urbane folks getting incredible looking sandwiches getting delivered to them – wait – this place has a restaurant? Yup – to eat at the restaurant one needs a reservation.
Caffè or Campari????
To munch pool side you can order food from the “bar” – even caffè, campari soda and all the wonderful drinks that go to my italo-americana brain. The locals tell me that the restaurant is top drawer – of course one goes for dinner at 9 or 10. We vow to nap one day next trip and try the restaurant out.
Elegant outdoor dining.
We did see people shedding bathing suits for dressier attire and lunching here.
Perhaps someday I’ll drag a bag with a breezy summer dress and change for lunch…. One visit, we ordered panini from the bar. They were huge and OK but for a scant 1€ in Pontelandolfo we could have gotten the same thing to go. We decided to buy our lunches to go for the next visits. Still, of course, availing ourselves of the Queensely Bar.
The folks that we saw poolside were a mixture of working class woman with a day off – we met a few from a local factory, moms with their children – though the price point makes that difficult for most, Americans visiting their families and lots of gorgeous young men and women. I particularly loved watching the gorgeous young men oiling themselves. Whew it got hotter.
When by BFF, Janet, came to visit she instantly chatted up everyone and discovered folks I didn’t know from Pontelandolfo. Other days I bumped into my English students and women from town. This is the place to ward off the heat of summer and luxuriate in surroundings found in tonier towns. I am so glad I was introduced to Queensley Country Resort.
Here is their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Queensley-Country-Resort/496928613745805
Hmmmm, summer will soon be here. There now – don’t you feel warmer?
Nonna's Mulberry Tree 