Month: July 2024

Culinary, Cultural and Cursing Adventures

by midgeguerrera, posted in Any Day in Pontelandolfo

Three Cs for the discerning tourist. Culinary treats, Cultural experiences and Cursing in a new language – complete with gestures. Vafan#@$%!

Did she say cursing adventures? Our sweet American lady in her third act would never suggest one come to Pontelandolfo to learn to flip the bird in another language. Midge would never ever simply curse in another language!

Dear readers, I might curse in multi languages at the same time, but is that really the same as cursing in another language which implies one language? 🤣

Sigh… The title for this concept was not my idea. For this new tourism initiative, I must give credit where credit is due. It was the idea of the witty, wise and wee bit snarky women from Baltimore who were here for our last Cooking in the Kitchen of Pontelandolfo experience. One of them suggested that the name for our activity should be the three cs culinary, cultural and cursing adventures. Cursing in another language is the true mark of an educated person.

For the sake of decorum, I will not reveal which of these howling ladies came up with the idea.

I thought about this idea, it really does make sense. What follows is X rated and not for those folks who have never cursed and will never curse.

When we’re happy we curse. When we’re angry we curse. When we’re sad we curse. But what language do we curse in? When I was a kid, I cursed. OK the only curse I really knew was the F bomb. Both my parents used the F bomb. After a while, the F bomb became simply a yawn bomb.

Now in Italy, I’m hearing curse words light. Simple ones like caspita which means damn or merde which means poop and the list goes on. What our guests were referring to were the words dashed out by the men playing scopa in the piazza or arguing over bocci points. Words like stronzo, che cazzo, or bastardo. You can look them up, I am too embarrassed to define them.

Susan at age one was whispering “eat shit.”
I replied the family password, “and die.”

Sadly, I must admit my sweet sister Susan and I would often say something horrific to each other. Usually, after my mother blamed the wrong one for some egregious error. Imagine my delight to discover that we could share the love in Italian with – mangia merde e morte! Sounds so much better in the language of Dante.

But seriously, our tourism inattive has gone beyond cooking. Speaking of cursing, we have a fabulous group of playwrights coming in October. THERE IS ONE SPOT LEFT MESSAGE ME FOR DETAILS. I am a playwright and I curse. Does that imply all playwrights curse? No, but I a betting a few F bombs dash out on pages just to add a bit of reality.

If you would like an experience that goes beyond the backpack carrying mass tour and experience literally Italy, including a smattering of bad words. Send me a message. We are setting up experiences for 2025 now. Together we create something unique and real. I cannot guarantee you will hear cursing. I can guarantee it will be an experience you won’t forget.

Ci Vediamo

Midge

Check out our new updated website for Cooking in the Kitchens of Pontelandolo!

Can’t get to Italy this year? Read my book Cars, Castles, Cows and Chaos and live the life with me.

Where is Fernando Fiat today? Read Cars, Castles, Cows and Chaos.

Playwrights Come to Pontelandolfo

by midgeguerrera, posted in Any Day in Pontelandolfo

Write Where You Are, a non profit committed to providing playwrights with a variety of opportunities, is sponsoring its first Playwright’s Retreat! Administrative Director, Jonathan Samarro, has been working with a group of Pontelandolfese – gulp, that includes me – on creating the perfect October 14th to the 23rd, 2025 experience.

Write Where You Are 2024: Pontelandolfo offers playwrights the space, time, and community needed to move forward in their work.  The Italian landscape and village life are a great catalyst for creativity.  In addition to providing time for ones own daily writing, they’ll offer activities to inspire you, from master classes in playwriting, to a stimulating array of cultural events and opportunities to socialize with fellow writers as well as local people.   This is your time to nurture your work.

Write Where You Are – Pontelandolfo participants will share large double rooms in La Locanda della Presuntuosa, a large villa on acres of land.

Pontelandolfo’s cobblestone streets take you to a castle tower, cafés, ancient Roman churches and miniature works of art hidden within an area steeped in history and culture where the main plaza is still the center of town life and lore.

The retreat is only open to eight people. ONE SPOT REMAINS! Playwrights who participate in other Write Where You Are experiences signed up quickly. Interested in that one last spot? Contact Jonathan for more information – jonathanjsamarro@gmail.com.

INCLUDED HIGHLIGHTS: October 14 – 23, 2024

  • Transportation from the Benevento Train Station to Pontelandolfo
  • 10 nights a villa near the historic center of Pontelandolfo. 
  • Most meals are included, either out or cooked by our host/cook. Vegetarians can be accommodated.
  • Arrival Day Bar Crawl will help you know the town and for them to meet you.
  • Local Sourced Food Lunch at Agriturismo Borgo Cerquelle
  • Master Classes with Rosemary McLaughlin, director of the Playwriting Program at Drew University.
  • English Speaking Translator for all Italian centered events.
  • Daily opportunity for participants to share work.
  • Opportunity to meet and talk to Italian theater professionals. (https://solot.it/chi-siamo/)
  • Wine and artesian food tasting at a local vintner.
  • Excursion to Altilia Roman Ruins
  • Traditions of Historical Pontelandolfo – hunt for family crests and learn to roll cheese, la ruzzola. Cheese rolling is a sport that is now recognized and goes back centuries.
  • Excursion to Benevento – museum, Teatro Romano, Hortus Conclusus and explore historic center.
  • Optional Excursion to Reggio Caserta. Tickets are currently €15.
  • Wood-fired pizza made high in the Sannio hills in a centuries old oven.
  • Transportation to all workshops and events.

Ci vediam a presto!

Midge

Longing for a trip to Italy but are doing a staycation? Sip a Prosecco and read my humorous travel memoir, Cars, Castles, Cows and Chaos. Published by Read Furiously.

.

Culinary Adventurers take Over Local Bars

by midgeguerrera, posted in Any Day in Pontelandolfo, Nonna's Trips & Events

Bar Crawl! One can’t possibly appreciate Pontelandolfo’s culinary delights without experiencing the cultural delight of the Southern Italian bar. Cooking in the Kitchens of Pontelandolfo, the program we started i 2016, offers more than tasty cooking. Participants also have unique tasty experiences.

Pour yourself a glass of something sparkling and join me for a Pontelandolfo Bar Crawl.

2024 Group One
Group 2 – Did Jack sneak into the Crawl???

First stop – Cafè Style. Run by the Nardone sibling, Antonio and Asia, the bar is nestled above the village and morning coffee there includes a glorious view. For our bar crawl, the participants – many for the first time – try a “spritz.” Often advertised in the USA, Aperol is the go to ingredient for a spritz. This orange aperitif, along with ice, Prosecco and a dash of fizzy water makes a colorful sparkling drink. Aperol is produced by the Campari Group. Speaking of Campari – Campari is my go to ingredient for a spritz that is a bit bitter and has a higher alcohol content. Just switch out the Campari for Aperol in the recipe and sip a great end of a long day adult beverage. The other happening spritz option is Limoncello, Yumm it tastes like a cool summer lemonade. My famous Los Angeles niece, Alexandra, turned me on to those. I hadn’t seen them in Pontelandolfo. The minute she told me to try one – zoom – I saw fashionable people sipping them in Piazza Roma. How did I miss this perfect summer trend??

Now, a spritz can’t be had without a little nosh. An aperitivo and a big nosh is called apericena – who needs a dinner. Frankly, I don’t want to waste my third act worrying about dinner and often grab Jack and head out for that 8:00 PM adult beverage and apericena. Ahhhhhhh.

Since this is the season of cucumbers, tomatoes and other early garden crops, Group 2 enjoyed an amazing cucumber salad, bruschetta of fresh chopped tomatoes, local cheese and sausage. Culinary plus cultural adventure number one!

Notice Pontelandolfo’s iconic tower in the background.

Onward! No weary partiers in our groups! Next stop Bar 2000! Down the hill, around the curves and into the center of town we go! Bar 2000 is owned by Ghaleb, a Tunisian expat, and his wife Rosaria. Calcio may be booming on the large screen but the late night snacks are middle eastern. The scent of the large skewer of meat slowly turning on the electric spit wafts down the street. Think of all those places you have visited serving Gyros. Here a handheld version is made with the addition of lettuce, tomatoes and more. These palate pleasing “piadine” are wrapped in foil and scarfed down by all. I suggested Italian beer as the cultural experience but, hey, I’m not their mom and one could drink what one wanted.

Since no one except me was tired. We ambled down the cobblestones to our final stop – Bar Cafè Elimar.

Bar Elimar is also a tavola calda and has a neat interior dining space. Since it was a Saturday night, the outside was jammed packed. Saying we’re not hungry but eagle looking forward to our crepes.

After a long day filled with conversation, tasty morsels and alcohol, what could be better than a Nutella filled crepe accompanied by a digestivo! Some adventurers tried Strega, the aperitif made locally. The Strega recipe of secret herbs has been guarded for centuries. Others, myself included, sipped dark colored digestives like Amaro di Capo, Cynar, Vecchio Romagna, or- gulp- sweet Limoncello.

Huzzah! We made it through another bar crawl. What culinary and cultural adventure waits around the corner? Everyday, life in a Southern Italian village like Pontelandolfo reminds me that we truly are lucky to live “la dolce vita.”

Ci Vediamo

Midge

Time to organize our 2025 Culinary and Cultural Adventures.