Jack and I are blessed to be able to buzz back and forth between our homes in New Jersey and Pontelandolfo. Travel is never easy. Does anyone love the lines and commedia of any airport? The waiting for late flights. The agony of cancelled flights. It all is horrific. We were packed and ready to head back home to Italy when Newark Airport became a shitshow. Outages in the tower causing traffic controllers to practically faint at the controls. Runway mishaps and construction problems. What?
Then the text from United Airlines came. If we chose to cancel our flight, even though we had nonrefundable tickets, they would be happy to give us our money back. Hmmm. What are they telling us? Next, I heard the CEO say that to keep their passengers safe they were canceling flights. Cripes. I cancelled. (Still waiting for the refund.)
Searching for last minute direct flights through Philadelphia or New York JFK was impossible. Then the gift from the goddesses appeared in my inbox. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 was having a last minute sale on empty cabins. I looked at Jack and bought two tickets. (What, you thought I’d leave home home alone?) The base price was considerably less than premium economy on any airline.
The fare was $859 each. Add on transportation to Heathrow Airport from South Hampton, Cunard Care Health Insurance, taxes and port fees and the total for two people was $2046.54. That includes food but not adult beverages, Wi-Fi, or the tips. I am not sure what the final bill will be but when I do, you will be the second to know.
One of my creative friends suggested that I was echoing my families immigration experience – in reverse. Is that why I saw the Cunard ad? A message from someone who came before me? Write about the parallels she said. Gulp. Let that challenge begin.
Like my grandma, passport in hand, heading to Napoli to grab a ship, we headed to the Brooklyn Piers.
Our great driver, Al, from Spectrum Limo got us to Brooklyn in record time. It was much easier than the ride to JFK Airport. With three kids in tow, luggage, food and a husband who was already in New Jersey, my grandmother struggled to get to the dock in Naples. Someone from Pontelandolfo got them there. Then she was on her own.
At the Brooklyn Pier, porters grabbed our luggage from the car and free of encumbrances we walked to the terminal. WHAM, then I got the chills. Long lines snaked trough the terminal. As bad as or worse than any airport at Thanksgiving. As we crammed into the que, Aunt Cat’s story of Ellis Island took over my consciousness.
Struggling with bundles, Rosaria and her three children joined the Ellis Island mayhem. Crammed to appear upright between her mom and older brother, polio crippled Catherine was marched through the madness. Children were crying, different accents were heard and the closer they got to the people in charge the more fear built up in Catherine.
Engulfed by a cacophony of accents – mostly British Empire – I could see and feel Aunt Cat. We were squished and prodded through to passport and ticket control. They took our pictures. I asked why. Who is monitoring the pictures? If we don’t look “right” will they refuse to let us disembark or back into the USA? Was Aunt Cat forcing the words out of my mouth. Or was I just a tired Jersey girl?
Little Catherine was right to be afraid. She was pulled from the line, taken from her now crying mother, and placed in quarantine. Her experience disembarking the ship had a lifelong impact.
Daily, my grandmother and grandfather came to check on her. Their lack of the English language and peasant status made the ordeal sad, frustrating and scaring. Obviously, Catherine was ultimately released and they began a life in New Jersey.
Domani o dopo domani I will continue the reverse journey story. The Star Link WiFi sucks. You may or may not get this blog post. Let me know. Please add it to social media for me. The WiFi on the ship – that I spent $240 on – doesn’t let me access social media. Hugs to all of you and all of your journeys.
In the spring, summer and fall of 2024 our house in the hills was rocking with out of towners. For ten years, we asked, cajoled, begged and pleaded family and friends to please come and visit us in Pontelandolfo. Hardly anyone did. As years passed, no one did. This past year everyone did. We were so booked that we had a paper calendar on the kitchen wall with days blocked off and names scribbled in, scribbled out and new ones scribbled in. I felt like our door was not just revolving but always open.
Shut the door you’re letting the flies in. Shut the door you’re letting the cold in.
That said, we were happy to have a full house. We saw people we hadn’t seen in years. Catching up is always fun. I hope this summer we get just as many guests.
What an enormous bugia! Most days I was happy to have a full house. Other days, I took my computer and hid in a bar.
Come on Midge, every experience no matter how frustrating is an opportunity to learn. I learned that there is a lot to learn. Having all these folks passing through and me shaking my head like an insane Auntie M, I realized that there were things that guests, retreat participants, culinary tourists and everyone who visits us needed to know.
One of Jack’s cousins suggested I was doing my readers a disservice by not sharing my incredible knowledge of random and useless facts about traveling. She encouraged me to come up with a list of Ten Things Tourists and Guests coming to Pontelandolfo need to know. This suggestion was given after I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and said, you don’t have a debit card? How could you come to Europe and not have a debit card? Gulp, I need to work on may people skills.
Deciding to take the task seriously, and with her input, I riffed on things I noticed people having a problem with. Ta, da – Here is my arbitrary and lightly sarcastic list of Ten Things Tourists Need to Know:
No one here wants your American dollars. Even the local banks don’t want to exchange your dollars for euros. Unless you are washing your cash, why would you bring a sack of dollars? Bring a sack of euros. Stuff them in your bra. That’s what I do. When in Italy use euros. The 1950s ugly American idea that the entire world craves “American Money” is over. About 25 years ago, my father joined us on an excursion to Pontelandolfo. He knew that the kids in our extended family were in college so he brought a stack of $50 bills to give as gifts. Every single kid said thank you, looked at the bill, looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Unless you were in a big city there was no way to change the dollars.
2. Make sure you have a working debit card. With a debit card you can go to any automatic teller machine and get the best exchange rates on the currency of the country you are visiting. I take that back. Only go to bank automatic teller machines not the ones named after someone’s pet cat. When you get a debit card or if you have one but haven’t used it out of the country, call your bank and make sure it works abroad. I had a panicked cousin who had just gotten a debit card and discovered it would’t work anywhere but at her bank. An irate call to the bank unearthed that the card didn’t work because it wasn’t a debit/credit card. She ended up borrowing euros.
3. Beware of the seemingly friendly offer to charge you for your purchase on line, in a store and/or at an automatic teller machine in US dollars. You will be screwed on the exchange rate. Make sure you click euros. Your bank will do the exchange at a better rate.
4. Use your credit card not your debit card to buy stuff. Credit cards in a store or restaurant provide a more secure way to shop. Credit card companies will usually refund, cancel and harness the creeps who steal your info. This advice does not come from me. I can barely add. It comes from my banker and numerous articles I’ve read from credible sources. And, some cretin did steal my credit card number and used the card/number to buy breakfast everyday at the same bar in Campobasso. Yes, they were caught and yes, my bank handled everything.
5. Please don’t be a creepy traveler (especially in Pontelandolfo where I know everyone) and use a credit card in a small local caffe or shop for a cup of coffee and a biscotti. My personal guideline is if it is less than €25 I pay in cash.
6. Double check all the adapters for your electronic devices. Not every country abroad has the same plug configuration. “What, I used this in Germany, why the @$#% doesn’t it work in Italy.” Because you are in Italy not Germany. Depending on where you are, it might be difficult to get the correct adapter.
7. Make sure your bags make it directly to your final destination. Airline and airport blues make the beginning of your trip a nightmare. Guests have told me that they missed flights to Naples because they had to get their checked bags in another European country and go through control again before boarding their flight to Naples. I then ask the same question. Were you flying on two different airlines? Don’t. For example, we would fly Lufthansa from Newark, New Jersey to Naples, Italy. We changed planes in Frankfurt. Our bags came all the way through to Naples. If we had flown airline A from the USA to the EU and then a different airline to our final destination, the odds are we would have had to get our bags and schlepp them to the second airline. Double check when booking your flight. I always ask, ”the bags go all the way through, correct.” Yes, I book flights on line but being anal, I also call the airlines.
8. Pack less not more. Jack just asked, how do you know what you need until you get there. Jack also said, if you forget something you can buy it. Sigh. I tend to overpack or rather over pile stuff on the bed and then toss out half. Packing cubes are incredible. I’ve got both compression and regular cubes. Sorting your clothes can be particularly useful if you are moving from city to city. I sort, because my type A personality likes clothes organized by type. Ladies, gulp, maybe it is because I am in my third act, but I discovered that sanitary napkins are a life saver on many counts. I am able to wear a pair of trousers more days using sanitary napkins. (Shhhh, that is a secret.)
9. Make sure you have a working phone. Don’t cheap out and think you can just keep your phone in airplane mode and/or just use wi-fi. We have had folks stranded at the train station with no way to contact us. When you are in a Wi-Fi zone it is easy to use free services – like Apple to Apple texting and FaceTime. Many Italians, us included, use WhatsApp. WhatsApp is even used by doctors and businesses here. For clarity of sound, I’ve discovered that Facebook messenger is incredible for calling pals in the USA. Again, don’t only rely on Wi-Fi as your only means of communication. Pay the fee to have international access or buy a SIM card wherever you are. A digital warrior who lives here has another hack. She bought a rechargeable portable hotspot. Hence, WiFi everywhere she goes.
10. This is a biggy. Make sure your passport is up to date and doesn’t expire within a three month window of your trip. I have no idea why that rule exists. Could someone explain it to all of us? It seems to me, something expires when it expires but who am I to have an opinion. A young relative of mine slated to visit us last year, discovered his passport would be in the unusable two month window. He had to fly to another state to go to an in-person passport center and get his new passport in one day. Yikes! Though, thinking about it, not being able to get home might start a new adventure.
NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT COMING TO PONTELANDOLFO THIS YEAR!
Cooking in the Kitchens of Pontelandolfo is a magical experience that started in 2016. Last year we even won an award. We have a session in May and another in September.
2025 Writers’ Refuge in the Sannio Hillsis our second writer’s retreat. Last year Pontelandolfo hosted playwrights who raved about the experience. This June, creative writers are encouraged to spend time with us.
Up in the air junior bird man. Remember when flying was as easy peasy as putting your thumb and pointer fingers together to make a mask out of your two hands and then, with mask in place, singing and zooming around the house? Sigh, how I long for those days. Now it is surfing the web for air fares, thinking you found a deal and then pulling out your hair as your dates won’t work. Errrrggggg. With an extended family that we adore deciding they should all be getting married this year, we have been flying back and forth to Italy more than normal. That meant one of us had to handle the insanity that is ticket buying. Thank God, Jack enjoys the hunt and doesn’t cave under the price chase pressure.
This flight back Jack booked us on “low cost” (their website words not mine) Norwegian Air. Compared to our usual flights in premium economy seats, we saved about $1500.
WHAT A BIG LIE! – BECAUSE WE SAVED $1500 we promptly booked a hotel in Rome for four days, first class train tickets to Benevento and ate in great Roman restaurants – What? Jack is reading over my shoulder AGAIN and says the air fare savings is the story. Stick to the story. Beh.
Norwegian Air now flies directly to Rome from Newark – a much easier airport for us to get to. So for a base price of $959 for two premium economy tickets one way, Jack started shopping. Of course the $959 number was only good after we wanted to go. Our tickets form Newark to Rome cost $1293. Getting back next year will cost us the $959. Still pretty cheap. Jack bought the $32 priority boarding privilege. Not bad. Then you add on the airport fees – eleven different fees to be exact. What the hell is Council City Tax (HB) or US APHIS FEE (XA)? Smack the fees on and our price for two premium economy seats was $2535.
Why not cram four bags and two computer bags into Tony’s car?
The Norwegian Experience —-
Tony and Andrea once again drag our suitcases to the curb and kiss us good-bye. We were there the requisite three hours early and were the only folks at the Norwegian Air counter. The woman who helped us was charming and fun. We dumped our luggage and headed for the included Arts Lounge. This is the “First Class” lounge for a slew of low cost airlines. We discovered that Premium Economy is also considered First Class by Norwegian air. Actually, they only have two classes on a plane – couch and premium. The lounge was incredibly full of furniture and people speaking a babel’s worth of languages. The chairs were comfortable and they had a hot buffet. Did I mention that our flight was leaving after 11:00 PM? Snacks, wines, sparkling wines, beers, hot food and comfortable seats – hmmm next time we should come earlier.
I read our tickets and realized that the flight was operated by Privilege Style. A quick google resulted in our knowing that this was a charter company that offers flights on behalf of other companies. Gulp. Maybe we need to cancel the flight or just walk to Pontelandolfo. The ever tranquil Jack brought me another glass of something alcoholic and said it was an adventure.
We easily got through TSA and went to the appropriate gate. At 11:00 PM I noted there wasn’t any plane at the gate. A glance at the call board didn’t even have a flight listed. I had to restrain my Jersey girl bully and started to get up to find out the story. Suddenly, an announcement was made to the 100 of us sitting at the gate. “Norwegian Flight 7194 was leaving from the other f%&^ing side of the airport – RUN.” No, they didn’t say that but they should have. We all got up and power walked to the other side of the terminal. There this line of pissed off people calmly – NOT – went through the TSA drill for a second time. Our priority boarding fee wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. By the time we got to the right gate they were boarding everyone.
Then we turned left into the plane. Our seat – my God our seats – they were the size and shape of Business Class seats on other airlines. There was a security screen that Jack could raise between our seats so I couldn’t talk to him. The seats reclined flat and bed like. There was tons of leg and wide butt room. Cozy and comfortable. Each of us was given a very Nordic throw to keep us warm. Pillow? Nope. Headphones to watch the video screens? Nope. Cute little bag with earplugs and eye shades? Nope. But hey it was cheap and I carry all that on anyway – well not the pillow. I put on my eyeshades, plugged up my ear and slide the seat down to bed. Ahhhh – what is that I hear – a cocktail cart. Whisk, I was up and had my hand out. Sorry no Scotch. They had wines, beer and sparkling wines. I sipped my Prosecco and went back to sleep mode. About an hour later my nose woke me up sniffing hot food. I vowed since this was a red-eye flight I wasn’t going to eat but the smell – – –
We both had pretty tasty salmon, salads and I don’t remember – oh year a funny messy bunch yummy potato thing. All was served in a cardboard box with plastic cutlery. Remember this is a low-cost carrier. Since my earplugs weren’t compatible with the entertainment system, I popped open my iPad and watched the movie I had downloaded. Actually, I will make sure to always do this. Than, the choice is really mine. After the movie, the mask was back, ears were plugged and the big snooze happened for a few hours.
At 11:30 AM Italy time, we were all woken up to the scent of coffee. Instead of breakfast, we got a cardboard box of a brunch thing – teeny tiny pigeonesq eggs, salad, salami, salad covered in crumbly cheese and mild Nordic cheese. Not the best food – remember this is a low-cost airline. Correction – Jack said the food was good!
Would we fly them again? Hell yeah – the seats went flat and were big. Will I let Jack convince me to drop a bundle on a mini Roman holiday? Hell — maybe.
Keep the questions coming! I will try to answer then! When should we visit Italy? As soon and as often as you can. What are the holidays? Many of you have asked about Italian Holidays – well, here is what I have discovered –
It takes government action to declare a public holiday. Workers – I’m guessing full time not contract or part time – are entitled to a day off with full pay. If they have to work – like there is a giant sale at the mall – they must be paid 2.5 times their normal rate. Do not get sick, have your car breakdown or any other emergency on a public holiday. Very little is open and hospitals are understaffed. No really – do not get sick in August either.
Here is the list of Italian Public Holidays –
January 01
Capodanno
New Year’s Day
January o6
Epifania (La Befana!)
Epiphany
Monday After Easter
Pasquetta
Easer Monday
April 25
Festa Della Liberazione
Liberation Day
May 01
Festa del Lavoro
Labor Day – May Day
June 02
Festa della Repubblica
Republic Day
August 15
Ferragosto
Assumption Day
November 01
Ognissanti
All Saints Day
December o8
Immacolata Concezione (This is the beginning of the Christmas season.)
Immaculate Conception Day
December 25
Natale
Christmas Day
December 26
Santo Stefano
St Stephens Day
Religious and – as Jack call’s them –
Greeting Card and Flower Shop Holidays –
March 19
Festa di San Giuseppe
St. Joseph’s / Father’s Day
February 14
Festa degli Innamorati
St. Valentine’s Day
February
Carnevale
Mardi Gras/ Fat Tuesday
Variable
Pasqua
Easter
Second Sunday in May
Festa Della Mamma
Mother’s Day
November 2
I giorno dei Morti
Day of the Dead
Pontelandolfo Holidays
September 19
San Gennaro
Naple’s Patron Saint
May 21
San Rita
Procession & Blessing of Cars
June 13
San Antonio
Procession
1st Week in August
San Salvatore
7 day festa, film festival, venders, rides, entertainment
August 16
San Rocco
Procession
All of the small villages in our province take their holidays seriously. There is an incredible communal feeling to be part of a procession, share a panini on the street, listen to the music and know that you are part of a larger family.
If you would like to feel like you really are living in an Italian Village – even if just for a week, take a peek at this web-site and let us create a holiday just for you.
OMG – I flew back to the USA one month ago and went AWOL! Not really, I just got off the plane, leaped into the fray and went into culture shock. Let’s turn back the clock….
Arrivederci Pontelandolfo.
Leaving Pontelandolfo is always emotional for me. I get a little teary eyed as I put the boxes in the storage room. Life there is – well – just good for me. With our suitcases stacked on the terrace, we stuck our thumbs out and hooked a ride with the Sindaco of Casalduni and two of the consigliere. They were headed to Naples for a regional meeting on the windmills. (To remind yourselves why I hate them read – http://wp.me/p3rc2m-pp.)
These bright young men, loaded with data that defines the negative impact windmills have on their town and the towns around them, were preparing for battle. Riding with them I felt like the fly on the wall as they revisited the travesty that is the green mandate and tweaked their presentation. At Capodichino they pulled over, yanked our overstuffed bags out of the trunk and sped off to lend their voices to the cause.
I pulled out my Italian passport at the Alitalia desk and attempted to check in. Six Months ago, I entered the country on an Italian passport and figured I should let them know I was leaving. With her heavily shadowed eyes, the counter attendant looked at me sternly and snarled where is your visa. Visa. Shit, I wasn’t the clandestino. She wants my visa? “Perche?” USA visa. “Oh, I don’t need one,” and I whipped out my USA passport. “Sono cittadina!” She got nicer and said that she appreciated the fact that I loved my history enough to have both. Whew. PS, she let my overweight carry-on go with a warning.
Quick leap to Rome. I had forgotten what an incredible mall Leonardo Da Vinci Airport was. It I hadn’t had to show my passport I would have thought I was at the Short Hills Mall or on Rodeo Drive. Gucci, Dolce and Gabana, Burberry, Mont Blanc…
Women with mid-western twangs sat behind me at the gate. Here is what I listened to —
Sicily – whadda ya think?
It was Ok but there wasn’t anything you know, cute. The shops didn’t have anything I would want. All they have are fish stores and bakeries. There wasn’t any place cute like you know Bed, Bath and Beyond… Would you come back?
Why? We came once. How about that beach – you know with the club? What a drop off. Did you go in?
Yeah but in my bikini – I had to wear ugly swim shoes. Beach has rocks. Didn’t know it was rocky and …
NO I DID NOT BLATHER AT THEM OR STAB MYSELF WITH A PEN. I did think – Open your bloody eyes bitches! I didn’t even turn around to see how old they were. Well, yeah I did – Shit my age…
We love Alitalia for its Premium Economy. Cost less than First Class, the seats are comido and it is a great bargain using air miles.
Landed at JFK on a Thursday night and hit the tarmac running. The next morning I was meeting with the caterer and facilities manager for the the Hillsborough Jr. High 50th Reunion – scheduled for a week later.
Price point culture shock set in almost instantly. I ordered a cappuccino and the barista said $4.75 – what the f**k – I have been paying .90 in the land of the cappuccino.
Enough. I’m back. The blog is back. You’re back. Life is good. Ci vediamo!
FaceTime at work! I hate to do a commercial for Apple but I have to tell you, FaceTime is an incredibly easy way to chat with the pals at home. Sometimes, however, the visual can be a little scary. I mean you never know in what state of composure you are going to catch someone. But then, they don’t have to answer the chirp. My best bud Janet called me via FaceTime and snapped this shot of me on her iPad with her iPhone. Facetime works really well from iPad to iPad. What I really like is the ability to switch the camera from a shot of me to a shot of where ever I am. There is a camera on both the display side and the back. Or is that the front? Apple says “FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using it is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your mom. Find her entry in your contacts and tap the FaceTime button.” (http://www.apple.com/ios/facetime/ ) It hasn’t been quite that easy for me. After you tap the FaceTime button you are asked if you want to use the person’s cell phone number or e-mail address. I discovered that my friends and I had to use our e-mail addresses not cell phone numbers. Once we figured that out it was seamless and we use it often.
Happy Hall Family Via Skype
Skype is another service that I use to chat face to face with friends. You have to know the person’s Skype moniker and that is a pain in the proverbial butt. I can barely remember my own name and find it tedious to e-mail pals and ask for their Skype addresses. The Skype visuals seem out of focus or pixel yucky (note the techy jargon). Microsoft now owns Skype and I wondered if that was why it didn’t work well with my Apple family of products. The audio, however, is always pretty clear. Occasionally it is a little behind the video – kind of like bad English dubbing of a foreign film. Or bad Italian dubbing of Law and Order. I have put a few pennies into the Skype pot to make calls to landline phones and it has never worked for me. It is pennies to call the USA via Skype and Verizon charges gold bullion for international roaming. That said, the Skype calls never connected and were dropped. I have read a number of reviews on line that swear that Skype calls work really, really well. Well, I really, really haven’t experienced that.
The easiest interface to use is facebook. All of your two thousand best buds are listed on the right hand side of the screen. A little green dot means they are allegedly on-line. The little green dot could also mean the computer is on line the the human is out having cocktails on the patio. Click on the name of the friend whose green dot beckons you. A screen pops up so that you can instant message or click on the little camera and a video call begins. You don’t have to know their phone, number, e-mail address or shoe size. I have used the facebook video chat a lot.
Thanks Kathy for being my facebook friend.
Facebook is how I connect with my Italian family when I am in the USA. The video is often rough around the edges – to the point of being ghost like. The audio quality seems to vary depending on the space the person is in – cavernous echoes have been known to happen. I didn’t realize until I sat down to write this that Skype and facebook now have some sort of marriage. The icons appear on both web-sites.
To summarize: the Apple FaceTime wins but if you want to hear the voices of those you left behind any of these internet methods will work. Happy calling! Hey, if you know of any other ways to beat the phone companies and BS for days with pals around the world let us all know! I’ll be calling you!
Nonna's Mulberry Tree 