We left Matera this morning, and it felt like we were saying goodbye to family. Our hosts Vincenzo and Karla have created a beautiful and restful retreat in Matera, and we feel like they made us part of their family while we stayed.
This morning we were served a wonderful treat - a French clafoutis, which is a dish of baked cherries covered in a flan-like batter. It was delicious, especially when served with a cup of hot, strong espresso, and sweet, fragrant homemade strawberry jam spread on fresh bread made in the style of the region which, according to Karla, gets its unique and delicious flavor and moist texture from the locally grown wheat. Below is a picture of our breakfast today.
What? You don't see anything? Well, sorry, nothing left to see but cherry pits. You didn't really expect us to leave any for you, did you? But you might be able to notice the fullness in Bob's stomach if you look hard enough!
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| Views from the breakfast terrace |
After leaving Matera, we headed west to Pompei, and had more fun and games on the Italian Autostrade. Autostrade, when translated to English, means "auto straddle", which is a a quaint local way of describing how to drive on the freeway. Remember, white lines are more for style than anything else - just like pinstripes on an Armani suit. We enjoyed photographing the local wildlife driving down the roads. I'd like to mention that none of these drivers were in the process of changing lanes at the time these photos were taken.
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| This roadsign is more of a dare than a hazard warning |
On several occasions our two lane road became a de facto three lane road, as cars passed in plain sight of oncoming traffic, knowing the drivers in both lanes would simply move to their respective side of the road, leaving the white center line open as a third lane. Sadly, we passed more than 10 floral roadside memorials in just one 50 kilometer stretch, and it made us wonder how many others there were without bouquets of flowers left behind?
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