In Italy, especially in small towns, it's common for people to get up early on the weekends and head off to the beach in the summertime. Since word spread about the sudden weather change that was going to happen, my friends felt there was more traffic than usual as we made our way up to Peschici. Of course since we drove out of town pretty late (around 10am) we finally got there about 11:30am. An hour and half of going up and down a mountain side. Me and my friends joked about the dizziness at first, but this drive is not for the faint of heart. Actually, most roads in Italy are very narrow, and everyone drives around in an itty bitty car. No large trunk spaces around here. Not to mention, I understand why most cars are stick-shift. It's impossible to go up these steep hills! I did notice charter buses going from town to town. So you can get around using that. I would suggest to plan accordingly since most of these drives were averaging almost 2 hours. I knew off handed I was getting around places with the help of my friend who knew her way around. I wouldn't have been able to pull this off unless I used the EuroRail and those usually get you to the major cities.
We found parking near the local restaurant of the beach and figured we'll place a reservation so we can eat since we got hungry from the drive. Again, one hour of sun and then it's chow time! This time we did notice some vendors selling interesting beads and beachwear. I bought some cute sundresses for 5 euros! We also noticed a campground located on the beach. It seems to be pretty popular with Germans and since the owners of the restaurant were part German as well, it was nice to see other cultures venturing out to this beautiful beach. Supposedly people camp out at the beach all summer! NICE!
The Trabucco da Mimi was located right off the seashore and had a gorgeous view overlooking the beach and village. A "trabucco" is a special Italian fishing structure made of wood and usually perched on a cliff. We ordered some wine and decided to venture out around the restaurant for a bit for some picture taking. This was the life! I can get use to drinking wine everyday with a view like this! I can honestly say looking back I had a great time with my friends and listening to their views of the world and the Italian life. It does make you appreciate what you do and do not have everyday back in the states. Of course, being an American has its perks too. You have to remember, most Europeans aren't fond of tourists in general, and change for that matter. They take pride in their past and history, but sometimes have problems accepting new ideas and customs. I can imagine how frustrating it can be. My friend showed us an area overlooking the mountain side where a huge fire had taken place. Apparently, there was going to be new development to be constructed and a fellow villager started the fire to delay the process (or not have it built at all). Talk about extreme!
We went back down and laid out some more, but we then realized we did not want to ride back in the dark, especially down that mountain side! We headed back to town and dropped off our friend. She had to get up early in the morning anyway. We also had to get ready (again) because tonight was the final night of the summer concert series in town. Since a popular singer was performing, and the Italian press was going to be there, I decided to wear a silk one shoulder dress that I had won off ebay. I couldn't figure out where to wear this dress, and this concert was the perfect solution. Topped it off with my espadrilles, I ended up dancing the night away. I had so much fun! It was pretty exhausting but completely worth it...
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