Sunday, 4 October
Note: If you are reading this only in email and not going to the website, you are missing all the fantastic photos!
It was dark when I woke, showered and did my final packing. Nicole picked me up at 6:00 for the one and a half hour drive in a light fog to Munich airport. Sunday morning traffic was much lighter than Thursday at noon. Found a parking space and headed in. I had my boarding pass and no bags to check so we had some time for coffee and breakfast. I said goodbye to my German hostess, tour guide and driver. Security had no lines and I only had to take off my belt and empty my pockets to go through. It is nice to not have to take off your shoes, dig out your liquids and laptop each time
I found the gate and had enough time for another coffee and even found a weekend copy of the New York Time, pretty skinny the International version. The flight to Naples was full but we were on time. The Naples airport seems less organized and is a little more hectic than Munich.
I found the Avis counter and left with the keys to a Fiat Panda, a small four door that I think is a hybrid, All the messages are in Italian so I can’t tell but there is a little battery display that gets longer and shorter. No Android Auto so I need to use my phone display, unfortunately the mount I brought does not really fit anywhere. There is a slot in the middle of the dash that holds a phone but covers the bottom of the display. That helped me make a wrong turn or two leaving the rental lot so I was able to see some of not so scenic Naples.
I read that Italian drivers consider speed limits and no passing zones as merely recomendations. I can now vouch that is correct. Most of the two plus hour drive was on highways, The last 20 miles was winding curves and mostly uphill. Lots of motorcycles speeding down, usually in their lane.
Anzi sits at over 1,000 meters, 3,300 feet, on the top of a mountain. I met Ilaria after four to check into Karlin’s House, a wonderful apartment with a bedroom, kitchen, and living area; my home in Anzi. Anzi is celebrating a Festival for St. Francis of Assi this weekend so I headed up to the square to check it out. The kids were playing games and pinatas were hanging overhead.
I walked back to the apartment to unpack and head back up again for 6:30 mass. The church dates from the mid 1800s so it is where my grandfather, Luciano Martoccia, would have been baptized, in 1882, and married, in 1904. His parents were married there in 1899. That’s a long story for another day. About thirty women and only two other men attended mass.
Leaving mass a band was playing in the square. Several vendors were set up in the area. I picked up a genuine Italian sausage sandwich. When I walked back to the square, Accipiter, an Italian folk, pop, and funk band that blends traditional Southern Italian music with modern styles started to play. A very interesting sound, hard to describe, click on the link above for a concert. I listened for a couple of songs but the early morning is catching up with me so I headed back to the apartment to finish this up and then hit the hay