After spending many happy hours in Valle Vaccaro, we got in our cars to go back to Frattolli for lunch. As we left V.V., we could see down below the small cemetery that they had pointed out to us on our way in. It was, like almost everything in Italy, ancient. They pulled the cars over and we all got out and walked down the hill into the cemetery. It was very small and surrounded by an old stone wall with an iron gate. On the way down Angela found some berries and we picked them and ate them. We opened the big ir
on gates and went inside and looked at all the headstones. It was difficult to read some because the words carved into the stones had been washed away over the years, and there weren't too many headstones, but we found a few "De Federicis" family plots from long ago.We got back in our cars and headed back down towards Frattolli where 
our luncheon was waiting for us. We were going to a local trattoria and Luigi told us that the food would be typical Abbruzzi food. We arrived at the Trattoria called "Monti della Laga", and everyone who was at V.V. had joined us. We went inside and went into the back room where a long table was waiting for us. We all sat down and were served almost immediately. There was, of course, all kinds of wine on the table and something that me and Gary thought was part of the decor - small, thin red peppers spread all over the table - only to find out later that they were meant to be eaten by cutting pieces of them onto your plate. There were so many of us at the table, and just like at Blandina's I was so impressed that even though there was a language barrier, we all seemed to get along great and have so much to talk about. Gary and I were sitting next to Barbara and since her English was so good she was able to tell us a lot of things we wanted to know. They started bringing out dishes of food, but I was afraid to try any of the meats because I didn't know what they were. They brought out a huge platter of some unidentifiable meat and Gary tried some because he had decided he would try it first, then ask what it was. I didn't want to try anything that I didn't know what it was, so I didn't have any. After Gary ate some he liked it and asked Barbara what it was. She thought for a minute, trying to think of the English words, then said - "Mother of Goat!" but then she realized she said the wrong thing and said "Lamb's mother!" and Angela corrected her and said it was Sheep. Here is the complete menu: Antipasto, fagiole (bowl of cooked beans), big bowls of chicken li
vers and onions, spinach gnocchi, pasta with mushrooms, sheep, roasted potatoes and Abruzzi cake for dessert. The food was very good, especially the gnocchi, potatoes, and the dessert! Then Angela told me that the cook had kept coming out during the meal to find out if we were enjoying the food and was worried that we weren't and offered to make something different if we didn't like what they were serving. We didn't know that was happening, and I felt bad because I realized how much they were trying to impress us, and I didn't want them to think we didn't like it. So after the meal I told Angela we all enjoyed it and asked her if we could thank the cook. They were all very pleased that we would do that, and said they'd go in the kitchen to get the cook. I don't know why, but I 
was surprised when the cook came out and I found out it was a female. We thanked her and told her how much we all enjoyed it. She didn't understand much English, but I think she knew what we meant, and then I asked if we could take her picture with us, and she agreed. She kept asking us if we liked it and I honestly told her how much I loved the gnocchi and told her it was one of my favorite foods. Our meal was followed by, of course, more wine and other drinks including limoncello, grappo, amaratto, a black licorice liqueur, and an herbal liqueur. Gary had gone outside where the men were smoking, and out there they offered him some "hard" liquor. None of the men that were outside with Gary spoke English, but they ordered Gary a drink. It came in a small glass so he drank it down like a shot, but then noticed that they all still had theirs and they were just sipping them! Since Gary drank his so fast, they ordered him another one, which he drank a little slower but still finished it before they finished their first one. They just looked at him and ordered him a third drink! It was all very funny, and I was surprised he was still standing! We all were ready to leave the restaurant, and just like when we went to Shannon's Pub our first night in Teramo, or when we went to to the Agritourism restaurant with Marco's family, not only did we not pay for anything - but we didn't even get a chance to try to pay because we never even saw a bill or saw anyone else pay for one!
our luncheon was waiting for us. We were going to a local trattoria and Luigi told us that the food would be typical Abbruzzi food. We arrived at the Trattoria called "Monti della Laga", and everyone who was at V.V. had joined us. We went inside and went into the back room where a long table was waiting for us. We all sat down and were served almost immediately. There was, of course, all kinds of wine on the table and something that me and Gary thought was part of the decor - small, thin red peppers spread all over the table - only to find out later that they were meant to be eaten by cutting pieces of them onto your plate. There were so many of us at the table, and just like at Blandina's I was so impressed that even though there was a language barrier, we all seemed to get along great and have so much to talk about. Gary and I were sitting next to Barbara and since her English was so good she was able to tell us a lot of things we wanted to know. They started bringing out dishes of food, but I was afraid to try any of the meats because I didn't know what they were. They brought out a huge platter of some unidentifiable meat and Gary tried some because he had decided he would try it first, then ask what it was. I didn't want to try anything that I didn't know what it was, so I didn't have any. After Gary ate some he liked it and asked Barbara what it was. She thought for a minute, trying to think of the English words, then said - "Mother of Goat!" but then she realized she said the wrong thing and said "Lamb's mother!" and Angela corrected her and said it was Sheep. Here is the complete menu: Antipasto, fagiole (bowl of cooked beans), big bowls of chicken li
vers and onions, spinach gnocchi, pasta with mushrooms, sheep, roasted potatoes and Abruzzi cake for dessert. The food was very good, especially the gnocchi, potatoes, and the dessert! Then Angela told me that the cook had kept coming out during the meal to find out if we were enjoying the food and was worried that we weren't and offered to make something different if we didn't like what they were serving. We didn't know that was happening, and I felt bad because I realized how much they were trying to impress us, and I didn't want them to think we didn't like it. So after the meal I told Angela we all enjoyed it and asked her if we could thank the cook. They were all very pleased that we would do that, and said they'd go in the kitchen to get the cook. I don't know why, but I 
was surprised when the cook came out and I found out it was a female. We thanked her and told her how much we all enjoyed it. She didn't understand much English, but I think she knew what we meant, and then I asked if we could take her picture with us, and she agreed. She kept asking us if we liked it and I honestly told her how much I loved the gnocchi and told her it was one of my favorite foods. Our meal was followed by, of course, more wine and other drinks including limoncello, grappo, amaratto, a black licorice liqueur, and an herbal liqueur. Gary had gone outside where the men were smoking, and out there they offered him some "hard" liquor. None of the men that were outside with Gary spoke English, but they ordered Gary a drink. It came in a small glass so he drank it down like a shot, but then noticed that they all still had theirs and they were just sipping them! Since Gary drank his so fast, they ordered him another one, which he drank a little slower but still finished it before they finished their first one. They just looked at him and ordered him a third drink! It was all very funny, and I was surprised he was still standing! We all were ready to leave the restaurant, and just like when we went to Shannon's Pub our first night in Teramo, or when we went to to the Agritourism restaurant with Marco's family, not only did we not pay for anything - but we didn't even get a chance to try to pay because we never even saw a bill or saw anyone else pay for one!
As we walked out of the restaurant and were ready to get into our cars, Barbara came up to us and asked if any of us left a bag behind because they had one in the restaurant. We all said no, none of us had any bags. Then she insisted that it must be one of ours. We all still said no - Joyce, Annette and I had our purses, and none of us were carr
ying any bags. Then Barbara said - I think you might call it a "fanny pack". Joyce and I were standing next to Gary and we burst out laughing. It was just too funny! Gary had lectured us about watching our wallets and purses BEFORE we left for Italy and all DURING the time we were in Italy, and then he leaves his fanny pack in the restaurant! It had his passport in it, his credit cards, his American cash and all his Euros!!! And he left it behind! It was just way too funny... but it turned out that wasn't the end of the story... Gary went back inside with Barbara to get his fanny pack, and when he came out we were still laughing and couldn't wait to get back to tell Debbie about it, but then Gary said - I didn't leave it in the restaurant. We didn't know what he was talking about and we looked at him trying to figure out what he meant, and he said - I left it at the church and someone brought it here because they knew this is where "the Americans" were coming later for lunch. He had left it behind in the beautiful church in Fratolli that we had been at hours and hours earlier!!! If it was at all possible, we laughed even harder! We were doubled over! We had even been to Valle Vaccaro and back in the meantime - and someone in the church found it and knew it was one of ours and brought it to the restaurant knowing we'd be there later. Only in Italy!When we finally stopped laughing, we all got in our cars and headed back to Teramo where we were going to meet back up with Debbie and Aunt Evelyn and then go to dinner at Blandina's. We got back and found out that A.E. was feeling better, and Debbie had very successfully beat her in several games of Scrabble (we don't know that for sure, but that's Debbie's version of the story!).
That's the end of this section of the story, but next go to "Sunday: Dinner at Blandina's" to read more about all the wonderful time we spent with the family on our last evening in Teramo.
1 comment:
Hello Gale, your blog is amazing! It is full of information and you are very precise about the descriptions. The episode of the lost fanny pack by Gary is nice!! I'll continue to read what you'll write here. See you soon, with love your cousin Barbara from Teramo
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