From our short trip to G’s hometown.
This past Easter was special because it was the first time we visited after little A’s Nonno passed away. There were a lot of phone calls and facetiming with Nonna, but it was nice to actually see her and check on her after a few months of his passing.
She wasn’t always the most energetic person, although she’s always been stronger than steel. But this was understandable; she’s been looking after her sick husband for almost 10 years and that can take a toll on anybody. But she seemed to have found peace, which is something I had hoped for. She seemed to have regained her strength, both emotionally and physically, and she managed to go out with us. Something we never did, like, never ever.
We went out to Ostuni, which is about an hour drive from G’s hometown. It was a lovely little touristy city.
The town is small but very touristy, compared to the quieter Giovinazzo. It’s also known as the white town because the buildings are all painted white. A quite typical Italian city that produces good olive oil and good wine, has a very pretty cathedral with amazing artworks. If you do manage to visit the Cathedral, stop by the gelato shop right in front of it because they have delicious gelato. I think I took something with honey and figs (!)
We both made and ate so much food, naturally. During Easter, many Italian families eat lamb, which is what we did. Not complaining, even though the thought of us eating an ENTIRE lamb made me wince jus a little bit. But we devoured everything on our plates, of course, along with many other things.
And of course we had to pay a visit to my favorite pastry shop: Giotti. I’ve written about Nicola Giotti and his wonderful pastries and work ethic a couple of times here on my blog, and I have to say, nothing has changed. Maybe the fame part. He’s been interviewed by numerous magazines and newspapers, received special recognition from the city and also the region of Puglia for his works and has been invited to various events all around the country. And now he’s planning to write a book. It’s about time, really.
Easter and Christmas are the two busiest times of the year because chocolate is centerstage on these wonderful holidays. A’s Kita, which is quite German, frown upon giving your kids too much chocolate which I appreciate and agree, but in Italy, chocolate is loved and enjoyed all year round. But yes, Easter and Christmas, people do get a bit more excited about it.
Nicola has been working on his own versions of chocolate Easter eggs for the past few years and now he’s working on chocolate molds with a mold company called Decosil to create different and more distinctive shapes. And these chocolate flowers! They’re all made of chocolate, including the pot and dirt. What.
All photos by rachelsanghee. April, 2019.