This is the fourth in a series of posts recapping my trip to visit family in Italy through the notes in my journal. You can read the previous post here. The notes have been edited for clarity, and to avoid making you want to drive an ice pick into your eye.

Day 10 – The Tennis Rematch

Today we tried hard to find a proper leather shop that’s actually open – there’s a week-long festival going on in southern Italy that’s caused most shops to close during the time. I’m giving up the hunt; nobody’s running an open leather shop right now.

We did, however, manage to find Davison the PS4 controllers we needed to play Super Hot VR.

Enza came over to the house for a bit, after which point we left for the big tennis rematch between my brother and Davison’s friend, Vincenzo. I acted as chair umpire for the match, which Adam won 6-3, 6-1. The two showed up as opponents but left as amici, and vowed to play again one day in the future.

Before the day was done, we all went for a walk to take a photo in front of the scenic bridge and “Welcome to Grotteria” sign that was not far from my aunt and uncle’s where we were staying.

Overall a relatively uneventful day, but after the craziness of the days leading up to now, I was grateful for it!

Day 11 – The Sea-Side Lunch

Today was a wild one. We started by going to the beach with Ortenzo, Pepe and Stella. We did some snorkelling, lounging and sunbathing, and then it was time for lunch. Two plates of pasta, one plate of seafood, three beers, three glasses of wine, one Limencello shot and one shot of gin later, it’s safe to say I ate and drank all I could.

After lunch, we rolled out to the family farm and were given the grand tour. Farms in southern Italy aren’t like the farms you’d think of here – they’re not built on flat terrain, with crops arranged into neat rows. No, they’re built directly into hills and mountainsides, with tiny plots here and there, and wild trees staking their own claim elsewhere.

The tour was a harrowing journey that took us along precarious cliff walls, through thickets of thorn bushes and on unstable ground. It was a massive plot of land though, and it was beautiful.

We ended the night playing 2-on-2 Briscola, which I didn’t know was possible. It was Adam and zio Salvatore against Uncle Amadeo and I. For the record, we won 3-2. I don’t know which I’ll remember more fondly: zio Salvatore’s cheating at cards, or the spirited conversation throughout the day.

Day 12 – The Mall Adventure

We took the city bus to the mall ourselves today. The driver was very friendly, even going out of his way to bring us to an off-route liquor store that we needed to visit to buy some gifts. Mom and uncle Amadeo bought the best bottle of Rum the store offered, to give as a gift to Ortenzo and the family for their hospitality over the past several days.

We ended our bus trip at the mall, where we shopped for several hours before needing to call for a ride back to the house – the bus only comes by every three hours, as it turns out, and we had just missed it.

We napped when we got back, before heading out to the beachfront restaurant where Enza works for dinner. It felt a bit awkward; the conversation was sparse, and the restaurant was out of most of the items they offer. The only employee working was tired and frazzled, and the pizza was only so-so (I know, NOT COOL).

We were glad to lay our heads on our pillows tonight!

To be continued next post…