Gallipoli and the Frutti di Mare

On Wednesday, Mari and I found a little free time to make it to the other coast of Puglia- Gallipoli! Gallipoli was gorgeous but befor we go any further, this is not the same Gallipoli where the battle in World War One was fought. That's a totally different Gallipoli- it's by the Dardanelles and I won't be going there any time soon. This is the Gallipoli of seaside resorts, the freshest seafood,a me clear, torquise water. 

Thanks to my underwater camera (which is also drop-proof- praise be! Otherwise I would have ruined it 100x over by now) I was able to sneak to the waters edge and take this photo. The water is stunning, so clear. Even in the deep parts off the docks you can see straight to the bottom. Mari treated me to an apertivo of prawns, raw muscles (called hairy muscles in Italy because the outsides  are covered in hair), nuts of the sea(they look like clams), and oysters. Everything served crudo- raw. And of course the obligatory white wine. 

 

The fish monger loved us because the day before Antonio's wildly energetic and unforgettable sister Ester had been to see him and buy loads of fish to bring back to Rome with her. Mari mentioned the relation when we were buying our fish and we got a bunch of special tastes and extra goodies. It seems this is pretty common in Italy, so if you know someone who knows someone- make that known! 

Gallipoli was a welcome break from the days on the farm which are wonderful and rewarding but also can be long and tiring. Yesterday I was laid out all day with a 24hr flu which was frustrating and made me wish I'd brought more sleeping clothes. It also made me wish I'd brought more vitamins and ibuprofen. But today was another sunny gorgeous day with milking to be done and cheese to make, and as my days here are ticking by, I don't want to spend even one laying in bed.