As my birthday quickly crept up on me again this year, Jamie and I were trying to figure out where to go that was very close or on the beach, affordable and had availability - not an easy task when it is July in Italy. All the Italians seem to migrate to the beach and they spend from sun up to sun down there too. Many other Europeans also head towards the sea for their vacations, so vacancies in desirable locations in better hotels are not in abundance, that's for sure!
Riann has frequently requested to go to the beach this summer, and I just wanted to see Riann & Lincoln having a good time, maybe sip a few good drinks sea-side or pool-side and get a little reading done. We finally decided on a hotel in Pontecagnano which is found just a little further down the coast from Salerno. It was only about an hour drive, and we were able to spend most of Friday afternoon on the beach. To watch Riann's face light up as she dug holes, made sandcastles and ran in the surf was enough of a present for me.
Friday night we went to a restaurant off the beaten path from the main street of our hotel, "Giardinello" was recommended as "the best" in town by a staff member from our hotel. The only problem was we got there and it was not even 7pm yet, and in typical Italian fashion they were not yet open. Riann and Linc usually go to bed at 8pm, so we kept our fingers crossed and waited outside like stalkers until it opened. Most of the seating was outdoors with a playground in the middle. We were the ONLY people there for our entire meal but Riann and Lincoln were happy taking turns eating and running around climbing on the playground.
Saturday we woke up to clouds and a lot of wind. We had planned on spending the day between the pool and the beach, but it didn't seem quite warm enough. (It is sad that we have acclimated our bodies to thinking HOT is above 95, and it "feels cold" below 85.) We ended up making a quick decision to go into Salerno, do a little walking around, check out some sights and probably get gelato. We stumbled upon Duomo di San Matteo, a beautiful old cathedral,
and we walked around the little cobblestone side streets lined with shops. And of course, we found gelato but "gelato on a stick". The sun came out and it got hot, so we headed back to our hotel. We walked over to the beach but it was so windy and the seas were really rough.
We spent a few more hours at the pool before dining at our hotel's restaurant. The hotel also had a playground near by the dining area, so dining with the little ones was a pleasant experience once again.
Sunday was my birthday and I woke up to Riann delivering several handmade cards about a foot from my face and a little "It's your birthday Momma" whispered in my face. We had a nice breakfast at our hotel then headed home so Riann and Jamie could create my birthday cake. With a quick stop at a little road side market to get watermelon and peaches, we got home before noon and had the rest of the day to play.
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