We were invited to the beautiful area of San Felice Circeo about an hour south from our house along the coast to have dinner with friends. The evening started at 5:00pm as we drove into the scenic area of San Felice Circeo and parked along the harbor.
We settled into a little cafe overlooking the water as we waited for our friends to arrive. What better way to spend the time then enjoying an espresso while seated at the airy maritime themed cafe. Our friends arrive and take us around to see a few sites, first we walk along the headland that is visible even an hour away at our house. These headlands were not created from sea erosion as headlands usually are, rather a continuation of the Apennines mountain range that was formed through the shifting tectonic plates. The San Felice Circeo headlands take on the appearance of a persons profile and of course there is legend that goes along with it, a legend of rejected love and death that takes on immortality in the form of a profile in a mountain range.
Our friends take us to a look-out point on top of the headlands with a sweeping view of San Felice beaches and old town. They point out the little window of their tiny studio that faces the old city square. They also show us the crumbled ruins of an ancient wall that whispers of people inhabiting this place in another time.
Everytime I scramble over ancient ruins or explore walled towns I try to picture the people and the lives they lived here. In this case near the time of the Itruscans so I can see them here in their tunics and robes looking out over the same curve of the ocean and warm beaches below. The wind in their hair as they also dreamed of the future or held sorrow for the past.
But now it is our turn to live our lives and enjoy this place, so our friends take us to the old city square where they live. In the summer season it is teaming with Italian tourists enjoying the beach and marina. The old city square with its narrow cobblestone streets and restaurants spilling outside to enjoy the warm late summer evening. The tables all dressed in their formal white table cloths and adorned in wine glasses sparkling in the reflection of twinkle lights hanging from the canopies above.
It’s that perfect time of evening when the sky is still blue but the sun has retired for the night and has yielded its bright rays to make room for the twighlight. I imagine that it looked similar 300 years ago when the buildings and walls were first built to protect the townspeople from marauders coming up from the beach. The ladies would stroll by with their stiff corseted bodice and full petticoat made of Indian cotton or silk. They would wave at a friend with an arm graced with a bell shaped sleeve caught at the elbow to show a frilled lace trimmed chamise underneath. They would smile at the Gentlemen in powdered wigs who tried to catch their eye, strutting by in their jackets and breeches in velvet and brocade.
But now, back in 2017, we make our way through the quaint little plaza admiring the potted flowers and wicker furniture with bright red cushions. Everything is ready, cushions are fluffed and tables set for the steady stream of visitors that will feast here tonight.
I’m enjoying my view as I walk behind our small group of six friends, all chatting and enjoying each other’s company. One of the husbands has one hand grasping a wine bottle and his other arm draped over the shoulder of his friend as they walk along. One of the wives has brought a gift of a fresh bunch of celery to our hostess. The celery looks as fresh and inviting as a bouquet of flowers with the green leaves still intact and promising this celery has not sat on a grocerers shelf. Our friends lead us to their house, a little studio apartment through a heavy wooden door and at the top of a flight of stairs.
The studio is perfect for this newlywed couple, a big window that overlooks the rooftops of this old city and a dining room table set for a dinner for six. The young couple is cooking dinner together at the kitchen sink. The wife is preparing Bruscetta with avacado and tomato while the husband is chopping the octopus he caught in the sea.
I sit in the window sill enjoying the view of the ancient clay rooftops reflecting the last of the setting sun. I can see the bell tower with the cone shaped roof and the homes built on the ancient wall, our hosts’ sister lives just across these rooftops and I imagine them waving to each other in the early morning hours. The white stucco buildings start to cast a warm glow as the lights within are turned on and families start to gather for dinner.
It’s also our time for dinner to begin and we start with the assortment of Bruscetta, arrayed on the platter there are a choice of gorgonzola and pear or tomato and avacado or pesto. Of course we must try all three. This is followed by the ever appreciated buffalo mozzarella as it graces the table with its companion, the crusty artisan bread. Then we are served a salad of the fresh chopped octopus and the beautiful celery that tastes perfectly married together. Wine is poured and we make the difficult choice of deep peppery red or sparkly refreshing white. Next up is the stew of octopus that is so fresh and tender we enjoy every morsel. We are learning the importance of pacing ourselves in the flow of dishes and courses that are the Italian dinner. Not being able to eat another bite we sit back and bask in the warm glow of conversations with friends and the happiness of being well fed.
Soon there is a knock on the door and the couples parents have stopped in for a visit, they too enter the cozy room and take a seat at the window. We all share wine and conversation together in a melody of English and Italian. Then the wives are up preparing our dessert, we have a native Australian present so she whips up eggwhites into a batch of fluffy sweet Pavlova baked to a warm perfection and topped with fresh fruit.
Soon the evening must come to an end and we are back out on the cobblestone street making our way home. I will never tire of this part of Italy, this view as we walk back to our car, to the sound of the clanking dishes of people dining in the lit up town square, to the enjoyment of friends and an evening well spent.
For Other Great Travel Stories from Italy in our Archives:
A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)
A Visit to Castelli Romani (Published September 13, 2017)
Dinner for Six (Published October 1, 2017)
Italian Cooking School (Published October 8, 2017)
Culinary Tour of Napoli (Published November 17, 2017)
Changing Seasons in Italy (Published November 25, 2017)
Our Trip to Englands Cotswolds (Published January 12, 2018)
Cooking with Pasquale (Published January 28, 2018)
A Tour of the Garden of Ninfa (Published May 7, 2018)
A Trip to Montefiascone (Published May 17, 2018)
San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscan Hill Town (Published June 9, 2018)
Tuscan Hot Springs of San Filippo & Saturnia (Published June 13, 2018)
