Monday, 17 October, 2022 – We talked to Elias today. He is still not feeling 100%. I am worried, but he continues to plug along.
He said he was not a big fan of Orvieto. It was posh, expensive, and not as friendly as Salerno or Naploli. He felt like it catered to rich tourists. He said it reminded him of Mission Hills. He also had a little hairy trek to get there. Without a car or the train, which he could not find the schedule for, he ended up walking that road I put the picture on Day 81. The journey up the mountain looks fun from a car – not so fun on foot. I am a wimp where heights are concerned, admittedly, but I remember driving on that road and being a little freaked out at the steep drop-off.
These are the two pictures he posted of Orvieto. They are pretty, I think. I will be interested to hear more about his impressions.
On the other hand, Elias liked Genoa a lot. He felt like it was accessible, cheaper, and friendlier. He is taking advantage of his access to all the seafood, too.
He has been sending pictures of his meals to David, the most recent of which I saw today. This first picture is of a meal Elias cooked for himself in Salerno. Sitting next to the pictures of meals he had at restaurants, I really appreciate Elias’s skill as a chef these days.
This is what he wrote to David: “Thought you might like to see dinner tonight. I went to a market and got a whole fresh sea bass I think then only wanted to get a few ingredients so it was a bunch of shallot, parsley, some white wine, pepperocino, olive oil and butter with some sort of Texas toast.”
