Salerno - Organic farm in the mountains

I am feeling better!! So here we go on catchup.

On the morning of the 12th Aug we got a taxi from our hotel in the centre of Rome to the Lease Car pickup point near Fiumicino Airport. Our taxi driver could not speak English but he sure can speak frustrated Italian when, after 40 mins, we were 2 mins away and the police had closed the road, the window was down, words were said with lots of arm waving before he followed the rest of the traffic around the block at snails pace to drop us off 10 mins later than planned.
Our Peugeot 2008 car is new, as all lease cars are, and is everything we wanted. We had a lovely guy show us the ropes who took more time than the rental car companies do, to give us the instructions, on how everything worked. Although, I think we are just better at asking the right questions as this is our 5th rental car. You save a significant amount by getting a lease car instead of a rental car but you do have to have it for a length of time. In our case, a month.

Got to admit we were extremely nervous about driving out of Rome and heading to Salerno, a 3 hour drive. We stuck to the motorways this time which meant we hit tolls, we did do some research about the toll gates so getting our ticket was easy, when it came to pay it was a different story, we got the manned booth as planned but we had no clue what he was saying to us and after putting cash in, getting in spat out, then using our card, all to no avail, it came up with an exorbitant amount to be paid, we used our card and away we went. We have avoided the tolls since, even though we have conducted a lot more research. We have talked to Italians and they have been stung with ridiculous amounts as well. Oh well, another travel story.
I booked our accommodation way up on a mountain above Salerno, tricky getting to it but so worth it. Views out over the valleys, ocean and Salerno down below were superb. We had the dubious honour of watching a wildfire start on a nearby mountain. The airplane that was filling up out of ocean below us, then flying through the mountains to the Mt Vesuvius wildfire to dump on it, was then diverted to put the one out we were watching. Very scary time for Europe as the wildfires keep raging.

Our accommodation had two swimming pools but the best part was the organic orchard, vege garden that was part of the property. We were allowed to wander through it and help ourselves to the fruit and veges. The tomatoes had the best flavour. We went out early one morning and an old gentleman was working in the garden, he made us take some greengage plums and he was very proud of the Kiwifruit that was thriving there. We communicated through hand gestures, a special moment. The next day they had pulled out the dried up pea stalks and laid them in a courtyard to dry. They then separated all the pods from the stalks and using a spade threw them on the concrete which put the peas up in the corner and the dry matter strewn about. The old gentleman then used a cloth to flick over top of the waste and it separated everything from the peas. You could tell this practice had been happening for many years. Fascinating to watch.
They had: olives, apples, kiwifruit, grapes, greengages, nectarines, variations of aubergines, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and more. All terraced on a hillside and fed with organic fertiliser they make on the property.
I was wandering in the garden in the evening when I heard bells clanging and a dog barking. I followed the sound and could tell the animals were going to be heading past our driveway so I actually ran to make it to the gate to video them. Turned out to be goats being bought in from the forest, I have a video below and you can hear me puffing 😆
When we first arrived we quickly put our gear inside then headed back down to Salerno to get some supplies. I clicked on a supermarket in Google Maps and away we went. Ended up taking us up this very narrow alleyway, nearly ran over an older gentleman’s foot, who was sitting on his doorstep, he casually pulled it out of the way, he was obviously used to this. We did finally make it to the supermarket, believe me they are not like our supermarkets! Having to weigh all your fruit and vegetables, putting a ticket on them, before taking them to the checkout is a trick you only learn about when you reach the checkout!
We took a walk up the road where the cattle run free with bells on, the forest seems to be the grazing ground for these animals as well. The sheepdog they had here was a Maremmano-Abruzzese breed which is indigenous to central Italy 😁 Sitting on our deck in the late afternoon having a drink overlooking the magnificent countryside and the Adriatic sea was a special moment for us. Made more special by celebrating our 49th wedding anniversary there.
We loved our time here, I could have easily stayed longer, but we were booked for Matera.Read more