Santa Lucia and Beautiful Gaeta

Exploring Gaeta in the morning, going into Gaeta Medievale (Gaeta Vecchia) on the tip of the penisola.




















Our B&B host sets up breakfast for his guests at Cafè L'Angolo. Look who once stopped there... Gigi Proietti from a favorite program of ours, "Bulletproof Heart"!


Instead of hiking up the mountain right then, and since we were in Gaeta Vecchia, we decided to have a big lunch at Le Salute, recommended to us by our host. Carla, the hostess/owner, took to us right away, circling to our table to hang out and chat. We ate heartily.

He was in heaven with this particular version of linguine e vongole.

My scialiatelli allo scoglio was also pretty darn amazing.

And this carries the taste of 
my grandma's bread

I wish I could say this was our second course, but it served the next table. I just photographed it to put a picture on 
Facebook and make my friend Stefano insane with longing.

They call this cake, but sadly it turned out to be mousse, which I find disgusting and felt I should've been properly warned.


We needed to walk off that big lunch, lobster or not!

Gaeta has a split mountain, which creates sort of a slot canyon. Inside the rocky crevice is a teal-blue grotto, called Grotto dei Turchi, where those infidel pirates supposedly hid. There is a sanctuary at the mountain's top.

Explorer John Cabot

Hiking up up up, through a forest


The other side of the peninsula is all beach and lidi. We are staying closer to the harbor side, a 15 minutes walk from there.


Turkish grotto



View from above


Split mountain 


Chapel at top

Oculus 

Don't jump!

Vertiginous 


Beam him up

Along the slot path, I rubbed these with my thumb. So smooth, gratifying, meditative.


I thought of my own happiness, seeing my kids again, though nothing compares here 






We decided to stroll back to the B&B (now warm; we figured it out), rest, and put our feet up before tonight's festivities.



Vespa club sports models through the ages, even some military versions.



Great live music and light show

Fireworks galore




Young ballerinas performing in the street



Program actors gather afterward 

Crowds



Pulcinella, of course!

He sees the light

Skating rink


We were full from lunch, and ended the evening at a bar called Hermes, where we had drinks and a light snack-y dinner.

I like these saint's day celebrations, and I LOVE Gaeta.

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