We are still in Sorrento and to our delight are invited to visit a family that lives outside of town and have lunch with them.
All we know is that this extended family lives together--their houses are side by side and they spend a good deal of their time together. The Nonna, or grandmother, has her own small apartment. Her daughter lives in the adjacent larger house with her two daughters who attend college and high school. A younger male cousin lives down the street and spends a lot of time with the family.
Their joint house is painted a pale yellow. Nonna cooks in the kitchen, making the pasta and sauce. The mother and father both go to work. The family supplements their income with their farm animals--chickens, pigs, and a cow. They are not pets. Milk, cheese, eggs and eventually the pigs will be sold.
Their extended backyard is their garden. They grow everything you can think of from tomatoes and peppers to beans, eggplant. The list goes on. They buy their wine at the local cooperative.
There is a long communal table in their dining room draped in a bright yellow tablecloth with sunflowers on it. The family eats most of their meals together. This is where they sit and talk about their day.
Nonna speaks very little English but we are still able to talk to her, despite the fact that she speaks in a local dialect. The mother speaks a little English and can understand us if we speak slowly. Both daughters learned English in school. The oldest daughter is the most proficient.
We talk mostly in English but are curious about the grandmother and try to speak some Italian slowly so we can engage her in conversation.
Theo wants to know where the animals are and impatiently stomps around, sniffing everything. He can smell them. He is meowing.
"Geez. Give us a minute."
I'm curious about the house, the role that Nonna plays, how the family survives economically, what is considered a typical Italian meal, but Theo insists we look at the animals first.
Their land is not flat. The animals are kept on the higher portion so we need to climb some wooden stairs to get to the top.
"Can we see your animals?"
The two daughters act as guides. We climb the stairs. It is rustic. There is nothing fancy about this operation. It is very functional and pragmatic.
First we see the chickens. There are a slew of them, milling around in the cage. Very chatty and when Theo steps up to the cage to get a better sniff, they react. They become even more skittish.
And there are the two pigs who want to sniff Theo as much as he wants to sniff them.
We then saunter over to where Ms. Cow resides. She is a real beauty as far as cows go. She's been part of the family for years. Theo is very interested.
We lift Theo up to get a better look at her. She glances over, not particularly enamored of a cat and we're about to go, but Theo objects. He likes what he sees. He wants to get closer.
"It's almost time for lunch. Nonna is cooking the sauce." The two daughters climb the stairs. Dan follows.
I'm hungry and can't wait to eat, but Theo has other ideas. He wriggles and wriggles and I put him down. He gets closer to the large pen and seems to be looking for a way in.
"Theo, what has gotten into you?"
Over on the side, there is an opening. He stands there and waits and sure enough Ms. Cow comes over. She leans down, curious now.
Theo sticks his paw through one of the openings.
I step away. "Theo."
But there is no budging this cat away from this cow. He sits down, quite comfortably on the cement floor.
"So you'd rather stay here and eat?"
It's easy enough to pour out some dried food in a pop-up plastic bowl I carry with me.
I start to climb the stairs and glance back. Theo hasn't touched his food. He's staring into the pen.
Oh my gosh, is he in love? With an Italian cow? Will wonders never cease? And, no, we're not taking Ms. Cow back to America.
That’s amore!
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