Cos'avete di secondo?

After our weekend away in Venice it was back to normal for us on Monday. Our dog sitters, however, having been relieved of their duties were free, once again, to visit various local areas of interest. The most exciting thing that happened to me, on the other hand, was a trip to the dentist.

On Monday, Douglas and Susan went to Recanati, to visit the house of Giacomo Leopardi, the great Italian philosopher, poet, essayist, and philologist. Whilst they enjoyed the tour, the osteria that we recommended for lunch turned out to be closed, as did several other places – a not uncommon occurrence in Italy on a Monday – but they did eventually find a place to eat on the main square.

They had trouble of a different sort with lunch the following day in Ascoli Piceno, which they also loved, when they eschewed the famed and stylish Caffè Meletti, renowned for its olive ascolane, in favour of a rival restaurant elsewhere in the square. It was not a great success, partly because the staff seemed little interested in actually serving them and partly because it seemed to have changed hands recently and be undergoing a transition. When Susan, having asked for a menu, started to try to order she kept being told that it was off. They did eventually, after the chef came out to see them, manage to get a grudging couple of plates of pasta to sustain them for the afternoon.

A trip to Sant’Elpidio al Mare on Wednesday proved more successful as they had lunch at Ponti Oscuri, an osteria whose flyer they’d picked up when at the café at Tod’s outlet (as you would expect with such provenance). Then we were all in very safe culinary hands on Thursday when we were their guests for a midday meal at Pina. As usual the food was simple, plentiful and fabulous, from the Campofilone pasta with ragù to the fine slices of still pink roast beef (that is what they called it, not us) to the baked artichoke hearts. I can’t comment on the quality of the green beans, which, being the work of the devil, I shunned but the others seemed to enjoy them with no lasting ill effects, such as spinning heads.

And then it was time to say goodbye. Douglas and Susan left on Friday morning, leaving us to a quiet weekend after all the excitement. We did, though, find time for a shopping trip to Corridomnia, a place that has not featured in these pages recently. We came away with some summer shirts for me and some storage boxes, including one to house Susan’s detritus, which she thought was better left with us for their next visit. We also bought a small metal table to use on the area of the terrazzo by the front door, because what is the point of having a couple of chairs to relax in if there is no place to rest your Spritz?