Malta in the Mediterranean: Tourists discover the little country that could

 

You're never far from the water in Malta, the EU's smallest country sits by itself in the middle of the Mediterranean

How is it that a Mediterranean island most Americans could not find on a map earns the distinction of an over-crowded, heavily congested country with the highest tourism density in Europe?

An how does a travel writer who aims to avoid beaches and touristy travel not only end up there, but leaves impressed with its culture, history and culinary traditions?

Tell friends in the U.S. that you are going to Malta, and the response will likely be a blank look or a polite "Where exactly is that?''  

Italians, Brits, Germans and Russian need no help finding the handful of tiny islands in the middle of the Mediterranean sea between Sicily in Italy and Tunisia in North Africa.

They know the European Union's smallest country (122 square miles) well as a quick weekend getaway, thanks to discounted flights from dozens of cities.

Move aside islands in Greece, Spain and Portugal. Malta topped the charts as Europe's most over crowded tourist spot in recent New York Post story analyzing the size of European island destinations in comparison to the number of tourists hosted.

Consider that Rhode Island, our smallest state is 10 times larger than Malta, yet Malta records more than four million tourists annually, roughly 6 to 8 tourists for every resident (population 575,000). 

As anti-tourism movements pick up in overcrowded cities such as Venice and Barcelona, could Malta be next? 

An Instagram site called Overtouristedmalta sends out viral videos showing crowded streets in the capital of Valletta, traffic jams and long lines at popular attractions.

All of this is no doubt true in the peak summer season when thousands of Europeans crowd the beach resorts by day and Valletta's nightclubs and bars by night.

Not knowing any of this, my husband, Tom, and I discovered a different side of Malta, almost by default. We visited in April when it was too cool for the beaches, but an excellent time to wander Valletta's steep, mostly-pedestrianized streets without the crowds, and learn about the country's religious and military history dating from Arab rule in the 11th century through the Crusades and World War II. 

"Where Arabia Meets Europe" is how Saudi Aramco World Magazine described Malta in its January issue. A confluence of cultures - Greek, Roman, Arabic, Sicilian, Spanish, French and British - gifted Malta with a blend of culinary traditions, architecture and a semitic language in the same family as Arabic and Hebrew, with phrases adapted from French and Italian. 

After stumbling on another article titled  "There's more to Malta than Beaches," we planned a a six-day stopover on our way to Bari in Italy to visit friends.    

Getting a handle on Malta's geography is tricky. Malta is the name of the main island as well as the country. It includes five islands in all, three inhabited, dominated by steep limestone cliffs indented by bays, inlets, and coves. Deciding where to base ourselves was the first challenge.

Besides the beach resort community of Sliema, the most obvious choice is Valletta, the European Union's smallest capital, built as a hilltop fortress by the Knights of St. John, a Catholic brotherhood of noblemen who fought off Muslim invaders in the 16th century. 

Unfairly maligned by viral visuals on "Overtouristed Malta's" Instagram site showing overcrowded streets, congested walkways and traffic, Valletta is a unique walled city built entirely of golden limestone, reachable 200 feet above the seafront via  hundreds of stairs or a 26-second elevator ride for one euro.

Steps leading from the seafront to the the top of Valletta

Hidden inside the walls is a rich collection of 16th century Baroque palaces, churches, monasteries and gardens built by the Knights. Museums, hotels, galleries and cafes line steps that double as "streets" in areas that are mostly-pedestrianized.

After looking for places to stay in Valletta and finding them either booked or expensive, we decided to base ourselves in quieter and less-congested Birgu, a fortified city on the southern side of Malta's Grand Harbour, directly across from Valletta.

A bit of history: Malta was part of the Kingdom of Sicily until 1530, when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V leased the archipelago to the Knights of St. John who, at the time, were escaping the Ottoman invasion of Greece. When the Knights arrived, they chose Birgu on the waterfront as their base rather than the 8th century inland capital of Mdina. Birgu served as Malta's de facto capital until the establishment of Valletta in 1571, when the Knights and Maltese civilians halted the Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean, and built a new city named for the Knights' grand master Jean Parisot de Valette. 

The walled entrance to Birgu

Birgu and two other towns (together referred to as the Three Cities) are connected to Valletta by land, but public ferries and private boatmen make short-cutting along the water faster and more pleasant than taking the bus.

Private boats make the crossing between Birgu and Valletta when the ferries are full or not running

Our Airbnb ($130 per night) was an air conditioned apartment in a renovated 300-year-old townhouse in a neighborhood of mostly pedestrianized streets where residents decorate the exteriors of their homes with brightly painted enclosed wooden and glass balconies, an Arab-influenced architectural feature that provides a sense of privacy for those who want to look out but not necessarily be seen. 

Staying in Birgu felt like living in a small village compared to bustling Valletta. We woke to the sound of church bells playing "Ave Maria" each morning, and became regulars at Cafe Riche, a neighborhood breakfast spot which served Tuna ftira, Maltese bread slathered with a tomato paste and topped with tuna, olives, olive oil, capers, goat cheese and sun-dried tomato.

A breakfast of Tuna ftira

Birgu's Fort Angelo

Tour groups come to Birgu for the day to explore Fort St. Angelo, a bastioned fortress at the tip of the peninsula, once the Knights' military headquarters, now a museum.

By late afternoon, with the tour groups gone, the few cafes on the main square cater to locals. English co-exists with Maltese as the official language, so it was easy to strike up a conversation with women at the bus stop, or people in a crowd gathered one evening to hear speeches by political candidates running for office.  

Birgu also happened to be the best location to view the Malta International Fireworks Festival, usually held after Easter, to mark the start of the summer fireworks season. 

The country has deep pyrotechnic traditions dating to the time of the Knights who celebrated military victories and important religious events with gunpowder displays. 

This year's festival finale, capped by 1,000 -drone show, happened while we were there. Tickets were already sold out for viewing areas with seating, but our Airbnb was within walking distance of a long pier where we joined locals who came with picnics, beer and chairs for a show that lasted more than two hours.

Food, churches and tunnels

A British colony during World War II, and still part of the British Commonwealth, Malta was key to the Allied defense of the Mediterranean. During bombing by the Axis powers, inhabitants took shelter in the secret underground cisterns and tunnels dug by the Knights to store water and food. 

The result is an entire city beneath the streets which visitors can explore on a walking tour with the Malta National Community Art Museum. Wearing hard hats and head lamps, we walked in the dark for an hour, passing by small rooms residents rented as emergency shelters.  

A religious plaque on a wall inside one of the tunnels

The Roman Catholic religion plays an important part in Maltese daily life. Many of its churches are baroque masterpieces. St. John‘s Co-Cathedral, built from limestone by the Knights in 1573, is covered floor to ceiling with inlaid tile work, gold, statuary and paintings including the Beheading of St. John the Baptist by Caravaggio, the largest canvas he painted and the only one he signed. 

Caravaggio's painting inside St. John's Co-Cathedral

Tombs of high-ranking Knights in St. John's Co-Cathredral are decorated with tiles depicting battle scenes

Laundry day

No, we didn‘t hit the jackpot at a casino. We went by ferry in Birgu to the laundromat in Valletta. Washers take only 1 euro or 50-cent coins. You insert a 20e bill in a machine, and it spits out 40 50-cent coins. 

Waiting for the laundry to finish was an excuse to have breakfast at the Museum Cafe with its marble tables and Maltese specialties. It's true that many restaurants cater to British tourists' appetites for fish and chips, but a robust culinary landscape awaits those willing to dive deeper into the island's flavors.

The Museum Cafe in Valletta

The national snack is pastizz, filo dough pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas (A British favorite), sold from street corner windows for 50 cents each. At the Museum Cafe, we breakfasted on hobż biż-zejt, a classic Maltese sandwich made with crusty sourdough bread rubbed with ripe tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with tuna, capers, onions, and olives. The national beverage is Kinnie, an orange-colored bittersweet carbonated soft drink flavored with bitter oranges and aromatic herbs.

There used to be a chocolate district in Valletta, but it‘s no more. There is, however, an excellent chocolate shop called the Chocolate District  where it's never to early for an orange-chocolate Martini. 

Italy's 'third tier' cities offer local flavor without the tourist crowds

Bari women dressed in medieval costumes for the feast of St.Nicholas

Mornings in Bari Vecchia, Bari's medieval old town, belong to the fruit and vegetable vendors, butchers and bakers catering to locals doing their morning shopping or kibitzing over an espresso at a sidewalk cafe.  

It won't be long before the tour groups arrive, and a new crop of vendors begin filling tiny donuts with chocolate Nutella, and taking orders for a chilled Aperol Spritz. 

As a port city on the Adriatic Sea and the capital of Southern Italy's Puglia region, Bari plays life down the middle, sometimes catering to groups who come to tour its castle and 12th-century basilica; other times turning its attention to its working-class population of fishermen and seamen.

Old Town Bari at night

Outside the walls of the old town, in the 19th century "new city," Bari takes on a sophisticated feel with fashionable shops and pedestrian streets lined with cafes serving avocado toast topped with eggs and smoked salmon.

Bari Vecchia once had a reputation as a gritty, no-go area, but that has changed as more visitors have discovered the Puglia region, and start their travels by train, plane or car in the capital city.

Inside the walls, along narrow pedestrian streets, Bari's nonnas (grandmothers) carry on a tradition of making pasta shaped like little ears (orecchiette) on tables set up outside their homes. And when evening approaches and the tour groups leave, and local residents take back the ancient quarter for their evening passeggiata.

A Bari nonna drying pasta on the sidewalk

Cries of "over-tourism" are buzzing around Italy these days with Instagram photos of crowds blocking the way into Rome's Trevi Fountain or human traffic jams in Positano and the Cinque Terre.

The answer for those who want to avoid this scene: Look towards  Italy's "third tier" cities  such as Bari or Sulmona, a mountain town in the Abruzzo region where my husband and I stopped recently on our way to and from visiting relatives.

Spend the night at a B&B instead of a hotel, and join the neighbors for an espresso on the curb outside their house that doubles as front porch, as we did in Bari. Or enjoy breakfast on a  rooftop overlooking snow-capped mountains, as we did in Sulmona. 

Famous sites might be scarce, but serendipity awaits. You might be invited to join in a  local feast day celebration,  or be waived onto a bus by a driver even though you don't have a ticket.

The statue of St. Nicolas

We were familiar with Bari's devotion to St. Nicolas (remembered as Santa Claus for the good deeds he did for children), the former 4th century Orthodox Catholic bishop of Myra, Turkey, from a previous visit. His relics are held in a crypt below the Basilica of St. Nicolas where a special chapel has been set aside for Orthodox worshipers who look towards icons rather than statues in prayer. 

An icon of St. Nicolas on its way to a parade in Bari

On this visit, we happened to arrive at the start of a three-day festival commemorating the arrival of the saint's remains in Bari in 1018 when Italian sailors spirited his body away from Myra for fear of muslim desecration. 

Locals wait for the parade to start from Bari's 10th-century castle built by a Norman king

We were invited to join in the fun as hundreds of locals dressed in homemade medieval costumes paraded from the town center to the waterfront where the next day a statue of St. Nicolas would be put on a ship for a boat parade, followed by fireworks, a light show at the basilica and the arrival of dozens of food trucks.

Abruzzo

Moving on from Puglia, our destination was L'Aquila, Italy's Capital of Culture for 2026. L'Aquila was devastated by an earthquake in 2009 which destroyed much of the historic center and displaced thousands of people.

It's comeback story is impressive, although incomplete, with major renovations of churches and historic sites ongoing. Our plan was to spend a couple of days there exploring, but first, a detour by train to Sulmona.

Sulmona's 13th-century aqueduct

If Sulmona was in Tuscany, it might be overrun with tourists, but the town, known for its sugar-coated almond candies that appear at every Italian wedding, is hidden deep in the mountains of one of the country's least-visited regions.

The old town is a delightful mix of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture, with a blend of history and modern charm. Actor George Clooney, drew attention to Abruzzo when parts of the movie "The American" were filmed in Sulmona in 2010.

The walk from the train station to our B&B in the historical center looked doable on a map, but the route was all uphill along a busy road with no sidewalks. We flagged down a bus, and seeing our suitcases, the driver waived us on even though we had no ticket  The bus was headed to a nearby town, but he was passing through Sulmona, so he dropped us off near the main square and its 13th century aqueduct.

From there it was a short walk, uphill again, to the B&B Il Marchese Del Grillo where the energetic owner, Marta, welcomes guests into antique-filled rooms in a restored 18th-century mansion.

Our room was two flights up from the entryway. The rooftop breakfast room was another six flights higher. The reward for this was a 360-degree view of the snow-capped Apennine mountains, and a made-to-order breakfast of croissants, scrambled eggs, prosciutto, fruit and local cheeses.

Sulmona with the Apennine mountains in the background

If you have ever attended an Italian wedding, you were probably given a bag of white sugar-coated almonds, called confetti. Chances are they came from Sulmona and Confetti Mario Pelino which has been producing them since 1783, now in its 7th generation of family owners. 

Edible confetti floral arrangements 

Copper basins are used to coat the almonds with layers of sugar

A walk outside the old town to its factory is a must-do pilgrimage to buy the candies, now sold in bright colors and some coated in chocolate and crafted in the shape of flowers. There's a free museum filled with antique equipment, and a viewing platform looking down on the factory where almonds are coated with layers of sugar in rotating copper basins. 

Almost any festive occasion in Italy calls for a brass band. While sitting at an outdoor cafe, we were lucky to catch a rehearsal for the graduation of new police recruits planned for the next day.

A member of the police band takes a rest

Led by a female commander wielding a sword, the recruits, wearing blue berets and holding machine guns, marched by in formation while a band of drummers, tuba and trumpet players led the way to where the ceremony would take place.

 "It's going to be crazy," our waiter told us. All the cafe tables were already reserved for the next afternoon. But for now, we had front-row seats. We ordered another glass of wine, and sat back to soak up the scene. 

Escape Seattle's summer crowds with these car-free island getaways

The Winslow marina on Bainbridge Island

No one needs an excuse to scoot car-free on a ferry across the Puget Sound for an island getaway.

But come this month and next, when 750,000 soccer fans are expected in Seattle for the FIFA World Cup games, some visitors might be looking for one. 

Whether you're a local or a visitor, a budget-friendly cruise aboard a walk-on ferry will quickly put the traffic and crowds in your rear view mirror.

As the Seattle skyline fades in the distance, relax and plot your visits to bookstores, galleries, museums and farmers' markets in these three Kitsap Peninsula destinations. 

Winslow/Bainbridge Island

A 35-minute ride aboard one of the big green and white Washington State ferries takes you to the doorstep of downtown Winslow, the gateway to Bainbridge Island, a bedroom community on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Start your day on Winslow Way East., a short walk from the ferry dock along a path marked with information on parks, trails and the story about how pickleball was invented here in 1965.

 Anchoring the entrance to town is the free Bainbridge Island Art Museum. This year, it is  showcasing Northwest crafts with a July exhibit featuring the handiwork of local indigenous artists.

Breakfast on the patio at Coquette Bake Shop 

The museum opens daily at 10 a.m., but if you're here earlier, find the Coquette Bake Shop at the corner of Winslow and Madison for coffee and a morning bun on the sunny patio. 

Lining both sides of Winslow Way are street-level shops selling olives, chocolates, books, Turkish rugs and local art and pottery. Smaller stores are tucked away down flights of stairs or in alleyways. That's where you'll find the Rabbit Hole, a shop crammed with upcycled art objects and estate sale finds, and also Backstreet Beat, stocked with vintage vinyl, used books and $1 CDs.

The Rabbit Hole gift shop

Bainbridge was once a timber and shipbuilding center with a population bigger than Seattle’s in the late 1800. To learn about that history and how the island was affected by the internment of Japanese during World War II, stop by the free Bainbridge History Museum. 

End the day with a glass of wine on the rooftop at Fletcher Bay winery,  then find your way to one of the restaurants on the Winslow marina for a late lunch or dinner. Take a woodsy walk back to the ferry dock along the Charles Schmid CQ Waterfront Trail. 

Bremerton/Port Orchard

With views of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier, the $11 (round trip) one-hour cruise aboard a Washington State ferry to the maritime community of Bremerton is a bargain.

If you're short on time, you can get there in half the time via a Kitsap Transit passenger-only fast ferry.

The Admiral Pete foot ferry to Port Orchard

Either way, the best idea is to go on Saturday and add on another 12-minute ferry ride across Sinclair inlet to the rural hamlet of Port Orchard and the Port Orchard Farmers Market. https://www.pofarmersmarket.com.

Dominating the Bremerton skyline is the hulking Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, in this location since 1891. If you're a military buff, visit the free Puget Sound Navy Museum, https://pugetsoundnavymuseum.org CQ or tour the USS Turner Joy, a museum within a retired naval destroyer moored on the waterfront. 

Otherwise, follow signs to the Port Orchard foot ferry for a $2 trip aboard one of Kitsap Transit's electric ferries or the vintage Admiral Pete.

Steamed buns for sale at the Port Orchard Farmers Market

 Make your first stop the farmers market where white canopies line the waterfront. Wander among the stalls to find locally-produced honey, homemade pickles, steamed buns, solar-powered wind chimes and fruits and veggies grown by backyard farmers. Then take some time to explore Bay Street, a throwback to a small-town main drag decorated with gas lamps and covered porticos.  

Stop at Carter and Company for homemade chocolates, ice cream and miniature cheesecakes, or head to Dude's Donuts across the street for gluten-free vegan donuts and coffee. 

Tea Alchemy

Shops come and go with economic ups and downs. One of the newest additions is Tea Alchemy & Gilded Exchange stocking hundreds of loose teas and herbs "apothecary" style with jars for customers to open and smell.

A mainstay is Josephine's Mercantile, started by Samantha Smith, a South Kitsap High School alumna. 

Inspired by her grandmother, Josephine, who saved everything, Smith and a team of small business owners invite customers to hunt for vintage treasures and repurposed goods in a vast space that once housed roller rink.

The ferry back to Bremerton leaves ever half-hour. Before returning to Seattle, catch the dancing water show at Harborside Fountain Park near the naval museum.

Dining with a view is never cheap, but Anthony's at Sinclair Inlet makes it affordable with its daily happy hour ($10 burgers, $7.50 cocktails) on the deck overlooking the harbor. 

Kingston

With just 20 walk-on passengers aboard Kitsap Transit's fast ferry from the Seattle waterfront to Kingston on a recent Friday morning, there were more than enough window seats for everyone to catch a glimpse of passing container ships, the Olympic mountains and Mount Baker.

Kitsap Transit's fast ferry

The boats fill with 100 or more passengers on their way from Kingston to Seattle in the morning, but the “reverse commute” — from Seattle to Kingston and back to Seattle in the late afternoon  - feels like a 40-minute private cruise.

 Most everything to see and do is concentrated along the main street (Highway 104) near the ferry dock, so grab a coffee-to-go at Aviator Coffee in a wooden shed called the Hangar, or plan your day over an espresso milkshake at women-owned Over the Moon Coffee Roasters.

Depending on your timing, lunch could be French crepes under a sidewalk umbrella at J’aime les Crepes ; Argentinian empanadas at Argensol; or British comfort food from the Saucy Sailor where owner Daphne White starts cooking at 8 a.m. inside a 230-square-foot kitchen. Kiwanis Park near the ferry dock has benches and a shaded gazebo for picnicking. 

Walk-up window at the Saucy Sailor

A handful of retailers offer an eclectic mix of small-town finds. The Paisley Whale  vintage shop keeps limited hours, but when it's open, its inventory of collectables, records, books and clothing spills out onto the sidewalk with $5 treasures.

Fly-tie hat pins for sale at Havencraft

At Havencraft,  horticulturist and jewelry artist Anja McElvaney works with her partner Matthew Schaffer, a woodworker, inside a century-old craftsman-style house. Wander the rooms stocked with local pottery, jewelry and handmade soaps, and check their website for dates of summer afternoon porch concerts.  

Take a half-mile walk from the ferry dock up the hill along Highway 104 to find two bookstores and the Borrowed Kitchen Bakery. Savor the smells of baked apple danish, or pick up a rosemary sourdough or walnut pumpkin seed loaf to take home.

Connected to the bakery is Saltwater Bookshop with a curated selection of cookbooks, childrens' books and books on Northwest indigenous culture. A few doors down at the Kingston Bookery, wooden shelves teeter with 30,000 used titles in a shop started by owner Jeff Wiley's parents in 1998.

Saltair Beach at low tide

For a nature walk, "I would suggest people not miss Saltair Beach, just to the right of the ferry dock on the approach to Kingston," says Saltwater Bookshop owner Madison Duckworth. "There are starfish and tide pools to explore, plus a great view of the ferries coming and going."

Wait for the return ferry to Seattle over a beer at the Kingston Alehouse, or depending on the day, a glass of wine at the Cellar Cat  jazz and piano bar.

  If you go: 

Be prepared for ferries to be more crowded than usual during the FIFA games. Boats rarely fill up with walk-on passengers, but it can happen if they reach capacity. Give yourself plenty of time to return to Seattle.

Washington State Ferries operate the Seattle/Bremerton and Seattle/Bainbridge Island daily car and passenger ferries. Walk-on round-trip fares are $11.35 for adults and $5.65 for ages 65 and over. Youths 18 and under ride free. Info at wsdot.wa.gov/ferries 

Kitsap Transit runs a fast passenger-only ferry Monday-Saturday between Pier 50 on the Seattle waterfront and Bremerton; another between Seattle and Kingston; and the daily foot ferry between Bremerton and Port Orchard. Adult fares are $2 from Bremerton or Kingston to Seattle ($1 for seniors) and $13 from Seattle to Bremerton or Kingston ($6.50 for seniors). Youths 18 and under ride free. Adult fares for the Bremerton/Port Orchard foot ferry are $2 each way, $1 for seniors and free for youths 18 and under.

West Seattle getaway

If you're short on time, and looking for a quick waterborne getaway, consider a trip to West Seattle where there's ferry service to a scenic walking and biking path skirting Alki Beach. 

King County Metro operates a daily walk-on water taxi between the Seattle's Pier 50 and West Seattle's Seacrest Park. Crossing time is 10-15 minutes. Adult fares are $6.25 each way ($5.25 with Orca card) and $2.50 for seniors. Youths 18 and under ride free.

This story appeared in The Seattle Times on June 13, 2026.

A love letter to Southern Italy: People rather than big sites reward visitors

 

Pasta-making at Agriturismo Regio Tratturo

Big sites and important museums are few in rural Campania, a Southern Italian region dotted with hilltop towns, known for their "cocina povera," traditional peasant food familiar to many Americans.

The reward for a long drive along a winding road past pastures dotted with wind turbines might be a stay at a farmhouse inn where the owners roll out sheets of fresh pasta on the dining room table, and tempt their guests with homemade cakes for breakfast.

Always a steep climb in the hill town of Greci

Perhaps you will visit a 15th-century hilltop village such as Greci, the town where my grandfather was born in 1901. And if it's a Sunday, you might snag reservations for a three-hour lunch at a countryside winery.

Pizza-making at CorteCorbo Winery

It might sound like a cliché to call this the "real Italy" but those words define a part of the country so far untouched by the crushing crowds in cities such as Rome and Florence.

If this sounds like your kind of travel, then take a train to the nearest small town that has a car rental agency, and spend a few days exploring between visits to more well-known areas.

Family connections draw my husband and I off-the-beaten path almost each time we visit Italy. 

Our first visits were to towns in Sicily, Calabria and Campania where Tom's grandparents were born. This spring, we made our fourth visit to Greci, the town my grandfather, Nicolas Pucci, left at age two when his parents followed uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters to Canton, Ohio to seek work in the brick factories.

A statue in Greci honoring war hero Skanderbeg 

A statue in Greci's town square honors George Skanderbeg, an  Albanian nobleman and military leader who answered a call to help the Italians defeat French-supported Insurrectionists in the 15th century. Seeking to escape the Ottoman invasion of Albania, the Catholic soldiers accepted an offer from the King of Naples to relocate in 51 towns scattered throughout Italy.

The communities call themselves "Arbereshe,'' and preserve an ancient Albanian-Italian dialect still taught in some schools with government grants to support cultural awareness.

This sign in Greci welcomes visitors in English and Abereshe

Our first stop is always a visit with Rita Di Minno, 79, a native of Greci who lived for a while in Australia. As an English speaker, she serves as the unofficial ambassador to American visitors, welcoming many into her home to look at books and pictures about the history of Greci.

Rita outside her home in Greci

The  population is declining (down to 400 from around 700 two years ago), as it is in small towns all over Italy. A bed and breakfast and small restaurant closed recently, leaving just the pharmacy, two churches, an ATM and a bar that serves pizza on Saturdays and Sundays.

Many of the houses are owned by Italians from other parts of Italy, Ukrainian refugees and a few Americans ex-pats who have come to explore their roots. While walking around, we met John Pastor from Akron, Ohio, whose  great-grandparents were born here. He and his wife live part-time in the two-story, two-bathroom home they bought for $55,000. 

John Pastor from Akron, Ohio 

It was John's mother's first cousin, John Mazzarella of Florida, who founded an organization called Greci Cousins. With John's help, my family and others traced our ancestry to one of 15 original Albanian families who settled here. Although we know of no direct relatives, everyone is considered a "cousin" because people in the town mostly married each other.

"There are many people with the name Pucci here," John told me. "You are in good company."

A close friend from your home town, who is not a direct relative, is called a paisan -  a fellow countryman or compatriot.

At home near Greci with Maria and Dante

Two of our favorite paisans are Maria Castielli and her husband, Dante Molinario who live 30 minutes from Greci in nearby Ariano Irpino. Maria's mother was born in Greci, but Maria was raised in England so speaks fluent English as does Dante who worked for a while in Toronto.

They generously welcome us into their home for dinner when we visit. In the past, they shared homemade prosciutto from a pig they killed themselves and wild asparagus from their garden. This time, Maria prepared an antipasta called “Cheat Pizza,” pizza dough on the bottom filled with tomato sauce and cheese and topped with a flaky pastry. Dante made us a special pasta with their homemade tomato sauce and pork sausage. They don't kill pigs anymore, but they preserve their own peppers, olives, asparagus, tomato sauce, all stored in huge basement pantry.

Dante serves the pasta 

Maria with her Cheat Pizza

Our home base for a three-day stay in the area was Agriturismo Regio Tratturo, a farmhouse inn reached along a narrow, winding road, once a path used by shepherds to move herds and flocks from one pasture to another. Today the hillside are dotted with wind turbines and olive groves. 

The view from Agriturismo Regio Tratturo

The delightful owner, Antonietta, takes care of four rooms and a restaurant where everything on the menu is homemade from ingredients grown or raised by she and her husband, Rinaldo and their staff. They host large groups for weddings and birthdays. When we checked in, they were busy making fresh pasta on the dining table for 50 guests coming the next day.

Antonietta her ciambella

"Sweet or savory," Antonietta would ask us about what type of breakfast we would prefer. If we said savory, then an omelette would appear along with fresh bread, jam, homemade peach juice and little biscotti cookies. 

A choice of "sweet" one morning produced slices of a ciambella, a Campanian-style breakfast bundt cake flavored with Strega, a sweet, yellow herbal liqueur made in nearby Benevento.

Irpina in the province of Avelino is this area's wine region. Although not as big or well-known as Tuscany, its mountains and volcanic soils help a scattering of family-owned wineries produce three out of four of Campania's DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) wines. 

Looking for something to do on Sunday when almost everything is closed, we found CorteCorbo Winery in the town of Castelfranci, 35 miles from Ariano.

On Sundays, the winemaker, Antonia Romano and her son, Antonio, host a three-hour lunch and tour at the house that belonged to her grandfather. 

After a GPS mix-up that took us down a one-lane road to a bridge that was closed, we recovered, and after an hour and half's worth of driving, arrived at noon to find the outside terrace filled with guests, including a group of Americans stationed at a naval base in Naples. 

In between pours of their six wines made from three varieties of local grapes, we snacked on an antipasti spread of roasted pumpkin, cheeses, eggplant parmesan  and salami while Antonia taught everyone how to stretch dough and make pizzas.

Antipasti on the terrace

Antonia supervises the  pizza-making

Tom readies a pizza for the wood-fired oven

It was around 2 p.m. when we finally gathered in the dining room for a sit-down dinner. Antonio played and sang "Country Roads" on his guitar while we toasted our hosts, and stayed until 4 p.m  enjoying pasta, meatballs and tiramisu. 

New friends and a view of Castelfranci from CorteCorbo winery

Is it a cliché to call this the "real Italy," especially with so many English-speaking Americans around? Perhaps, but I prefer to remember it as special Sunday in the Italian countryside with generous hosts and new friends. It doesn't get much more real than that.