which was joined by representatives of five other U.S. companies ranging from a large restaurant chain to a local specialty food store to an international hotel chain, was a real honor and treat for a mom and pop shop like ours. Moreover, the relationships we developed on that trip continue to this day, and the experience gained there has helped us immeasurably to find and develop supplier relationships in other sectors and other regions.
So returning to Abruzzo has a special meaning to me, and having introduced Suzy to the region several years ago, she has fallen in love with this unique place as well. And although Abruzzo is a very diverse region with many wonderful towns and cities, Pescara, neither the most beautiful nor interesting Abruzzo town, is where we return, in large part because it is where I stayed on that first five day trip. But despite our fervent wish to love Pescara, we have never had a particularly nice place to stay in that town, a fact that has detracted from our overall experience there.
That is until our too brief stay on this trip. This time in Pescara we stayed at a new B&B which we found through an internet search only the day before our visit. Websites and hotel sites can be a real hit or miss proposition, so we arrived at the Dimora Novecento with high hopes but realistic expectations. Simply put, we loved it.
The B&B, housed in a historic building in the Pescara Vecchia quarter is beautifully finished and sublime in its decoration. There are four rooms for rent, sharing a modern kitchen (stocked with staples and snacks) and a dining room with large windows. Our bedroom was ample sized, with a large closet and a modern bathroom with shower. The furnishings and decor are peaceful and serene. We wish we had planned more time than a single overnight stay.
The location was also an upgrade over previous visits. We were within a couple blocks of a neighborhood with several good looking restaurants and the one at which we ate dinner, La Corte del Sale, was both outstanding and a good value. There were a number of lively bars in the area which is full of students from the nearby university. And before departing we had a coffee and a parozza, the famous chocolate covered cake made famous by Abruzzo's poet laureate, the famous Gabrielle D'Annunzio.
As it turns out, the owners, a young brother and sister by the name of D'Annunzio are relatives of the great poet and the building itself has been in the family for quite some time. Marco, the brother, handled our reservation by email in an efficient and courteous manner. His sister, Paola, met us at the B&B and helped us settle in, fixing a wonderful breakfast for us the next morning. She is a woman possessing great magnetism and charm, as well as a warmth of spirit.
The Dimora Novecento has given us a new home in Pescara, and in our future visits, like this one, our Pescara experience will finally live up to all that we want it to be.
Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy
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