10 July – Castelbuono PR: 9840
5AM wakeup call to catch a taxi for our 7AM flight to Palermo... that got delayed until 9:30. Ugh! But it was a smooth flight in, and Rosario met us at the airport. Drove 2 hours to Castelbuono – through the beautiful countryside, dry ground but nice trees, and on the other side, the clear blue ocean. Rosario’s house is way up on the mountain – his is so quaint – beautiful flowers, small and very cluttered. Down a hill is the big house – upstairs is Angelo's, downstairs is where we are staying – 2 bedrooms, gorgeous stonework, but smells musty and needs a LOT of airing. We had the windows open all day and we mopped and dusted, but closed up when we went to town and its now musty again. We went to shop and stopped at Angelo’s cousin Providence’s house – she’s really nice. Picked up breakfast, walked around town, and saw Castel Ventimiglio, what Castelbuono is named for. It was built in the 1300s. Had dinner at Providence’s – holy moly. Pasta, meat, stuffed zucchini, veggies, fried seafood. SO much food. But YUM. And mousse cake for dessert. Home past 11 – so tired!
11 July – Castelbuono
A lovely day today! Had breakfast up at Rosario’s, then did a tiny bit of laundry. In the meantime, went to town – bought groceries, walked around – great antique store – and got fresh fruit, fresh produce, and went to the butcher (who gave us free cured meat.) Came home for lunch of zucchini flower pasta. Yum. Went to the beach at around 3 for a few hours – it’s beautiful, but there were big rocks instead of sand and big waves. We went with Angelo’s cousin Lucia and her kids. Came home to clean up, then after a watermelon snack, we went up the mountain to a friend’s house for dinner – holy smokes!! There were about 25 people gathered for a feast. Apparently, they do this often, and this was a small gathering. They were getting together because one of the guys caught a porcupine, so that’s what we were eating. There were two HUGE troughs of pasta, then the porcupine, then BBQ sausages and salad, then BBQ beef, then watermelon, THEN gelato. We didn’t start dinner until 10PM and finished at 1:30. WOW. Almost nobody spoke English, and most were speaking Siciliano, so it was really hard to understand. We met a few nice people – the most interesting was GianFranco, a hippie lawyer who lives in Palermo – with a gorgeously deep, raspy voice. There were two other nice guys who spoke English, but nobody else. But all were SO nice, making sure we were served first. The guys all pay for the dinner – don’t know how much, but girls don’t pay. They are very traditional that way! Reports say the Sirocco (hot, dry wind from the Sahara Desert) is coming!
12 July – Castelbuono
Another very good, Sicilian day. I got up around 8:30 (after having come home at 2am) and had breakfast at Rosario’s. Then we went for a short hike – up the mountain (great view of Castelbuono) to Parco Madonie. Nice walk up the mountain through lots of trees – so it stayed cool almost all the way up. There is a nice view of the area they call “Leap of the Cat”. Went up to the clearing where there is a stone house with straw roof that Rosa helped build. Then we went over through the field of ferns to the forest of holly trees – where the holly for some reason grows really tall – it’s the only place in the world where it does that. Walked back and drove home for lunch – I helped Rosa make meatballs:
- 3 eggs
-fresh parmesan
-parsley, basil, and mint (fresh from the garden)
-fresh ground nutmeg
-lime (NOT lemon) zest, freshly grated
-soak 2 pieces of bread in milk
-salt
Mix all ingredients together well; form small (1.5-2 inch) balls; cook in ½ inch of olive oil until done.
-10-12 tomatoes, diced
-parsley, mint, basil
-dried oregano
-grated nutmeg and lime
-salt
Cook until tomatoes get mushy; add water and olive oil from meatballs, add 3 bay leaves. Add meatballs after about 10 minutes; Cook another 10-15 minutes. YUM!!!
We ate that with fresh figs that an aunt brought over, and prosciutto. After my nap and a shower, we went over to say hi to the Aunt and Uncle, then drove in to town. We had gelato, which one of Rosa’s friends bought for us. Started seeing tons of the guys that were at dinner last night – Vincenzo, who has a Harley, said he’d take me for a ride. Saw Gianfranco, Marco, the hunter, Nonno, Dario, etc. Everyone says hi and kisses on the cheek as a greeting. We had dinner with 10 of them – pizza in the plaza by the Castle. OH! And the gelato guy gave us t-shirts because Roxsana said she liked them. The Ragazzi: Guiseppe (Pepe); Vincenzo; Harley Vincenzo; Gianfranco; Rosario; X? Mario X? Roxsana; Me; Rosario; the Hunter; Dario (Nonno); Guido (Pharmacist); Alessandro.
They say the Sirocco is coming tomorrow...
13 July – Castelbuono
Nice lazy morning – got up around 9 and went up to Rosa’s house for breakfast – Roxsana was still sleeping. Read outside – met friend of the family, Reno, an electrician who was working across the street. Very patient and haltingly talked to me for about half an hour. Roxsana came up around 11; Rosa came home for lunch (leftover meatballs – even better today!) Roxsana decided to clean the house – a MAJOR chore – so I read all afternoon. So relaxing! Helped clean the steps down to the Big House until Rosa came home at around 5:30. We went to Cefalú – the nearby ocean town, with a beautiful cathedral and great ocean view. Saw the medieval laundry – spring water running down to the ocean. Walked along the oceanfront, saw the cathedral, looked around the little town. Had dinner at a restaurant where Rosa knew the waiter – had delicious fresh seabass, eggplant caponata, and grilled radicchio. Semifreddo for dessert – a gelato cake with chocolate and almonds. Came back early (as in 11 pm – it’s all relative...). Stopping at the gelateria just to say hi, then making a pitstop to get water at the nearby spring. There’s no Sirocco today, but it’s definitely warmer. The thermometer in the sun said 98°, but with cool breeze in the shade it didn’t feel hot at all. They say Sirocco tomorrow... but they keep saying that!!
14 July – Castelbuono
Basically did absolutely nothing today. Got up around 9 and went up for breakfast – organized my pictures for a few hours while Roxsana slept. Finally at noon I went and woke her up – amazing she slept that long! Rosa came home around 12:30 for lunch – pan-cooked chicken and turkey – olive oil, oregano, and salt, plus fresh salad – tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, fresh basil, oregano, capers, olives, olive oil, and salt. SO good, with fresh bread. After lunch, read and napped until Rosa came home – went to the beach at 6 to relax. Much calmer and warmer today than 2 days ago. The thermometer says it gets to near 100° but it doesn’t feel that bad – I’m usually sitting in the shade and there is always a nice breeze. So I’ve never been that hot... On the way home from the beach, we stopped at the same bar/gelateria that gave us t-shirts. Had Aranciata – a very Sicilian dish of a fried ball with rice, and in the middle, a meat/peas mixture. Very good. Also tried a pastry with ricotta filling – like a deeelish donut. Saw some of the ragazzi – smiley Nunzio, pharmacist Guido, the guy who bought us our gelato. There is a LOT of ‘hanging out’ being done. Stopped at another cousin’s house – same building as Lucia, this one also named Providenza. Gave us a huge bag of tiny plums. Also fed us really good gelato cake with chocolate and hazelnut crust. Came home and were too full for the dinner Rosa planned, so we just sat outside and ate watermelon. Beautiful on his porch, and nice, even though it’s 11:30 pm!
15 July – Castelbuono
A hot day today – although they say it’ll get hotter. Tio Giovanni came to pick us up to go to town at around 9 (although he was supposed to come at 10). Took us to Providenza’s house – had some tea and talked to her and Lucia (her sister). Then walked in to town – down the square, stopping to say hi to most people we passed. Saw the church in the square (one of 15 churches in this small town.) Walked around then to Providenza (1st one)’s house for a quick drink. It wasn’t that quick – checked email and didn’t get to Providenza’s til almost 1PM. Had a HUGE lunch – risotto, eggplant, fried fish, salad, watermelon, cantaloupe. Ate so much I felt a bit sick after – too full. Napped on the couch while Roxsana talked, then woke up in time for another quick drink. Then went to the last uncle’s house, just around the corner. They are Providenza I’s parents, with another daughter Enza who was a bit crazy. Talked to them for a bit before going back up to Providenza 2’s to meet Rosario. On the way back up the mountain, we stopped to fix the car light. Then went home, cooked zucchini for tomorrow (cut in slices, pan fried in lots of olive oil til browned, then took out and added a tad salt, basil, and fresh grated parmesan. We’ll eat it tomorrow. Was SO not hungry, but went to town around 7 – stopped at our local favorite gelateria to say hi to the boys, including Mario, Guido, Nonno, Rosario Cucco, and smiley Nunzio. After sitting for a bit, went to dinner – me, Roxsana, Rosa, and Mario. Wasn’t too hungry so I had caprese and bread and water. Sat for a while, relaxing and talking. Had a laugh attack when Roxsana tried to take Rosa’s picture smiling with his eyes open – he just couldn’t do it. Saw Guido at dinner with his friends. We started eating at 10:30; left around 12:30. Love that all the ragazzi are friendly and kiss on both cheeks when you say hi or bye; and wave kisses at you when you walk by. You say ‘ciao’ or ‘buon giorno/sera’ to anyone you see and most say hi back. One woman even started speaking in English – she’d lived for a year in Arizona. At dinner, we decided to do a cooking contest – Me and Rosa vs. Roxsana and Mario. Call it Iron Chef Sicily. Don’t know all the rules or when we’ll be able to do it, but... we’ll see! More Sirocco-like weather tomorrow – hit over 100 today. So tomorrow should be worse. Ew.
16 July – Castelbuono
Another hot day but cool night. Cousin Marienza came to pick us up around 11 and took us to the Thursday Castelbuono Market – basically a flea market like the one in Padova. It was incredibly hot so it was uncomfortable to shop – we basically walked from one end to the other, then back, and that was it. Stopped briefly at the farmaceria to see Guido and Roxsana filled some prescriptions – less than 3 euro each, for 50 pills!! That’s socialism.... Went back up the mountain for lunch – the fried zucchini from yesterday, GREAT warm crusty bread, and some tomato cucumber salad. Was very hot – hovered around 98° or so, so we hung around the house – read and napped – all afternoon. Left the house at 6 – went to town to try to rent a car (fail!), pick up some staples (water, lightbulbs), get gelato, and buy gas. Went down the mountain to visit Rosa’s friend Marion – the German expat who owns an agritourismo. Bello! Went to see the Manna trees – they cut grooves in the bark and set fishing lines down so the sap runs down into cactus leaf bowls for them to collect. Very sweet, like maple sugar. is supposed to have curative powers, and only grows in this area. Went to the next seaside town, Finale di P. for dinner, right by the ocean. Had seafood couscous – good! Lovely weather, but lots of mosquitos, which are starting to come out (I hadn’t gotten any bites thus far in Sicily, and suddenly am getting and seeing mosquitos.) Hot weather is doing it – drat. Tomorrow, we leave for other parts! It’s supposed to stay hot so it will be uncomfortable – but interesting!
17 July - Menfi (9,378)
Holy hot day!
Left Castelbuono at 9:30ish and drove out past Palermo. There was major traffic, and super hot weather, so we baked in the car. Made it to Segestre - ancient Greek ruins. Saw the D Temple then took a bus up to the amphitheater up in the hills. Gorgeous view, but no shade so we were super uncomfortable.
Then drove to the bottom of Erice and took the gondola up the mountain. Beautiful views of Trapani on the 20 minute ride. There is a lovely church on the top, next to the bell tower. Saw several churches, an old monastery, and a couple castles. Very nice town, but as Rosa says, 'like a ghost town because you don't see many residents, only tourists.
Drove from there to Menfi, where we are staying with Peppe Rocca and his girlfriend Rosana. Had nice pasta with shrimp for dinner, followed by very fresh squid. As Peppe said, this morning, these were swimming in the Mediterranean!
18 July - Menfi (10704)
Nice, easy day today. Woke up late - 9:15, and had breakfast out on the balcony with Pepe Rocca and Rosana. Got going around 10:30 or so - Pepe drove us out of Menfi to the coastal town of Marsala. Old city with four portals, with Phoenician and Arabic influence. Met up with Nini and the other guys from last night - Nini served as our tour guide and showed us around town - old monastery (museo).
Had a snack of Panelle - some pressed, friend garbanzo beans, kind of like polenta. Very good - had it plain and in sandwich form. Walked around the fish market (which was closing up) while we ate it. From there, we walked past the underground excavation to lunch - had clam pasta while everyone else had the sea urchin egg pasta (which tI tasted - not bad). Walked down to taste the pastry - ricotta filled donut thing. Good, but too bready - plus, seriously! How much food can we eat?! Walked around center city for a while - saw the main church, plus the shopping street. And I did taste marsala wine - VERY strong!
Then we drove down the coast towards Trapani - first to see the shallows where the Phoenicians built a 'highway' to the Long Island, which is now underwater but very shallow. Walked along the shore past the grape vines and back again. Saw the salt flats where they dry ocean water for salt - its piled into big white mounds - very pretty!!
Saw the sunset, then drove home. Pepe cooked a frittata with veggies - potatoes and mint that he grew, using eggs from his family chickens in Castelbuono. Also had salad that he grew, plus a pizza that they bought. We didn't eat til past 10pm - how do they do it?! Another late bedtime!
19 July - Menfi (6221)
Spent the day relaxing and visiting the small towns of Southern Sicily. After a late breakfast, drove out of Menfi to Lago Arancio, a windy lake on the way to the ghost town of Poggioreale. It’s actually two towns - the old town, destroyed in 1968 by and earthquake, and the new town, which looks twilight-zoneishly deserted with just a couple of people visible and what looks like only 1/2 or 1/3 of the houses inhabited. Drove up to the old city, where you can walk down the main street to the town square, and look in the abandoned and crumbling houses. Nothing is stopping people from actually going in, but it looks very unstable and not at all safe. Really shows what an earthquake can do and also what happens when nature takes over and people move out.
After Poggioreale, went home for lunch - got home around 1:30 but didn't eat til 3 - while Pepe and Rosana cooked, Rosario got a phone call that our house had flooded - somehow Rosana's daughter had broken something, so I hope our stuff is OK...!
Lunch out on the balcony was great as usual - eggplant pasta and grilled pork - very good. As with most stuff, everything was drowned in olive oil so it was delicious (but I can't imagine the calorie count - crazy!) Sat around the balcony for a few hours - Peppe started a mini waterfight - then at 6 we left the house to go down to Sciacca - a seaside town about 15 minutes SE of Menfi. Walked around to a park where some men were playing Bocci. Watched them for a while, then walked down to the square, did some shopping in the craft market, then a band started playing and marching down the street. We followed to a church where mass was being held - and it turns out today was their festival day where they carry out their saint and have a procession through the streets. People follow and sing along the way, so we followed for a little while before turning off.
Walked down to the food stands and got dinner - though I wasn't at all hungry. So I had one piece of panelle and then tasted the milza sandwich - still not sure what it is, but its some organ on the left side of the body that cleans blood - but its not liver, kidney, pancreas, or lungs. Wan't too bad-tasting, but kind of chewy and totally fried in a huge vat of oil. Roxsana and I just couldn't get ourselves to eat it, so we had half a panini instead. I was actually too full to eat anything, so taking a break was good.
So we decided to out to the ocean at 11PM - to Porto Palo, near Menfi. Walked along the front - not actually near the water. Got back at 12:20 - so tired!
20 July - Favala (11129)
Let Menfi this morning around 10 and drove to the Turkish Steps - white sandstone rock formations carved out by the ocean. Beautiful and interesting! From there we drove to Agrigento where we met one of Rosario's artist friends, Carmelo, who took us to his house for lunch - 2 kinds of pasta plus rabbit - yum. The mom is so nice and funny - Giovanna - with two college aged boys - Gabriele and Roberto. Very nice family. They accompanied us to the temples. First, showed us around their farm - pistachios, figs, capers, a berry TREE, with the most delicious berries I've ever had. Fresh almonds, apples... all so good!
Went to Valley of the Temples, right outside Agrigento. Saw the three main temples plus the ruins garden. Stopped for a lemon granita, then went back to the house for sunset and dinner of fresh grilled sardines and salted fish - so good - plus salad and the minestrone and rabbit leftover from lunch. Yum. Carmelo is a artist - painter - with work all around the house. Nice.
21 July - Castelbuono (5426)
Finally back 'home'! Drove from Favala to Palermo to pick up Angelo - timed it just right as we were late, but Angelo was as well. We drove to Cefalu for lunch - tried to go to the same restaurant as before, but it was closed - but we found another with just as nice a view. From there, back to Castelbuono. Only bad thing was that Paolo from Rome showed up - the random comment that Roxsana made inviting him here, he took to heart - even though she later told him it was a bad idea and there were too many people here. Do I have to be nice to him? Weirdo.
Vincenzo is here too, with his wife Rosana and stepdaughter Rachel. Marion the German stopped by for dinner, so we ate out on the porch - light dinner (finally!) of bread, cheese, and salad.
The cat had kittens while we were gone - four tiny fluff balls - so cute!!
Vincenzo, Rosario, Rachel, and I went to town - Rosa and I to walk around and see people. There were so many people walking around the streets, greeting each other and stopping to talk. And it was midnight! Saw Vincenzo on his Harley, Nunzio, Rosario Cucco with an adorable baby, Maria Antonietta and Anna! Fun running into people you recognize on the street. Met Dario, who will be our tour guide tomorrow. He's a nice, younger guy who speaks a handful of words of English. The plan is to go at 8:30 - we’ll see when and if that happens!
22 July - Castelbuono (18703)
Lots of walking during a hot day in Palermo. Got up at 8 (to an alarm - tired!) and had breakfast in the top house - trying to ignore our friend Paolo as much as possible. Went down and got a rented car, which was much nicer but still small for squeezing 3 people in the back. Picked Dario up in the square in Castelbuono and drove out to Palermo. Dario is studying there so he knows the city and a lot of the history. First, walked through the open market - people selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, cheeses, CDs, clothes, etc. Some call out loudly trying to hawk their goods - very bustling. From there we went into Chiesa de Gesu - beautiful - and outside locking up there was this guy Rosario recognized - used to be a famous actor and now he's broke and begging for money. Sad.
Walked through to the Quattro Canti - the intersection that divides Palermo into 4 sectors. As you walk through the town, you can see lots of Arabic and Norman and Baroque influence, but the city itself is busy, crowded, hot, and dirty. Saw the "Plaza of Shame" - the fountain with statues of nudes, thus the shame. Saw Palermo's cathedral - which the Sicilians said was beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside (I thought it was nice inside, but definitely not as decorated as most.) Gorgeous outside, thought! Walked a while in the heat to the catacomb of the Capuchins, but it was closed. So we took a bus up to Monreale - had lunch then saw the cathedral, known for its mosaics. Really nice - the walls and ceilings are full of the mosaic tiles, and supposedly none have fallen off. A Norman church, built in the late 1100s.
From there we took the bus back to the catacombs where we finally saw the mummified bodies. Over 8,000, dressed in their finery, which is eerily decomposing. The first body to be preserved was done in 1599 - and he still looks good. There are separate places for the rich, for kids, virgins, etc.
Walked around Palermo, to the nicer district - walked up Via de Liberta, famous for its shopping. Went to three different Geox stores so Rox could find shoes, but was unsuccessful. Walked pass Teatro Massimo - pretty - and around back to the car. Dropped off Dario (who we nicknamed 'Guapo' because he's young and cute but doesn't like "Bimbi" because he's not a kid). Had to wait to get the car keys transferred, but then finally made it home. Vincenzo and Angelo made dinner, which we ate out on the porch, and then we decided not to go down to town because we're tired.
23 July - Castelbuono (4344)
Last day in Sicilia! :( It was very hot today, so I didn't do much. Plus, to be totally honest, I was hiding a bit from Paolo. I think of him as being a stinky little munchkin - sad, because he really isn't a bad person - nice and all, just a tad creepy. So I stayed downstairs all morning while everyone but Paolo went into town - I stayed to do laundry and did a bunch of reading, which was actually really nice. When Rox got home, went up for lunch of chicken/potatoes and salad. After that (around 2PM) Rachel wanted to go to the beach so Vincenzo, Paolo, Rosario, and her left, and Angelo, Rox, and I went to say hi to ANOTHER Providenza, who was visiting Tia Maria and Tio Lucio next door.
In the evening, figured out that the airline I was taking had gone out of business (?!) so went into town to look for another ticket. Found one pretty easily, although it is at 10:20 in the AM which means we have to leave at 7. Driving through Palermo really sucks as the traffic is horrible - I may have to ask to drive tomorrow.
After I got the ticket, went down to town with Rox - saw Antonio Macaluso and Federica driving up - they had just gotten into town! Went down to have dinner at the trattoria that we originally wanted to go to on our second day here. In the middle of pizza, the procession - drums and bad and people marching with candles - then comes the saint from one of the churches who comes to say hi to Sant'Anna. The festival is actually Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, but each night this week there is a procession. On the actual big night, it is extremely solemn and elegant - St. Anna was mother to Mary and thus grandmother to Jesus.
After dinner, walked around and almost immediately found Rosario (now named Roscoe), Paolo, and Angelo (who I've realized looks amazingly like the new James Bond, Daniel Craig). Walked back up and down, greeting lots of cousins and friends every 15 feet or so. They had dinner at the same pizzeria - Vincenzo joined us, and then more and more people arrived. First was Harley Davidson Vincenzo, also saw Macaluso's brother, Mauricio Antista's brother, more cousins than you can count... then Nunzio and smiley guy, Mario, Dario (Guapito), and finally Gianfranco and Vincenzo who'd just come back from Rome for the NIN concert. And the tall Rosario Cucco. So fun seeing them.
Said goodbye to everyone - sad to go, but they were all so friendly and kind. Sincerely hope I can return the favor one day. Goodbye Castelbuono! Ciao Sicilia!
24 July - Venice (14,655)
Last day in Italy, so sad. I'm definitely tired though, and hopefully not getting sick - I have one of those feel it slightly in the throat things, so hope I didn't get whatever Vincenzo had!
Got up at 6:30 this AM - kept the outside window open, so lots of light woke me up. Amazing how much light and sound those things keep out!! They are great!
I actually drove once we got down the mountain - was a bit antsy worrying about time, but there was little traffic (well, in comparison) so made it in under 2 hours. Flight went smoothly - hopefully didn't get charged for the other flight, but if I did, oh well. Got into Venice at noon - took the bus to hotel, cleaned up and changed (since it is pretty warm here), and took the bus in to Venice. It was nice that we'd been here because I felt pretty comfortable walking around - went past Ferro Via to the mask place to get one for Nicholas, then wandered slowly around looking in shops. It was really the only shopping day I've done, and almost none was for me! Got necklaces for Alice and Kathryn, then continued around - trying to avoid San Marco to get away from crowds.
Stopped for a fruit cup, then lunch at a random cafe at around 3:30. Wandered into the church by Macaluso's work (Stato Archives), the Basilica S Maria Glorioso de Frari. I'd remembered reading about it in one of the guide books about having great examples of artist works, but since I didn't have any of them with me, didn't really know what I was looking at. But I did see some very cool statues and paintings inside. There is one doorway with 4 pillars surround it in the shape of 4 men in agony. Next to it is a huge pyramid with larger than life sculptures - angel, lion, people going up the stairs. Very cool.
Continued around Venice - then went home fairly early since it was so hot and I wanted to rest up for my flight tomorrow. Ciao Italy!! Piacere!