Category: Travel

Sciacca . . oh Sciacca!

April 6 – 11

This post is for my Dad . . and my Aunt Shirley, my Uncle Nino, mia Tia Em-meh (aka: Auntie M), Cousin Carl, Dean, Amy, my cousin Nick (who kind of kick-started this journey for me when he gave me custody of his ancestry.com account) and all the rest of my “Rafello” cousins.

I truly wish you could have all been with me for the 6 days I spent in Sciacca. It was an amazing exploration of this beautiful city and a look into how Nonno & Nonna (aka: Antonino Graffeo & Calogera Sclafani– aka: Tony Rafello & Linda Rafello), and their families, may have lived before they immigrated to the United States. I walked & photographed the town for days. I talked to so many people, who when I told I had family that came from Sciacca, became super friendly and wanted details. I focused on the old town, as that would have been all that was here when Antonino & Calogera lived here. The outskirts grew up, I’m sure, after they left – as is evidenced by the 4 & 5 story apartments homes that scatter the hills around the old city.

You’ll have to read my post “Meet Cugino Pippo” for more details on what I found out about the family, but this post is really about getting you familiar with the city itself. Sciacca is beautiful: architecturally, culturally, artistically & gastronomically. In hindsight, I wish I had spent the entire trip here just learning as much Italian as I could, making friends & exploring the workings of the city.

I know many of you will never make it to Sciacca – so I hope this will give you a strong sense of what it looks like. Walking around was one awe-inspiring, surprise after another. And while I know many Italian (and for that matter European) towns are full of amazing surprises of great architecture, phenomenal churches and beautiful piazzas at every turn – THIS Sicilian town has a history that includes all of us – and it did not disappoint.

You will be pleased to know that Sciacca has great respect from its Sicilian neighbors & cousins. Whenever I mention it to other Sicilians the common response is. . “Oh . . Sciacca” – said with a sort of sign, like they’re remembering it fondly. I will as well.

Coming into town that first day was pretty thrilling. I had built this place up in my mind and was anxious to see how it would play out. The sights, the colors, the sounds, the smells, the air, the history, the people – all fun to experience.

Once I’d parked & checked into my very nice B&B, I went out for my first dinner. The gal at the B&B had made a reservation for me at La Trattoria Vecchia Conza for 8pm; it was still empty and I was the only one in the place. The host (I actually think he was the owner) didn’t speak much English, but he was charming. A half hour later a family came in and as the host went to seat them, he smiled at me and motioned as if to say “see, others are here too – OK?”. All OK with me! I had a big plate of mixed grilled seafood for dinner – in honor of my grandpa!

The next morning & afternoon, I spent with Rosy, the ancestry lady. See post titled “Meet Cugino Pippo”. When I finish with Rosy, I decide to take my dirty laundry to a lavanderia that the B&B owner recommended. I find it with some help from a guy near the steps that I needed to go down (I got lost, because I was looking for steps that went up)! I say in my best Italian “I’d like to get these clothes washed” and the girls turns around and goes in the back to get someone else. I’m not offended . . well, maybe I am! This women comes out and we have a nice English / Italian conversation and decide that yes, they will wash & dry but not iron the clothes. She tells me it will be 3 Euro per kilo and I think that sounds like a pretty good price. I ask when it will be ready and she says tomorrow at noon. I ask if she will give me a ticket and she says, no, I’ve got it! In my less than American trust, I ask her name, because if you know someone’s name, they won’t screw you, right? She says Lina and we get to talking about why I’m in Sciacca. She’s excited I’m from California and that I’ve come to find family. By the time, I leave, we’re on pretty good terms. I walk out hoping that I will see again the 2/3 of the clothes I’ve brought to Italy and now left with Lina. Here’s to trusting the nice Sicilians!!

The day after that was a Saturday and I decided to take the day off. You can see how that went in post called “Lazy Saturday in Sciacca”. During that day I talked to Amy and she sensed I was a little down. Between the heavy physical load of traveling this long and being on my own with no to have a real conversation with – her sense was correct. She gave me a great pep talk and told me to watch for signs.

The next day, I went to the Harbor. . and the signs . . well, the signs were everywhere!!

This harbor, wharf, waterfront – call it what you like – is HUGE! I’d say it spans about 1 ½ miles, maybe 2 and I walked around it for over 3 hours. Every inch of it! I started on the pleasure side with the yachts and sailboats, checked out the little “yacht clubs” (kind of male social clubs if you ask me) and watched a few people fishing from the pier.

I started over to the commercial side and passed a ton of old buildings that are no longer in use. I’m sure they all supported the fishermen & fishing trade at one time, as they line the streets right at the harbor. I also found a little church that was pretty humble and just the place I think the fishermen would go each Sunday. (It was Palm Sunday and the place was packed with everyone in their Sunday best – so I couldn’t really tell what these people did for a living – but I’m sure they all have something to do with the sea). And then I start to walk along the pier where all the commercial boats are parked.

The first boat I come to is . . the ANTONINO! I’m not kidding you – the hair stood up on my arms and I got a huge smile across my face. “They” were here and they were guiding me in! As I walked along, the signs just kept coming. Calogero (Calogera & Antonino’s grandfathers / and the male version of Calogera); Accursio (Linda’s father / Accursia was Antonino’s mother’s name as well),;Salvatore (Calogero’s brother); Stefano (Antonino & Linda’s son that drowned at Montara Beach), Francesca (Calogera’s mother); and even a boat called Stati Uniti painted red, white & blue (Stati Uniti is what the Italians call the United States). I gotta say – it was fantastic, amazing, mind blowing!! I walked the entire length of all 3 piers and looked at EVERY boat. It was awesome!

These pictures are for my Dad . .and his sisters & brother. I hope they trigger happy memories of the wharf & your own Dad.

Pictures of the Waterfront

I told Amy the next day about a restaurant that I passed a couple of times as I was checking out the waterfront. It was called Italia and something kept drawing me to it. Was it cute? Was it the building? The color? I wasn’t sure. I stopped and looked it up on Google to see if there were any reviews and guess what? It was actually called “Ristorante Italia da Nino”. Really? had to go now!!! Unfortunately, being Palm Sunday, they couldn’t accommodate me with a table. No matter – point was made & not lost on me!

I head back up the long hill (decide to take the hill instead of the big old staircase thinking it would be easier – wrong) and reach the top – sweaty & hot! I return to my B&B and take a little break before venturing out to find something to eat. Now, keep in mind that it’s both Palm Sunday and close to 3pm (and 3 or 3:30 is the bewitching hour for food in Sicily – as the restaurants close & don’t reopen until about 7:30 or 8 – so you better EAT when they are OPEN). I’m not having a lot of luck and then I come to this little place called Osteria Il Commensale that’s down this little alley. They have tables outside and they have plenty of room for me. They also have meat!!! I order this pistachio pesto pasta for a starter and ask for lamb for my main course. Sorry, they’re out – so I settle for a ribeye steak. No disappointment here – it was delicious. They served a delicious bread & olives/peppers/onions for antipasti and I had a big old glass of red wine. I waddled out of there very happy indeed! **Sorry, I forgot to charge my phone that afternoon (too many pics at the harbor) or I would have gotten some pics of that meal. Interesting that right across the alley from my table was a construction worksite with a posting of the work to be done. It was sort of a permit application with the owner, construction company, foreman, date work could start, time & days of week they could work, etc – and reminded me of Scott & made me miss him. I know working in Italy with all their regulations would make him nuts.

Keep this little restaurant in mind, as I will come back to it!

I skip dinner that night and just have a big gelato. I go down to the main square – Piazza Scandaliato – and watch the passeggiata serale (evening stroll). It’s Palm Sunday, so I’m not sure this is typical Sunday evening or not, but it’s pretty relaxing to just be there amongst all these family & friends. The pace is slow and it matters not that I’m eating gelato for dinner. No one cares, they’ve all just come from church and big family dinners. People are smiling, greeting each and air-kissing the heck out of each other. It’s just a big old social occasion and I’m the only one observing, rather than participating. I decide to stroll a bit – and find myself saying “slow down”. It must be all that mindfulness meditation!

The next day, I’m to rendezvous with Pippo and he’s going to take me to see the Minister of Culture. He picks me up & we go to his office. I meet his boss, a lovely woman by the name of Daniela Portera. She speaks some English, so we have a very nice broken English & Italian conversation and I learn more about Pippo and what they do. She heads up the province of Agrigento’s “restoration of art” group and Pippo heads up the Sciacca division. Pippo restores art! His office has this amazing fresco on the ceiling that needs to be restored – but the border is made up of Nobile Famiglia of Sicily – and the Graffeo coat of arms is right up there with them all! VERY cool!!!

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We go to City Hall and meet the Minister of Culture and he assigns one of his bulldogs to me. I say this as a complete term of endearment because this lady did everything she could to cut through the BS that the other departments were dumping on her. I had taken the time the night before, using Google Translator (which I’ve fallen in love with), to put together a little synopsis of what I was looking for – namely the names & birthdates of Antonino & Calogera’s brothers & sisters. Senora Ventimiglia in the department of birth records was having none of that. Even in my very minimal Italian, I knew she was saying “impossible, too much work, there’s no way I can do that”! I agreed, with her attitude, there’s no way she could / would do it. I said grazie mille & we moved on to immigration. Now, since my bulldog wasn’t interested much in my “synopsis” she didn’t realize that I actually wasn’t looking for the immigration records to the United States. We have those – clear as day – no doubt we have the right ones from ancestry.com. However, for some reason, I think she thought we should check those and the lady in that department was very put out as well. She made us wait and then rifled through some old record books & then came up with a story about a department called A.I.R.E. (basically translate to Italians Residents Living Abroad) and that A.I.R.E. had had a fire that destroyed all records prior to 1990. BS – I saw the records on the shelf. I think she felt this would deter the bulldog and it did! Again, I thanked her and moved on.

Let me just take a moment to say – the coolest thing about the morning was that I got to see all these old record books. When you have a name like Kari Rafello – it’s pretty rare indeed to see your name in print, let alone on the binding of a book – and see I did! Graffeo, Sclafani, Fauci, Sabella, Marino, Marinello, etc . . there were old books from the turn of the century with these pink immigration records that would have confirmed, I’m sure, what I already know – which is when they both left Sicily. Nevertheless, it would have been cool to see their records and maybe see why they left . . good probability that they would have had their signatures too.

I thank the bulldog & give her two air-cheek kisses and she sends me on my way. I send Pippo a message (using Google Translator) that the morning didn’t really turn up any more stuff and he’s pretty disappointed. I tell him – NO WORRIES – because we found him and that’s all that counts!!

I decide to climb about 100 stairs to the higher part of the old city. I’ve seen on the tourist map that there’s a Palazzo Graffeo up there (another palace folks) and I must get pictures. Plus there’s a couple of big, old churches up there. I climb & climb & climb and reach the Piazza Gerado Noceto where I find the two churches, take a couple of pictures and then search crazily for Palazzo Graffeo. I walk around the block looking for the red oval sign that is always in place for historical landmarks and I can’t find one. I ask this guy going into Pizzeria Conte Luna if he knows where it is – and he says no (a few minutes later he comes running after me with a map) and then I move onto a few guys talking on the corner. “Dove, Palazzo Graffeo?” I ask. “No”, he says – and points down as he says “E ‘nel centro della città” – meaning it’s in the city center. I think we both must be confused. I continue to look at the map and decide that I must have found it – it’s the prettiest building on the block and must have been a palace. I take a bunch of pictures of the building, the rotary sign, the beautiful ceramic sign of Pizzeria Conte Luna. See, I was in the right place all the time!

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I see a cute little Ristorante Mediterraneo across the street and decide it’s more than time for lunch. I am the only one in there – but I have a marvelous little lunch of salumi for antipasti, shrimp & linguine, and an insalata mista. I’m also studying this map to see where I will go next – WHEN – it happens! I realize that Palazzo Graffeo IS INDEED in the center of town – and I’ve been there TWICE. Not only did Rosy & Michele take me by on Friday (but it was a hasty stop in that Michele spotted it, pulled over about 2 blocks up from it, I jumped out of car, ran back & snapped shots) AND it is right next door to Osteria Communale – the place I had lunch the previous day! Now really, I should say the Osteria is not really next door, it’s in the “basement” of Palazzo Graffeo. The alley actually gives you access to the basement of this old palace and I’ve been there – sitting there – eating steak & pistachio pasta and drinking wine – and not even realizing where I am! So, another sign. But then I realize that there had already been a sign, the address of the Osteria is 23 and 23 is a very big number in my life and was going to be the name of the restaurant that Tim & I were going to open. Signs – they’re everywhere!

But then the day goes downhill. I’m feeling good about my lunch & the fact that I have already been to the family palace when I spot a bancomat (ATM) across the piazza. I think, sure, I could use to get some cash – and the bancomat EATS MY CARD! What??? At that point, I notice that it’s 2pm and the bank will not re-open until 2:45 so I have a few minutes to kill. I sit in the sun and start my wait. A few minutes later I notice this kind of creepy guy coming towards me. He’s kind of slow and he comes up to me and puts out his hand and mumbles something. I think he wants to see my map, but then realize that he’s trying to grab my hand & pull me towards him – I say “NO” and get up and move quickly across the street to one of the bars (these are more like 7/11’s in the States). I order a lemon soda and sit down after telling the gal at the counter & the old man in there (I think he was the owner) about the card eating bancomat and they take pity on me. I notice then that the weird guy is kind of hanging around outside and I look at him and again say “NO”. The old guy in the bar walks out to and scolds him in Italian and he leaves. I told you all the old men in this country love me!!!

The bank finally re-opens and I go in and tell the guy at the counter “Il bancomat mangiato mia carta”. He scowls & goes to the back – I’m assuming to retrieve my card. He comes back and starts speaking to me in really fast Italian and I’m getting none of it. I’m trying to get some questions in via Google Translator but that’s not really working as he keeps speaking over me and confusing the whole situation. Basically, I get out of him that I have to talk to my bank in America and I’m shit out of luck with him! Thanks dude – way to help the tourists. The rest of the afternoon I spend talking to Bank of America and figuring out how to get a new card to me. Thank God I plan for contingencies and brought along the ATM card from my & Scott’s joint account – so I transfer some money into that account & withdraw $300 to get me through until the new card comes. Crisis over – kind of . . .

I talk to Amy and she tells me to go out and have some limoncello; she also says, it will all be OK. Just as we’re about to hang up, I hear this singing and wonder where it’s coming from. I mention it to Amy and say good-bye. When I go to the edge of my balcony, I see a procession going down the street towards the local church. The people are all carrying palms decorated for the occasion and singing in harmony. I tried to get you a video – but it took me awhile to figure out how to do that, so what I have may be a little lame!

The night gets much better when I venture out for dinner. I’m on my way to this little restaurant that I found online, but I’m not finding it. But I do see this little hole in the wall and decide to give it a try. People always say, find a little hole in the wall . . and boy, did I. La Buona Forchetta by Chef Nicola; this place is the bomb! The chef was amazing – even came & greeted everyone and personally took my order. His father (I’m sure) was manning the door and could not have been more charming; I wanted to bring him home & have him tell me stories about the old country! Suffice to say – the day was saved & I had my best meal of the trip! Here’s the review I wrote on tripadvisor.com and some pictures of my food.

Don’t Miss This Place!

I spent 5 nights in the historical center of Sciacca and found this place on my last night. If I had found it earlier, I would have eaten there EVERY night of my trip – just to taste as many of Chef Nicolo’s dishes as possible! Since I was traveling alone, I ordered 2 dishes and a salad. The caponata was some of the best I’ve eaten and was served with lovely, thick slices of prosciutto! The linguine & scampi WAS the BEST scampi dish I’ve ever eaten and I come from a long line of commercial fisherman! After seeing so many other guests getting fresh melon for dessert, I canceled my salad and went for the fruit. You might not get excited about fruit – but this was the most succulent, sweet, perfectly ripe melon I’ve had in a long time. It’s clear Chef Nicolo serves only quality ingredients. The grilled meat at another table had me thinking about ordering another dish – but I had to settle for the amazing aroma of the huge offering across the room. The chef (who came out to greet EVERY guest) and his staff are welcoming & friendly and obviously love delighting customers. This is where the locals eat – you should too!

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The following day is my last day in the city, I will be moving to the beach this afternoon. I check-oult and spend about 2 hours walking around doing a little food shopping because for the first time on this trip, I will have a kitchen.

I go back to Vicolo San Lorenzo to see the old neighborhood one more time and take a few more photographs. I really look at the “Ex Chiesa San Lorenzo” (the little church in the neighborhood) and wonder if it were open, what stories would it tell? Rosy insisted that that both Antonino & Calogera would have all been baptized at the “mother church” but I’m pretty sure these humble fishermen would have kept it all in the neighborhood.

I finish my time in Sciacca not really having answered any questions – but with possible links to continue my ancestry work. 5 days was not enough. I will be back – I know it. **And Dad, I hope you’ll be with me.

Click Here for Pictures

April 15, 2017
Cooking School Splurge!

April 4 – 6

The Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School was to be my big splurge. When I planned this trip, it amazed me at how inexpensive lodging would be – and I figured the food would be cheaper (and definitely better) than what it costs us in the US. So, a $1500 venture for 3 ½ days was a pretty big splurge indeed!

Before I left, most everyone asked me if I would be taking any cooking lessons while I was in Sicily. Truth be told, I’m not sure I need them, as I really like the way I cook now. But heck, a few days at a school was bound to teach me something! I particularly liked that this one was founded by a well known “home cook” in Sicily. Anna Tasca passed away a few years back, but her daughter Fabrizia runs the school now. It’s based in the hills outside of Palermo in a town called Vallelunga Pratenema – but actually a bit outside of town on one of the family’s many vineyards. The Tasca Family is a pretty big deal in Sicily.

Check them out at http://www.tascadalmerita.it/en/ if you’re interested.

Tasca D’Almerita is their original vineyard and happens to be Fabrizia’s grandparents country home – and from what I hear, it’s a VERY grand home even today. It’s used by the family for vacations, but it’s also a 4-star resort that hosts wine aficionados from around the world. Fabrizia restored one of the old farm houses on the property and has built a pretty grand place for herself . . full of beautiful gardens, a commercial kitchen, her villa, apartments & guest rooms! I took a lot of pictures of her gorgeous smelling garden which is full of special spots for relaxing, yoga, swimming & sunning . . the picture with the hammock that I posted last week actually has been my favorite meditation spot of the trip thus far.

I arrive after a 3+ hour drive – should have been 1 ½ hours – but the damn GPS put me back on that road full of construction that we’d taken to Palermo a couple of days earlier & I couldn’t turn around. No worries, it feels like I’ve found my nirvana! I love this place . . it’s the little farm that I’ve always wanted. Then again, maybe the one I thought I wanted – because boy does this place look like a lot of work (and Fabrizia’s got quite a large team to run it!).

I’m shown to my lovely room in the main villa (I was downstairs in Fabrizia’s house) and am told class won’t start for about an hour. There’s still breakfast left in the kitchen, so I go in and have some tea & a slice of delicious lemon cake.   Chef Michael comes in & introduces himself and asks if I’m Renee? “No, I’m Kari”. Oh, you’re the one that didn’t make it down last night. Yep, that’s me!   So to start, Chef Michael is Irish – and he’s spent the last 10 years in Sicily (yes, he fell in love with a Sicilian woman & they have a 2 ½ year old son – but according to Michael, he would have stayed anyway). He speaks beautiful Italian, but it is funny that he has this little Irish lilt when he speaks it and his Irish is a little “polluted” with his Italian. All good! He & Fabrizia have this wonderful comraderie (she tells me later, she’s getting up there in years and thinks she’s found the right person to take over in Michael) but Michael does have this little playful “not following all of Fabrizia’s traditions” thing when she’s not looking. Seems he’s quite opinionated and doesn’t agree entirely with some of the cooking traditions of these locals (Fabrizia has these 2 woman that are the prep & sback-up cooks that were raised in this region & they don’t speak any Italian – but they are also opinionated & very bossy about how things should be done). All in all – quite entertaining environment to observe!

The rest of the students start to arrive and there will be just 6 of us. First up, this guy named Chris. He’s from Seattle, works for UW Medicine and is traveling through Europe on his own for 5 weeks. Then these 2 couples – Renee & Dan and Jeremy & Meredith.   Dan’s really friendly and the self-appointed ambassador of the group, as far as I can tell. I keep looking at Renee and she just looks really familiar. I go up to her and ask, “are you a chef”? She says, “yes” and I ask if she’s been on any of the cooking competitions because she looks really familiar and she says, “yes, but Jeremy & I own 4 restaurants in Seattle”. Bingo – I know who she is and say, “you’re Renee xxxxxxxxxxx, I’ve been to your restaurants”. She says that’s always really nice to hear – and that’s about the last thing she says to me for the next 24 hours because I don’t think she’s thrilled that I’ve recognized her. I’m assuming she’s just shy! (by the way, I’m not mentioning her name, as I’m sure someone with a James Beard Award probably as a social media group searching for posts about her and I don’t need to add anymore angst to my recognition of her). Enough said! Mostly I thought it was cool that everyone there was from Seattle!!

Chef Michael says we’re going to make 4 kinds of pasta. Two are with just water & flour; two others with eggs. We learn all about different flours and milling. By the way, according to Michael, Barilla is shit – so if you buy that stuff – STOP! Chris & I team up and we make both types of dough – then it’s time for shaping. (The pasta did have to rest, so during that time, we also made 3 sauces & a filling for the tortellini). Two of the shapes were making me nuts – and I just couldn’t get the hang of it. One was kind of like making gnocchi, but was rolled off a board to form a little divet for sauce. Another was this twisty thing that you rolled out by hand like a length of spaghetti and then twisted it around a skewer and then pushed it off (amazing the thing stayed roughly curly – and it did in the water too!). That’s when I meet Fabrizia for the first time. She notices that I’m really struggling with this twisty shape and comes to help me. Not only does she get me up to speed, but she stays and finishes the rest of the dough with me so we’ll actually eat today!

The tortellini was my favorite shape – not too hard to get the hang of – and the filling was awesome. Dad, I will have to make this for you someday. It had ground pork & ground mortadella and it was REALLY, REALLY yummy! They served it as soup in a homemade chicken broth. Yum!

The twisty shape got this pesto from Trapani Region – a tomato, almond, mint concoction that actually was my favorite. I’ll have to see if I can find more of that when I’m in Trapani later this week. The small gnocchi-like shape got a simple tomato sauce (this is one of the dishes Michael got chastised for making since tomatoes are NOT in season according to Fabrizia – but he used a jar of homemade tomato sauce put up last season by the 2 women in the kitchen) – really good! The last pasta was hand cut linguine and it got a Bolognese sauce which Michael said was a really fast one – but trust me, no lack of flavor here. He used this tomato paste made with sun dried tomatoes & wine called “estratto”. This is the holy grail, the secret sauce, the answer to why food in Sicily tastes SO GOOD. Dad, I will bring a jar home for you – it will make everything you cook taste better than it should. The process to make this stuff is time-consuming and done with love. Sicilian grandmothers know what they are doing!

By the way, wine is flowing the whole time!

We get a few hours off to relax & I do the meditation in the garden thing. We return to the kitchen around 5:30 and I find only Chris and Chef Michael. Apparently, the others are at the BIG HOUSE – having dinner & wine with the other side of the family! Good for us – cooking lesson for two! We get a lot of hands on work and make a bunch of vegetable dishes. I learned all about cardoons (lots of work, but so delicious) and some other interesting stuff about how vegetables are supposed to be prepared. It ends of being Chef Michael, Fabrizia, two of the interns (Hannah – who’s been sick for 2 days already and Natalie – who lives in Rome with her Irish husband and is from San Diego), Chris & myself. The wine is flowing and so is the conversation. Fabrizia is very well traveled in the US and knows a lot about a lot. She’s also from a privileged, wealthy Sicilian family and boy, does she have a lot to say about Sicilians. She truly wants to help them – but they don’t want help. They don’t trust anyone and they’re stuck in their old ways. She talks about how hard it’s been to get support for her business from the locals. Eye opening for me who keeps thinking I want to start a business in Sicily. She’s generous with her time & perspective. Thank you Fabrizia! We have yummy almond cookies for dessert that Chris & I made.

We get up early and Fabrizia drives us to a sheep farm; the restaurant group follows in a separate car. We’re going to meet the sheep, the cheese maker Filippo Privitera, learn how to make pecorino & ricotta, and taste a bunch of cheese. There’s a bunch of pictures for you to look at. If you’ve never seen cheese being made, it’s both fascinating & back-breaking. While we’re waiting for milk to come up to temperature, Filippo takes us to meet some sheep that have been separated from the herd. These are males that have pulled out and won’t be allowed to breed. Why we ask, what’s wrong with them? Apparently, they have nipples that are too small! Now, why would too small nipples on a male be bad? Well, if they breed, they could pass these along to the next generation and too small nipples are bad when sheep need to be milked twice a day. Good to know!

We taste 2-day old cheese, fresh cheese & ricotta at various stages of their process. I love sheep milk & sheep’s milk cheese – gotta say, it’s ruined me for cow milk ricotta and fresh pecorino (they don’t age it past 2 weeks like they do in the north) is pretty nice indeed. Cool experience, cool dog too!

By the way, the guy in the red shirt in the pictures just wouldn’t cooperate with my photography. I was trying to get him face on so you could see how much he looks like my brother, Dean. Check out the hairline at least – but trust me, he looked like Dean.

We return to the farm and have some elderberry cooler (spiked with elderberry liqueur) and start a 9 cheese, cheese tasting . . cheeses from all over Sicily. I ate up every bit of them with a couple of glasses of wine! Then we had a light, vegetable lunch with really yummy salad and some other stuff the kitchen women had made. Then, it’s time for a break. I hang with the interns and get their stories and then do a little meditating in the garden (I love this place). We return to the kitchen prepared to get bloody – as Chef Michael told me to be prepared because we were working with carnage (I love this guy!).

The restaurant team is gone now and it’s just Chris & me again. We do ALL the prep work and most of the cooking – perfect to me – not so much for Chris. We gut, de-head & fillet about 4 dozen sardines for Pasta with Sardines and roll veal into involtini skewers. I got really excited that we were having some meat, as it’s the first real protein I’m going to have in a few days, and I tell Chef Michael that I’m going to eat more than my fair share of these. He assures me, there will be leftovers. (He was right, I was too full to consume more than 1 ½).

We make some side dishes and this great almond pudding. To start the pudding, Chef pulls out a jar of almonds. I grab one and he says, “wait, we have to see if these are bitter or sweet almonds . . so just have a small amount”. I break off a corner and discover, yes, they are the bitter ones. Good he says, because they’re poisonous and I didn’t want you to get too sick. Thanks Michael . . . apparently you have to eat about 12 to die! Also, good to know!! The pudding is a definite make again – Mom, I’ll make this just for you – since you love almonds as much as I love pistachios!

Dinner is the same 6 of us from the night before and the wine is flowing heavy tonight. Fabrizia starts to tell us all about her childhood and her British Nanny. Seems her grandfather & uncle were kidnapped by the Mafia at some point and it’s an interesting family story (though for her grandmother, it was less than interesting and more a scary thing). She starts dropping names of famous American chefs – all good friends – and I’m loving her stories. Again, I’ll refrain from posting them here, since the social media gurus would be all over this stuff. I go to bed, stuffed!

In the morning, it’s time for our last breakfast and good-byes. But not before we dig into about a dozen different kinds of jam. This farm grows everything and they can everything too! Orange marmalade, better than anything I ever tasted from England. Mandarin, fig, cherry, stone fruit, apple, you name it – you got it .. and honey from the farm too. I don’t know how they do it, but those women in the kitchen make THE BEST yogurt that I have ever eaten. Move over Greek yogurt – I love you – but this stuff’s got you beat!!! I dish up a big bowl and top it with honey & cherry jam. DELICIOSA!!!

I pack up the car and have decided to alter my original plans to visit a couple of “family origin” towns: Sclafani Bagna and Chiusa Sclafani. According to Fabrizia, the road to Sclafani Bagna is “broken” and I won’t be able to get through. Enough of these broken roads! I alter my plans & plan to head east to see Piazza Armerina, a UNESCO site. I can’t check in to my place in Sciacca until 4:30pm so I might as well see something amazing.

I give everyone a big hug good-bye, thank them for their hospitality and head out.

My splurge . . worth every penny!

Click Here to See Pictures

April 12, 2017
Tourist Trots

April 3

I’m pretty sure it was the huge balls . . . of rice & meat! But this morning, I’m not feeling good at all. It’s Sherine’s last day and I’m dropping her off at the airport this afternoon. I’ve spent a good portion of the night in the bathroom and Sherine’s taken pity on me and says we really don’t have to do anything this morning. So we take advantage of the late, noontime check-out and sit tight in the hotel. Truth be told, it’s raining, so not the most pleasant day to go out sight-seeing anyway.

I’m supposed to drive 1 ½ hours south after the airport drop to Vallelunga Pratanema, a little town in the mountains east of Palermo for my cooking school class. I decide, with Sherine’s support, that maybe this isn’t the best idea and get onto booking.com and find a little place near the airport where I can rest & be close to a bathroom!

We check-out and decide to head over for an early check-in at the “Tourist Trots Crash Pad” before heading to the airport to drop Sherine & exchange cars (I’ve been driving a mini-SUV / crossover thing that’s just too big for the narrow, small town streets so I’ve arranged to exchange it at the Palermo airport). The GPS does its usual – “I think I’ll take you off the beaten path and onto a side road that the ocean has washed up on” thing – and the airport trip takes about twice as long as it should have.

We pull into the lot and find out that I actually have to go into the terminal to get the paperwork from the “inside” guy! So Sherine & I walk over there, say our goodbyes, and I find the EuropeCar counter (except I’ve found the wrong one) and am directed to the “right” one. Finally – someone that knows I’m coming! I give him my song & dance (in English, because I’m just not thinking in Italian when I feel like I really want to be in bed) and he says that this VW Golf that I asked for is really about the same size. I’ve been seeing these things all over Italy and I think it’s smaller, so I sign the paperwork & go back to the lot. He’s right – it’s about the small size – length & width wise – but it is shorter. Big deal, shorter is NOT the problem when you’re dealing with narrow streets. I consider changing it. Then I notice that the plate ends in VR and I know it’s sign that Vince Rafello is watching over me & I decide to be on my way.

I spend the rest of the day & evening in a nice, but isolated apartment (no other guests & the host was VERY quick to give me the keys & run . . they do a lot of that in Italy . . very trusting indeed!). I’m eating yogurt, bananas and these fiber crackers that Sherine bought and trying to drink lots of water. I can’t find any English channels on TV and the WiFi (you guessed it) is not sufficient to watch Netflix – so I just hang out & think.

What am I doing in Italy, all by myself, in a strange town (that I didn’t plan for), feeling like crap?? I come to my senses – all good. I’m in Italy and I wanted to do this – it will be fine.

About that time, all hell breaks loose next door. First, it sounds like a guy is teasing this little kid and the kid is laughing and doing that fake, short scream thing, But – it doesn’t stop. And then – it escalates. And I’m thinking – what’s that number again, the one to call the police in Italy? Now the guy sounds like he’s chasing the kid around the house & terrorizing him. The kid is screaming, crying, yelling & pleading for the guy to stop and he just keeps going. It REALLY sounded like he was abusing the kid and that he wasn’t just doing it for fun anymore. This went on for over an hour and I really didn’t know what to do. FINALLY – it stops and they seem to settle into normal family noises & dinner time comes and it’s just talking & some clanking dishes. Thank GOD it didn’t start back up – but I did put ear plugs in that night. Thankfully, I slept pretty well, even with the thoughts of terror on the other side of the wall.

I set my alarm for 6am and plan to get out of there before 7am. I do – and leave the keys in the room and exit before the sun comes up and without seeing a soul since I’ve said good-bye to Sherine at the airport.

Weird night – but it’s a new day – and I’m on my way to cooking class at Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in the hills of Vallelunga Pratanemo!

April 12, 2017
What I Know About Italy / Sicily!

**Note to Readers: I’m going to add to this one, as often as observed, so check back . .

1.       Driving is not about rules – because if there are some (which I highly doubt) – Italian’s ignore them all. It is OK to:

a.       drive next to a car in the same lane

b.       ignore the line and straddle it (a little bit or a lot – totally discretionary)

c.       to pass on the right (yes, Dad, the right!)

d.       to pass when a car is coming towards you in the opposite lane

e.       to pass when there’s a double line

f.        to pass when the line is solid

g.       to pass after the broken line ends

h.       to pass on a blind curve . . . really, the OK applies to “whenever you feel like passing”!!

2.       When the GPS tells you a road is closed – assume it’s lying. There may be construction cones, orange tape & dirt paths – but the Italian road crews WILL HAVE found & created a path for you to use – complete with lots of one way stretches that are controlled by hard to see traffic lights that are propped up on the side of the road (usually below eye level).

3.       There really is NO speed limit in Italy – but you better know what it is anyway – because there are speed monitoring cameras everywhere to catch you speeding. Most confusing (I finally asked someone) are the speed limit signs that you are supposed to follow ONLY when you are exiting a highway ramp. The mafia must be manufacture & profit from speed limit signs, because there is one (on average) about every 200 feet that conflict with the last one you saw. Personally, the speed limit signs make me a little psychotic!

4.       All the highways are under construction – and my assessment is that they will be for a VERY LONG TIME. Note – if you’re coming to Italy in the next 10 years – expect BROKEN roads (broken is what the Italian’s call them).

5.       Toilets – really, don’t even get me started. How does a country that values clean bums (by installing a duvet in every home & hotel bathroom) NOT put toilet seats on EVERY toilet? (**Sue, you would be so proud of me – I actually have learned to squat and not get pee all over myself. This of course will come in very handy for hiking this summer!!) Sometimes, they have toilet paper, sometimes not. Soap & paper towels for hand washing are rare. And you better have a big stash of coin – because most public bathrooms (and they are scarce) will charge you! Opt to buy a bottle of water or a gelato and use theirs instead – still no promise of a toilet seat.

6.       It’s OK to let your 5 year old eat Nutella pizza for dinner!

7.       Sicilians are VERY helpful! . . but they really don’t speak Italian.

8.       Way too many Italians smoke!

9.       The evening walk is a favorite past time – but I’m not sure if it’s motivated by social connection OR exercise. Regardless, far too many Italians walk & smoke, and far too many women wear uncomfortable shoes while doing it.

10.   Older women walk in pairs – with their arms entwined. Sherine & I tried this out a couple of times and found it really is a good system – especially when you’re walking down a narrow road and have to pull your friend out of the car’s trajectory so it won’t hit her!

11.   It’s OK to let you teenager have french fries & ketchup for dinner – while you suck down a big, old plate of steamed mussels!

12.   Italian women wear a LOT of perfume – and I like the smell of all of it!

13.   Italians use the word “allora” way too much – it’s like “um” in American – but technically translates to “then”. They know they use it way too much!!

14. The place is filled with ancient ruins, statues, paintings, palaces, gorgeous villas, small quaint streets, and even some pretty run down places. And you NEVER, EVER get tired of seeing them all!

15.   It’s OK to park – ANYWHERE! It doesn’t matter if:

a.       You’re parked where there are NO PARKING signs (and I mean lots of them)

b.       You’re double or triple parked

c.       You’re double parked and facing the opposite direction that the traffic is coming

d.       You want to put two wheels up on the curb while you park

e.       You block the traffic for a little while or a long while . . if you want to park there, everyone else can find a way around you!

**NOTE – the streets are filled with no parking signs & tow away signs & resident only signs and NO ONE observes them. Of course, if I dared to do any of these things, THEY WOULD KNOW I WAS A TOURIST & A BIG OLD, PARKING TICKET WOULD ARRIVE IN THE MAIL 6 MONTHS AFTER I GET HOME, COSTING $150. I’m just saying!

16. EVERYONE in Sicily owns a puffy, down coat and they wear them ALL THE TIME! They say it’s still winter here, think I’m crazy for walking around in sleeveless shirts & sandals, and believe until it gets to be 25 degrees (that’s 77 to you & me) it’s not even warm!! It hit 23.5 (74.3) here the other day and I swear, they were all still wearing their puffy coats (and most had sweaters on under those)! Go figure!

17. The kids NEVER seem to be in school – despite my being told they go 6 days a week. They are ALWAYS out playing soccer on the street and /or sitting at pasticceria’s eating gelato & pastries.

April 12, 2017
Palermo: Full of Surprises

April 2 & 3

We’ve just left Hotel Villa Athena, it’s Saturday afternoon, April 1st(Happy Birthday to my brother, Dean) and we make the 2 hour drive to Palermo. Unfortunately, it takes over 3 hours – partly due to rain – more due to the road construction on SS121 (the main route between Agrigento & Palermo . . BAD GPS! Really, you couldn’t find a different route?).

We have great difficulty finding our hotel and of course, the Saturday evening drivers are revved up and are lacking all patience & decorum! It’s not as bad as Napoli – but it’s not a town I would choose to drive in again. We settle into the hotel & decide to find something to eat. The hotel clerk suggests a couple of restaurants down by the water. We start walking & find a little Trattoria a block down & decide to forego the walk & the rain. The food is good; the service is better and they serve us wine on the street as we wait for a table. All in all – good experience. We turn in early.

Sunday Morning- Good Morning Sherine & Happy Birthday!! We decide to take the red Hop-On, Hop-Off bus (which has a convenient pick up RIGHT IN FRONT of our hotel. We make a full loop to get oriented and decide on the next round, we’ll get off first at Teatro Massimo (the Opera House). This place is incredible and once again, the pictures don’t so it justice. This place is called one of the World’s great opera houses & they did not spare any detail in design. It even has a domed roof with 6 or 8 frescos that OPEN UP and provide venting (because opera singers cannot sing with air conditioning, as it dries out the vocal cords). They took us up to the Grand Box and it was very grand indeed. Apparently anyone can buy seats to sit in here – as long as they are available – and they’re priced the same as the seats on the main floor.

We move on to the recently restored & re-opened Museo Regionale Archeologico. Even after seeing the Valley of the Temples Museum at Argriento 2 days earlier – this place does not disappoint. It is filled with tremendous treasures showcasing both the history of the city of Palermo, and the other major areas of Sicily. We only wish we could have seen the 2nd & 3rd floors of exhibits which were not yet open.

We’re hungry & we find this great little “bar” (bars are small, casual restaurants here) with a great buffet. Buffet is not a good description, as they do these amazing antipasti spreads here. This one is full of fresh vegetables, grilled calamari, legume dishes, olives, and even fresh ripe strawberries. It’s 6 Euro for all you can eat and the nice waiter from Sri Lanka tells us it’s fresh every day and what we don’t eat will just get thrown out at the end of the day. With bread, water & 2 glasses of Prosecco (it is Sherine’s birthday after all, so we’re celebrating) the bill comes to just under 20 Euro (and that’s with a tip).

Back on the bus and our next stop is Villa Giulia – a beautiful garden which has been converted to a city park. In the pictures, you will see this great shot of a picture window that is in one of the kiosks. I took a picture through it that looked at onto the gardens – so cool. Being April, everything’s in bloom and the last of the citrus is still heavy on the trees. Since I’m so tired of seeing citrus going uneaten and falling on the ground, I pick up an orange that has already fallen, but looks pretty pristine & new. I peel it to eat. BAD move . . it’s sour & bitter and completely inedible. I throw it back to the ground!

One more trip on the bus and we arrive at the stop for Palazzo Reale (Palazzo = Palace). It’s Sunday, so it’s closed – but that’s OK, we’ve really come here looking for Palazzo Sclafani (see the post on our Family Palace). We find the palace, snap all our pictures and walk down the Matteo Sclafani “alley” and come out upon this grand courtyard and a very grand building. Turns out – we have happened upon is the Palermo Cathedral. What a GRAND find indeed. I know I keep saying this – but the pictures DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. These historical artisans were AMAZING – their talent, craftsmanship & imaginations were limitless and these places are filled with priceless, beautiful pieces of art. I think I said OMG (but the real words) like 50 times as I walked though this place. Spectacular – truly spectacular!

We top it off with a birthday gelato for Sherine – she enjoys this almond parfait thing (really tasty), while I decide on cassata gelato (really, really tasty). Cassata is a very traditional cake here in Sicily – it’s made with ricotta & candied fruit and usually has marzipan covering it . . TASTY! For those of you that know & understand my love of spumoni (incidentally a totally American invention – and one that’s rarely done really well) – I have found my Sicilian spumoni in cassata gelato!!! Heaven in a bowl and I haven’t found it since – but I WILL!

Back on the bus to return to the hotel. When we exit the bus, I notice this arancini (rice ball) shop a few doors down. Palermo is known for its street food (arancini being one of them) and we must try them. There are about 20 flavors at this shop. They are huge – but we decide on three different flavors – one with tuna, one with veggies and the last with pork & BBQ sauce (yes, that’s what they called it). We go back & enjoy a few bites but can’t begin to finish these huge balls! The pork is by far our favorite – but within 2 hours I’m not sure I like them at all (see Tourist Trots post). ☹

Palermo – I said I could take it or leave it! I should have said, I’d only do again with a local. It’s a city filled with history and beautiful art & architecture – but like any big city, it feels impersonal. I heard from a local a few days later (the chef at my cooking school who lives there) that it’s really a great place. I wish I had met him BEFORE rather than AFTER my visit . . he was sharing dozens of Palermo haunts & eateries with a few people that were going on to Palermo after class.

By the way – Palermo is the home to the Mafia (which of course, you’re not supposed to mention while you’re there – so we didn’t). I don’t know what they look like OR how they act OR what their influence is any longer . . BUT, I felt completely safe the whole time I was there. Maybe I had a “godfather” looking out for me after all!

Click Here to See Pictures

April 12, 2017
The Valley of the Temples . . and Relaxation!

March 31 & April 1

AKA: Happy Birthday Kari & Sherine!

First day of my 57th year and we’re winding down the hill from La Pietra O’Munti for the last time. As we get closer to the autostrada, we have a beautiful view of Mt. Etna (that’s the picture I posted on the Up, Up & Away post). We couldn’t believe it was still smoking after 3 weeks and now, I was SURE it was the rumble of the volcano that I’ve been hearing the past few nights!

We drive south towards Catania and the GPS puts us onto the A19 heading west towards Palermo. I have to admit, the roads in this part of Sicily are pretty darn good: well maintained (many new), wide with multiple lanes, and great rest stops (they call them servicio – and they’re pretty swanky)! You can get coffee drinks – in ceramic cups (not Styrofoam or paper) and tons of good food (you should see the selection of sandwiches (panini) at these places – they put our 7-Elevens to shame!!! They’re also the best place to find a reliable bathroom (and they usually don’t charge you for them).

So, we’re on this superstrada for about an hour and we’ve stopped a couple of times to use the bathroom and have a nice, civilized cup of hot tea. At this last one, I see a beautiful hill town in the distance and I start taking pictures. There’s actually two towns across from each other and they are both spectacular. We get back on the road and start to see signs for Enna. Now, I’ve heard & read about Enna and it’s supposed to be pretty awesome – but we’re headed for Greek Temples people and they’re supposed to be pretty spectacular themselves – so we wave bye-bye to Enna and keep heading west to Agrigento. (Quick side story – Mom & Dad went to Enna when they came to Sicily in 2002. Mom warned me about these chocolate pastry balls they bought that ended up being filled with rum. They ate them & got so drunk, that they had to stay longer & walk them off before getting back in the car. I was warned – but since we didn’t stop – problem overted!!)

Now – you can forget what I said about great superstrada’s in Italy – because as soon as we pass the offramp for Enna, the roads turn to hell! We continue for the next 90 minutes through multiple construction zones . . suffice to say, I was pretty tired of driving by the time we arrived in Agrigento. Couple that with the fact that Sherine just didn’t feel herself today – and we were pretty spent. I did however see my first road sign for Sciacca as we came into Agrigento and that was pretty thrilling for me (we were only about 45 miles away at this point).

We arrive early and plan to park at our hotel and use their private entrance to the Temple grounds. Instead, they say, “your room is ready if you’d like to check in early” and we of course, jump at the chance. Now, this is just the beginning of a wonderful stay at Hotel Villa Athena which is labeled as one of the best small luxury hotels in Europe. I knew when I chose it that it was swanky, but I didn’t expect this charming, 27-room, first class villa in the middle of some ancient ruins. Noted – best find on booking.com to date!

Once we saw the room, the views, and heard they had a spa (that had availability) all our plans went out the window!

So, we decide THIS will be our day to celebrate our joint birthdays (mine was the day before, Sherine’s would be 2 days from now).   First, we go to sit by the pool. The picture above was taken by ME, while I was sitting at the pool (no it is NOT a postcard!). A waiter promptly arrives and I start my afternoon with an Aperol Spritz (for my husband, his favorite drink in Italy) and we just relax in the sun. Then we move to the terrace for a wonderful lunch. I order an amazing seafood salad (the calamari & octopus were to die for – actually – it was ALL to die for!). We of course, order wine & dessert too.

We relax for another hour and then prepare for our 2 hours at the spa (Sherine actually had 2 ½ hours!). To start, they put us in the private “bathing” room with three types of treatments. The attendant says she’s going to turn down the lights and when they come back up, she will come to get us. OK – we’re cool with that! I start with the first treatment – which is a series of hot & cold showers that are on timers. You move to the next when the little light comes on and it changes to a new temperature (I have to say the cold ones were a bit shocking!!). Next, I move to the Turkish bath – kind of like a sauna, but with some steam – come to think of it, it’s more like a sauna & Swiss shower hybrid (if you’re a spa junky like me, you’ll get that reference – if not, suffice to say, it felt pretty nice!). Sherine had already moved to the third step – a gigantic jacuzzi with these cool metal chaise loungers that were placed under the water, but over dozens of jets. You had to kind of hold on for dear life is you didn’t want to get too jostled around! No matter – felt wonderful. I return to the Turkish bath for a while and come back out to lounge on the white leather chaise (did I mention this place was really slick & modern?).

After a little while, the lights are turned back up. 10 minutes go by and still no attendant. I say to Sherine, “I bet I know why it’s taking so long for her to come in”. Her response, “really, why”? My mind is working overtime now . . “I bet this room is mostly used by couples & the attendant is used to giving them plenty of time to finish whatever they are doing . . and you can imagine what they might be doing in this room!!” She laughs and agrees!

We both enjoy our massages and great showers in the swanky bathrooms in the spa complex (keep in mind, the bathroom in our room is pretty swanky too). We dress & get ready for dinner. It’s pretty upscale too. Unfortunately, it’s pretty early in the season, so they’ve moved food service inside. The wait staff recognizes us from lunch – and we get plenty of attention (probably had a little to do with the fact that we might have been the only non-senior citizens in there – except one family with young kids). I order another Aperol Spritz (he makes it huge this time) and Sherine orders a lemon drop (I had to sort of tell the guy how to make it – but he decided to make a vodka sour and put it in a martini glass – Sherine liked it nevertheless!).

I have a big green salad and this killer tuna dish and finish with a dessert with – you guessed it – pistachios & ricotta (fancy canoli’s with a twist)! More wine and we’re both ready for bed.

I wake up at 7am – throw on some sweats (a big no-no in Italy – but heck, I’m an American) and go down to the pool to meditate. Yes, I meditated to the sunrise, with the Concordia Temple like 1000 yards from me, and it was AMAZING!!!!!

We head down for our “breakfast included” meal and we’re blown away. This is like a really good Sunday brunch selection anywhere in the States – but the ingredients are better . . and the food tastes even better. We fortify for the day, as we’re planning to hit the Temple Grounds this morning and the sun is starting to heat up already.

The Temples did not disappoint. I took a ton of pictures for all of you – but like everything else in Sicily – you just have to come see them for yourself. Until you are up close to these 2500+ year old ancient cities & buildings, you cannot really imagine what they are like. After a few hours, we went back to the hotel to check out. We had planned to drive up to the museum, but the desk clerk told us to leave the car where it was and hike up the hill about 300 meters. It felt like 1000 meters – but we made it and found the entrance after winding through a labyrinth of signs & foot bridges. We had to scrounge our change, as they didn’t take credit cards and we mostly had big bills (no one seems to like to make change in this country). This museum was a real find and did not disappoint.   Again, enjoy the pictures – but plan to go there yourself one day.

We return to the hotel and are starving, tired & hot. We have our 4th meal at Hotel Villa Athena on the terrace overlooking the temples. I have the Italian version of a nicoise salad with more fresh tuna and a really yummy strawberry dessert . . I had to skip the wine on this one, as I would be driving to Palermo in a little while. I think I drank about a liter of water to replenish the salt I lost that morning stomping around the grounds in the sun!

Sadly, we say good-bye to our new friends and thank them for their wonderful hospitality. By this point, they know that I’m coming back to Sciacca for a week and they’re pressing hard for me to come back to the Villa for a visit.   As I’m writing this – I’m only about 40 minutes away. Too bad, but I think it will have to wait until my next trip to Sicily, as I’m heading west in a couple of days and won’t be back this way again . . . at least on this trip.

Click Here to See Pictures

April 11, 2017
Etna – Up, Up & Away!

And yes, that is Mt. Etna in all its glory . . . smoking & spitting!!

We leave the beautiful city of Taormina for our next stop – 3 days in Puntaluzza – Region of Catania.    Now, if you know anything about Catania – it’s actually one of the newest & most modern cities of Sicily . . . wait for it . . . because it’s been destroyed by Mt. Etna’s eruptions over the centuries and has had to be rebuilt so many times!

We’ve chosen an Agritourism site called La Pietra Antica O’Munti – and it’s high up on the mountain – literally on the slopes of Mt. Etna (though happily more north & west than Etna’s usual path). Keep in mind that about 10 days before I came to Italy, Mt. Etna began to smoke & spit – and some tourists (Chinese I believe) got hit & burned by rocks that were “thrown” from the volcano.

Not to worry – according to the locals, the volcano is always smoking & spitting and there’s nothing to worry about. Apparently, that was the least of our worries. The real issue was “could we find the place?”. The host had given us some rudimentary instructions – something like, follow our signs up the mountain (we found about 12 of them) but apparently missed others. We had GPS going and it took us “off road” and way out of the way. Thank God I had downloaded the directions onto my phone from GoogleMaps and we finally turned that on & found it after driving all over the mountain for about an hour (should have taken about 15 minutes). **Note: At this point, I’m hoarding data usage, of which GPS is a big old hog. Since I’ve already blown through my international data bucket and had to have Scott call Verizon to add more – I chose not to use my phone in the first place.

Side note – drive took forever, but was BEAUTIFUL. There are old estates & villas with terraced hillsides all over the mountain – some are abandoned, but others had been restored extensively and were amazing. La Pietra Antica is one of them. It’s an old winery and in its glory, I’d bet it was a beauty. Stone buildings dot the property which is planted with old growth citrus and other blooming trees and they’ve converted the buildings into guest rooms, a wonderful restaurant & a cool bar with a library. There are cats EVERYWHERE – and a cute donkey named Bellino & a tiny goat named Bellina.    The place is run by Nunzia and her sister and their two cousins . . all women!

So Nunzia is happy that we’ve finally made it and she asks if we want to have dinner up there tonight. (Note: Agritourisms let you choose your meal plan – B&B for breakfast only; Half Board for breakfast & dinner or Full Board for all meals.) We had chosen B&B – but knew that we had the option to opt for other meals so when she asked – Sherine & I quickly said in unison – “yes”! Besides being hungry, there was NO WAY we were driving down off that mountain at night (plus, I promised Mom I wouldn’t drive in Italy at night – so far Mom, I’ve honored that request . . and trust me, it won’t be hard to keep it!).

The next day we decide to drive into Siracusa. You should have seen the “Meet Fabrizio of Siracusa” post, so I won’t belabor you with more details – but the drive back up to La Pietra Antica was much easier than the previous day. We had dinner up at the “farm” again that night and decide the next day would be a “down day” (coincidentally, also my birthday) since we would be going to Agrigento the following day (2 ½ hour drive) to tour the famous ruins of Greek Temples.    I wake up about 4am to some loud rumbling noise and am convinced it was the volcano making itself known. It stops & I go back to sleep. I wake about 6:30am to find that we have NO POWER!

We go up for breakfast about 9am – still NO POWER. We decide it will be laundry day and find a laundry service down in town. We manage to get the GPS to get us there – but find that the street parking requires a permit – but no one seems to know where to buy one (since there are not machines on the streets like we have in the States). Sherine asks in the pharmacy and is told to go down the street and off she goes. In the meantime, I go back to the car to get some stuff out (as you know, you’re told never to leave stuff in your car in Italy). I look around and she’s gone. I go back into the pharmacy and a different person tells me to go across the street and go to the 3rd door. That’s closed & locked up, so I ask the wine shop next door if they know where I can get a permit. A nice young man says “next door” – but I tell him it’s closed – so he goes next door & bangs on the door until the old man that runs the place comes to open the door. The young guy tells the old guy I need parking permits and he needs to open up to sell them to me – AND he does! I hand him a 2 Euro coin and he needs to give me .60 Euro in change, but he doesn’t have it – only .40 Euro. I try to tell them both it’s OK – I don’t need the change – but the young guy is not going to let the old guy get away with this and insists that he give me my change. Somewhere the old guy finds the extra .20, hands me 2 permits (for 2 hours) and I’m on my way. Sherine comes back a couple minutes later with 2 permits as well. Now, we’re more than set.

We have to leave the laundry and the attendant says we can pick it up at 8pm that same day. I ask in Italian if there’s any way we can have earlier it and she says Ok, 6pm (I really don’t want to drive in the dark). She agrees and we decide to walk around this lovely little seaport called Riposto and end up having lunch and a birthday gelato. I drag Sherine around the marina area and she’s patient with my infatuation of the various fish markets & produce stands that I can’t stop photographing! We drive back up to La Pietra to find still – NO POWER. WE rest a bit and then go back to town to pick up the laundry and return to – still NO POWER! So Nunzia says we will be having dinner by candlelight and it will be romantic!! I haven’t mentioned that it’s off season, and dinner each night was us and another table of two – a very nice German couple! We all had dinner that night in the dark, by candlelight and Nunzia brought out dessert truffles with a little candle and they all sang Happy Birthday to me! Still no POWER – so Nunzia brings Sherine & me each a little propane lantern and we go off to our rooms to pack, as it will be an early start tomorrow.

We wake up and STILL NO POWER!! Of course, no power means, no hot water – so we put CLEAN clothes on our DIRTY bodies and go up for final breakfast. Nunzia apologizes for about the 10th time for the power situation and presents us with a nice bottle of wine as a going away gift.   We leave a big tip for the wonderful staff and Nunzia is puzzled and asks “even with the power outage?”.   I assure her that they more than earned it. We drive down the hill for the last time and agree, we could probably do it now – IN THE DARK!

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April 5, 2017
“THIS” Could Be Our Town!

Another bus, but HAD to go . . it’s as close to the RAFELLO namesake as I could get!

A simple “F” for the “V” and we’d have OUR town in Italy!! Have to say, it was pretty cool to walk around and see “our name” everywhere.

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Beautiful – simply beautiful – sorry I can’t get more pictures to upload tonight so you can see them. This selfie of me is an example of the stunning views from this town.

A “gem” of a view!

So, we toured the crown jewel of the town . . Villa Rufolo.

Our crib? Could be!

Heck . . Tomato, Tomoto, Rufolo, Rafello . . . close enough for cousins to stake a claim!!!

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April 3, 2017
Taormina the Beautiful!

Taormina – yes, they really do call it the jewel of Sicily. It’s one of the most popular resort towns in Sicily and gets very crowded in the Summer. We heard the G7 summit will be there next month – glad we missed that – don’t want to run into Trump in Italy and ruin this trip!!

Gorgeous little town and yes, “Zia Em-meh” – the hotel room was small, but so beautiful & well appointed. We go to the “bar” to have breakfast (B&B has arranged it) and the waiter loves us so much, he charges us ZERO for the extras. I get brioche and granita for breakfast . . first of many while I’m here, I AM CERTAIN!! (**Note, see other post!)

This town boasts the most unbelievable Greek Theatre. The pictures don’t even begin to do it justice – but they will have to suffice! I must say, this new phone that Scott bought for me before I left is taking really nice pictures, so I’m pretty proud of this shot that I took of the coastline framed by the arch. This theatre must have been incredible in it’s heyday – as it’s pretty spectacular even in its run down state. Magnificent!!!

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The town’s main strada (street) has entry arches at each end and is filled with shops & restaurants that are picture perfect. I especially love the “pop up” restaurants that have tables positioned on the stairs. This is a hill town after all and they have to make use of every inch of available space. They are enchanting! I think I might have to revise my Pompeii restaurant idea and pick up one of the little gems indeed!! We opted for one with pretty, plaid tablecloths and I have my first plate of ‘Pasta con de Sardine’. Fillets of fresh sardines melted (for the most part – there were some chunks) into sauce of fresh tomatoes, saffron & golden raisins – covered with breadcrumbs . . VERY Sicilian indeed and quite delicious!

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April 3, 2017
Meet Fabrizio of Siracusa!

Siracusa is the oldest settlement / city in Sicily – founded in the 8th century BC. Situated on the southeastern coast, it is beautiful! We never did make down to the port, but we had a phenomenal day exploring the Teatro Greco & the Roman Amphitheater.

We drove down from our agritourism perch on the side of Mt. Etna to Catania and then on to Siracusa for the day. The autostrada was actually pretty modern & WIDE, but we still had to contend with toll booths and speeding Italian drivers. We finally mastered the toll booths by hoarding change at every opportunity, but still wondered why the Italians were speeding when there were TONS of speed limit signs that indicated a decrease in speed was required. It seemed that they were looking at these signs as “suggestions” – we however, obeyed, as we’re trying really hard not to come home with a ton of speeding tickets!

We found the “Paradise Parking” lot pretty easily and another really nice 70-something Italian man who asked for a mere 3 Euro to park for the whole day. In Italian, I asked where the biglietteria (ticket booth) was and he answered in Italian – AND – I understood him!! WE buy our tickets and are told to start with the Teatro Greco and then go to the Amphitheater. Of course, we get a little off track and end up at Dionysus’ Ear. Acoustics in this place are amazing . . and the whole thing was carved out of the mountain. The gardens around here are amazing and full of citrus trees heavy with fruit. The pics below are a sampling – but again, they don’t do the beauty justice.

**Pictures are here – click on the button at bottom of post to view!

Next . . the Teatro Greco – AMAZING is an understatement. This entire place was CARVED out of stone! No blocks of stone moved to it, no bricks, no mortar, no wood . . . NOTHING but solid marble mountain carved by amazing craftsman into a huge theater – and I mean HUGE (again, pictures don’t even begin to demonstrate the size of this place). Sadly, there are construction crews all over it reinforcing some of the stands (seats) and building a stage. Apparently, they will use it for concerts this summer. Modern always seems to find a way to exploit the antiquities!!

We exit & go to the next gate and find the prettiest setting with the Roman Amphitheater. I wish I could have seen this place in its prime . . there was so much beauty & lovely architecture “left”. I can only imagine what it would have been like to stroll through the park on the way to this venue on a Spring night. Strangely, there were a lot of sarcophagus-looking blocks of marble lining the pathways into this place – so we’re not sure if they held the bodies of gladiators that died there OR noble men who wanted to be remembered when people attended events here. Did I mention, we forgot to rent the audio guides on this day – so we just sort of improvised!

We decide to walk about 1/2 mile to the Archaeological Museum and find something to eat. We cross a busy street and see a few restaurants that might be options. And then, we meet Fabrizio! What a nice guy!! He comes out of the restaurant and greets us with a big, old smile and pretty good English and says he has delicious fresh food for lunch. We ask if we can sit outside and he says “of course” – but some inside and select your food first. What we find is really nice looking food. Fresh grilled fish, pasta with vegetables, lots of grain dishes (couscous & lentils are big down here), and tons of fresh veggies prepared in all different ways. It’s all SO colorful & fresh looking,. He says we can mix & match to get whatever we want – so I select swordfish, sauteed spinach, caramelized onions and a really nice spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce. All delicious!

All through lunch, Fabrizio keeps checking on us to make sure we are happy. We start to tell him why we’re here visiting Sicily and get into the whole great grandparents from Sciacca thing. He’s so excited that I am Sicilian he decides we must be cousins. We talk about the Graffeo name and I try to explain to him that it was changed when Antonino immigrated – but I think we’re losing him in the translation. No matter – we’re still cousins – we both have beautiful blue eyes (he says)!! Now, about this point, I decide he really must be a cousin because he is reminding me of my cousin Nick Rafello – and Fabrizio is his clone!! Seriously Nick, you’d love this guy – it was like hanging with you. Laughing, joking and I got a BIG, old bear hug when we left. I love this guy!!!

Next up – the museum. Suffice to say, we spent 2 hours looking at artifacts from all over Sicily – from as early as 30000 BC to about 1000 AD . . yes, that’s apparently how long humans (of some kind or another) have inhabited this island (and some pretty interesting animals too – can you believe, there were once hippopotamus in Sicily?!?!?).

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March 31, 2017