Esplorando Sicilia!

So sorry for the lack of updates… I really have no excuse!

Part I of Island Exploring.

The past few weeks have been some of the most fun and therapeutic (i.e. soul-searching) weeks I’ve had so far.  My time is coming to an end so I’ve really been trying to soak up any memories, feelings and lessons I’ve learned while here.

Lani and I agreed to do a bit of soul-searching together while she was here and although we didn’t find all the answers, we made some great discoveries and had a pretty amazing time as well.  Lani made the trek from Florida to Rome to Palermo and finally arrived in Cefalù. Cefalù in the summer is wild!  There are so many people out and about, always some sort of festival going on and I think there are fireworks just about every night.  

Lani in Cefalu!

Marie, Lani and I enjoying some delicious pasta at the Sagra di Pasta!

Sagra di Pasta!

Aeolian Islands

Our first adventure was to join Marie and our friend Paul on a tour to the nearby Aeolian Islands of Lipari and Vulcano.  It was so nice to get out on the sea and see the coast of Sicily from the water.  You realize how huge Sicily is when you get out and explore it.  Lipari was adorable!  We wandered the streets of the center and explored some of the beautiful ruins on the hills. The little island has such a great feel with little to no crowds.  Vulcano was a pretty incredible sight as you can see (and smell) the sulfur steaming out of the top of the old volcano as you arrive.  The sulfur mud baths sounded pretty cool but the island was SO HOT none of us could imagine putting anything warm on our skin so we made our way to the beach... black sand is beautiful but not what we needed to cool us down!  I would definitely love to go back to Lipari and explore some of the other islands next time...

Vulcano from the boat.

Port of Lipari

Port of Lipari.

View from Lipari.

Marie is slightly obsessed with cats so when we spotted these kittens, she and Lani couldn't resist.  This adorable old man invited them in to pet the kittens.  I love this shot!

Pretty cute for a cat. :)

Beautiful Lipari

The quaint, winding streets in the hills reminded me of what you might find in Greece.

Vulcano

The sulfur mud baths on Vulcano.

Black sand beaches - hot hot and hot!

Savoca

The next day Lani and I rented a car in Cefalù, which was pretty funny as I haven’t ever driven in Italy and haven’t driven in two and half months.  After the ball on the stick shift stopped popping off and we figured out how everything worked, we were on our way to explore the other side of the island.  The view was incredible driving along the coast – even from the autostrada.  We would stay a night in Taormina, which is one of the most popular and beautiful destinations in Sicily, known for its beaches and views of Mount Etna.

Our route from Cefalu to Savoca to Taormina.

Lani had done some research and found the amazing little town of Savoca along the way.  Savoca was where a few scenes of The Godfather (Il Padrino) were filmed.* I’m slightly infatuated with The Godfather movies so I almost started to cry when we walked up to Bar Vitelli, which was where Michael Corleone asked Apollonia’s father if he could meet his daughter.  You can also find the church where Michael and Apollonia were married – sigh!  The town was basically empty so it was pretty incredible to explore the streets and enjoy the breathtaking views of the hills and the sea all by ourselves.  Truly an unforgettable little town.

*Fun fact – the scenes were meant to be filmed in Corleone but after the film production wouldn’t pay off the mafia to film there, the mafia blew up one of their trucks so they moved film locations.  Savoca also worked nicely as a location due to its proximity to Taormina, which suited the film stars well because at the time Taormina was the only place in Sicily where luxury hotels could be found.

The winding road up the hill to Savoca - in  a manual rental car.  I was definitely sweating.

Bar Vitelli

Bar Vitelli scene from the The Godfather.

Michael asking Apollonia's father...

Nerds.

The church.

What a view!

Taormina

After getting lost a few times – it’s sometimes impossible to get back on the autostrada when you get off – we finally found our hotel in Taormina. I think Lani may have found the best hotel in Taormina, Panoramic Hotel overlooking Isola Bella.  

View from our room!!

View from the pool.

We opened a bottle of wine and made our way up to the pool where we met a fun group of people who invited us to join them for dinner that night. We ended up going to a Disco until the early morning hours.  If you think dinner starts late here, try going out.  Marie and I have made it out clubbing maybe once or twice in Cefalu because things don't really get started until at least 1 or 2 a.m.  Lani and I stayed out late (or early) and definitely felt it the next day.  But it was all worth it!!

I can't tell you how amazed I've been by how welcoming people are in Italy and especially Sicily.  I've met so many people just by chance who end up shaping the direction of my journey and my experience. I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to stumble upon such wonderful people!

New friends in Taormina!  From Sicily, Australia and New York.

View of Mount Etna from the Panorama in Taormina.

While it was sad to leave beautiful Taormina we had more adventures awaiting us on the other side of the island.  This time we took the route through the middle of the country and I was amazed by how beautiful it was. With Mount Etna towering in the background, you pass through miles and miles of wheat fields with small farms sprinkled throughout.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to post as I was driving and not feeling that great. I'll update with some of Lani's soon.

I'm working on the post continuing our adventures in Cefalu, Castelbuono and Palermo and hope to post very soon!

More Pictures!

I’ve updated the links on the top left to include all of my Cefalù pictures so far.  There are a ton and I’m sure many more to come as Lani arrives this weekend!

Sono Golosa!

Sono golosa.  Loosely translated as “I’m an enthusiastic eater.”  Cho introduced me to this term when she noticed I was basically obsessed with anything she ever made.  And I recently came across the term in a book I was reading so Marie and I have embraced it as one of our favorite things to do here in Cefalù is… well… mangiare (to eat).  And since Sicilians are known for their food we are taking full advantage.  

We have some of the most incredible food at our doorstep.  For example, the best pasticceria (bakery for pastries) in town just downstairs Pasticceria L’angolo delle Dolcezze,

L'angolo delle Dolcezze - the best in town!

First Sicilian Canoli - a.ma.zing!

One of the many pasticcerie.

... a shop that makes fresh pasta two steps away (we’ve had the spinach-ricotta last week and are trying the gnocchi tonight).

Gnocchi e tagliatelle.

Caserecce, ravioli e gnocchi.

Cooking up our ravioli in our homemade sauce.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli with eggplant.

...a pescheria (fish shop) just 2 blocks away, there’s a panetteria (bread bakery) every few blocks, 

Fresh swordfish!

… incredible fresh fruit stands are everywhere but we have our favorite,

Our favorite fruit stand.

Our favorite fruit guy!

… of course we are enjoying our fair share of gelato. I mentioned my dream to open a Gelateria back in Denver to our friend, Carmelo, and he invited us to help him make his next batch!  How cool is that?

Carmelo, our dear friend and owner of L'elite - our local hang out.

Marie mixing the gelato before it goes into the mixer.

The finished product!  A batch of Fior di Latte.

Although we don't eat out all that often as my budget is basically done and done... we have indulged a few times and been more than happy with the results.

  

Spaghetti alla vongole (clams)

Eggplant, tomato, swordfish and mint with penne.

Grilled Prawns

We've also been lucky enough to experience some of the best "street food" at this little place below.  They have pretty incredible arancine.

da Piero - great Sicilian pizza and arancine.

Marie enjoying her first Sicilian arancini.

There was a huge festival in Cefalù from August 2 – 6^th (more on that later) and part of it was a large bazar set up in the town center filled with booths selling all sorts of delicious candies and nuts!

Marie is taking Italian classes and we’ve met some great people through her school.  Last night we went to a "cooking class" which was basically the mother and grandmother of the guy who runs the school showing us some Sicilian recipes outside on a beautiful patio while we all sipped wine and helped out.  We met some great people from Spain, Germany and of course Sicily.  One of my favorite things about being here is sitting at a table with people from four or five different countries hearing the language drift from Italian to German to French, Spanish and English.  I will miss this greatly when I'm back in the US.  It was a night of more great food and even better conversation - such an unforgettable experience!

Cooking class at the Villa with new friends.

Sardo (sardines) Involtine - Sardines with a breadcrumb and tomato mix with cheese rolled into something incredible!

Melanzane (eggplant) Involtine

The chefs!

Nuovi amici!

Cefalù!!!

While leaving Roma was sad, arriving in Sicilia quickly removed any doubts I had about leaving Roma for the month of August.  Sicily has been called the "heart of Italy" (although many Sicilians would prefer it to be independent from Italy as a whole – that’s another story) and if that saying has anything to do with the history, food, culture, scenery and the people, I think it’s definitely a fitting name.

Obviously not the route we took but you get the idea.  Sicilia is HUGE!

After the flight from Rome to Palermo (less than an hour) Marie and I took the train from the airport into Palermo and stopped for a quick bite at a little shop outside of the train station.  Immediately we were introduced to how nice the people are here – sweet and eager to help with our broken Italian.  From Palermo it’s about an hour train ride to Cefalù - home for the next month!  Views from the train aren’t always the best and we passed a few relatively industrial cities and small towns and I began to remind myself that not everywhere is going to be beautiful all of the time.  As we came around a bend in the coast, Marie and I got our first glance of Cefalù and to say we were excited would be an understatement.  This is definitely one of those cities that is beautiful all of the time.

Shot of Cefalu in the distance from the train.

My Aunt Sarina’s family is from Cefalù and she was generous enough to suggest I stay here for part of my trip if the family’s apartment was available.  After much coordination on her part, I learned the apartment was free for me to stay for the month of August!  I cannot thank her and her incredibly generous family enough for this opportunity to stay in this beautiful beach town where many Italians spend their own holiday.

I’m usually very prepared with addresses and maps to our exact location, but even Google Maps has trouble showing pinpoint locations for Cefalù.  I figured we had a little searching ahead of us.  Just as we got off the train we were approached by a couple asking if we were American and what our names were.  It was Maria and Carmen (Sarina’s Aunt and Uncle who were staying in the apartment next to her Father’s – the one Marie and I would be staying in).  How lucky were we to be greeted at the train station?

After a quick walk from the train station to Piazza Bellipanni we received a tour of the apartment from Maria.  This place is incredible!!  A great living area, lovely kitchen, spacious bedrooms and a balcony with a view of La Roca. I cannot believe this is where I get to stay for a month!  Maria and Carmen gave us a great walking tour of Cefalù and I think Marie and I got more and more excited at every corner.  This town is simply magical!  I picture John, Sarina, Kaitlin and Jesse around every corner here. :)

Carmen, Maria and Marie enjoying one of the best things I've ever tasted - a ricotta-cream filled donut from the bakery downstairs!

Al Mare!

Our first night in Cefalu!

First night in Cefalu - everywhere you look is like a postcard.

As we'll be spending quite a bit of time on the beach, we invested in a few rafts to float out at sea and an umbrella so we don't fry on the beach.

Blowing up the rafts.

First beach day.

Marie and I have already made a few friends and although we beat ourselves up about our Italian, it’s great to practice with people who hardly speak any English!  I’ll definitely be posting more about the fabulous shops we’ve found – especially the ridiculous bakery just downstairs, the fresh pasta shop just outside (we picked up some ricotta-spinach ravioli to make tonight), the fish shop up the street and the friendly fresh fruit vendors every few blocks (we just picked up 3 peaches, 2 apples and 2 prunes all for 2 Euro!).

As I mentioned, there's something magical about Cefalù and as we stopped to watch the sunset on what seemed like the perfect day we were treated to a wonderful surprise.  Ever since I lived in San Diego I've closely watched the very end of the sunset hoping to catch a sight of the green flash (an optical phenomena that occurs shortly after a sunset, when a green spot of flash is visible, usually for no more than a second or two).  This illusive flash has evaded me for all my sunset-obsessed years and at one point I stopped holding my camera up at the exact moment in hopes of catching it.  I had just mentioned the flash to Marie and as we both quietly watched the final stages of the beautiful sunset below we both saw it - the quick 1-second glow of green light.  I couldn't believe  it at first but knowing Marie saw it too made me stop second-guessing the fact that I finally saw the green flash.  What an incredible start to a month in Sicilian paradise!