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! 

Last day in The Eternal City...

It’s really hard to express how I’m feeling here on my last day in Roma.  The only word I can think of is bittersweet.  I got knots in my stomach this morning during my run in Villa Borghese thinking about how it will be my last.  My eyes have been welling up a little bit each time I pass a familiar café, a restaurant where I first met new friends, or a road I got lost on during my first few weeks here. Saying goodbye to the people I have met has been a lot harder than I thought.  While the sadness is temporary, I do feel that I’ve made friendships that will last for years and years to come and I don’t doubt I will see them again in the future.

I’m so thankful for every moment I’ve had here in this beautiful city.  I’ve tried to soak up every last minute this past week and tried to do and see things I hadn't yet had the chance to get to.  From visiting the Church of Saint’Anslemo on Aventine Hill to listen to the Gregorian Chants just before dusk, to visiting the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte for the Andy Warhol Headlines exhibit, to seeing the Opera in the ancient and dramatic setting of the Terme diCarcalla (Baths of Carcalla) and to finally getting to a restaurant I’ve been trying to catch since I first arrived (Gran Sasso near Piazza del Popolo)... each experienced has deepened my love for this city.

With each visitor, I get to see this incredible city again through new eyes.  It makes me happy to see their equal awe and appreciation and I smile realizing that one day I too will be arriving to the The Eternal City again with new eyes.

Bittersweet is the perfect word to express what I’m feeling today.  One adventure is coming to an end, but a new one is just beginning as I’m on my way with my friend Marie to Cefalù, Sicily.  My aunt Sarina has been so incredibly helpful arranging with her family there in this lovely, medieval seaside city.  I’ve have no idea what to expect but I have a feeling I’m going to fall in love once again with another Italian treasure.

Lucca and Levanto - Due Nuovi Tesori (Two New Treasures)

Sorry this is coming so late!

After the band broke up at the end of an incredible week in Tuscany, Bobby, Joanna and Laura graciously drove Max, Sadie and I up to Lucca.  I’m not even sure where I first heard of Lucca but it’s been on my list of places I must visit in Italy for years and was actually one of the places I was considering moving to before I chose Rome.   Lucca did not disappoint. This beautiful city in Northern Tuscany is famous for its walls that surround the historic center.  For anyone looking for a Tuscan town with a historic charm, I would definitely recommend Lucca.

View from the top of Lucca.

I was in love with this great terrace!

View of the mountains surrounding Lucca.

As we arrived we found out there was a Nora Jones concert taking place in one of the main piazzas.  The receptionist at our hotel suggested we just go to any of the surrounding piazzas and you can hear the concerts as well as actually being in the main piazza.  So we stopped for a lovely dinner at Trattoria da Leo and had one our favorite meals of the trip.  Everything was perfect.  We gobbled up our meals before I could get a picture, but I did manage to sneak one of our dessert.  After dinner we walked over to the nearby piazza, found a spot to sit, and listened to the sweet familiar voice echoing through the piazza.  Most people in Lucca get around by foot or on bikes, so it was great people watching to see everyone come in and out of the piazza to have a listen.  Another magical night! 

Trattoria da Leo

Delicious!

In the piazza enjoying the music.

The next day we made our way up to Levanto, which was recommended by Claudio who greaw up going to this great beach town every summer.  Levanto is the very train stop above Monterosso (the northern-most town in the Cinque Terre). The moment we found our hotel and walked out onto the balcony, we all were in love!  You’re never quite sure what you’re going to find when you are traveling, but we felt immediately at home in this adorable surfer town on the Mediterranean Sea.  The only tourists here seemed to be Italian, which was a refreshing change. Our hotel was right on the main park and steps from the sea.  The little town came alive at night with families, kids, and lovers lining the benches and streets enjoying their holiday.

View from our balcony in Levanto.

Levanto

Max and I woke up early the next day to do the Cinque Terre hike of the five cities.  When we arrived, we learned the full hike was closed due to the floods last year.  Both of us had actively followed the coverage of the floods back in October, but I think we both forgot how destructive they actually were.  They've done a ton of clean up work and the trails that were open were as beautiful as ever.  I really do think if you are going to the Cinque Terre, the hike between the towns is a must.  Only this way can you get a feel for the dramatic coastline covered with vineyards and seeing each new colorful town on the horizon gives you a new appreciation for each individual city.

Starting in Monterosso - you end up somewhere down on those hills.

Looking back at Monterosso.

View of Vernazza from the trail.

Vernazza.

In addition to a few mud slide trails remaining, there were a few houses with very obvious evidence of just how intense the floods were.

Large board in town showing the destruction of the floods.

Looking back at Vernazza.

Manarola

Riomaggiore

After Max left for Perugia that afternoon, Sadie and I had a few days to hang around our beloved beach town and make our way up to Santa Margherita just an hour north and 15-minutes from Portofino.  We had talked about jumping on a bus to see Portofino, but views of the lovely beach, colorful marina, and lush green hills dotted with extravagant villas kept us in this beautiful town.  The Italian Riviera at it's finest.  

Santa Margherita

Santa Margherita

During our last few nights in Levanto, we discovered once again some pretty incredible restaurants and were both incredibly sad to leave our newly found gem.  I will most definitely be back to Levanto!

Levanto

Levanto

Levanto

Drinking wine overlooking the bay of Levanto at sunset!