It is the end of August and the past month has been so very relaxing.
It has also been very informative, mostly because I have gotten to experience a small part of what 'real' Italian life (or Sicilian life) is like for the people who live here. This experience is helping me understand Italians better and appreciate Home so much more.
For instance, I have long complained, loudly and occasionally with accompanying rude gestures and curse words, about Italian drivers. However, the fact is that Italians think they drive quite well. As a society, however, they have complete dislike for rules of any sort; apparently this includes driving regulations.
So when I think the drivers are terrible and rude, it's more that as a society they have for so long disregarded the rules that every individual has become very self-centered and rude: They actually don't think at all about what other drivers are doing.
To an Italian, the mentality is not to think of the rules or the rights and needs of your neighbor, but only of your own concerns. Italians don't view their actions as rude, as no one in their society follows the cultural norms of politeness found in American and (gasp) British society.
Americans, for all our other faults, are very polite: We tell eachother to have a good day (checkouts, voicemails) and regularly ask how other people are. We do tend to say please and thank-you alot, especailly to strangers. So for a society not to care about strangers or children, to ignore every rule (stand in line; don't jump the queue; wait your turn; please and thank-you; honor stop signs; use turning signals; don't block the road; park between the lines) that is standard in America and the West is unforgiveabe, in my own view.
Most Americans believe that rules exist to keep society safe and members of society who break them are penalized by police or road-rage. It is ironic that Americans, who are viewed as 'cowboys' and Individualists by Europeans, follow societal rules better than a large portion of Europe!
It's a good thing that I have given up driving for the next year!!!
Italy is also a very male-dominated society. Women in the media are little more than eye-candy; no woman in Italy is valued for any quality that is remotely instrinsic. Breasts, teeth, tush, legs - that is the value of an Italian woman in society. If she marries and has children, then her value raises slightly in terms of what she brings to her family and how she cares/cooks for them; however as she gains this value, her external physical value very likely (let's face it ladies - none of can truly return to that pre-baby body!) plummets and society regards her as superfluous.
Expecting the majority of Italian males to view you as intelligent or worth listening to is futile; in the same vein, never expect an Italian man to take direction from you if you are a woman, either!
Which leads me to the upcoming - I hope - delivery of our shipment from Pittsburgh.
Once again, AiRES messed up the move; sending our shipment to Valencia, Spain instead of to Italy. Hopefully the boat from Valencia will arrive in Naples either today or tomorrow.
We can then expect customs clearance to take 1-2 weeks before everything is delivered to our apartment in Rome. As the children's school starts in 7 days, we have no choice but to go to Rome, purchase and borrow furniture to make do, and hope things arrive quickly.
But when everything arrives, I fully anticipate several days of miscommunication, and dare I say, one-sided ignored communication between me the Italian delivery crew, which, based on past experience, will be all male.
Oh, rapture! Never before have I dressed up and worn jewelry (to establish my place within the household) to deal with delivery crews, but I anticipate that, once again, it will be one heck of a story!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Recipes for Stuffed Peppers and Sicilian Swordfish
These are the two best dishes I have had in Sicily, though I will probably soon add on Eggplant Parmigiana and Panzanella. The peppers are probably the trickiest to make, as stuffing a coronetti pepper isn't always easy.
However, Sicilian food seems to be largely about fresh ingredients and ease; so if you can stir with a spoon and use a grill, you'll have an easy time.
Sicilian Peppers (based on a recipe from Donato's Restaurant in Fox Chapel, PA but altered to use Sicilian ingredients)
Ingredients:
*3-4 Coronetti Peppers (long, cone-shaped sweet peppers which can be green or red; if you can't find them, substitute with sweet banana peppers or small green peppers.
*2-3 cans of tuna in olive oil NOT WATER!!! I can't remember the size of the cans in the USA and cans in Sicily are of a different size, so use 2 of the cans which would normally be used to make tuna salad OR use 3 of the smaller lunch-sized cans. You should have between 3/4 to 1 cup of tuna.
*1/3 cup chopped green olives OR 1/3 cup small capers in brine. Do not use large caper berries.
*1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
*2 small slices (think Wonder-bread size) or 1 large slice whole grain bread
*1/2 cup Ricotta Fresca (if you can't find fresh ricotta, DO NOT substitute the chunky cottage-cheese-like ricotta; use 1/3 cup greek yogurt or an equal amount cream cheese.)
*8-10 dashes tabasco sauce
*Freshly ground black pepper
To begin, heat grill to medium-high heat, or heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. I can't tell you what the celsius setting/ Italian gas mark would be; everytime we turn on the oven here the circuit to the house shorts out. Using the grill gives a nice, smoky taste.
Slice the stem end off the peppers and discard; remove the seeds and halve the peppers lengthwise. This is easier than stuffing the peppers and they cook more evenly on the grill. If you prefer to keep the peppers whole, be prepared to bake them; when it comes time to stuff the pepper, use a pastry bag with a large nozzle to fill the pepper.
In a bowl, crumble the slice of bread until fine. Add the chopped olives or capers. If using capers, add a tablespoon of the brine as capers are less salty than olives. Add the canned tuna and the olive oil from the cans. Add parsley and ricotta and pepper. Mix well and taste. Add tabasco to your own preferences - my kids like them when I add 8 dashes of tabasco (they don't notice it, but it gives a smoky flavor); I like 10, but make it as spicy as you want. The mixture should not be too salty, as salt from the olives and capers will flavour the filling as it cooks. Do not add salt!!!
Fill each pepper until the mixture is almost to the top of the sides; do not over top, as it tends to fall out of the pepper onto the coals and smoke terribly.
Grill over indirect heat (or bake for 20-30 minutes) until the pepper skin starts to brown and the pepper is soft. The pepper will not brown in the oven. Do not use the broiler to brown the tops of the pepper, as the tuna chars and the ricotta burns.
Let cool 2-3 minutes and eat.
You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before grilling.
Grilled Swordfish
*Swordfish steaks, 1/2" to 3/4" thick
*3-4 large lemons, juiced
*Olive oil
*Breadcrumbs
*Salt and Pepper
*Salvia/ Sage and Oregano
Heat grill to medium high.
Mix the juice and olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon each sage/salvia and oregano. Set aside.
Do not oil the fish; lightly coat each side of the swordfish in breadcrumbs.
Place the fish on the grill over indirect heat. Place 1-2 tablespoons of seasoned juice/olive oil on top of the swordfish and spread it out evenly. Make sure the fish is not sticking to the grill. When you see the edge of the fish start to look opaque, turn the fish and put 1-2 tablespoons seasoning on the topside.
The fish is cooked when the lemon juice mixture starts to 'bubble' with the juices of the fish.
Good eating!
However, Sicilian food seems to be largely about fresh ingredients and ease; so if you can stir with a spoon and use a grill, you'll have an easy time.
Sicilian Peppers (based on a recipe from Donato's Restaurant in Fox Chapel, PA but altered to use Sicilian ingredients)
Ingredients:
*3-4 Coronetti Peppers (long, cone-shaped sweet peppers which can be green or red; if you can't find them, substitute with sweet banana peppers or small green peppers.
*2-3 cans of tuna in olive oil NOT WATER!!! I can't remember the size of the cans in the USA and cans in Sicily are of a different size, so use 2 of the cans which would normally be used to make tuna salad OR use 3 of the smaller lunch-sized cans. You should have between 3/4 to 1 cup of tuna.
*1/3 cup chopped green olives OR 1/3 cup small capers in brine. Do not use large caper berries.
*1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
*2 small slices (think Wonder-bread size) or 1 large slice whole grain bread
*1/2 cup Ricotta Fresca (if you can't find fresh ricotta, DO NOT substitute the chunky cottage-cheese-like ricotta; use 1/3 cup greek yogurt or an equal amount cream cheese.)
*8-10 dashes tabasco sauce
*Freshly ground black pepper
To begin, heat grill to medium-high heat, or heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. I can't tell you what the celsius setting/ Italian gas mark would be; everytime we turn on the oven here the circuit to the house shorts out. Using the grill gives a nice, smoky taste.
Slice the stem end off the peppers and discard; remove the seeds and halve the peppers lengthwise. This is easier than stuffing the peppers and they cook more evenly on the grill. If you prefer to keep the peppers whole, be prepared to bake them; when it comes time to stuff the pepper, use a pastry bag with a large nozzle to fill the pepper.
In a bowl, crumble the slice of bread until fine. Add the chopped olives or capers. If using capers, add a tablespoon of the brine as capers are less salty than olives. Add the canned tuna and the olive oil from the cans. Add parsley and ricotta and pepper. Mix well and taste. Add tabasco to your own preferences - my kids like them when I add 8 dashes of tabasco (they don't notice it, but it gives a smoky flavor); I like 10, but make it as spicy as you want. The mixture should not be too salty, as salt from the olives and capers will flavour the filling as it cooks. Do not add salt!!!
Fill each pepper until the mixture is almost to the top of the sides; do not over top, as it tends to fall out of the pepper onto the coals and smoke terribly.
Grill over indirect heat (or bake for 20-30 minutes) until the pepper skin starts to brown and the pepper is soft. The pepper will not brown in the oven. Do not use the broiler to brown the tops of the pepper, as the tuna chars and the ricotta burns.
Let cool 2-3 minutes and eat.
You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before grilling.
Grilled Swordfish
*Swordfish steaks, 1/2" to 3/4" thick
*3-4 large lemons, juiced
*Olive oil
*Breadcrumbs
*Salt and Pepper
*Salvia/ Sage and Oregano
Heat grill to medium high.
Mix the juice and olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon each sage/salvia and oregano. Set aside.
Do not oil the fish; lightly coat each side of the swordfish in breadcrumbs.
Place the fish on the grill over indirect heat. Place 1-2 tablespoons of seasoned juice/olive oil on top of the swordfish and spread it out evenly. Make sure the fish is not sticking to the grill. When you see the edge of the fish start to look opaque, turn the fish and put 1-2 tablespoons seasoning on the topside.
The fish is cooked when the lemon juice mixture starts to 'bubble' with the juices of the fish.
Good eating!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Aeolian Islands, Take 2; Corkscrew, take 8....
Yes, yesterday night we killed corkscrew number 8. I don't know what I am going do, but I suspect I will start by purchasing another corkscrew.
A friend of Bill's told us last week of a vintner in Sicily, who will decant wine directly from his barrel into any bottle of your choice: the friend uses plastic jugs, which I suppose, would save on corkscrews. I, however, am trying to convince Bill of the logic of purchasing an entire barrel and taking it to Rome with us: No Corkscrews Needed! I am sure this is not cost-effective in the long-term, but it is one way to save kitchen utensils.
We did go to Lipari and Vulcano: both were amazing and fit our idea of what the Aeolian islands should be.
For starters, we got to sit outside during the 2 hour boat ride. Then, we arrived in Lipari early enough to visit shops and eat Sicilian food that was actually cold!
Lipari is the main island of the Aeolian archipelago. It has the largest population, the largest towns and many amazing beaches. It is home to caper production, pumice harvesting, obsidian jewelry and Malvasia di Lipari, a wine so honey-sweet that I actually can't drink it! Now there's a first...
The main port is in a large blue bay, with a cathedral and castle on a bluff overlooking the harbor. Eucalyptus trees grow everywhere, giving the air a crisp scent, even when standing near the fish boats.
We did experience other treats on this trip, starting with Helena's new favorite dessert: Granite.
Granite (pronounced Grah- NEE- TAH) is the all-fruit version of Gelato. As you can see from the photos, we had Strawberry granite. It was very red. It is like a sorbet, but it is slowly chipped off in layers while in the freezing process, resulting in a texture which is rather like large grains of salt.
I also had the best cannoli I have ever eaten. And ten steps away was a large castle, cathedral and historical settlement from the 17th century BC, which, very conveniently, was partially excavated. It's not every day you see civilization from 20,000 years ago and even the kids enjoyed looking.
We really could have spent an entire day in Lipari, exploring the streets and shops and sights, but we were whisked away to Vulcano, legendary home of Hephestus, the Greek God of blacksmiths and metal craft.
Vulcano has not errupted for almost 200 years, but smoke was rising constantly as we approached the island. Upon arrival, we noticed the difference from Lipari almost immediately: sulfur.
Vulcano is famous for its fumaroles, gasseous vents that emit sulfer scented steam into the water surrounding the island, which create very warm, if smelly, beaches; and sulfurous mud-baths, which Italians believe are theraputic.
With three children in tow and temperatures again hitting 100, we opted out of the hot sulfer-mud treatment. We couldn't, however, resist holding our noses and watching the spectacle of people wading, wallowing and smearing the foul goo on themselves before jumping in the nearby sea. As Bill pointed out, it was very reminiscent of a Dali painting with amazing landscapes broken up by oddities of human creation in the foreground.
On the whole, the Lipari-Vulcano trip was much more enjoyable and worthwhile than Panarea-Stromboli!
The next day, a colleague of Bill's invited us to his summer home in the mountains for a traditional Sicilian lunch and dinner.
After that lunch, I will forever think of Giuseppe as the Renaissance-Man of Sicily: he designed and helped build his house in the mountains; grew the vegetables he grilled for lunch; designed and built the grill he used of carved lava rock; made his own sun-dried tomatoes for an appetizer; and grew the fruit trees that our children raided for dessert.
And he plays accordion and guitar!
After an amazing lunch, we all retreated to the shade of some oak trees overlooking the adjacent mountain and valley below. While all the children swung in a giant hammock, Giuseppe treated us to traditional Sicilian music and dessert.
We would have happily stayed later, but the narrow mountain roads were encouragement to return to the beach house after a lovely day.
Giuseppe reported to Bill at work on Monday that not everyone was thrilled with the visit, though: his youngest daughter, Clara, was very unhappy that Andrew kept using her bike all through the day. In fact, she encouraged Giuseppe to keep the driveway gate shut, "...so that boy Andrew can't take my bike anymore!" Poor Andrew!
After several weeks in Sicily, I am starting to be confident in the food: in one of my next posts, I will start listing recipes I have collected! The food here is wonderful, but I haven't found any good English language Sicilian cookbooks. There are some out there, but they seem to be missing the best recipes the island has to offer.
A friend of Bill's told us last week of a vintner in Sicily, who will decant wine directly from his barrel into any bottle of your choice: the friend uses plastic jugs, which I suppose, would save on corkscrews. I, however, am trying to convince Bill of the logic of purchasing an entire barrel and taking it to Rome with us: No Corkscrews Needed! I am sure this is not cost-effective in the long-term, but it is one way to save kitchen utensils.
We did go to Lipari and Vulcano: both were amazing and fit our idea of what the Aeolian islands should be.
For starters, we got to sit outside during the 2 hour boat ride. Then, we arrived in Lipari early enough to visit shops and eat Sicilian food that was actually cold!
Lipari is the main island of the Aeolian archipelago. It has the largest population, the largest towns and many amazing beaches. It is home to caper production, pumice harvesting, obsidian jewelry and Malvasia di Lipari, a wine so honey-sweet that I actually can't drink it! Now there's a first...
The main port is in a large blue bay, with a cathedral and castle on a bluff overlooking the harbor. Eucalyptus trees grow everywhere, giving the air a crisp scent, even when standing near the fish boats.
We did experience other treats on this trip, starting with Helena's new favorite dessert: Granite.
Granite (pronounced Grah- NEE- TAH) is the all-fruit version of Gelato. As you can see from the photos, we had Strawberry granite. It was very red. It is like a sorbet, but it is slowly chipped off in layers while in the freezing process, resulting in a texture which is rather like large grains of salt.
I also had the best cannoli I have ever eaten. And ten steps away was a large castle, cathedral and historical settlement from the 17th century BC, which, very conveniently, was partially excavated. It's not every day you see civilization from 20,000 years ago and even the kids enjoyed looking.
We really could have spent an entire day in Lipari, exploring the streets and shops and sights, but we were whisked away to Vulcano, legendary home of Hephestus, the Greek God of blacksmiths and metal craft.
Vulcano has not errupted for almost 200 years, but smoke was rising constantly as we approached the island. Upon arrival, we noticed the difference from Lipari almost immediately: sulfur.
Vulcano is famous for its fumaroles, gasseous vents that emit sulfer scented steam into the water surrounding the island, which create very warm, if smelly, beaches; and sulfurous mud-baths, which Italians believe are theraputic.
With three children in tow and temperatures again hitting 100, we opted out of the hot sulfer-mud treatment. We couldn't, however, resist holding our noses and watching the spectacle of people wading, wallowing and smearing the foul goo on themselves before jumping in the nearby sea. As Bill pointed out, it was very reminiscent of a Dali painting with amazing landscapes broken up by oddities of human creation in the foreground.
On the whole, the Lipari-Vulcano trip was much more enjoyable and worthwhile than Panarea-Stromboli!
The next day, a colleague of Bill's invited us to his summer home in the mountains for a traditional Sicilian lunch and dinner.
After that lunch, I will forever think of Giuseppe as the Renaissance-Man of Sicily: he designed and helped build his house in the mountains; grew the vegetables he grilled for lunch; designed and built the grill he used of carved lava rock; made his own sun-dried tomatoes for an appetizer; and grew the fruit trees that our children raided for dessert.
And he plays accordion and guitar!
After an amazing lunch, we all retreated to the shade of some oak trees overlooking the adjacent mountain and valley below. While all the children swung in a giant hammock, Giuseppe treated us to traditional Sicilian music and dessert.
We would have happily stayed later, but the narrow mountain roads were encouragement to return to the beach house after a lovely day.
Giuseppe reported to Bill at work on Monday that not everyone was thrilled with the visit, though: his youngest daughter, Clara, was very unhappy that Andrew kept using her bike all through the day. In fact, she encouraged Giuseppe to keep the driveway gate shut, "...so that boy Andrew can't take my bike anymore!" Poor Andrew!
After several weeks in Sicily, I am starting to be confident in the food: in one of my next posts, I will start listing recipes I have collected! The food here is wonderful, but I haven't found any good English language Sicilian cookbooks. There are some out there, but they seem to be missing the best recipes the island has to offer.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Exploring Sicily and the Aeolian Islands
We never seem to travel without something unplanned occuring. This time, Andrew had his turn(s) to disrupt our well-laid plans as we took a trip into the Mountains of northern Sicily.
The Madonie region, between Palermo and Santa Stefano di Camastra on the northern coast, is a wonderful escape from the heat of Cefalu, which is now topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit daily. Since no one here seems to have AC, preferring instead the cool ocean breezes tainted with Zanzara Tigre (Tiger Mosquitos), we decided to head to the mountains.
We went south, into the mountains, travelling through the towns of Castelbuono and Geraci Siculo.
By the time we had traveled up the mountain (in a 4 meter long 9 passenger van...) over windy and dangerous roads, Andrew was complaining of a tummy ache. We stopped and let him walk a bit in Castelbuono before continuing up the mountain roads. Before we reached Geraci Siculo, home of the Venticolli wineries, an awful gagging gargle came from the back seat...Andrew had his first taste of motion sickness.
Apparently, playing Nintendo or watching a sibling play while travelling up winding roads to a much higher altitute will bring even the most trusty traveller to his knees. Or, bring the traveller's lunch to his knees. In any case, a word to the wise: make your children look out the window regularly! It cuts down on the vomit.
We got to Geraci and wandered the medieval streets before climbing to the ruined castle overlooking the town.
The Ventifamiglia family owned the mountains in every direction, planting capers, cork trees, red and white wine grapes and raising cattle. For this reason they built their castle overlook several valleys and at a height that allowed them to see the sea in one direction and Mt. Etna in another. Even as a ruin, it was impressive.
We travelled home, taking care to make Andrew look out the window the entire way.
The next day we went to Santa Stefano di Camastra, a town on the northern coast famous for its pottery.
At sea level and halfway between Cefalu and Messina, the town did not benefit from the cool breezes of the Madonie. But it gave the children an excuse to eat gelato every hundred meters and I dug through stacks of dishes.
The pottery here rivals most art museums. While there are lesser potters and painters who only make dishware, there are artists found in Camastra who can paint a masterpiece on a tile or platter: one amazing artisan recreated a Botticelli angel on a platter. Having seen the original painting in Rome, I can honestly say the enormous price of 1800 Euros for a plate was well deserved for the art upon it. But I didn't buy it.
Instead, I bought a new dog biscuit jar, since Helena dropped the old one during our move from the Castle to Aventino. When I told her that it was okay, I was happy to have an excuse to go shopping, she asked if she could break anything else! That's my girl!
The best thing about Camastra is that it has American style shopping: while every other shop in Italy closes from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., every potter in Camastra stays open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., taking advantage of tourists who are tired of the beach or unable (I wonder why...) to sit at a pub for a four-hour lunch.
On Friday we went to two of the Aeolian Islands, Stromboli and Panarea.
Panarea appears to be largely famous because Italian movie stars, as well as Dolce and Gabbana, vacation there yearly.
Stromboli is famous for its volcanic eruptions and volcanic sand beaches.
We were very much looking forward to the trip, but were rather let down by the experience as a whole.
First, the tour boat which took us to the island was not ideal for having tours: the majority of seats were inside, the windows didn't open for taking photos, and the AC was broken. So there were no sea breezes to help when the temperature topped 105...
When we got to Panarea, there really was nothing to do: most shops shut at 1 p.m., even on the islands. So we wandered the streets for two hours in heavy heat, finally sitting down at a pub with lousy service and drinking warm beer and melted ice cream. I suppose their coolers weren't coping with the heat, either.
When we got to Stromboli we were treated to some of the rudest people on the planet. While I feel for the inhabitants of Stromboli, all 200 of them, they are very rude to the people who supply their livelihoods.
The only source of income for the inhabitants of the island is tourism: a volcanic explosion in 2002 ruined the green side of the island, making crops and livestock obsolete.
Gas is not allowed on the island, due to the risk of explosion, so everyone drives electric scooters or golf carts, on which the locals will attempt to run you over; there are no full-sized roads, only footpaths, and heaven help you if you or your children get in the way.
While I sympathize with the hard life these people obviously lead, I don't understand why they aren't a bit happier about the tourism that provides their only source of income and food to the island. While trying to get directions to the observation point, as there are no signs to tell you how to get to the safe viewing area for the volcano (there was one sign, but it was scorched by hot ash and was unreadable) I asked an elderly lady, "Scusa Signora....," but she interrupted me before I could finish the question.
"No communicare," she said. Which means, I don't want to talk to you. Hmm, very nice. So we trudged along up the mountain in 100+ heat trying to see the volcano. After two hours of walking, Billy carrying Andrew most of the way, we stopped walking and turned back.
The return boat ride was nicer, because they anchored the boat near the side of the mountain which shows the best views of the lava flow. But, since you can't take pictures through the windows, we had to brave the outside decks to get a look.
At this point, I have to point out that Italians have a love affair with smoking cigarettes non-stop and being rude to foreigners.
While trying to take pictures, I had three Italian men, two of whom were well over 6 feet tall, shove me out of the way so they could stand in front of me and hold video cameras. Lovely. And a heavy set Italian woman had no problem with grabbing my shoulder to pull me back three feet and take my place of jumping to try to get a shot above the three idiots' heads.
It was a nice French gentleman (and the French get the bad rep for being rude!!) who gave me his spot when his camera died. Thank you, whoever you were!
Overall, I am glad that I saw the volcano. But unless tomorrow's visit to Lipari and Vulcano are better, I can't say I would recommend the Aeolian Islands.
The Madonie region, between Palermo and Santa Stefano di Camastra on the northern coast, is a wonderful escape from the heat of Cefalu, which is now topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit daily. Since no one here seems to have AC, preferring instead the cool ocean breezes tainted with Zanzara Tigre (Tiger Mosquitos), we decided to head to the mountains.
We went south, into the mountains, travelling through the towns of Castelbuono and Geraci Siculo.
By the time we had traveled up the mountain (in a 4 meter long 9 passenger van...) over windy and dangerous roads, Andrew was complaining of a tummy ache. We stopped and let him walk a bit in Castelbuono before continuing up the mountain roads. Before we reached Geraci Siculo, home of the Venticolli wineries, an awful gagging gargle came from the back seat...Andrew had his first taste of motion sickness.
Apparently, playing Nintendo or watching a sibling play while travelling up winding roads to a much higher altitute will bring even the most trusty traveller to his knees. Or, bring the traveller's lunch to his knees. In any case, a word to the wise: make your children look out the window regularly! It cuts down on the vomit.
We got to Geraci and wandered the medieval streets before climbing to the ruined castle overlooking the town.
The Ventifamiglia family owned the mountains in every direction, planting capers, cork trees, red and white wine grapes and raising cattle. For this reason they built their castle overlook several valleys and at a height that allowed them to see the sea in one direction and Mt. Etna in another. Even as a ruin, it was impressive.
We travelled home, taking care to make Andrew look out the window the entire way.
The next day we went to Santa Stefano di Camastra, a town on the northern coast famous for its pottery.
At sea level and halfway between Cefalu and Messina, the town did not benefit from the cool breezes of the Madonie. But it gave the children an excuse to eat gelato every hundred meters and I dug through stacks of dishes.
The pottery here rivals most art museums. While there are lesser potters and painters who only make dishware, there are artists found in Camastra who can paint a masterpiece on a tile or platter: one amazing artisan recreated a Botticelli angel on a platter. Having seen the original painting in Rome, I can honestly say the enormous price of 1800 Euros for a plate was well deserved for the art upon it. But I didn't buy it.
Instead, I bought a new dog biscuit jar, since Helena dropped the old one during our move from the Castle to Aventino. When I told her that it was okay, I was happy to have an excuse to go shopping, she asked if she could break anything else! That's my girl!
The best thing about Camastra is that it has American style shopping: while every other shop in Italy closes from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., every potter in Camastra stays open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., taking advantage of tourists who are tired of the beach or unable (I wonder why...) to sit at a pub for a four-hour lunch.
On Friday we went to two of the Aeolian Islands, Stromboli and Panarea.
Panarea appears to be largely famous because Italian movie stars, as well as Dolce and Gabbana, vacation there yearly.
Stromboli is famous for its volcanic eruptions and volcanic sand beaches.
We were very much looking forward to the trip, but were rather let down by the experience as a whole.
First, the tour boat which took us to the island was not ideal for having tours: the majority of seats were inside, the windows didn't open for taking photos, and the AC was broken. So there were no sea breezes to help when the temperature topped 105...
When we got to Panarea, there really was nothing to do: most shops shut at 1 p.m., even on the islands. So we wandered the streets for two hours in heavy heat, finally sitting down at a pub with lousy service and drinking warm beer and melted ice cream. I suppose their coolers weren't coping with the heat, either.
When we got to Stromboli we were treated to some of the rudest people on the planet. While I feel for the inhabitants of Stromboli, all 200 of them, they are very rude to the people who supply their livelihoods.
The only source of income for the inhabitants of the island is tourism: a volcanic explosion in 2002 ruined the green side of the island, making crops and livestock obsolete.
Gas is not allowed on the island, due to the risk of explosion, so everyone drives electric scooters or golf carts, on which the locals will attempt to run you over; there are no full-sized roads, only footpaths, and heaven help you if you or your children get in the way.
While I sympathize with the hard life these people obviously lead, I don't understand why they aren't a bit happier about the tourism that provides their only source of income and food to the island. While trying to get directions to the observation point, as there are no signs to tell you how to get to the safe viewing area for the volcano (there was one sign, but it was scorched by hot ash and was unreadable) I asked an elderly lady, "Scusa Signora....," but she interrupted me before I could finish the question.
"No communicare," she said. Which means, I don't want to talk to you. Hmm, very nice. So we trudged along up the mountain in 100+ heat trying to see the volcano. After two hours of walking, Billy carrying Andrew most of the way, we stopped walking and turned back.
The return boat ride was nicer, because they anchored the boat near the side of the mountain which shows the best views of the lava flow. But, since you can't take pictures through the windows, we had to brave the outside decks to get a look.
At this point, I have to point out that Italians have a love affair with smoking cigarettes non-stop and being rude to foreigners.
While trying to take pictures, I had three Italian men, two of whom were well over 6 feet tall, shove me out of the way so they could stand in front of me and hold video cameras. Lovely. And a heavy set Italian woman had no problem with grabbing my shoulder to pull me back three feet and take my place of jumping to try to get a shot above the three idiots' heads.
It was a nice French gentleman (and the French get the bad rep for being rude!!) who gave me his spot when his camera died. Thank you, whoever you were!
Overall, I am glad that I saw the volcano. But unless tomorrow's visit to Lipari and Vulcano are better, I can't say I would recommend the Aeolian Islands.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Swimming in the Tyrhennian Sea - And William Can't Pee on Command
Well, Cefalu hasn't disappointed yet, and that is a good thing since we have three weeks to go.
Yesterday Hubby worked from home, which means the children were awfully loud, not allowing him to answer his phone or do email once and never giving him a moments peace; it would have been hard to work a Blackberry at the beach, anyway.
Yes, we went swimming in the sea.
The northern coast of Sicily was called Val Demone by the conquering Greeks, most likely because of the lava flows which swept over the northern planes before plummeting into the water. Over thousands of years, the lava flows have eroded away, leaving behind sandy beaches dotted with numerous large boulders and treacherous outcroppings barely hidden by the waves.
It makes swimming a bit difficult but creates amazing tidepools for the children - and grownups - to play in. Near Cefalu you can find limpets, hermit crabs, small fish and prawns in the tidepools.
The children collected about a dozen hermit crabs and put them into one pool to 'play' together; no one believed it when mom said, "They will fight to the death to steal eachother's shells," but the children watched in fascination anyway. Or at least they watched until, of course, two hermit crabs started grappling with one another and the remaining 10 started rushing for safety. Gladiator games for crustaceans just aren't as exciting as they used to be...
It was also really amazing when a curious prawn swam to my fingers and tried 'cleaning' my finger and fingernail of dry skin. It didn't hurt a bit, though it did tickle.
Just before we left the beach though, came another one of those I'm-telling-this-at-the-wedding-dinner moments: Helena got stung by an anemone.
She held up fairly well, no tears or screams. But she did run onto the beach, fairly frantic and upset from the pain. Dr. Mom, of course, followed the textbook directions on treating stings: I asked who had to pee. Neither Billy of I felt the need; Andrew refused to cooperate; so I turned to William and asked if he would pee on his sister's leg and arm.
He gave me a bewildered look, so I said, "It's okay and this is a once in a lifetime chance. You don't have to take off all your clothes, just pee on your sister. It's okay - just pee." So he did. Right there, twenty feet from Helena, our boy squated half an inch and peed in his swim trunks.
So I hustled Helena back to the house to rinse her down with Ammonia from under the sink.
Having saved her from sting and urine, I can now tell both of my children for a lifetime, "William would rather pee his pants than pee on you, so he must love you." And of course, William will have the retort of, "If your leg was on fire, I woudn't pee on you to put out the flames!"
Yesterday Hubby worked from home, which means the children were awfully loud, not allowing him to answer his phone or do email once and never giving him a moments peace; it would have been hard to work a Blackberry at the beach, anyway.
Yes, we went swimming in the sea.
The northern coast of Sicily was called Val Demone by the conquering Greeks, most likely because of the lava flows which swept over the northern planes before plummeting into the water. Over thousands of years, the lava flows have eroded away, leaving behind sandy beaches dotted with numerous large boulders and treacherous outcroppings barely hidden by the waves.
It makes swimming a bit difficult but creates amazing tidepools for the children - and grownups - to play in. Near Cefalu you can find limpets, hermit crabs, small fish and prawns in the tidepools.
The children collected about a dozen hermit crabs and put them into one pool to 'play' together; no one believed it when mom said, "They will fight to the death to steal eachother's shells," but the children watched in fascination anyway. Or at least they watched until, of course, two hermit crabs started grappling with one another and the remaining 10 started rushing for safety. Gladiator games for crustaceans just aren't as exciting as they used to be...
It was also really amazing when a curious prawn swam to my fingers and tried 'cleaning' my finger and fingernail of dry skin. It didn't hurt a bit, though it did tickle.
Just before we left the beach though, came another one of those I'm-telling-this-at-the-wedding-dinner moments: Helena got stung by an anemone.
She held up fairly well, no tears or screams. But she did run onto the beach, fairly frantic and upset from the pain. Dr. Mom, of course, followed the textbook directions on treating stings: I asked who had to pee. Neither Billy of I felt the need; Andrew refused to cooperate; so I turned to William and asked if he would pee on his sister's leg and arm.
He gave me a bewildered look, so I said, "It's okay and this is a once in a lifetime chance. You don't have to take off all your clothes, just pee on your sister. It's okay - just pee." So he did. Right there, twenty feet from Helena, our boy squated half an inch and peed in his swim trunks.
So I hustled Helena back to the house to rinse her down with Ammonia from under the sink.
Having saved her from sting and urine, I can now tell both of my children for a lifetime, "William would rather pee his pants than pee on you, so he must love you." And of course, William will have the retort of, "If your leg was on fire, I woudn't pee on you to put out the flames!"
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Back In Italia!
It has been a whirlwind month for the family: Four days after getting back to America, we drove the 780 miles to visit my family in Wisconsin. Six days later, we drove back to Pittsburgh, where we sold a car, donated a car, sorted the house, started packing the house, sent hubby to China, managed a major flood in the downstairs, drank some wine, caught up with friends, packed some more, caught a plane...and hit a snag. Again.
Once again, US Airways and Pittsburgh International Airport managed to mess up our plans. The flight leaving Pittsburgh was delayed, due to thunderstorms in Philadelphia. The delay lasted so long that we missed our connection in Philadelphia that would take us to Rome. And when we got to Philadelphia, half our bags were missing.
As I write this, on vacation and wearing clean clothes, I suppose I should have been grateful that half our bags made it to Philly and that William did NOT have a spectacular bloody nose when we checked into the Marriott (Yes, same one we stayed in back in December!).
At the time, though, we found ourselves cursing fate, luck, US Airways and Philadelphia baggage handlers.
We did get flights to Rome, the next day as it happens. But upon our arrival to Rome, we had to hurry to pack up the Castle house, get the dogs, get a rental car and be ready to head to Cefalu, Sicily for a month.
Now, at this time I want to point out a few things, especially for anyone from Hubby's company who happens to view this blog: First, it was very unreasonable to expect us to pack up in America and fly through 6 time zones only to pack up a second house within three days. We should have kept the place at the Castle until out things arrived from America. But thank you for putting us in Sicily until our things get here from America.
Secondly, the way the company 'representative' got us out of the lease at the Castle was to tell the Princess that we were returning to America, which meant that we had to avoid the Princess, her husband and servants for almost two months; or lie regularly and instruct our children to lie too. Not good.
In fact, I am not happy that we were put in that position, even if the Princess was not worthy of a glass slipper and her housekeeper was taking our sofas, rugs, beds, etc. while we were still using them in the last week we were at the house!
Third, there were two people from the Company who have done so much to help us with regards to finding a new house, dealing with the old issues at the Castle, translating documents, organizing movers, getting immigration documents and helping us manage corrupt authorities...I can't say enough. Valeria and Elena(no last names but there are only two of these ladies in the Rome office) need pay raises! They both work too hard, from answering phones at 11 p.m. to help us find luggage and new flights and help with the dogs, to answering the phone at 6 a.m. to talk to movers who only speak Italian and can't find our place. Someone give them a pay raise and a promotion, even if Elena is on maternity leave!
And lastly, the moving company you hired in the US (Yes, AiRES, who left our air shipment sitting on a loading dock in Chicago for two weeks at Christmas, before getting it lost for a third week in Paris.) is worthless. We have known about this move since May. We have known that a 40 foot sea freight container full of our things was being loaded on July 23 since early June. So why has all of our stuff been sitting on a loading dock since July 23 and only today been sent from Baltimore? If you know in advance that the actual sea voyage and customs inspections will take 4-6 weeks, why leave our things sitting in America for 13 days? Planning, people!
Now, on to happier news. We drove from Rome to Naples on July 30 to catch the evening ferry to Sicily. En route, the youngest of our two dogs was violently ill in the back seat of the rented minivan - the smelly kind of ill. Ew.
This did not improve the two hour journey to the port in Naples. In fact, it made driving around the slums of Naples for the next 90 minutes while searching for the port and dealing with Napolitan drivers - who have knocked off Romans for the title of Worst Drivers In the World - a lot less pleasant.
And Naples is anything but pleasant to begin with. Valeria - the lady mentioned above - once told me that Naples is not worth seeing; people should drive past it to get to Vesuvius, Pompei and Herculaneum. She wasn't kidding. What a dump! Of all the places in Italy that needs to be hit by an earthquake so it can be rebuilt, Naples is the bottoms up winner.
If you ever visit, don't waste your time in visiting Naples. It is dirty; run down; shabby; full of garbage; and even their signs, when the have them posted, are misleading: see the newest photo on the blog. Of course, the company listed in the middle is supposed to be an insurance company, but one has to wonder just what is being insured in Italia!
However, Cefalu is beautiful. Wonderful, actually. More sunshine than we know what to do with. The sea is warm and you can see the Aeolian Islands from the beach. And best of all, Sicilian wineries use real corks, so the corkscrew is holding up just fine.
We should be here until the end of August - perhaps longer if the sea shipment is delayed. And that might just be okay...
Once again, US Airways and Pittsburgh International Airport managed to mess up our plans. The flight leaving Pittsburgh was delayed, due to thunderstorms in Philadelphia. The delay lasted so long that we missed our connection in Philadelphia that would take us to Rome. And when we got to Philadelphia, half our bags were missing.
As I write this, on vacation and wearing clean clothes, I suppose I should have been grateful that half our bags made it to Philly and that William did NOT have a spectacular bloody nose when we checked into the Marriott (Yes, same one we stayed in back in December!).
At the time, though, we found ourselves cursing fate, luck, US Airways and Philadelphia baggage handlers.
We did get flights to Rome, the next day as it happens. But upon our arrival to Rome, we had to hurry to pack up the Castle house, get the dogs, get a rental car and be ready to head to Cefalu, Sicily for a month.
Now, at this time I want to point out a few things, especially for anyone from Hubby's company who happens to view this blog: First, it was very unreasonable to expect us to pack up in America and fly through 6 time zones only to pack up a second house within three days. We should have kept the place at the Castle until out things arrived from America. But thank you for putting us in Sicily until our things get here from America.
Secondly, the way the company 'representative' got us out of the lease at the Castle was to tell the Princess that we were returning to America, which meant that we had to avoid the Princess, her husband and servants for almost two months; or lie regularly and instruct our children to lie too. Not good.
In fact, I am not happy that we were put in that position, even if the Princess was not worthy of a glass slipper and her housekeeper was taking our sofas, rugs, beds, etc. while we were still using them in the last week we were at the house!
Third, there were two people from the Company who have done so much to help us with regards to finding a new house, dealing with the old issues at the Castle, translating documents, organizing movers, getting immigration documents and helping us manage corrupt authorities...I can't say enough. Valeria and Elena(no last names but there are only two of these ladies in the Rome office) need pay raises! They both work too hard, from answering phones at 11 p.m. to help us find luggage and new flights and help with the dogs, to answering the phone at 6 a.m. to talk to movers who only speak Italian and can't find our place. Someone give them a pay raise and a promotion, even if Elena is on maternity leave!
And lastly, the moving company you hired in the US (Yes, AiRES, who left our air shipment sitting on a loading dock in Chicago for two weeks at Christmas, before getting it lost for a third week in Paris.) is worthless. We have known about this move since May. We have known that a 40 foot sea freight container full of our things was being loaded on July 23 since early June. So why has all of our stuff been sitting on a loading dock since July 23 and only today been sent from Baltimore? If you know in advance that the actual sea voyage and customs inspections will take 4-6 weeks, why leave our things sitting in America for 13 days? Planning, people!
Now, on to happier news. We drove from Rome to Naples on July 30 to catch the evening ferry to Sicily. En route, the youngest of our two dogs was violently ill in the back seat of the rented minivan - the smelly kind of ill. Ew.
This did not improve the two hour journey to the port in Naples. In fact, it made driving around the slums of Naples for the next 90 minutes while searching for the port and dealing with Napolitan drivers - who have knocked off Romans for the title of Worst Drivers In the World - a lot less pleasant.
And Naples is anything but pleasant to begin with. Valeria - the lady mentioned above - once told me that Naples is not worth seeing; people should drive past it to get to Vesuvius, Pompei and Herculaneum. She wasn't kidding. What a dump! Of all the places in Italy that needs to be hit by an earthquake so it can be rebuilt, Naples is the bottoms up winner.
If you ever visit, don't waste your time in visiting Naples. It is dirty; run down; shabby; full of garbage; and even their signs, when the have them posted, are misleading: see the newest photo on the blog. Of course, the company listed in the middle is supposed to be an insurance company, but one has to wonder just what is being insured in Italia!
However, Cefalu is beautiful. Wonderful, actually. More sunshine than we know what to do with. The sea is warm and you can see the Aeolian Islands from the beach. And best of all, Sicilian wineries use real corks, so the corkscrew is holding up just fine.
We should be here until the end of August - perhaps longer if the sea shipment is delayed. And that might just be okay...
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