Nancy & Peter in Sicily

Early April 2026

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:15:54 GMT

Early April update

Full moon over Pozzallo

Smoking...

We travelled to Milan at the end of March. As we flew over the island of Stromboli, we managed to capture an image of it from the plane.

Stromboli, an active volcano for 2,000 years, is known as the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean. It’s not only the subject of a song and a movie but it is one of the seven Aeolian Islands. This archipelago is located off the northeastern coast of Sicily and consists of the islands; Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Panarea, Filicudi and Alicudi. We chartered a bareboat and sailed there three years ago with KK and Tom. The islands are a magical cruising ground. Previously, in 2015, we climbed to the top of Stromboli at night, also with KK, and a guide of course. Have you ever heard the grumble of a volcano beneath you? It sounds like thunder coming from the ground instead of the sky.

Mediolanum “in the middle of the plain”

We were in Milan for an appointment at the world-renowned Ospedale San Rafaelle, to see an eye specialist that Peter was referred to by an ophthalmologist he was seeing at Mass Eye and Ear and was recommended by Mimmo’s daughter, Luisa. Luisa works for Roche, a pharmaceuticals company specializing in treatments for the eyes. We decided to stay in the city a few extra days to explore and do a little shopping. Milan is a major metropolitan area, of course, the fourth largest in the European Union according to Wikipedia. Known as the economic and industrial capital of Italy, it is a major player in the world of fashion and had an outsized influence in the development of the Renaissance.

Of course, there were challenges finding our way around the different neighborhoods. We relied heavily on recommendations from friends who either used to live here or visited recently. Anna and Achille recommended their favorite restaurants, like Rataná, a very special trattoria, where we had the privilege of eating lunch, and areas to visit, including Brera and the Navigli, the canal district designed in part by Leonardo Da Vinci. Charlotte and Kevin recommended seeing the Anselm Kiefer exhibition, The Alchemists, at the Royal Palace of Milan, across from the Duomo.

Duomo the magnificent... cathedral

The Duomo in Milan is the largest cathedral in Italy, other than the one in the Vatican City, which is technically another country. If you ever get a chance to visit, be sure to go up to the roof for some extraordinary sights of the city and the mountains beyond.

Early rock and roll and straight up boogie woogie

One night we went to the Blue Note Milano (thank you Achille) to see a super fun band called Black Ball Boogie. They were amazing! A lot of early rock and roll, some originals, classic Italian anthems and straight up boogie woogie. They are a very tight group; well-rehearsed and absolutely charming. Every single member is a superb musician. Have you ever heard three people whistle in harmony? Wow! The pianist Manuel Goretti shined as a virtuosic performer. He had one long solo at one point in the evening; the only person on stage. He played an incredible improvisation on the classic, Swanee River. Delightful. We would travel to see them again. They just did a gig in Aix-en-Provence at the Rock & Boogie festival. Hmmm, anyone want to join us in Southern France next year?

Pasqua In Catania

And then it was time to go to Mimmo and Fanni’s in Catania for the Easter feast with the family.

Mt Etna from Villa Bellini in downtown Catania

It’s good to have fAMILY CLOSE BY

Chief among the angels on earth that are looking after us are Mimmo and Fanni. They have a beautiful big apartment a few steps from Villa Bellini, a wonderful park in central Catania and open, loving hearts.

Fanni made a traditional Easter pasta dish of Anelli al Forno symbolizing abundance, togetherness and festive celebration. Anelli are little rings of pasta (like what you wear on your finger). We brought an Easter cake, called a Columba made by a local Pasticceria in Pozzallo. Fanni’s sister and brother in-law, Maria and Giovanni, brought a Pastiera Napoletana, a typical cake which represents spring, new life and Easter traditions. Afterwards we went for a walk down by the seaside. The next day was Pasquetta, little Easter. Traditionally a feast out in the countryside, we all went to the country house in San Gregorio for a BBQ of sausage and steak, a delicious risotto made with fresh picked artichokes from the garden and, of course, more dolci.

WE HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WERE SO NOISY!

Another beautiful day and we decided to go for a walk in the Vendicari Reserve about a half hour away from home to see some birds. This is a vast nature preserve on the southeast coast near Noto, dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming oasis for migrating birds like flamingos. There are also remains of a tonnara as well as a museum of local flora and fauna and some depictions and photos of the mattanza.

There were literally hundreds of flamingos, making quite the quacking racket. They sound kind of like a weird cross between pigs, geese and frogs. They’re funny looking too. They haven’t turned completely pink yet, they are just a little pink around the edges. We are supposing they need to eat more shrimp.

SPEAKING OF SHRIMP

It was time for lunch. And since we were in the area, we went to Marzamemi. It was a bit like summer today. We didn't need a jacket and could sit outside next to the harbor.

Ciao for now!

Last Few Weeks of March 2026

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 18:20:30 GMT

END OF march update

Late afternoon rainbow pierced by "god" rays

Waiting for the detectives

We were getting frustrated after three weeks, having to stay close to home, waiting for the polizia spot check; to make sure that we live where we're saying we live. (The registry office said they would come by within 15 working days.) We asked Enrico, why haven't they come yet? He said he would call his friend who works with the polizia. Of course, his friend came over to Enrico’s hotel right away and gave him a form for us to fill out. He said to have it signed by our landlord, Franco (Enrico's dad) and then bring it to the police station. We created a fillable pdf and filled the forms out with Franco at Villa Aurea, his B&B out in the country. He then gave us a ride in his car to the police station around noon. Unfortunately, it was lunch time, so we made an appointment to come back a little later at 12:50.

We went back to Villa Aurea to kill some time. Franco asked us if we liked bananas. Yes, of course we like bananas. He picked a bunch of tiny Sicilian bananas from a tree on his property to give to us. Then we picked some lemons from another tree. Accidentally stepping on a lemon that had fallen to the ground, the air exploded with the strong scent of the fresh fruit. Then it was time to go back to the station. The police woman there took the forms away to make copies. When she returned she said, "tutto posto." Everything is okay.

Passo passo (Step by Step)

The next day, we received an email notice from the anagrafe, the registry office, saying that we are now officially residents of Pozzallo. Get out the prosecco! Now we just have to figure out how to get our physical residency cards. It turns out that we need them to buy new phones, get our health cards, our driver's licenses and pretty much everything else.

A noble castle

The following Saturday was a nice day for a visit to Donnafugata, the 19th century noble residence featured in The Leopard by Giuseppe Lampedusa. We found the inside of the castle to be a great disappointment. It seems to have deteriorated quite a bit since our last visit only three years ago. It was noticeably neglected, dirty and dusty. We speculated that perhaps mice and squirrels had moved in for the off-season and had been chewing on everything. The surrounding 20-acre garden, was impressive, lovely and well maintained. We walked around, explored the labyrinth and reveled in the bird song and beautiful wildflowers.

We'll follow the sun

A week later we decided to head west again because that's where the sun was shining. To the north and east were clouds and rain. Arriving at the coastal village of Donnalucata, not far from Donnafugata, we went for a short walk, but the town seemed to be still sleeping off the winter. So, we headed west once more for Marina di Ragusa ending up at an elegant seaside restaurant called Marisco. There we had a fabulous meal of Spigola a Sale. Which is a whole sea bass baked in a thick crust of salt. The waiter knocked the salt off and filleted the fish for us. Very tasty.

Oddly enough, for another lunch option, they had Maine lobsters on offer. The lobsters seemed a little sluggish though, possibly suffering from jet lag.

Looks can be deceiving. This platter was almost as wide as the table. There's a lot of fish under that pile of salt. The delightful orange and fennel salad was not quite as large!

It’s good to have friends

I went for a haircut and a shave at my barber shop, Savoir Faire, across the street from Mare Nostrum. I asked Emiliano what his opinion was; should I shave off my beard? He thought that was a good idea (Nancy thought so too). He charged me the same price as for a haircut only. Enrico says that Emiliano gives me the special price because he knows we are friends.

Speaking of friends, our first visitors!

Charlotte and Kevin came from London by way of Verona and Milan traveling by train and car. They stayed with Enrico at his hotel, Mare Nostrum. Late in the afternoon we met up with them. To kick off our visit, we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, ri Mari e d’Amuri. Among other savory specialties, everyone had a whole fish. As always, the food was amazing and the service friendly. We can go there when you visit.

Open House this weekend (and every day)! :: Caution: Slippery Rocks! :: Byzantine era church

Savio says There is enough to see in Sicily to take up two lifetimes

We hired a guide to take us to see the archeological sites of Pantalica. Arriving at the top of the twisty and winding road we met Savio in the small hilltop town of Ferla. He and his wife Barbara are both guides and live in Catania.

Savio says that the first time he came to Pantalica, he knew he had found his spiritual home. This reserve is the largest in Sicily, covering more 3,600 hectares. In three hours or so of our excursion, we only toured a small corner of the park. We saw caves that were originally tombs from the neolithic era. Some were converted to homes and churches during the Byzantine era. In fact, people lived in the cave village until the 1950’s! We saw some evidence of wild boar activity and clambered down into a steep canyon where there is a small pool, known as the Grotta Pipistrelli. It was a challenging trail but we did alright. Although we chickened out at the end, crossing the stream on the slippery rocks!

Click here for the official Visit Sicily website for the Necropolis of Pantalica

The bay of the turtledoves

We took the coastal route to Marzamemi, an historic tuna fishing village, intending to have lunch first then continue to the Vendicari Reserve to do some birdwatching. This area is famous for the Spring migration of many species of birds. Along the route, we spied Greater Flamingos near Pantano Longarini.

But by the time we finished browsing the shops, walking around the town and having lunch it was time to head back to Pozzallo!

After a little reposo at home, we met up at ri Mari e d’Amuri to complete the circle and have another delicious meal. Kevin got the Tonno a la Montalbano again and we shared the Antipasto Rustico and Pacheri, one with a spinach pesto and one with a piselli pesto (get the piselli).

Saturday we had to say arrivederci. We had coffee and went to the cafe for a light lunch. They left for Catania to fly back to London the next day. It was a great visit. We miss them already.

Charlotte & Kevin :: Marzamemi doorway :: Bacchus

It’s starting to look a lot like easter

Buona Pasqua a tutti!

Mid-March 2026

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:51:25 GMT

Mid-march update

Dramatic sunset view over Pozzallo from the beach cottage in the sky

we Head for the hills

The first full weekend in March we went to Palazzolo Acreide. It was our second visit this year to this beautiful and charismatic hilltop town. It is up in the Hyblean Mountains and has been inhabited since the 11th century BC, an important communication station linking the big city/port of Syracuse with the rest of southern Sicily. We stayed two nights in a lovely B&B very close to Piazza San Sebastiano. We got in just before 6pm on Friday and our host, Paolo, was very accommodating. He helped us get the car parked close by and showed us the ropes. It was a chilly up there at an elevation of 2,200 feet.

Cows along a country road

Entertain and be entertained by the locals

First stop was J Live, a little place on the piazza that we called the pirate bar. The guys looked a little sketchy, pirate-y. You know the sort. Kind of like bikers, all beards and leather. Nancy got a local wine and I was looking in the coolers to see what was on offer for beer. One of the scruffy guys came over offering advice on the selections, opening the coolers and pulling out every bottle. All in Italian, though maybe it was Sicilian. Not sure but with the barkeep refereeing, we finally settled on a Messina. It was a funny, sort of touching and kind moment with lots of laughter.

Dinner reservations were made at Andrea Sapori Montani, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant that serves local sourced, traditional cuisine. The dinner was amazing of course and our server was super. She and Nancy became fast friends over the course of the meal, bonding over love of yoga and Nancy's search for an Italian teacher. They exchanged contact info. She was going to call her brother who runs a small hotel near where we live in Pozzallo. Because maybe he knows someone who teaches Italian. Meanwhile her daughter, who is nine, was pitching in, serving the customers and being very serious. Acting like she owns the place and works there. Charming!

The next day we went to the Museo Archeologico Gabriele Judica, one block over from the piazza. They had an excellent collection of earthenware from the 6th century BC. There were bits of weaponry, tools and coins. Some of it from Roman times. All of it came from the nearby site, just outside of town, known as Area Archeologica Akrai.

Some interesting vases from the collection at the Museo Archeologico Gabriele Judica in Palazzolo Acreide

Pantalica: nature trails and an ancient necropolis

With our friends Charlotte and Kevin coming in a few weeks, we were thinking of things to do while they're here. So we went to check out the ancient ruins in the canyons of the Riserva Pantalica to see if that would fit the bill. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site; a large area where two rivers meet and in the limestone cliffs bordering them there are many caves from neolithic times.

We were a little frazzled after our drive to the east entrance of the park. (Because apparently you can't trust Google Maps to direct you down roads that are safe to navigate, i.e.; paved and wide enough for two cars to pass in opposite directions.) After waiting for the sheep and motorcycle gang to pass, we eventually arrived and hiked a trail that once was a railroad that ran between Syracuse and Vizzini. It was a beautiful day. Just warm enough that you didn't need a jacket. The trail was wide and smooth with a steady incline over the 5 kilometers into the canyons with an occasional long and dark tunnel. Once, we literally couldn’t see a thing. The app on our phones did little to illuminate the passage, but we came out the other side without tripping over anything and completely unscathed. And the orange trees were abundant, as far as the eye could see.

Afterwards we went to get a snack and drinks at Sapuritú, on the corner of the piazza. We had been dreaming of their charcuterie plate that we had in May. While hanging out and eating, we met Mallie, an American expat from the Seattle area and her husband Mirko, who is from Palazzolo. We became fast friends instantly. Mallie got Mirko to call his brother who runs a famous trattoria nearby to see if he could get us in there for dinner. Unfortunately, Trattoria Del Gallo is so famous that even he couldn't get a reservation on a Saturday night. Mallie's son showed up after his haircut. He's 16 and has just moved to Sicily to live with his mom full time. He's going to school in Palazzolo, plays basketball and now is on a school field trip to Spain.

Charcuterie at Sapuritú and other views of Palazzolo Acreide.

Area Archeologica Akrai

Amphitheater and other views of the archeological park at Akrai

International Women’s Day

On our way back to Pozzallo we decided to go to Marina di Ragusa and have a meal at our favorite restaurant there, Fresco é Bottega. It was midafternoon on a beautiful warm Sunday. We knew we were in trouble before we even got to the small parking area. We drove a few blocks away and found a somewhat sketchy spot and walked down to the marina. The hostess at asked if we had a reservation and of course, we didn't.

But happily, there are other restaurants in the marina and we ended up at Mercato del Porto. The staff there were very friendly and the food was divine. While we were there a group of about 18 women came in, the leader with an impressive crown of mimosa blossoms in her blond tresses. Turns out they were all expats living on boats and were there to celebrate International Women's Day.

OH, DID WE MENTION THE FOOD?
I'M PRETTY SURE WE DID BUT...

You would be forgiven if you're thinking that all we do is go out to eat. But the truth is we eat at home a lot too. Breakfast is usually yoghurt and granola with an orange and strawberries bought from the farmers who sell fruit and vegies out of their trucks. Lunch is either a salad or a homemade panino.

Sometimes we cook pasta or pan fry some pork chop. With lots of fresh vegetables, who can resist? Dinner last night was roasted chicken breast with rice and spinach from a street guy.

Sushi at Fresco :: Panini at Salumeria Burgio, Syracuse :: Tonno Vitello at Mercato del Porto

February 2026 Recap

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:02:24 GMT

Recap from the last week in February

Pre-dawn view from the beach cottage in the sky

We told you about our visit to Vizzini and Chiarmonte Gulfi but we neglected to mention The Dreaded SS514. This is the tortuous road that we took previously when we went to Caltagirone. It's under construction for many kilometers, perhaps a half hour or more of driving time. A narrow road made narrower, with menacing spikes in the middle and concrete barriers replacing the berm on either side. Not a lot of room for error. Very harrowing and it can make a driver very tense, white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

A week later we're on that same road again aiming for the town of Vizzini and regretting that we didn't find another route, that would certainly take longer, and would definitely be less stressful. After about twenty minutes of this abominable excuse for a main thoroughfare, we decided to abandon the damned road and go another way. This took us by man-made Lago Dirillo and subsequently to the outskirts of a grim hilltop town known as Lacodia Eubea. Where the streets are two-way but are only wide enough for one car, oh and very twisty.

The Dreaded SS514 [ screen capture from a video posted on VR14 Video Regione Sicilia ]. This is really what it looks like! We weren't able to take a photo ourselves for obvious reasons...

And of course once we left Vizzini, headed for Chiarmonte Gulfi, we took a wrong turn and… ended up back on The Dreaded SS514 again!

PERSPECTIVES ON POZZALO

Sunday we went for a walk on the beach. Afterwards we tried to go to Trattoria Nta Nonna but they were too busy. They were so busy that they set up extra outside tables for us and another couple that was already there. But when that couple was seated another couple came in and simply took our seats! So Sicilian! We couldn't really raise a stink so off we went. We ended up at Ri Mari e di Amuri for Pranza once again, where we were greeted warmly by Simona, she of the flaming red hair and electric blue pant suit. Ever since our first night here, Gianni has been trying to sell us on the fresh fish; bringing me to see the selection on offer. It all looks beautiful of course but we had never taken him up on it. This time, however, we finally ordered a fish dish; spigola arrosta, a whole sea bass, roasted. It was delightful (but watch out for bones)!

PRANZA A MARZAMEMI

Wednesday, we drove east along the coast through Santa Maria del Focallo, checking out Tiki, an unfortunately dilapidated beach bar that will hopefully be resurrected in time for the summer season. After that there was a detour because of washed out roads, presumably from Cyclone Harry. We went through Grotelle, Granelli, and inland again through the vast farmlands of AgriBiz and viniculture, ending up in Marzamemi.

We had lunch at Calamarò Portodimare; Tuna Tartare, Spaghetti con Vongole. Soooo delicious!

WAITING FOR THE POLIZIA TO SHOW UP

While we were in Marzamemi, Enrico called and reported back from City Hall. He had gone there on our behalf to find out what we should expect for next steps to get our residency cards. He said that we should stick close to home because the local police are going to come by sometime soon (!) within the next two weeks during business hours. A spot check to make sure that we actually live where we say we're living.

So far, we're trying to stick close to home for the anticipated Polizia visit. Sometimes one of us will go out and get some provisions or do an errand and the other will stay and vice versa. Of course, they haven’t come. Any guesses as to how long we will wait?

A WALK ON THE BEACH

We walk on the beach often and we're curious about the reef that we can see from our window. It seems like it's grown since we've been here. Where once it was just a rock that kind of looked like a person in the water and now it's a whole line of rocks that runs for maybe 100 meters or more. They tidal range is very minimal; only 10 inches or so. It's diurnal, with a higher high tide and a lower low tide. It's a mystery to us why the rocks seem to have grown over the last four weeks. Turns out they are man-made to protect the shoreline.

Loggia at the Duomo Santa Maria Maggiore in Ispica

OH, DID WE MENTION THE FOOD?

February 2026 Part III

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:45:52 GMT

our Third week in sicily

OH, THE BUREAUCRAZY!

Bank accounts and registration. Oh my! Our bank is having trouble uploading our identification to the main branch to get Nancy on the checking account and an ATM card. We have been visiting and re-visiting the bank for a week. No luck but we are making friends with the bankers.

Then there is the registration of our notarized lease with the Comune di Pozzallo. Step by step we are making progress. We go from one office to another, but we're not exactly sure why! It is entertaining for us and for the locals too. You should see the expressions on their faces as they try to understand what we are trying to say in Italian!

GETTING LOST EVERY DAY

We went to Caltagirone, ostensibly to buy some ceramic ware but by the time we got there everything was closed. So we had lunch in a cavernous caffeteria, then climbed the famous stairway instead. When the stores started to reopen around 3pm we looked in several shops but decided we preferred the style of the artisans in San Stefano di Camastra; all the way on the opposite coast of Sicily. Another road trip!

On the way out of town, we took a wrong turn, as usual. We weren't exactly lost but we were definitely going in the wrong direction!

We have a new motto now: "If you're not getting lost every day, you're not really going anywhere."

A WALK ON THE BEACH

On Valentine's Day we went for a walk on the beach. Later we went for a romanticky lunch at RI Mari e d'Amuri overlooking the sea. There was an antipasto rustico which had all kinds of yummy items in it; miniature arrancini, stimpirata, caponata, potato croquettes, salami, cheeses, amazing.

CARNEVAL IN THE MALL

Sunday the 15th, we went to Ragusa Ibla for lunch at Cucina Sincere. This was our scond time there. They're lovely people and pretend to remember us from the previous visit. ;-) The food is authentic and delicious!

Then we went to the mall for some provisions. Where unexpectedly there were many families with children in costume celebrating Carneval.

OUR NAME IS ON THE MAIL BOX

But the TIM people still can’t seem to find us to install the fiber optic internet. Our internet is sooooo slow, it is hard to have a Zoom call. The WiFi drops our connection. All. The. Time. … ohhhh, it's so hard being us. But all will be well soon. Once the installer finds us.

Yesterday we finally figured out how to open the mailbox after two days of trying. And there was a card from our friend Rachel in it! She mailed it the day we left for Sicily, January 30.

February 2026 Part II

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:47:32 GMT

our second week in sicily

It's pretty wild. We have new stories every day. Yesterday we drove to Siracusa, to a Toyota dealership, to look at a used car, a Yaris Cross Hybrid/Gasoline. It's a small SUV type of car that Nancy said it wasn't too big. All of a sudden one of the guys who works on the lot, probably as a kind of valet who brings the cars around for customers to test drive, comes screaming into the showroom, shouting about a rental car that exploded or something. No one really speaks English in this dealership. So we didn't understand what was going on. Turns out our rental, which we parked next to a charging station for electric cars, blew out the right front tire. Just sitting there. Totally exploded right next to someone sitting in her Prius, waiting while it was charging. Probably scared the ever living daylights out of her.

The following was a kind of screwed up scenario. Where I'm trying to call the car rental company and test drive the car we're interested in at the same time. I had success with the test drive. It's a perfectly fine car but getting someone on the phone to come and deal with the rental was another story. I did manage to get a tow truck to arrive to take it away but we didn't have a car to get home in. We were 45 minutes away from where we live and 45 minutes away from the airport where we rented the car. The phone number for the car rental could only connect me to roadside assistance but not to anyone who could help with getting a replacement car.

Luckily our sales guy, Marco, after much effort, was finally able to connect with someone who was able to help us. But the solution was we had to get a taxi to take us to the airport in Catania to get a replacement car. I'd say he earned his commission. The tow truck driver called someone to pick us up. By that time it was 5:45. We had been at the dealership since they opened at 3:00. Massimo, who was driving a large Mercedes van at about 150 km/h (90mph) got us to the airport rental car agency around 6:15. It cost 140 Euros. They must have felt bad for us because they gave us a brand new BMW small SUV. Then we drove an hour and a half back to our town, arriving a little after 8:00. That was a long day! I had been awake since before 5:00 am that morning.

Don’t ask me about the weather. At least it isn’t sub-zero F and snowing!

So that's it for now. More to tell you about later! Ciao!!

February 2026 Part I

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:59:15 GMT

a beautiful symmetry

We arrived in Catania late in the afternoon of January 31 and were met at the airport by Enrico, our friend from Pozzallo, and Renée, our cousin who came in from Lisbon. It was a beautiful symmetry as we were dropped off at the airport in Boston by our friends Ken and Karen.

By the time we got our luggage and our rental car sorted, it was dark and raining lightly. We caravanned in two cars an hour and a half down the autostrada to Pozzallo and unloaded our many suitcases, bags and guitars into the apartment. Renée stayed with us for a few days, helping us unpack and provision, it was wonderful to have her here!

Business First

Enrico’s father Franco, who is our landlord, came over last Monday to bring the contratto d’affito (the lease) for us to sign. He also brought us a bottle of prosecco and some almond cookies. We had business to do first, going over and signing the lease before we could have the prosecco.

We dropped Renée off at the airport Tuesday, February 3rd. Then we went to visit Mimmo and Fanni at their beautiful and very large apartment in Catania. We walked through the nearby park and down to Via Etnea, the main boulevard of the city center. There the procession for the feast of St Agatha was gathering. A very large crowd of people were in the street and the bands were braying a cacophony of musical notes.

A Bushel Full

Back to the apartment for a lunch of cauliflower frittata and other savory items from their garden. After that we drove up to the ‘country’ villa in San Gregorio, where Mimmo has what you might call either a small farm or a very large garden. He picked a variety of oranges, lemons, grapefruit and cauliflower and collected a few eggs which we loaded up into a small crate. Mimmo and Fanni stayed but gave us all the food plus a bottle of their olive oil (from their olive trees) and we left to go back to Pozzallo. We already had a basket full of grapefruits, oranges and avocados left for us by Franco at the apartment when we arrived. Now we had literally a bushel full of fruit on our dining room table.

Beach Cottage in the Sky

Our apartment in Pozzallo really suits us and we love the neighborhood. We’re on the 8th floor and there’s a small elevator that takes us up to the 7th floor. Then it’s one flight of stairs from there. It's a short walk to the main street and piazza where there are shops and restaurants. There’s a café practically downstairs from us and the beach goes on and on across the street. At night we hear the waves roar even with the windows closed. We call it our beach cottage in the sky.

The weather here lately is a bit unsettled; very windy, a little rain but definitely warmer than it has been in Boston! In the high 50’s to mid 60’s during the day, down into the 40’s at night. Last night there was a massive thunder and lightning storm over the sea which was mighty impressive to watch from our cozy nest.

welcome to sicily!

We got SIM cards for our phones from the TIM store on Wednesday. Now we have Italian phone numbers as well as our US numbers (US numbers which we can only use on WiFi). You can call or text us on any of our numbers, but probably best is to use WhatsApp with our US numbers.

Thursday afternoon we went to a car dealership in Modica, about 20 minutes away, to see about buying a car. Currently we’re still driving the rental car that we picked up at the airport Saturday. Turns out we have a difference of opinion about what kind of car we would like. Peter prefers a smallish SUV but Nancy says that’s too big. She can’t see over the hood and is uncomfortable driving on the narrow country and city roads.

Friday we went to the bank, the local branch of Intesa Sanpaolo, late in the morning to get an ATM card for Nancy. Peter had picked up his on Monday. It’s kind of like going to the butcher in the North End. You have to wait your turn before you can go to the window, which is called a sportello. You're never really sure who is next but there’s seating. We were maybe four people from getting our chance. It took about a half hour and we were finally up. However, our banker was, after about an hour, unable to help us because the internet connection was unstable. He wasn’t able to upload our documents. It was the bad weather. It was Catania’s fault… welcome to Sicily.

Saturday, Franco came over with Abdullah, his handyman. He brought labels with our names on them to put on our door, the mailbox and the buzzer to the door outside (we are official!) as well as some other minor fixes.

Oh, and did we mention the food?

As expected, every bite scrumptious!