Nancy and Peter in Sicily
Nancy Bellantoni & Peter Galipault
july update
It's getting kind of hot in here...
Wait 'til it really gets hot
Welcome to July in Southern Sicily. The month started out reasonably warm but by last week, most days were in the high 30 C's, then in the low 40 C's! (40 degrees Centigrade is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit, by the way.) Thank goodness we have air conditioning!
We keep saying to each other "wait 'til gets hot." Meaning, we haven't even got to August yet. One day last week, the electric went out early in the morning. Then there was no water, of course, because our building has its own pump. While it was only in the high 90's, staying in our house with so many windows, even though the blinds were drawn, was not an option. But guess what? There is a beach right across the street. So, we went and plopped ourselves down at Calé, our favorite lido, and hung out there all day on the chaise lounges under the big umbrella. Occasionally going in for a bit of a swim to cool down. We had a delicious panino at the bar.
We weren’t the only ones, many of our neighbors from the building were there as well. It was great seeing them and getting the latest news on when the electricity would be back on (2pm, no 4, no 6!). We were also added to the WhatsApp group chat. Now we have a way we can contact the network of friendly neighbors (and they can contact us as well) when needed. I had just been saying earlier in the day, we should get some phone numbers for our neighbors. Nice, how it turned out.
The electricity started flickering on around 5pm and by evening it was back to normal, the elevator was running, along with the water.
July was a little quiet for us
Mostly we have our Italian lessons two and three times a week. No big adventures.
One very hot Saturday we needed to get out of the house so Concetta could clean. I don't think it was 40 C though, at least not at home. We decided to drive up to Riserva Cave Grande near Avola Antica. It was not advisable on such a hot day, to go down into the canyon. We read that it may only take 45 minutes or an hour to get to the bottom where there is a waterfall and a little lake that you can swim in, but more than an hour and a half to get back up to the top. In the end it was a moot point, however, as the Riserva was closed because of the risk of fire. It was a good reconnaissance mission for future adventures and the scenery was spectacular.
Anagrafe part V; the Tessera Sanitaria (health cards)
We had to go back to the Anagrafe Assistiti in Modica to apply for our health cards. It had been unclear what exactly we needed for documentation. After talking it over with our expat friends, it seemed to come down to the fact that we probably needed to pay some money and hire a commercialista, an accountant. Because the healthcare system is not actually free. It's paid for with taxes which makes sense. But we haven't been living in Italy long enough to have paid taxes, that happens at the end of the year.
We showed Enrico all the documents that we thought we needed. He graciously made a call to the office in Modica, and miraculously got someone on the line. He told them about his friends from the USA that are also Italian citizens, living in Pozzallo, that are in the process of applying for the Tessera Saniteria. They confirmed what was needed. After the call he agreed to go with us to Modica and translate for us. Which we did a few weeks ago.
We came back from Modica with a form to be filled out, stamped and duplicated by the commercialista (F24 in case you ever need to know) and a specified amount of money to be paid at the bank. And then we were all set, no problem, right?!
The next day we brought everything back to Modica; all the forms, receipts, identification, proof of income, etc. After about a half hour or so, we walked out of there with the paper versions of the health cards! The actual wallet cards will arrive by mail “within 20 days.” Yay!
Six months
Yesterday, July 31, was our six-month anniversary in Sicily! A special thank you to all the angels here on earth that continue to advocate and support us as we settle into our new life; Cousin Renée, all of the Marco family; Mimmo, Fanni, Emanuele and Luisa, the Caruso family; Franco, Enrico and Ginetta and our insegnante Italiano, Marco. The time went by in a flash, helped along by the lovely place we call home – the beach cottage in the sky – where the wind flows through from all directions and we observe the comings and goings of ships, the sun, sea, moon and stars. We are truly blessed.
In the meantime, have we mentioned the food?
Eating in and eating out; it's always delightful. Breakfast is granola, fruit and yogurt. Occasionally we go out for a croissant or granita. Lunches are usually a homemeade panino or salad, or we go out for something special, visiting our favorite haunts. Dinner in is similar; pasta or rice, fish, chicken or pork, a vegetable, sometimes just a salad of leftovers. When we go out, it's pasta and fish, an occasional pizza or simply apericena (happy hour plus a light dinner, accompanied by the sunset).
viviamo la giornata, We're going with the flow
For us, this summer season is all about the fresh fruit. Stone fruits are everywhere, the most delicious are the pesca tabacchiera (snuffbox peach) which you might know as Saturn or donut peaches. Besides grapes and cherries, white figs and fico d’India (which Franco is teaching us how to eat). It’s also melon season. Cantaloupe and watermelon are the local granita flavors of the month. This is highly recommended for breakfast along with a brioche to dampen the brain freeze.
Ciao for now!
Drop us a line when you have a moment and let us know how your summer is going!
