Nancy and Peter in Sicily
Nancy Bellantoni & Peter Galipault
Late june update
Sunday Brunch: “The expats are here, they are just hidden”
We made friends with Concetta through a Facebook group called Expats in Sicily. She’s originally from Brooklyn (still has that awesome accent) but has been living in Pozzallo for over forty years. She met a cute boy, married him and raised her children here. Needless to say, Concetta knows the ropes. One morning we met up with her at Nautilus, a caffé downstairs from us, for granita and brioche. She brought her friend/tenant, Jim, who invited us to join their group for a brunch he was hosting the following Sunday.
We met about a dozen people from all around the area. Some British, some American, a couple from Belgium and a lady from Iran. They came from Siracuse, Ispica, Modica, Pachino, Avola Antica and a place called Frigintini. There was so much good food and conversation! Concetta’s compound is right on the beach, just a few miles east of Pozzallo. It was great to connect with other English-speaking folks who have been here a while. We are the newbies. The other, most recent expats moved here two years ago. We got great advice and more than a few recommendations for where to shop, good restaurants and professional help [especially for getting our health cards, another story].
Villa Aurea: A family barbeque
As you know, we have family and adoptive family, our angels, here in Sicily who help guide us. Our landlord Franco, our friend Enrico’s dad, is one of them. Also of course, Enrico and his wife, Ginetta, are part of our tribe that we depend on. Enrico’s brother, Alessandro, and his wife Amelia were on their annual visit from England and we were invited to the barbeque! [Villa Aurea is in the countryside of Ispica, just 10 minutes from Pozzallo. It is a beautiful B&B and we totally recommend it for a stay.] We arrived around 8:30 as requested. Franco and Abdullah were just getting the coals started. The night grew long. It was delightful under the moon and stars with the family, eating great food and listening to music and stories of growing up here. We were home by 1 am, feeling loved and welcomed.
We stayed in Milazzo to make the early ferry
We LOVE the Aeolian islands and any excuse to visit is legitimate. Our friend, Amy, from the North End of Boston, is an adventure diva and has been to the island of Stromboli many times. When she said she was coming to spend five nights on the island we said that we'd like to join her. We rented a little casa just above her rental. It’s about a three hour drive from Pozzallo to Milazzo where you get the ferry. We wanted to get the 8am ferry Friday, which is another three hours to get to Stromboli. Once again, Milazzo proved to be a great city.
We had a nice little apartment within sight of the ferry docks. Very clean and affordable. We went to one of our favorite spots for dinner, Agro Dolce and a had their awesome version of apericena. Which is a combination of aperitivo and cena, or appetizers and dinner. This was an all seafood version; a little bit of everything from the surrounding waters, plus a small dish of pasta. Just the right amount of food for us.
Stromboli, the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean
Hard to believe I know, but there is more than one settlement on an island which is mostly an active volcano. This island is magical. The fact that people even live here is amazing. It's the last stop on the ferry, right after all of the other major Aeolian Islands; Vulcano, Lipari, Salina and Panarea.
Other than nearly 500 year-round residents, most people that come here are day trippers. Many of them hike the volcano, others go to town or visit the black beaches and walk the steep and narrow roads. We mostly just went to the beach during the late morning and early afternoon. The crown jewel of our visit was a boat ride Sunday night to see the volcano from the water. It was incredible. We had the sunset then full moon rose over the mountain. Stromboli obliged by occasionally belching out plumes of molten lava and sending streams of the smoking stuff and fiery rocks down the slopes to the water. Accompanied by some rather loud, thunder-like booms and grumbles, we were convinced of the dragon living deep in the hillside.
If you go, don’t miss
Ristorante Punta Lena at sunset, people watching at Radio Scari and Ritrovo Ingrid [yes, that Ingrid] for every other moment of the day. Wild blackberry granita, yum! Our favorite
In the meantime
We are living our best lives and soaking up the sun, wind and waves. It is stone fruit season here, the peaches and apricots are so sweet and have made it into the local granita. We are also enjoying melons of every color and all of our vegetables seem to be in season. Please drop us a line, we love hearing from you.
Peter & Nancy in Sicily
