Nancy and Peter in Sicily
Nancy Bellantoni & Peter Galipault
SEPTEMBER update
The ever changing, dramatic sky to our east over Santa Maria Focallo
Be careful what you wish for
Last month we said we would love to see a good thunderstorm roll through here. Remember, it hadn't rained for over three months. Well, the month of September must have heard us, because over the last thirty days we've had quite a bit of rain. Dramatic temporale complete with thunder and lightning galore. A lot of rain. And we were just saying how brown the landscape was getting. Now it's become quite verdant and lovely.
Majestic Milano
The beginning of September found us in Milan for a few days for some appointments at the hospital. Everything checked out fine. So, no worries there. We had a great time exploring and re-exploring this magnificent city. La Scala museum also provided us with a dress rehearsal for an upcoming opera. We can’t wait to come back in January for Othello, incredible!
One night, thanks to a local foodie friend of a friend, we went to a restaurant called Trattoria del Nuovo Macello. It was across from a huge, abandoned butchery in a very unlovely part of the city. The restaurant itself looked like it was part of a movie set in 1935. You had to knock on the door and say “Joe sent me” to get in. The meal was truly delicious and the portions were normal size, instead of what one might have expected.
We went to the cinema to see
The Odyssey in English with Italian subtitles. Weirdly it felt like it was dubbed into English, the dialogue was so stilted. Afterwards, we found a store that sells mostly Scottish apparel and accessories. We went in to see if they had feathers for Peter's Panama hat. Of course they did. He ended up walking out with a brand new dark blue felt fedora. With feathers of course. An amazing salesman, Maurizio...
September was a merry month of friends visiting
Gail came to visit us in Pozzallo early in the month. We had a marvelous time, hanging out. Power walking the beach, playing in the surf, going to restaurants and touring our little corner of the island. We visited three of the scenic towns in our "Baroque Triangle;" Noto, Modica and Ortygia. These small cities were totally rebuilt after a devasting earthquake struck the area in 1693. They are known for their distinctive baroque style of architecture. In fact, Noto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We even discovered an antique cave church, Chiesa Rupestre di San Nicolò Inferiore, a hidden medieval gem located in the heart of Modica. It is the town's oldest surviving church, which dates back to the 11th or 12th century.
Giro di Sicilia; Palermo, Agrigento, Cefalù and Lipari
When Janice and John arrived, they didn't land in Catania as planned. Ash from an Etna eruption had closed the airport so they were diverted to Palermo. We drove there to meet them instead of having them take the bus to Catania after many hours of traveling from California. Change of plans! We got to explore Palermo for a couple of days before we returned to our previously scheduled tour. Go for an exciting 'ape' (bee in Italian, a type of three-wheeled vehicle) ride with our new best friend, Maurizio the next time you are there!
We went to Agrigento to see some of the most exquisitely preserved Greek temples in the world. Our fabulous guide, Michele, showed us around and shared its ancient history with us. The archeological museum here is also enlightening and inspiring.
Next stop was Cefalù to see the magnificent byzantine mosaics in the cathedral, and a Christ Pantocrator that rivals that of Capella Palatina in Palermo.
We saved the best for last and stayed three nights in Lipari!
Lipari never disappoints
We had a beautiful time on Lipari. We highly recommend Osteria San Bartolo for dinner, the Archaeological Museum is one of the best in all of Italy, and a tour of the island with Rino's Taxi is a must! The tiny church, Chiesa delle Anime del Purgatorio, with its unique local-marine-themed nativity scene, in Marina Corta is worth a visit. Probably a must at Christmas! Oh, La Vela Caffè is amazing for breakfast and lunch!
Beach season is over, l'estate è finito
Like a switch was flipped, the sizzling summer beach scene here in Pozzallo is over. The lidi (beach clubs) are all closed as of Sunday, the 27th, and suddenly there is parking everywhere! We are happy to have our neighborhood back, but are a little sad that our days of playing in the surf are over.
In the meantime, have we mentioned the food?
Buon appetito!
Ciao from the southernmost point at the bottom of the boot :: Pozzallo, (RG) Italia, 36.73°N, 14.85°E
Drop us a line when you have a chance and let us know how YOU are doing! :-)
