Day 155- Sicilia

It has been days since we've been back from Sicily and Carlos and I still can't stop talking about the food we ate. After all, where else would you get better seafood than on an island?

We were up and ready last Monday, excited for the trip...and after the minor blip of having to throw out all our shampoo and sunscreen at the airport (completely forgot about that rule), and only about 40 minutes in the sky, we arrived on the sunny southern island of Italy: home of perfectly juicy oranges, unbelievably fresh fish, white Grillo wine, Marsala, and of course-the Mafia.

Off the plane, we caught the train from the airport to Palermo, soaking in the views from our cabin.  Already there was something intriguing about the island, and we couldn't help imagining scenes of The Godfather  coming to life outside our window. From the station, we walked a few blocks to our hostel, where we barely made it to our room up the steep marble stairs, dropped off our things, and were off for our first Sicilian meal. Since it was a little late in the afternoon for an Italian lunch (normally between 1-2:30), a lot of places seemed closed for the afternoon...but we finally saw a little restaurant with a few tables still set up, basically right in the middle of a busy sidewalk. The old man running the place, also our waiter (old people here are my favorite),offered us the last of what was in stock, and I quickly decided on the swordfish. Simply garnished with cilantro, lemon and olive oil, and perfectly cooked, our lunch seemed to be a good first taste of Sicilian cuisine, and start to our stay.

After lunch, the bustling Monday streets quickly became overwhelming without a map, so our first task was to find one. Once we came to a tourist point, and after a particularly helpful man gave us a map of Palermo, we began our tour of the city. At first the streets in town almost seem a little ugly, pretty hard around the edges...a little run down, not one building matching the next. But after a while, after cooling down with a lemon granita (with actual lemon in it) and going inside the Cathedral, catching the end of a double twin wedding (a little weird) and standing in front of Teatro Massimo; looking at the details and watching the loud Sicilian people, it grows on you and the story behind it all shines through. The mixed architecture from the different rulers over Sicily are definitely clear...in one building you can see the Arabic or Norwegian influence, then around a corner and you could easily be in Paris. We were definitely non-stop that day and by the late afternoon we were definitely feeling it. When we reached the port, we barely had the energy to look for somewhere to eat, but when we saw a few places with signs for fresh fish right in front of the coast in the distance, we had to try one out. So we picked one, and we picked right. We both went for pasta dishes, mine the classic Spaghetti con Vongole (spaghetti with white clamsauce), and Carlos a more adventurous Fettuccine with shrimp and pistachio sauce. They were both amazing. During dinner we also discovered the very refreshing and crisp Grillo wine, and never stopped ordering it from then on.

The next day our plan was to go to Mondello, the nearby beach, so we got our stuff together, including our "we are tourists" white towels from the hostel, and caught the bus our trusty guide had told us to take. Once we were there, the strong sun reminded us our sunscreen was in the airport garbage, so we were forced to buy a professional 20 euro sunscreen in the only place selling the stuff. But at least we didn't get burnt. The beach was a small little strip, with a diverse crowd, the best of which were the tanned, Speedo-wearing 40-50-year old men, that seemed to all belong to the same gym a long time ago. From the waist down it was all toned muscle and then suddenly, robust bellies, which seemed to hold all the beer and pizza from the last 10 years. It was very amusing to watch them chatting while watching their kids or grandchildren, but almost impossible to understand anything they were saying in the strong Sicilian accent, so beyond my Italian skills.

After a while we were hungry so we had lunch, more great seafood...and then indulged in typical desserts, a Sicilian connolo, and what can best be described as a literal ice cream sandwich. But I don't mean the ice cream sandwich with chocolate cookie on the outside and vanilla ice cream, I mean an ice cream sandwich. Ice cream inside bread. You would think it's a little too much, but even the chic and lean Italian woman were lining up, leaving with the dripping three-scoop sandwiches in hand. So Carlos had to go for it.

We went back to the beach for some more sun and time in the warm sea, listening to the food vendors- "Ciambelle!" "Cocco...Cocco Bello!" While swimming I tried so hard to memorize what everything looked like standing in that water...

The next day, before leaving Palermo we decided to see the last few things on the map, a great market along a few small little streets in town, one of the most representative churches of the city-San Cataldo, and got distracted by the one and only H&M. I was very impressed by our speed shopping because by 1 we were headed back to get our things and went to the train station to go to Trapani.

Ballaro Market

"Don't forget Palermo"

A few hours later, the train pulled up into the station and we got off to what looked like a ghost town. There were barely any people and everything seemed closed...I wasn't sure if it was just because it was lunch time (Everything closes from 2-4 except for places to get food), but it seemed like no one was even out eating. But, niente da fare, nothing we could do...we found our hostel (after walking past it a few times we finally noticed a tiny business card stuck next to the doorbell) and after more stairs, arrived at a little apartment at the top of the building, with a few rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom...and air conditioning. The lady waiting for us explained the deal with breakfast, which we could get at the cafe on the corner of the street, and we left to look around. We got a map, and quickly found that what we thought might be disappointing, was a beautiful port city.  We stopped at the things marked on the tourist map...a park, some fountains, many "palaces" scattered along the little streets...and had dinner on the main street, Vittorio Emanuele. Our waiter, who spoke 6 different languages, recommended I order homemade busiate pasta with grouper eggs, which I did, with no regrets. And more Grillo wine. So so so good.

Thursday, we decided to go to Erice and the nearby Egadi Islands. To get to Erice you can either go by bus or take the funivia, or cableway, up the mountain. We chose the latter, so we took the bus to the cableway and arrived in aerial Erice in about 20 minutes. No matter how small, the town is definitely worth a visit...the narrow streets, weaving up and down, with flowers popping out of corners, and the cliff-side castles are very romantic. It's made me try to imagine what it was like living there years ago, when you could probably only get there by donkey or something. Like an unreachable fort floating in the clouds...

After a while, since we wanted to catch the hydrofoil to the first island, Levanzo, we left and headed back to the porto. It turned out the half hour boat trip brought us to a little paradise we were definitely not expecting. We got of the boat and looked around what was almost a mini Santorini. Blue and white houses, perfectly turquoise water...a little jewel plopped in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. We quickly found somewhere to have lunch (at the only place open on the island at 3), and headed to the little cove where we saw people swimming. For a while we had the whole "beach" to ourselves. Really, what can I say?

Later, we gathered our stuff and went to the port to catch the boat to another island as planned...buttt we got stuck behind a guy that had some issue with his ticket and got in a fight with the girl at the counter. By the time they stopped fighting, the hydrofoil was leaving, he quickly hopped on and left us on the island, with no ticket. So, we bought one for the next boat, and went to find another beach. Past a corner, there was a path to another little cove, even smaller than the last, where what seemed to be only locals lay tanning into the late afternoon.I'm looking for the right adjectives to describe what it was like being there, but it seems impossible to avoid being cliche...so here's a picture.

I guess that's the difference between resorts and a small beach tucked away on an island. Resorts seem so ordinary. But we were in this tiny little unknown part of a tiny Island in Italy. I wonder what would have happened if I just stayed on Levanzo forever. I wonder if anyone would find me.

Even though it was later in the afternoon, the sun was still strong, so I just lay in the water for a while.  For a minute I put my head underwater, and with all the sound blocked out except for the sea...it was actually like thinking about nothing....which if you've ever tried is quite difficult.

Until of course I looked up and saw a hydrofoil coming in the distance. We hadn't look at our watches for a while...but I was sure that couldn't be our boat, the last boat, back to Trapani. But of course it was. So that meant we had at most 8 minutes to catch it. I still can't believe we made it. Still in the water, we realized it was in fact our boat, jumped out, wrapped towels around us, grabbed our things and sprinted back to the port. We were the last ones and as we barely got on, the guy checking our ticket looked at us strangely and told us we would have to put clothes on once we were on-board. "Si si, certo!" Of course! Haha...It was crazy.

We both slept on the way back to Trapani, then showered and headed out for our last dinner in Sicily. The next morning, we wanted to fit in San Vito de lo Capo, a beach an hour away that we heard was one of the best beaches in Italy. We couldn't pass it up. So we caught the 8:30 bus, spent a few hours in the sand (great beach, but crowded), and went back to Trapani for our things before going to Palermo Airport.

More than a lot of places Sicily has been one where it still surprises me that I was actually there. The existence of Sicily has always seemed so distant...whenever I've seen or heard of it, I always tried imagining it and thought I'd maybe go in the future, but never so soon.  It was beautiful.  It's definitely worthy of much more time than I spent there...for wine tours, and visiting ancient ruins, and exploring the little towns further in, like Corleone where the roots of the Mafia are from... But go. You can't go wrong with the seafood, for that, Trapani is not to be overlooked. It's romantic, and you might be able to actually escape the heat of summer a little.

Not like here in Rome. Not like this suffocating, completely abnormal city heat. Since we got back we have been non-stop, all around Rome...I have been revisiting some of my favorites and have finally done the "big ones"- I went into the colosseum which surpassed my expectations after everyone said it wasn't worth going in (of course it's worth going in)....I toured the Roman Forum, went to the vatican museums, saw the Sisteen Chapel, had a picnic in Villa Borghese. I know it would be impossible to see everything, but my list has finally gotten shorter, and the amount of wonderful things I've seen seems like a pretty respectable number. And I'll be back to do the rest some time.

Today Amalfi. We stop in Naples to get the train to Sorrento, and then to Positano, Amalfi. My last trip in Italy...

Day 140- Not Alone

Since Tuscany, we celebrated one of Maria and Valerio's friend's birthday and went to a barbecue at his house. For me, that would mean a lot of red meat, but here it's more chicken, pork, and grilled Italian sausage, which is my favorite. Also you can't go without the cold pasta and rice dishes, with mixed vegetables and of course-mozzarella. So we had a good time, but headed home after a while because we had been driving a lot that day and were basically done with the whole being awake thing.

Last week, I went to the lake again and had one of their Italian sausage panini...which are going to send me on a search for Italian sausage in Chile...because it's amazing. They flatten out the sausage on a grill and then grill up peppers and onions, with some white wine, then some tomato, a little mustard...on what for me is "Ciabatta" bread...and voilá. Great sandwich. So Valerio and I continued to work on or non-tans, this time without our peppy friend Noe :( ...and then headed back to the Roman oven.

And...besides all that, yesterday I went to the airport to get Carlos. It's so odd that I haven't seen him so long, it feels like yesterday, and even more so once I saw him. It's funny because in some ways it's like nothing has changed...but I know a lot has. It's impossible to not learn about each other and for a relationship not to change after being apart for while. So far, it's all good.

But his arrival also means that my time here alone has for the most part come to an end, besides a few days after he leaves. I have been thinking about it a lot, and I admit, wondering how I would feel about the possible invasion of space, or having to be conscious of someone else's wants and needs. I find myself so happy though, excited to share the things I've seen and now know as a part of my routine. In a way, it is that that allows me to feel like I am actually a part of this...less of a tourist. I can tell him about Rome, and all the wonderful food; I can speak to him in Italian (even if he doesn't understand me yet). My time here has payed off....in every way possible.

Yesterday we already saw a lot of things around center city, and I have already filled him with the works-pizza, spaghetti, cheese, gelato. Wine. Today, round 2.

Now, I have one month left, to enjoy, to live as best I can. Sicily and Amalfi sound amazing and I can't wait to go. We leave on Monday...Ci vediamo!

Day 138- Under the Tuscan Sun

I think Toscany might be my favorite Italian region. The whole things is just magical, the long winding roads through the rolling gold countryside, the tiny red flowers, the open sunflowers reaching towards their god in the sky. The way the little Etruscan stone towns appear around the corners, in the distance, surrounded by green, as if someone just poured the houses onto the hillside. The old people perched on their stools in the shade, passing the time tending to the flowers scattered along the streets. The smell of leather. The food.

Pure deliciousness

We decided to stop in Orvieto on the way to Cortona, for lunch. Since it was on the way, and I had wanted to go there for a while because of Marta's wonderful description of this Pecorino pasta dish she had there, it worked out perfectly. Orvieto is only about 130 km from Rome, but already in Umbria, and is surrounded by cliffs high up in the hills. We arrived at Hosteria del Moro and quickly ordered. Behold: Nidi di Pecorino e Miele.

Duomo di Orvieto

After seeing some of the town, we moved on towards our destination and reached Cortona around 5:30, where we just barely found our hotel "Albergo Ristorante Portole", way past the center of town, in the middle of lush forest and perched in front of the most amazing view. We stepped out to admire everything and quickly noticed the fresh breezy air, delighted that we were no longer stifled by the heat of Rome. It was definitely enough to know we would enjoy our weekend away. 

As it turns out, the hotel was nice and comfortable; we were greeted with a cold glass of Rose, and the man in charge was helpful in getting us situated...however we couldn't deny the eeriness of the place, we were basically the only ones at the hotel, and the hallways looked straight out of The Shining. The whole time we were all waiting for those twins to appear at the end of the hall near our room. But anyway, we survived. No "Here's Johnny's!", no chase in nearby mazes. Just a sweet donkey to protect us named Poldo.

A little later we enjoyed dinner at the hotel with their house wine, Flavia and I actually put on sweaters, and...again, are these views for real?

After eating we decided to explore the center area, and joined Cortona's tiny population for a night on the town. Not much to say about that...after around 11 it was dead, but I'll never complain about walking through cobblestone streets, and it was nice talking with le ragazze (the girls)-total Italian language immersion. 

By the way-my Italian: I am now able to understand almost everything, or at least understand the gist. I can usually say everything I want to, although almost with some sort of mistake, but I'm getting there. I love talking in Italian. I find myself saying very insignificant things just to use the Italian I know. Like "Ho corso" (I just went running.) or "Fa caldo" (It's hot out). Or, "Che hai mangiato?" (What did you eat?) haha. But anyway, I am practicing a lot and even don't speak Spanish to Marta anymore. I just don't want to find myself at a standstill, so I have to keep learning. There are just some things that I can't wrap my head around. Take "CI" for example. Three different meanings. And the similarities with Spanish that were initially helping me, are now confusing me and making me say the wrong thing. In any case, comunque, I have decided to take a class when I get back to Chile, I don't intend on losing this beautiful language that I am sure makes me sexier and cooler, any time soon. 

Back to Tuscany. The next day we went on a Tuscan road trip through some of the towns nearby in the province of Siena. Each was more beautiful than the last, with their own charm. The first stop was Montepulciano, where we intended to have a light lunch. We found a winery/restaurant that offered either meals or wine tastings, so we decided to get the bruschetta mix and a pecorino cheese tasting with a bottle of their red wine. 

Light.

Flavia (left), Maria (right) and I.

After that, we headed towards Pienza, to grab some of their specialty items for home. More pecorino cheese, balsamic reductions with figs and truffle oil, sausages, and homemade "Pici" pasta. After passing by Via del amore (love), Via del Bacio (kiss), all the way to Via del Abandono (abandonment), we came upon this stunning church that was being prepared for a wedding. I have to say, it's tempting to try to do. I still have time. Before the bride arrived, we kept going and arrived in Bagno di Vignoni, which provided for a nice rest next to the ancient thermal baths, even though we couldn't have any real spa time. 

                      

Finally, we kept going towards our last stop, Montalcino (yes different from the first one...I kept thinking it was the same place). As Maria, our official driver, and Flavia, the official navigator argued over which way to go, I was just enjoying the ride, mesmerized by Tuscany. I couldn't get enough.

In Montalcino, which is famous for their Brunello wines, we looked around a bit and of course couldn't leave without buying a few bottles, that is after unexpectedly having the most expensive two sips of wine ever. If you have to pay for a tasting, shouldn't they tell you they'll only be pouring a drop in the glass? The three of us determinedly decided it was outrageous, and went on our way (purchased wine in hand).

Back to Cortona, on the hill...

We drove and drove, up and down...through this town and that, back to Cortona, our vacation spot in the Tuscan trees. That night, it was papardelle with wild boar tomato sauce at The Shining Hotel, and not one, but two bottles of wine for our long conversation. At the end, the wine even became part of the dessert, with almond Cantuccini, (what we know as just biscottis), made especially for dipping in wine. Not your average idea of dessert, but I loved it. 

After a little more exploring in town (and making our own fun on the playground), we headed back to rest. The next morning, we said our goodbye's to Poldo, and saw a few last sights of the city, including the villa described and owned by the writer of Under the Tuscan Sun. 

Under the Tuscan Sun Villa

Santa Maria Nuova

                   

                View from the Girifalco Fortress in Cortona

                        

                          From inside the fortress

Then,our car (and bodies) filled with everything Tuscan, we left Cortona, stopped at Lago Trasimeno...were unimpressed, found a place for lunch at what I think was the only place open on a Sunday afternoon in the entire region, and made the long drive back to Rome...suffocating just a little in the car, under the Tuscan sun.

Day 132- Noè Goes to the Lake

Busts of historical figures-Gianicolo Hill

This week I checked off a few more attractions from my "Things to do in Rome" list. As I was leaving the house, Valerio offered to come with me and be my tour guide, so I wasn't going to resist too much. I definitely got much more done than I would have walking around, so it was nice. First we went up the Gianicolo, another of the 7 Roman hills. For sure one of the best views of Rome I've seen so far. Then as we drove towards Trastevere, Valerio pointed out one of the jails in Rome, right in the center of town. You would never know it was there, it looks just as pleasant as any of the buildings of the area, but if you take a minute to look at it you start to see the bars across the windows, and then you're even close enough to see the inmates cells. Not surprising the jail looked so nice- as usual, that's where a lot of the taxes go. We moved on, made a few stops in Trastevere, and then went to Circo Massimo, an ancient stadium where they would have chariot races. We were heading for the Boca de la Verita (Mouth of Truth), but the line was long, so I'll go earlier another day. Somehow even though I check stuff off my list, it doesn't get any shorter. There's too much to see here! Still, I think I'll make a small dent in the map by the time I leave.

Wall of thanks in Trastevere.
Legend says a father and his sons who were unharmed during a war bombing placed a
plaque thanking the Virgin Mary for answering his prayers. After that, it became tradition. 

Terme di Caracalla at Circo Massimo

Later in the week...

Meet Noè (as in Noah). He's Maria's cousin's puppy, and since she went away for a few days, we got to babysit the cucciolo. I couldn't have been more thrilled at the news, because I love animals, as does Valerio, so we were ready to take on the necessary roles. Pasquina unfortunately did not feel the same way; she has a dog fobia...so  Noè  was cloistered to a part of the house where there would be no encounters between the all too friendly dog and Paqui.

They came over to drop him off on Tuesday night, we had a nice dinner...Valerio pulled off three plates in an hour or so, Gordon Ramsey style. Eggplant Parmesan, meatballs (the old bread that was sitting around, that he kep saying he would use, finally disappeared), and roasted potatoes...a little of everything, and as I helped him get things together I jotted down the recipes. It'll be interesting to see if I can get any of the similar tastes when I make everything myself...hope so.

Wednesday the plan was originally to go to Lake Martignano with  Noè, where we went for the barbecue in May, but Valerio and his friends went out, so the next day morning was delayed to 4 in the afternoon.  So  Noè  and I just hung out at the house together and participated in a never-ending game called "Give Me Back My Sock". That night, I got to taste the food (and wine) Paqui brought back from Puglia, and it confirmed what I've heard Valerio say many times: The farther away from Rome you are, the better the food. Puglia is pretty far down South. No wonder she makes the effort to stack her suitcase full of homemade foods.

The next day, Valerio kept his promise to Noè and we headed to the lake. Thursday was also the 4th of July, so I was satisfied we were coincidentally doing something quite appropriate to celebrate. Not that anyone was celebrating besides myself...in my head, but still. After letting Noè off his leash (big mistake...they did tell us not to do that haha), we had some good artisan beer and an amazing panini, consisting of an Italian sausage hamburger topped with grilled vegetables and tomato, wrapped in a perfect piece of what I know as Ciabatta bread. I could have had another one, but at some point I have to start saving face. I'm not a growing teenage boy trying to jump weight groups on a wrestling team.  I need to start acting like it. Haha...

Anyway, we lay out in the sun, occasionally having to chase after Noè who was quickly getting a reputation, running through people's food, scaring kids, and of course humping as many dogs as he could-mostly ones that were a lot larger, making the whole thing impossible for him, but very entertaining for us. By the end of the day, everyone knew him, and gladly helped us watch the crazy puppy a little. Once we both finally had something that resembled a tan, and had spent enough time in the water, which by the way was such a nice temperature and very clean for a lake, we packed up and drove back to Rome with our tired out puppy sleeping in the back seat. And the next day, before we knew it, Maria's cousin was back to pick Noè up.  She did bring us some mozzarella di bufala from where she was visiting in return for the dog, so we gave him back to her.

I have to stop and talk about this mozzarella. So far it's the best I've had, which is more logic than anything else because mozzarella di bufala is the best, and if you're eating one from a place that is known for mozzarella, it wouldn't really go any other way. Now, the only difference between regular mozzarella and mozzarella di bufala, is in the name, and literal (no Jessica Simpson mistakes).  Mozzarella di Bufala is in fact made from buffalo milk, unlike the regular mozzarella, made from cow's milk. This makes it a little more sour, giving it a more intense flavor. We made a Caprese salad, and I ate my entire plate without even putting oil or salt on it. It's just perfection. I don't understand what I'm going to do in Chile without fresh mozzarella. If I got a farm, do you think anyone would trust a Chilean/American making mozzarella? I have to buy a cow.

So anyway, we said our goodbye's to Noè, and now it's off to Cortona.  Maria, Flavia and I are all set for our weekend getaway. And yes I'm thinking about the food. It is Tuscany after all...