Sicily « baroquesicily.com – Sicily Stories and Travel Tips from Jann Huizenga

I Heart Mario

March 24, 2012

“Do you speak English?” a man asks. We’re waiting in line at a fishmonger’s shop in Militello Val di Catania, Sicily.

“Yes!” I get happy when I can speak my native language.

“I am Mario. I grew up here, but lived and worked in Brooklyn for so many years.”

I stare at his gorgeous pearly teeth. They make him look so American, setting him apart from all the other old-timers.

“Look!” Mario suddenly yanks at his sweater, pulling it down to expose a scar that divides his chest into east and west.

“Bypass surgery. My doctor told me to get away from the stress of American life. So here I am. I feel wonderful!” He throws up his hands in victory.

Do you see why Sicily has hooked me? This is normal behavior, the way that complete strangers interact with you in a fishmonger’s shop in a town you’ve never set foot in before.

People are connected. They are where they are, not in some virtual world, not plugged into ipods or emailing and texting while they wait for their fish. They’re talking and laughing with each other.

Un bacione (a big kiss) to you, Mario. XXXXX

And to you. XXXXXX

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The Red-N-Blue Boat

February 5, 2012

Winter in Pozzallo, Sicily–all the way down at the tail end of Italy.

Alone under a black sky.

Beached. Marooned.

Missing the glint of the sun.

‘N the bob of the sea.

Know the feeling?

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A Cry from the Street in Sicily

February 1, 2012

Buscemi, Sicily.

Who is crying? And why?

Please leave a comment if you have a hunch and I will in return leave you a happy face if you’re close.

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All Around Etna, Pillar of Heaven

January 5, 2012

Well, Mount Etna–Pillar of Heaven, as the Greeks called her–is spewing her ash again as I write this. First blast of 2012. Clouds of smoke are visible all the way down here.

We toured around her just last week. Small puffs of smoke, like breaths on a cold day, blew from her crater into the gray-blue sky. She looked breathtakingly serene then, but there’s always more than meets the eye in Sicily.

Vulcan, god of fire, was tink-tinking away in her burning bowels.

How odd to live cheek-by-jowl with such a force of nature.

Stone homes–still inhabited–nestle against the black scabs of lava that are etched like witch’s fingers down her green shoulders. Some homes, like the one below, are just a distant memory.

Ruined House in Lava Field on Mount Etna, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Lava fields outside Randazzo

Randazzo, closest to the summit, is a dark town on the north slope built entirely of lava stone.

Church in Randazzo, Sicily, a town near Etna, copyright Jann Huizenga

Church of Santa Maria in Randazzo

Scene in Randazzo, Sicily, copyright Jann Huizenga

Center of Randazzo

In spite of the danger, Sicilians feel an intense affection for Etna, identifying deeply with her volatile nature.

The boys in Randazzo deck themselves out in black–to match their surroundings I presume–and behave just like Etna, puffing great rings of smoke into the sky.

Boys in Randazzo, Sicly, copyright Jann Huizenga

Scene in Randazzo

Does your life lack excitement?

Here’s a house for you. It’s just under Etna, and for sale!

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Tips for tourists: Wine tours and trekking are favorite past-times around Etna. The north face of Etna is a gorgeous place to drive around–full of vineyards, baronial manors, and mountain panoramas, but when you get to down-at-the-heels Bronte (home of the famous pistachio nut), the roads become trashy–especially shocking to see in the presence of this great natural wonder.

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