January 1, 2012
After days of chilly wind and rain, 2012 started just purrfectly.
There was bright white sun on the piazza.
And a gigantic, baroque Kiss-Fest.
I smooched with my newspaper-tobacco man. I don’t know his name, but he held me in a tight embrace.
I pecked the pink cheeks of the myopic, eccentric composer who once invited me and my husband into his house to show off his antique objets, family coat of arms, and pianos.
I kissed the village aristocrat, who towers head and shoulders above all the other little men of his WW II generation.
My husband, a rather shy and undemonstrative sort, had to embrace these same men. Their abrasive stubble unnerved him, and he got his sunglasses tangled up in the specs of the myopic composer. “I’d only let Sicilians get away with this,” he said.
I did not get photos of him cringing and doing the Sicilian Smooch-Smooch Ritual (darn), but here are others from New Year’s morning on the piazza:
brioscia integrale con miele
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Ciao Jann and buon anno to you….all the way from Valentine New South Wales, Australia down under….Love your new year’s post..ciao, Maria Clayton
Ciao Marie all the way down under–lovely to hear from you. Thanks!
Ciao, bella! Such beautiful photos and impressions to usher in the new year!
Auguri – e un abbraccio forte forte. –mia e ranko.
Ciao Mia! Anche a voi! Un bacione. xxxxxj
I had just put my pop-tart in the toaster when I saw your photo of the Sicilian cafe breakfast. So now I’m dumping the pop-tart and heading out to a cafe for some expresso and a fresh pastry.
Ha. I know you’re pulling my leg about the pop-tarts because those pieces of cardboard are inedible, no?
Love the guy in the ape!Turned sunny here too. Yesterday we sat like lizards in the sun in piazza duomo like everyone else.After we went and bought a woodstove for Noto.It is too cold! Buon Anno.
Yes, “like lizards”–that’s just how we were. Couldn’t soak up enough of it… Buon Anno, Linda.
Buon Anno, Jann.
E a te, Catherine!
New Year’s morning on the piazza. The perfect place to be, with all its imperfections–stubble and tangled glasses and shyness and demonstrative Sicilians just add to the perfection of the moment. And the brioche with coffee doesn’t hurt, either. I love these slices of Sicilian life that you serve up to us, jann. I look forward to indulging in many more in the year to come on your wonderful blog.
Thanks for this sweet comment, louciao. xxxxxxx
Happy New Year to you, Jann! We have Brazilian friends who always end our conversations with “Kisses to you!”. We all should have been more “kissy” in our lives!
Yes, Sicily is teaching me to be much kissy-touchy-feely. My Dutch-Protestant-stoicism being all undone.
–Jann,
I sooo Love your World. 🙂 –thank you for allowing me inside Xxxx Kissssss & Happy 2012
Kisses back to you, Kim. xxxxxxxxxxxx
Jann, like always, your posts leave me smiling wide! I love the light in the third shot and that last shot–priceless! It’s totally what I expect a Sicilian embodies! Is your husband American, if I may ask? If this is the case, consider yourself lucky he was gracious enough to partake in the Sicilian smooch fest! hee hee! I think the fest is very much like the one held in Spain where you get to kiss everyone and anyone. It’s quite charming! You have to love these romance countries. You really do! Happy New Year’s day! 🙂
Yes, Bella, Hubs is Irish-American… Yes, indeed, the “romance” countries love to kiss.