January 4, 2013
“In Sicily,” the locals always say, “You’ve got to have friends.”
So true. Without amici, I would not know where to find wild asparagus, or how to dry tomatoes in the sun. I would not have heat in the winter, or olive oil in autumn. I would not have had books or lipstick during my hospital stay, or the best doctor in town. I would not have known how to get a codice fiscale, open a bank account, or buy a house.
I have learned a lot about the Sicilian heart in the process.
To FRIENDSHIP in the New Year!!!
Quantu va ‘n’amicu ‘n chiazza, ‘un ce va cent’unzi ‘n cascia, Sicilians say. A trusted friend is a real treasure.
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November 5, 2012
I’ve done a lot of traipsing around the streets of my adopted homeland, snapping away, straggling up and down steps, trying to capture street life in hilly baroque hamlets.
Sicilians seem to think the only folks who should be in front of a camera are brides, kids, and fashion models.
“Me?” they’ll invariably chortle when I ask if I can photograph them. “You wanna shoot me?”
Then they laugh or shrug with a dramatic “why not” gesture. Sometimes they warn that their face will break my camera. Ha ha! A lot of people tell this joke, in fact. Younger folks shout to their friends: “Fay-sa-boook! Fay-sa-boook! She’s going to put me on Fay-sa-boook!
The result of all this tramping and trudging is my new book Sicilians in Baroque Towns. There’s a paper version and an e-book version for the iPad. If you feel so inclined, I’d loooooove your comment on the Blurb page or here. Mille grazie!
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October 4, 2012
Mario and Ettore.
Ettore and Mario.
 Mario & Ettore, or Ettore & Mario Which is which? Who is who?
Not sure.
But they’re a fine pair of fellows. You can often find them under the tall palms on the piazza.
They wear coppole, the signature hat of Sicily, but with their own quirky twist: backwards.
Mario and Ettore, you cut a bella figura. Or is that two belle figure?
Not sure.
But I love you guys!
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PS: This is how they may have looked as babies.
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September 25, 2012
No longer do I feel so completely alien.
My fellow villagers have welcomed me with grace and charm. I love them madly.
You’ll find these guys in their red chairs most evenings at their circolo operai, club for workers. (Be sure to stop and say hello when you come to town.)
Can you guess their jobs?
From left to right
Giovanni C: Gravedigger. His job does not make him sad, though he says it is wise to stay away from the cemetery at night, when souls take a walk.
Giuseppe C: Classics teacher at secondary school (and president of the circolo).
Giovanni M: Dogcatcher, retired.
Giovanni S: Bread baker, retired. They used to call him “Il Principe del Pane,” the Prince of Bread. He made 20 different kinds of loaves everyday. It was hard work, very hot in the summer, and he’s glad to be retired.
Pietro di S: Waiter. Retired.
Angelo E: Gravedigger. Works with Giovanni C.
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September 15, 2012
I’ve been thinking a lot about coupledom lately.
What happens when one half of a couple longs for a thing that the other half is completely indifferent to?
Let’s say the thing in question is Italy.
As in my case.
I learned late, in a halting kind of way, what Anais Nin seems to have known all along: How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself.
And once I created that world, he sort of liked it. Curiousity waxed. Resistance waned.
Moral: Go out and create the world you want, Sisters!
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And the winner is….
The winning name pulled randomly from my coppola for the book EATING IN SICILY is Giulia! Congratulations Giulia, and please send me your mailing address!
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All photos and text on BaroqueSicily are Copyright of Jann Huizenga ©2009-2015, unless otherwise noted. Material may not be copied or re-published without written permission. All rights reserved.
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