December 7, 2010
A while back I groused about driving in Sicilian hill towns—about the narrowness of lanes and the stone walls that jump out to smack your side-view mirrors. Could you squeeze through these streets? I asked.
Now I’m going to show you what I mean. I’m piloting; my husband’s holding the Flip out the window. Put your seat back into full upright position and store your tray table. (click here for video)
By the way, this is the “road” I drive to reach my house.
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You have till the end of tomorrow, December 8, to enter the random drawing to win Robert Camuto’s Palmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey. Just post a comment on any of my blog posts. Click here for more information. I’ll name the winner in my next blogpost. Thank you all for playing!
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November 24, 2010
Buon tacchino a voi tutti! (Happy turkey to you and yours!) May you be showered with blessings! Have you counted them yet? Here are some of mine.
I’m thankful for…
A bike on a flaming-orange wall
A saint in tawny sandstone
Beads that keep the flies at bay.
For palms that wave
Arugula that bites
And green grinning chairs.
And for you! For all the new virtual and real friends I’ve made on this blog! Have a great holiday.
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November 18, 2010
People ask: Do you, uh, have a trust fund or something? How can you afford a house in Italy?
Answer: We’re just a couple of free-lance artist-teacher types, wondering from which tree the next job will drop. I acquired the house in Sicily on a shoestring budget by sheer force of will. (Prices in Sicily are, certo, a fraction of those in Tuscany.)
We practice frugality. We schmear paint on the walls ourselves with big sponges, sand plaster from raw stone, putty every crack and crevice.
Our coffee table is a weathered old skid scavenged from the street. We extracted the rusty nails and polished the brittle wood to a shine.
We eat from mismatched china scavenged from Sunday-morning flea markets.
 Old mixing bowl from the Modica flea market, €5  Glasses from the Modica flea market, €1 each We decorate with “trash” that Sicilians have tossed.
 Sicilian chandelier, circa 1950, from the Modica flea market, €10  "Found" antique chair, gratis  Bath door made of found wood (and flea-market knobs, €2)  Flea-market chair, €30 We shop the sales at Upim.
 Flatware purchased on sale at Upim (Italian version of K-Mart), €1 each We frequent church bazaars, jam-packed with cheap new or vintage homemade goodies.
 Potholders crocheted by a local woman and sold at a church bazaar, €2 And did you know that in Sicily you can bargain for new beds and couches (like for cars in the US)?
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November 12, 2010
The bras on the line are symbolic.
Moving to a Sicilian village means exposing yourself to public scrutiny, undies and all. You’re watched, eyeballed.
One morning, a tall villager spots my husband Kim—who has just returned from the US—in the piazza. “So,” he says, winking, “the sheep is back in the pen, is he?”
How did he even know Kim was gone?
For two weeks, I leave the house early, before 7am, to work on a project with a friend. I finally get a day to sleep in, but the buzzer squeals violently, over and over. I throw on a robe and open the door. “Oh, sorry signora,” say my neighbors, “to disturb you so early, but we know you will leave the house soon and we need to talk to you.”
They’ve been tracking my movements?
I smell what neighbors are cooking for lunch. I hear them singing, bickering. Living life here is like reading a tell-all, and being shocked to see you’re one of the characters.
How will I fare, exchanging an anonymous life for an examined one?
Time will tell.
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November 5, 2010
I savor the morning. A church blushes. A fountain plashes. A lonely piazza exhales the aroma of fresh-baked brioche.
Carmelo makes the world’s best coffee, a magic brew, strong enough—for 30 minutes at least—to make the world pink with possibility.
If you’re planning a trip to Southeast Sicily, why not start your day in Ragusa Ibla with Carmelo (at the Donnafugata Bar on Piazza Pola)?
What to do after the bar? See my suggestions for “A Golden Day in Ragusa Ibla” on Susan Van Allen’s site. She also shares some good tourist tips for Siracusa and Catania.
Happy touring! If you’ve been to these towns, please tell us what’s top on your list. Thanks for reading!
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Susan Van Allen is the author of the wonderful 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go.
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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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