Sicily | Blogging In Italy

Archive | Sicily RSS feed for this section

Our Montalbano Tour

Although many people visit Taormina to get close to Mount Etna, Len and I had a different plan. Our goal was to visit many of the shooting locations of one of our favorite Italian detective stories, Il Commissario Montalbano. The episodes are based on novels by author Andrea Camilleri. They are set in the imaginary town of Vigàta but many shooting locations are in the province of Ragusa. Montalbano is played by the Italian actor Luca Zingaretti.

We got hooked on watching Italian shows many years ago as part of our never-ending quest to speak and understand Italian better, and also to learn about parts of Italy we had yet to visit.

Taormina is certainly not the best base to begin this excursion as the sites are hours away, but that didn’t deter us. I found an excellent driver, Alessio Patanè, (info@sicilygrandtour.com), who met us at 8 AM in Taormina.

Our first stop, and the opening shots of the episodes, are overlooking Modica. We were stumped on the significance of this view – the open center being the shooting location for Livia’s bus stop.

©blogginginitaly.com

We did, however, recognize the Cathedral of San Giorgio, aka the Church of Vigàta.

©blogginginitaly.com

Next stop, (not Montalbano related), the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily. Need you ask if I bought some?

©blogginginitaly.com

From there on to Scicli, aka Vigàta.

©blogginginitaly.com

The show’s police headquarters and commissioner’s office are both housed in the local town hall.

©blogginginitaly.com

Filming for the episodes happens on location during many months of the year, but the office set ups are often broken down and moved to Cinecittà, a large film studio in Rome. We were fortunate as they had recently been shooting scenes, so the offices were completely in tact when we visited.

Stepping inside, one immediately recognizes the staircase Montalbano climbs to visit his boss, the commissioner,

©blogginginitaly.com

as well as the commissioner’s office.

©blogginginitaly.com

After hearing about the some of the artifacts in the office, we headed downstairs to Montalbano’s office.

©blogginginitaly.com

Immediately on the right is Catarella’s office.

©blogginginitaly.com

then Fazio’s office leading to Montalbano’s.

©blogginginitaly.com

Enrico, our wonderful tour guide, was so knowledgeable and entertaining.

©blogginginitaly.com

He was also eager to show us a filming stunt. Below is the familiar door to Mimi’s office, which is actually not an office at all but a wall. Mimi’s only office exists in the studios in Rome.

©blogginginitaly.com

One highlight not visible in the series is the incredible ceilings in the eighteenth century building.

©blogginginitaly.com

After thanking Enrico, we walked the familiar streets of Vigàta before heading to lunch.

©blogginginitaly.com

Then time for Len’s one request – to eat along the sea at the place Montalbano frequents, and so we did. Picture perfect.

©blogginginitaly.com

After lunch, we walked along the beach in Punta Secca (aka Marinella)

©blogginginitaly.com

until we came upon this sign…

©blogginginitaly.com

and then the very familiar home of Montalbano.

©blogginginitaly.com

It was easy to see why this house was selected as Montalbano’s home and equally funny to see a pizzeria a few doors away – oh what fame can due to a town!

©blogginginitaly.com

In reality, it doesn’t appear that fame has spoiled this quiet beach town at all. No one was even home when I knocked.

©blogginginitaly.com

From here, on to our final stop, the incredible vistas of Ragusa and Ragusa Ibla, which we learned about from episodes. As Camilleri once said:

….there is a literary Vigàta, which is based on my hometown, and then a Vigàta used as the set for the TV series, which is based on beautiful places such as Scicli, Modica and so on. Now that happens to me when I’m writing a new Montalbano story: I’m influenced not so much by the Montalbano TV character but the scenery seen on television.. Andrea Camilleri

©blogginginitaly.com

Whether or not you are a fan of the Montalbano books/tv series, these sights in many remote parts of Sicily are enticing and beautiful. At first we had wondered why so many widely dispersed and remote filming locations were used, but seeing them made it all so clear. Camilleri truly wanted to share lesser known parts of Sicily with his audience, and indeed he did. Clearly, his intention is what brought us to areas we might never have known, and given us another great adventure on a road less travelled.

©blogginginitaly.com

Ciao,
Judy

Tags: Andrea Camilleri, info@sicilygrandtour.com, Inspector Montalbano, Luca Zingaretti, Province of Ragusa

Comments 22 Comments
Categories Italian countryside, Italian Film, Italian History, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

Taormina Sicily

12 Dec

Our first visit to Sicily was in the spring of 2016. Len and I had planned a month stay, from west to east coasts. However, as we learned, March is not the ideal month as the winter winds nearly knocked us over.

Fast forward to last October. We met Benita and her friend Christina in Rome, flew to Catania, and headed to Taormina, a resort town Len and I had skipped on our last trip.

We arrived on a Sunday night to views from our room that were painted by the sunset.

©blogginginitaly.com

After a bit of unpacking, our first stop was one of Benita’s favorites: Pasticceria D’Amore, or pastry of love.

©blogginginitaly.com

On the menu – fresh to order cannoli, “filled at the moment”

©blogginginitaly.com

and then dipped in freshly ground pistachios. They certainly lived up to their reputation!

©blogginginitaly.com

Taormina is a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily, flanked by Mt. Etna, an active volcano with trails leading to the summit. The town is a heavily visited tourist location, but fortunately the monster cruise ships seem to depart late afternoon, leaving plenty of space to stroll leisurely and visit attractions.

The streets are filled with restaurants, bars and lovely stores of every kind;

©blogginginitaly.com

and the piazzas are filled with artists and musicians.

©blogginginitaly.com

Perhaps the best known attraction, and truly my favorite, is the Teatro Antico di Taormina. This ancient Greco-Roman theater, built in the 3rd century BC and modified by the Romans, is still used today for concerts and live performances. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

©blogginginitaly.com

Near the theater, cliffs drop to the sea forming coves with sandy beaches and always providing spectacular views.

©blogginginitaly.com

Checking online, we were able to find the less crowded times to visit the theater, and it seemed as thought we nearly had it to ourselves.

Another lovely and peaceful attraction, away from the crowded streets, is The Public Gardens of Taormina. The vast property was originally settled by Lady Florence Trevelyan, an English noblewoman and animal and nature lover, who married the Italian mayor, Salvatore Cacciola, and settled forever in Taormina.

The park and its views are peaceful and beautiful and provide welcome space away from the often crowded streets.

©blogginginitaly.com

Late one morning, we took the tram from the main town to the beach to visit Isola Bella, also owned by Lady Florence Trevelya until 1990, and now a nature preserve.

©blogginginitaly.com

As it was very hot, we concluded our walking tour in a short time and returned to main town for lunch and gelato.

©blogginginitaly.com

As for food, Sicilian pistachio is king. You can get pistachio on, in, or over just about anything you can eat or drink…steak, pasta, cheese, seafood, coffee, liquors, etc., and we loved trying almost anything that included pistachios.

Pistachio liquor, creme, and spreads

©blogginginitaly.com

Pistacchio Gelato (their spelling!)

©blogginginitaly.com

Pasta with Pistachio Sauce

©blogginginitaly.com

Another favorite of ours was the homemade caponata, an eggplant dish, made a bit differently at each location, but always good.

©blogginginitaly.com

Our last night, we decided on dinner at a restaurant named Ferrara, that being my mother’s maiden name. No relation, of course, but the dinner and service were both great and a fun place to take a final photo of our time in Taormina.

©blogginginitaly.com

Ciao,
Judy

Tags: Public Gardens of Taormina, Sicilian Pistacchio, Taormina, Teatro Antico di Taormina

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Italian Food, Italian History, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

Trapani, Sicilia

30 Mar

For me, Trapani is a tale of two cities. The centro storico, or historic center, is lovely, filled with beautiful buildings, interesting architecture, and wide, clean marble/granite streets.

©Blogginginitaly.com

At this time of year, it resembles more of a movie set than a city, as it is often quite empty,

©Blogginginitaly.com

and appears to be bustling with people only when the directors are ready to shoot, (in reality, when the locals are taking their evening walk).

©Blogginginitaly.com

Tourism is a big part of the economy, especially in the summer and early fall. The historic center is filled with many bars, restaurants, designer shops and lovely window displays.

©Blogginginitaly.com

It is also a cruise ship destination. Really???

©Blogginginitaly.com

Because of its location, Trapani is an important ferry port to the Egadi Islands, so the port is large and active.

©Blogginginitaly.com

The “other” Trapani in my tale of two cities, however, is a fishing city, as much of Trapani’s economy still depends on the sea. For me, this was actually the lovelier part – seeing man depend on nature, as he has done for generations.

©Blogginginitaly.com

There are the sole proprietor old pescatore as well as large commercial vessels, and I loved watching them all go about their daily work. Out at 4am, if the seas are calm (ok, I took their world for this part), and back between 7-8 am to unload.

©Blogginginitaly.com

While fishing and canning are the main local industries, salt is also an important export, along with marble and Marsala wine. They also produce several delicious types of green olives.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Because of the crescent-shaped coastline, one is never far from one of Trapani’s colorful water views, nice in any weather,

©Blogginginitaly.com

but especially nice in the sunshine.

©Blogginginitaly.com

From Trapani, enjoying a bit of water view, vino, and sunshine ourselves.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Ciao,
Judy

Tags: Trapani

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Italian Art, Italian Fashion, Italian Food, Italian History, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

Misteri Trapani

27 Mar

The Processione dei Misteri di Trapani is a day-long passion procession featuring twenty platforms of lifelike wood, canvas and glue sculptures of individual scenes of the events of the Passion of Christ. The Misteri are amongst the oldest continuously running religious events in Europe, having been performed every Good Friday since before the Easter of 1612, and running for at least 16 continuous hours. In Trapani, the procession runs 24 hours.

We were fortunate to view the procession from our balcony.

Every group in the procession is represented by a local tradesmen/craftsmen, e.g., fishermen, tailors, carpenters. Each carries a scene with statues and is usually accompanied by a marching band as well was flag bearers, candle holders, etc.

©Blogginginitaly.com

There can be as many as 12 men in front and another 12 in back, and they link arms with each other to maintain balance.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Our position was about one hour into the procession, with 23 more hours to go.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Truly, there was a cast of thousands involved.

©Blogginginitaly.com

The movement of the statues requires incredible coordination and stamina, and it was evident it was quite an honor among the carriers.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Each team is responsible for its own decorations and costumes and raises funds well in advance.

©Blogginginitaly.com

The bands come from the various provinces around Trapani.

©Blogginginitaly.com

As the lit urn passed, the mood was quite solemn.

©Blogginginitaly.com

If you look carefully, you can see the body of Christ in the urn.

©Blogginginitaly.com

A candle lit procession preceded Our Lady of Sorrows.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Here are two short videos I took with music that really represents the tone and mood of the procession. The swaying is part of the pageantry, and the clapper you hear is what is used to stop and start the movement of the platforms, which happens about every 30 to 50 feet.

The day before the procession, we were able to see all of the life-size statues as the final preparations were made at the Church of the Purgatorio.

©Blogginginitaly.com

As you can imagine, it was quite a spectacle to behold.

Best wishes and Happy Easter. Auguri e Buona Pasqua!

Judy

Tags: Passion Procession Trapani, Processione Dei Misteri Di Trapani

Comments 20 Comments
Categories Italian Art, Italian Festival, Italian History, Italian Hospitality, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Pageantry, Sicily

Ciambra Ristorante Monreale

21 Mar

Meet Michela and Marco, owners, and Gino, master chef of Ciambra, a two-month old seafood restaurant in the oldest part of Monreale.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Coming to Sicily, we had expected that finding fresh seafood would be easy. But not so true for Monreale, which is on a hill overlooking Palermo and not adjacent to the sea. And then as luck would have it, we learned of a recently opened restaurant and met its owners. We had two nights left and ate at Ciambra both nights. Besides, for seafood lovers, their sign says it all.

©Blogginginitaly.com

The decor of the restaurant is lovely with great attention to detail including the flowers, table settings, artwork, etc.

©Blogginginitaly.com

But it’s the food that brings one back to Ciambra, and for good reason. Len said this might be some of the best seafood we have ever eaten. I agree.

©Blogginginitaly.com

After we were seated, we were presented with fresh sardines, mixed with scallions and red peppercorns, on grilled toast. At home, I won’t touch a sardine, but I happily ate these.

©Blogginginitaly.com

We asked Marco to select a bottle of wine for us from their large selection.

©Blogginginitaly.com

For our appetizer, we ordered the seafood caponata consisting of fresh swordfish, eggplant, celery, tomatoes, onions and olives. Wonderfully seasoned.

©Blogginginitaly.com

Then for Primo, we had linguine con vongole, one of the best we have ever eaten!

For secondo, we chose sea bass on a bed of pureed potatoes and a vegetable torte. Delectable.

blogginginitaly.com

Too full for dessert, we made a reservation for the following evening, when we repeated the linguine con vongole and then chose grilled swordfish and red gamberetti for dinner. Perfect.

blogginginitaly.com

Although they were not on the menu, we asked for roasted potatoes. If only my Dad could have tasted these! Amazing, and I have a feeling Chef Gino made them up just for us.

blogginginitaly.com

Since it was our last night, we also shared a tiramisu for dessert. Luscious.

blogginginitaly.com

What an unexpected find in a small town overlooking Palermo, but we are so very happy we did.

Our compliments to Chef Gino, and our very best wishes to Michela and Marco for a hundred years of success in both your restaurant and your soon to be married life together!

I nostri complimenti allo Chef Gino, ed i nostri migliori auguri a Michela e Marco per un centinaio di anni di successo sia il vostro ristorante e la vostra vita presto per sposarsi insieme!

And finally, given that we ate the linguine con vongole twice, I think I’ll leave you with another picture…if only I could share the taste and aroma! Heavenly.

blogginginitaly.com

Ciao,
Judy and Len

Tags: Ciambra Restaurant, fresh sardines, Linguini con vongole, Seafood in Monreale, Tiramisu

Comments 8 Comments
Categories Food, Grilling in Italy, Italian Food, Italian History, Italian Hospitality, Italian WIne, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

Monreale Cathedral

20 Mar

Today is Palm Sunday, a Christian feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter and commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Worship services on Palm Sunday include a procession of the faithful carrying palms, representing the palm branches the crowds scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem. The difficulty of procuring palms in some climates led to their substitution with branches of native trees, including olive, as they also carried here in Monreale at the great Cathedral.

The Monreale Cathedral is one of the greatest examples of Norman architecture in the world, although, among other cathedrals, not hugely impressive on the outside.

It was begun in 1174 by William II and in 1182, it was elevated to a metropolitan cathedral. The Cathedral is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily.

The Cathedral has two sets of Romanesque bronze doors, sculpted in 1185, of which there are only a handful remaining in Europe. They depict 42 reliefs of biblical scenes set within frames.

The true highlight of the Monreale Cathedral, however, is its mosaiced interior.

Dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, the golden mosaics almost completely cover the walls, aisles, transept and apse – amounting to over 68,000 square feet of coverage.

Today’s Palm Sunday mass ran for nearly two hours, and began with a blessing of the palms and a large procession including girl and boy scouts and various religious dignitaries.

Even though the service was long, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing familiar verses in Italian as well as recognizable responses. Most of all, however, I enjoyed the opportunity to gaze in awe at the mosaics and the stories they tell.

In the apse, there is a magnificent portrait of Christ Pantocrator (“Ruler of All”) gesturing in a blessing. Saints and apostles, as well old testament stories, fill the rest of the apse.

The aisles and transept depict scenes from the life of Christ, and cover practically all the surfaces of the cathedral’s walls above ground level.

The original roof was severely damaged by fire in 1811. The current roof, made of wood, is a faithfully restored reproduction, carved and painted in great detail very similar to the original roof.

All of the cathedral’s mosaic figures are set with a background of gold mosaic “tesserae” or tiles. There are 130 individual scenes depicting biblical and other religious events and many of the mosaics even include inscriptions in Latin or Greek.

I have been fortunate to visit many churches, basilicas, cathedrals, etc., in Italy, but I must say, this one is simply astonishing.

Ciao,
Judy

Tags: Monreale Cathedral, Palm Sunday in Monreale

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Italian Art, Italian Festival, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

Say it Isn’t “Snow”

24 Jan

With much of the eastern part of the U.S. blanketed in snow, Chicago has been quite lucky as the storms only waved as they passed by our city. That said, it’s still quite cold, so I have been happily anticipating spending a warm spring in Sicily. As I was making our car reservations, however, I kept noticing warnings in the fine print about renting snow chains through mid April:

Note: Winter Equipment
For most Italian provinces, there is the requirement to fit winter tires or have a set of snow chains on board specifically for the type of vehicle hired in the period between November 15th and April 15th.

Certainly, they must be referring to northern Italy, I surmised. And then this week, I saw an article in The Local, an online Italian newspaper: Sicily shivers at first snowfall of 2016

Per the article,

Sicily might be famous for sun and sandy beaches, but on Monday morning residents awoke to the sight of the island covered in snow.

Snow fell on Sunday night, leaving Mount Etna and surrounding towns covered in the white stuff, along with several other towns and villages of altitudes around 600 metres.

While snow on Mount Etna and its environs isn’t unusual, residents of the Aeolian Islands, including the volcanic island of Stromboli, and towns near the Madonie mountain range, also experienced deep snowfall, with many of them taking to Twitter and using the hashtag ‘#nevesicilia’ (snow Sicily) to share their photos.

Ferry services to the islands have been suspended, with a 35-year-old who went into labour on the island of Lipari on Saturday night having to be flown by helicopter to a hospital in the Sicilian city of Milazzo, Ansa reported.

La Stampa reported that schools were closed in several Sicilian towns, and warned of the dangers of icy roads – particularly in more isolated communities – as temperatures dropped below zero degrees.

photo by Marco Triolo

Looks like we’ll be renting snow chains after all. Just hope we won’t need them!

Ciao,
Judy

Tags: Snow in Sicily; Sicilian snowfall greets 2016

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Italian countryside, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

“Italy the Extraordinary Commonplace”

25 Jan

We often read of the demise of Italy as a major producer and exporter, so the following video was made to counter some of these less than favorable descriptions.

Per Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy,

The video “Italy the extraordinary commonplace” is designed to show Italy beyond stereotypes, a major producer of technological goods and the second European exporter in mechanical engineering and automation.

Since I love visiting Italy, I found this information to be great news. As for the format, well, leave it to the ever creative Italians. Thanks, Anna, for sharing.

Ciao,

Judy

Cinema Paradiso

14 Dec

If you love Italian films, it’s hard not to love Cinema Paradiso, a story about love, loss and friendship set in Sicily. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the film’s release. The 32-year-old writer/director of the film, Giuseppe Tonatore, considered it semi autobiographical.

(Spoiler alert: if you have not seen the film, and plan to do so, don’t read on or watch the trailer.)

Cinema Paradiso is the beautiful, enchanting story of a young boy’s lifelong love affair with the movies. Set in an Italian village, Salvatore finds himself enchanted by the flickering images at the Cinema Paradiso, yearning for the secret of the cinema’s magic. When the projectionist, Alfredo, agrees to reveal the mysteries of moviemaking, a deep friendship is born. www.miramax.com/movie/cinema-paradiso

In the final scene, Salvatore, having returned to his native town for the funeral of his “father-figure” and mentor Alfredo, views the film reel gifted to him by Alfredo’s wife. Much to Salvatore’s surprise and delight, the old film reel contains all the kissing scenes that were cut by the local priest over the years when Alfredo and Salvatore screened the films together for the local cinema.

For your viewing pleasure, sit back and enjoy Cinema Paradiso’s final scene set to stirring music by Ennio Morriconi entitled Love Theme for Nata.

Ciao,

Judy

For more on the film’s history,
http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/celebrating-25th-anniversary-nuovo-cinema-paradiso

Tags: Cinema of Italy, CinemaParadiso, Giuseppe Tornatore, Movies, Sicily

Comments 6 Comments
Categories Italian Film, My Blog about Italy, Sicily

2013 Best Beach! La più bella spiaggia del mondo!

23 Feb

This time of year, many of us who are experiencing the grey days of winter often turn our thoughts to warmer times. With spring just around the corner, and the blossoms getting ready to emerge from winter hibernation, it won’t be long before spring turns to summer and people head to the beach.

Since we are still in the dreaming months, which beach is best? You might be surprised to learn that in a recent Trip Advisor traveler survey, the top billing went to Rabbit Beach, on the remote Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Yes, Sicily! And why not when Italy has so much beauty to offer. Lampedusa lies in the southernmost part of Italy, about 176 kilometres (109 mi) from Sicily.

Location of Pelagie Islands on a map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The island, population less than 5000, is only accessible by boat or air. It is described as an incredible nature reserve and is one of the only places in the Mediterranean where loggerhead turtles lay their eggs.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle escaping from a net via TED device (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Beach oh Rabbit's Island in Lampedusa...

Rabbit Beach on Lampedusa Island Sicily: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Coastline of Lampedusa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If the name sounds vaguely familiar, the 2002 Italian film Respiro, or Breath, was filmed on the island.

Respiro (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, if your Bucket List includes the world’s best beaches, be sure to add Rabbit Beach to your list.

Guitgia, Lampedusa (Photo credit: lucasiragusa)

Lampedusa, Cala Grecale, 2003 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And don’t forget your sunscreen!

For a list of the top 10 beaches, check out

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cDestinations-g1

Ciao!

Judy

Tags: Best Beach in the World!, Italy, Lampedusa, Mediterranean Sea, Rabbit Beach, Respiro, Sicily

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Italy, Lampedusa, My Blog about Italy, Rabbit Beach, Sicily

Search

Blogging In Italy

Our Montalbano Tour

Taormina Sicily

Trapani, Sicilia

Misteri Trapani

Ciambra Ristorante Monreale

Monreale Cathedral

Say it Isn’t “Snow”

Sicily might be famous for sun and sandy beaches, but on Monday morning residents awoke to the sight of the island covered in snow.

“Italy the Extraordinary Commonplace”

Cinema Paradiso

2013 Best Beach! La più bella spiaggia del mondo!

Follow this Blog via Email

Blog Stats

Calendar

Categories

Blogging In Italy

Past Posts

© Blogginginitaly.com, 2011-2023

Blogroll

Search

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Sicily might be famous for sun and sandy beaches, but on Monday morning residents awoke to the sight of the island covered in snow.

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Follow this Blog via Email

Blog Stats

Calendar

Categories

Past Posts

© Blogginginitaly.com, 2011-2023

Blogroll