SICILY 2023

 

Acireale & Catania

We next stayed in an apartment in Acireale, an authentic Sicilian town off the tourist track. From here we visited Catania, a coastal town renowned for its lively fish market, where glistening fresh fish and crustaceans were on display. Whereas other stalls were selling plates of cooked fish, which we bought to take home for lunch. I later tracked down a local delicatessen to try the region’s caponata. It was very good with just the right combination of sweet and sour ingredients – the sultanas and sweetened red onion and tomato sauce perfectly complemented the aubergine, celery, capers and olives. The caponata was accompanied by a full-bodied Sicilian wine from the Corleone vineyard, reminding us of Vito Corleone, the role Marlon Brando played in The Godfather.

 

 

 

 

Taormina

The next day we visited the hill top town of Taormina, which was the setting for a popular television series, White Lotus. This subsequently attracted crowds of tourists filling the tiny streets that led up to its main square. Taormina’s amphitheatre was less frequented, its location at the top of the hill requiring more stamina. Built in the 3rd century BC, this Greek theatre was first established to accommodate musical concerts and dramatic performances. It was then adapted by the Romans for their more combative forms of entertainment. We were keen to have a drink at the hotel where White Lotus was filmed, but were met at the gate by the concierge informing us that only residents could enter the hotel. I am sure many others had likewise been turned away, their curiosity unfulfilled. We thus returned to the main square to have a refreshing drink looking out at the coastline and blue waters beyond – the same view we would have had from the hotel.

 

We had spent time researching places to dine that evening, looking for a typical Sicilian restaurant. The one that we had chosen was closed for a private party, so our second option was a small fish restaurant in Acireale’s small port. This seemed idyllic online, but in reality it looked sad and bleak, being the off-season. We then chose the family-run trattoria, La Locanda degli Abbatazzi, which was full on our arrival, so we were offered a table directly by the kitchen or another by the main door. Both tables were similar in terms of disturbance by the side of a busy thoroughfare. We chose the former option, which was free from draught but instead had a banging swing door every time the waiting staff went in and out. We were rather miffed as I had booked ahead of time using my best Italian, but it was obvious that locals were given priority. Luckily, before our meal had arrived a couple vacated a table in the window, which we appreciated all the more after this little episode. I then relished spaghetti vongole with a Sicilian orange salad, while Philip enjoyed local fish encrusted with Bronte pistachios. These nuts are grown on the slopes of Mount Etna and known as ‘green gold’ for their high quality. 

 

Acireale was holding a festival in honour of a saint, so there was a convivial ambiance in the church square with a band playing lively music. There were also stalls selling vintage clothes and records together with artisanal crafts. We sat on the terrace of one of the many cafés to have a post-prandial coffee and soon noticed that a couple next to us were eating something that looked very appetizing. On enquiring what it was we learned that it was a cannoli, a Sicilian tube-shaped pastry that is filled with ricotta and sprinkled with the 'green gold' pistachio nuts. They highly recommended us to try one, saying that it was very authentic, made to order to keep the pastry crisp. We subsequently introduced ourselves to this couple and shared travel stories; the lady was a retired physician while her husband had been involved in real estate. They lived on the mainland of Italy and had an apartment in Acireale, which they regularly frequented. 

 

Mount Etna

The next day we visited Mount Etna, which was shrouded in grey cloud creating a rather bleak mournful ambiance. We drove up to the chair lift where there were coach loads of people getting off to embark on a hike up the mountain. The temperature was a lot cooler at this altitude of 2,000 metres. The landscape was quite barren, the sparse green vegetation contrasting with the grey lava. We found a copse mid-way up the mountain where we did a circular walk at a brisk pace to keep warm. Under foot were small pieces of lava, which crunched with each pace as though we were walking on demerara sugar. 

 

We had our final evening in the apartment, getting ready to leave this fascinating country where we had encountered many contrasts ... modern buildings in the poorer suburban areas, together with older structures neglected and decayed in some of the cities such as Palermo. What’s more, driving around the island, we had witnessed the roadsides strewn with litter, particularly on the highways. But this was counterbalanced by the impressive architecture in hilltop towns, in addition to captivating historical sites dating back many centuries. The Sicilian people we had encountered were warm and welcoming, producing sumptuous cuisine from crunchy granita to flavoursome caponata. These contrasts made for a fascinating trip on an island offering a plethora of sites and sights to satisfy one’s curiosity.