Five days in Sicily

Hello from Sicily! I’m catching a flight to Rome today. I have no idea what day it is anymore.

Matthew and I arrived in Catania last week after thirty hours of travel, decompressed for a night in the city, then drove up the east coast to Messina and up toward the lower slopes of Mt Etna.

We stayed a few days on a vineyard and explored nearby villages, climbed a lot of steps, negotiated hairpin turns on cobblestone streets, and crawled along at 30km/h in narrow laneways in pitch dark in our tiny rental car.

I’d volunteered to drive because we agreed I’m better in unfamiliar places and Matthew is better as a passenger coach. It worked out. I now know what close means: it’s when you can reach your arm into the window of the car coming toward you and pat the other driver on the cheek as you pass.

Then we looped down the south end of Etna—the mountain constantly in view like a looming reminder, smoking away. We caught a bus south to Ortigia, followed by a day trip to Noto to bookend our five days on the eastern side of the island.

We’d gone in reverse, it seems, to visit Sicily first; the conversations I’ve had with people have been along the lines of: there’s Italy, then there’s Sicily.

I have no basis of comparison for what that means. That is its own kind of freedom from bias. My own associations are from Matthew’s side of the family—Nonna Gina emigrated from Catania in 1959 with her brothers to Sydney—so the smells and sounds feel familiar.

What I know to be true: piano piano is in full force here.

Life looked tough in some places; we passed dusty towns with shuttered doors in a row.

If traffic is a reflection of everyday microfriction, everyone trying to get ahead in some way, then perhaps the best approach is slow and steady, and to take time to enjoy the scenery.

On the way back to the airport this morning I saw a huge pelican nest on top of a power line. The nest was a U-shaped cup, perfectly centred on the pole. The bird was sitting in it under the full midday sun and I thought, that’s perfect.

Photos and places below.

Catania

Habitat Boutique Hotel & Materia Spazio Cucina: Located on the quieter side of the centro storico, near the opera theatre. Materia Spazio Cucina feels like you’re dining in someone’s library with a view of the kitchen.

Randazzo

Pasticceria Santo Musumeci: Right opposite the basilica. Roasted almond and pistachio granita and brioche are the stars, as are traditional Sicilian sweets.

Castiglione di Sicilia

We parked at the bottom of the village and walked to Castello di Lauria via winding stairs and laneways. The golden hour view of the village cascading over the mountainside against Etna was well worth it.

Ortigia

Fratelli Burgia: Really busy and also really good. The vegetarian antipasto plate was excellent, as were the panini on dark roasted mini baguettes.

Noto

Pacificio Maidda: A bakery tucked away from the main strip. Sfincione, the local version of focaccia, made from Sicilian grains. Soft and puffy from twenty-four hour fermentation, topped with local ingredients. The zucchini, and passata with anchovies, were my favourite.