Sicilia

For our annual Get-Out-Of-The-Freezing-New-York-Winter vacation we wanted to take advantage of our relative proximity and head to Europe. We saw that Sicily, as one of the continent's southernmost places, had a comfortable weather forecast for February as well as beautiful landscapes, great cuisine, and incredible history. And, just as our trip last year to the Alps, we would be going in off-season, meaning no crowds. So we packed our swimsuits and peacoats, programmed the GPS, and headed to JFK!

Short layover in Munich. Gregg realized it had been 10 years since his High School graduation trip started there and wanted to celebrate the anniversary with a Hofbrau beer.

Hello Sicily! We landed Saturday at 12pm local time, running on a few hours of airplane sleep.  We picked up our rental car and started our 7-day self-guided tour by driving to Cefalù, a small fishing village on the northern coast of the island.

"How does the mailman find this place?" is a question we asked ourselves many times. The tiny white and blue placard is the "street" (alleyway) sign that our apartment is on. We may have walked by it a few times without noticing. Whoops.

Our apartment was on the third floor of a very old building with the steepest set of stairs we've ever seen. Pulling the luggage up these was an adventure in itself. After getting settled it was time to explore!

The massive rock formation overlooking the town, La Rocca, is home to stunning views and an ancient Greek-era temple but we didn't have time to make the hike so this photo-op in town will have to do

A medieval-era washing area used since Arab rule in the 10th century

Meghan taking pictures of Gregg taking pictures

The Chiesa di Cefalù, a Norman-era (11th century) cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows and a cozy piazza outside

Back at the apartment we had a snack and some Sicilian wine to tide us over until dinner while we enjoyed the sunset

We were jet-lagged and deliriously tired but made it out to dinner that night at 7pm. As we found out from the waiter, "Italians don't eat until 9." A little embarrassed but too exhausted to stay up any later, we were seated and enjoyed a nice dinner with the restaurant to ourselves.

Breakfast before heading to Taormina

About 3 hours drive from Cefalù is Sicily's most popular destination, Taormina, perched on a cliff above the coastline and overlooking the Strait of Messina to the Italian mainland.

View from our balcony

We arrived during "riposo", the Italian version of siesta, and we really wanted a cannolo. Luckily for us one of the few places open had handmade cannolos "Sicilian-style", with ricotta and pistachios. So good!

The first night in Taormina we made it to a "respectable" dinner time and had some company during our meal

Entertainment at dinner

We found a restaurant that was still open after dinner and stopped in for a glass of wine. Our waiter, Gianluca, turned out to be the owner and he was a fantastic host. He was born and raised in Taormina but had worked in restaurants in Paris and New York for the past 10 years before returning home to open his own. He asked if we'd be interested in doing a cooking class with wine pairing during our stay and we said absolutely! As we were finishing our bottle, the man sitting directly behind Meghan turned and apologized for bumping into her chair all night and asked where we were from. The conversation took off from there as we asked our new friends, Henrik, a Dane in town on business, and his Taorminian companions, Walter and Sofia, about the Mafia and the legacy of the Godfather in Sicily.  While we talked Henrik ordered a few more rounds for the group and after an hour or so we closed the place down and said our goodbyes. Such a fun night!

The next day we went to the slopes of Mt. Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, one of Sicily's best wine-growing regions. The first stop was at Planeta, which has 6 wineries scattered across the island and was the first producer to export Sicilian wines. We met the director of hospitality, Vera, who gave us a private tour of two of their facilities. First, we checked out the production area in the lowlands then headed back up to the vineyards for the main tasting.

The company doggie

Vera got her masters degree in London and blew us away with her knowledge of wines. She asked where we were from then used Napa wines as her comparisons for Sicily's varietals and production techniques. So interesting!

The current tasting room is in the building on the left, a refurbished grape press room from the 19th century. There were also olive oils to taste and we couldn't help but get a small bottle, best stuff we've ever had!

Next, we went to Gambino Vini, which is very much the opposite of Planeta. The tasting area is a large modern building with views of the valley below. They also had some snacks which we were in dire need of at this point in the afternoon. The best part about this place was they left each bottle after your pour so you could try it again if you wanted and they also offered to refill the snack plates. Score!

At this elevation, the weather really changed every few minutes from clear to cloudy and back again

Little windows in the floor showing the production below, here you can see the barrels stacked up. On our way out we met Francesco, who owns the winery with his brother, and we chatted about how the industry has changed in Sicily and what's next for Sicilian wines.  I pointed out a picture on the wall of him and a familiar woman out in the vineyards. He casually said, "That's Rihanna, the pop singer, she drove in with her friends and left by helicopter." Francesco was an interesting guy.

Tuesday morning we awoke to a beautiful clear day and got ready for our cooking class with Gianluca. On the way to the restaurant we swung by a lookout at the end of our street to see the beaches and Isola Bella in the clear daylight. We'll be back later!

Breakfast at the restaurant, Red & White Hostaria (check us out on their website!), before going to the market to get the supplies

Not the market we're going to but a funny little mobile veggie patch

Meg and Gianluca looking over the produce

 

This market cat just hung out by this seafood vendor the whole time begging. People would buy anchovies and give him a couple. Those little white dots on the ground next to him are actually the heads. Guess he's a picky eater.

The butcher hooked us up with a meat, cheese, and olives plate

To demonstrate the freshness of the red shrimp, the vendor grabbed one straight from the pile, pulled the tail off, and handed it to Gregg to eat. Gregg looked from the vendor to the shrimp to Meg to Gianluca, who gave an eager nod. Gregg looked back to the shrimp and took a bite. It was good! Meg smiled until the vendor extended another tailless, raw shrimp her direction. She reluctantly took it and ate it, fighting the urge to gag, but she managed a calm facial expression the entire time.

Next on the list was yellow semolina flour for the pasta at a bakery on a picturesque side street

Now we're ready to go! Gianluca had the aprons made up the day before. Our chef for the day didn't speak English but with translation from Gianluca and thorough demonstration, we managed to pick up on the techniques really quickly.  It did, however, get pretty messy in there so we don't have pics during the preparation. Once we were done the menu included eggplant parmesan, macaroni from scratch, and baked whole fish in the traditional Sicilian style. Gregg's fish prepping skills earned him an invite from Gianluca to work in his kitchen but he cordially declined :). Once everything was cooking we took a seat outside where Gianluca paired wines with each dish as they came out.

Gianluca and Meg exchanging instas :)

Gregg laughing at Gianluca and Meg trying to find each other on Instagram

After a delicious meal, made by yours truly, we were off to explore the beaches of Taormina (and walk off a few calories)

Back at the end of our street, is the beginning of a long staircase down to the waters around Isola Bella

Made it down!

Beautiful Mediterranean water

It's hard to see but that peak in the left picture is the lookout that we came down from

Model shot :)

Starting the long climb back up

After making it back up to the top we headed to the Teatro Greco, built in the 3rd century with Mt. Etna as a backdrop.

The small cloud on the peak of Etna extending to the left is actually smoke from the volcano's crater

Meg had the theater to herself. Off-season perks!

The "downtown" area of Taormina on the right, tucked on the slopes of the mountain

After the Teatro is was time to explore Taormina proper

View from the main Piazza

The main drag through town, lined with shops and restaurants down every alley

The following day, we headed west to the other side of the island for the next leg of our trip. Along the way we stopped in the Valley of the Temples to see ruins from 2500 years ago.

Cappuccinos for the road

The Temple of Hera

Looking across the valley to the Temple of Concordia

Meg's getting a little tired of photo ops at this point

So Gregg spices them up

The nooks in this stone wall used to be tombs 

From there, we continued a short way to Verdura

Welcome drinks were enjoyed on the veranda...

The room did NOT disappoint, but after that long drive it was SPA TIME!

Conveniently, it was only a hop, skip and a jump away from our room

The four "Thalassotherapy" pools varied in temperature and salinity and had a recommended regimen. Our favorite was the hottest :)

This pool had different streams of water for different areas of massage: shoulders, head, and neck

The indoor pool

Part of the view from the "relax room"

There was also a huge steam room that was empty every time we went in. We felt so spoiled!

Feeling very much relaxed on our balcony after a trip to the pools and the sauna :)

Dinner at the main restaurant

The next day was perfect weather and we took full advantage. We started with a delicious breakfast at the buffet. Then we went for a run around the grounds on the "trekking" trail that meanders through and around the resort.  We couldn't remember the last time we went running in t-shirts and shorts and it felt great! Afterward, Meg had an appointment for a massage at the spa and Gregg went to the clubhouse to hit some golfballs at the driving range.  We finished up the afternoon exploring everything Verdura had to offer before heading back to the room for another snack session at sunset.

Crystal clear looking up the coast

Finishing the run on the water

Our room on the second floor

The reception and main restaurant building

The pool area

Drinks at the bar before dinner, Meg's drink matched perfectly!

Friday morning after breakfast we went to the spa one last time before heading north to Palermo for our last night

Part of the great spread at breakfast

As we got closer to Palermo, the air got very hazy and gave an eerie look to the landscape

The courtyard of our hotel, Palazzo Brunaccini, on the left and the surrounding neighborhood on the right. We got some strong hipster vibes.

Right around the corner from our hotel is Chiesa del Gesù, a jesuit church from the 16th century with intricate details lining every wall

A late lunch before exploring the rest of Palermo

Getting goofy outside the mayor's house at the Fontana Pretoria, which was actually built in Florence in the 16th century and then transferred here a few decades later

Next to the fountain is Quattro Canti, a four-cornered intersection of two of Palermo's main streets. Each corner represents one of the four seasons and features statues of four of the Spanish kings who ruled Sicily from the 1500s-1700s. Nowhere in Sicily is the history of the island more apparent than in Palermo as influences from nearly every group that's ruled the island (Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, and more before Sicily became part of Italy) can be seen around the town.

At the Teatro Massimo, Europe's third largest opera house

Outside the Cattedrale di Palermo, built in the 12th century in Arab-Norman style

Walking through the Palazzo dei Normanni, where the Norman kings held their court

On the way back to the hotel we stumbled upon the Mercato Ballarò, a thriving outdoor market with a ton of energy and delicious smells. The woman on the right was having her groceries delivered and dropped a bucket down on a rope to pick up the delivery. City living!

After touring the city on foot we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner at Gagini Social. The restaurant was a short walk away and offered "slow food", the Italian equivalent of farm to table using local ingredients.

We opted for a tasting menu with wine pairing and were blown away! Everything was delicious and unique and the wines were all perfect matches. One of the best dinners we've had. 

The streets were packed people after dinner, both young and old, eating, drinking, playing music, talking. You'd never have thought it was midnight! 

One last meal in Sicily, breakfast at the hotel before heading back to the airport. All in all there was a lot of driving but it was spaced out well and allowed us to see a good amount of the island at our own pace.  Definitely worth it. Thank you, GPS!

Flying back in to Munich with the Alps in the background was absolutely stunning

Flying into the sunset back toward New York. Goodbye, Sicily! What a trip!