After monsoon showers and crazy winds we finally made it out of Piedimonte, partially by luck and partially by the good graces of our hosts who decided to drive us to the nearest train station last minute. Our last two days in Piedimonte were spent cooped up our cold room playing Scopa (an Italian card game I learned in Sicignano) and eating Nutella as the rain dumped in buckets and the wind blew so hard it completely pulled off one of our bedroom windows. Thunder and lightening were also present. With spirits low we were able to pull through with the help of happy thoughts of returning to Sicignano, food and visiting the ever beautiful land of Taormina.
On our way back north we stopped in Taormina for two nights which is about 20 km from Piedimonte. Taormina is terraced along the Ionian coast high up on and outlying hill. It is packed with a maze of hilly streets and alleyways that are filled with an assortment of shops, beautiful tropical flora, and old architecture that is full of life, culture and story. We learned that the city was originaly formed by the Greeks and later taken over and reconstructed by the Romans, both of which can still be seen and felt. Maggie and I spent the greater part of one day self touring the Greek Theater via an audio recorder and climbing high to a castle overlooking the city. With the nice weather we were sad to leave but knowing that we were returing to Sicignano made all OK.
One thing we have become all too familiar with in Italy is the annoyingly, inconsistant transportation system, that even seems difficult for native Italians to figure out. Buses do not appear when the schedule indicates, train stations randomly close for a day here and there, and taxis are way to expensive to even consider. Trying to find alternative ways of transportation, or even when or if the next bus is coming, without speaking much Italian at times seems impossible. For this reason travel days are not only dreaded, but feared! We arrived at the local train station outside Toarmina only to find that the station is closed for the day (for some reason we did not understand). Our next option was to bus to Mesina where we would then catch a ferry to the mainland, take another train to Salerno and finally find a ride to Sicigano. Seems manigable, right? Haha...buses were late, ferries went wrong directions, and trains were cancled...but alas after a very LONG day of travel, magically we made it to Sicignano (even Maggie and I are not really sure how).
Oh, sweet sweet Sicignano how it feels good to be back! It did not take long to feel at home again...
Today we learned how to prune grape plants, which is much more difficult and scientific than olive trees. After getting a tutorial in complete Italian we were asked if we had any questions. Haha. Yes. Can you repeat that all in English, please? Prunning grapes is dependent on how old branches are, cutting old ones, which no longer produce fruit, and training the new ones to grow. Tomorrow we get to put our new found knowledge to practice....
Well that is all for now. More from Mags later.
Ci vediamo dopo,
Car
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Oliva, oliva, oliva!
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| Home of "The Godfather". We feel safe knowing the Mafia lives just down the street here in lovely Piedimonte. :) |
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| Pruning olive trees in the SUN is lovely. |
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| She didn't really need a ladder, for all those childhood days spent in trees finally is coming in handy. |
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| Frutteto Fogliarino without the monsoon rains and smothering fog! |
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| These ladders are much heavier than they appear, truly we are growing muscles we didn't know existed! |
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| The Viking family! Angelo and Cristina our farm hosts in the middle. Like the hand made costumes? |
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| Yup, thats me actually sewing! And yes, it stayed put the whole night! |
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| Cristina & Angelo's friend, Paolo, owns this farm in Randazzo, Sicilia. The Nebrodi Mountains are in the back ground and Mt. Etna is just to the right! And incredible piece of land handed down to Paolo from his family. Now he is farming there alone and trying to manage all the land and restoring three buildings. Bellisimo! |
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Carnivale!
Ciao a tutti!
A couple updates for you all...
Three days ago we learned how to prune olive trees! I think it is safe to say that this has been Maggie and I's favortie job thus far. At first we were a little hesitant not having a clue what we were doing but after a quick lesson we felt like naturals. There are two types of branches on olive trees and can be catagorized into male and female. Female branches hang towards the ground and are the only branches that produce olives, while the male braches stick, more or less, straight up into the air. They are to be pruned because they don't produce any olives and keep the sun from reaching the female branches. Although there is a delicate balance because you do not want too much sun to get through to the female branches as it will burn the leaves and kill them.
Pruning is actually relaxing and takes me back to my childhood tree climbing days! We use old wooden ladders that date back generations just like you see in the movies, and once in the tree you can climb to the tiptop for a fantastic view of the continuously steaming Mt. Etna. And to put a cherry on top, the weather has been pretty great.
In our spare time Maggie and I have been going down to the river, just a few minutes walk from our house, and collecting really neat old tiles and stones that we plan to bring back with us. It is amazing what Italians throw away. I am sure we look like a couple of looney Americanas scavaging around but they are too beautiful to pass up!
Another fun fact we have learned is the ever famous film, The Godfather, was filmed throughout Piedimonte and Fiumefreddo, and at a beautiful villa that we pass on our way to town. Apparently the director tried to film elsewhere in Sicilia, the most famous city for Italian mafia, but was approached by the actual mafia for some dough for permission to film. Hence the reason they ended up filming here.
Tonight we are attending a carnivale party. Costume mandatory. And yes, they are homemade by yours truly. We are pretty proud. You have to wait for pictures to see what we dressed up as.
Another noteworthy piece of information: I ate anchovies in my dinner last night. Aren't you proud 'ma?
It looks like we are going to be heading back to Sicignano for four or five days to help Gianpalo prune grapes before we head north to Livorno. We are both excited to be back in familar territory. That is all from now. News from Maggie to follow about the carnivale and happenings!
Love from Sicilia,
C & M
A couple updates for you all...
Three days ago we learned how to prune olive trees! I think it is safe to say that this has been Maggie and I's favortie job thus far. At first we were a little hesitant not having a clue what we were doing but after a quick lesson we felt like naturals. There are two types of branches on olive trees and can be catagorized into male and female. Female branches hang towards the ground and are the only branches that produce olives, while the male braches stick, more or less, straight up into the air. They are to be pruned because they don't produce any olives and keep the sun from reaching the female branches. Although there is a delicate balance because you do not want too much sun to get through to the female branches as it will burn the leaves and kill them.
Pruning is actually relaxing and takes me back to my childhood tree climbing days! We use old wooden ladders that date back generations just like you see in the movies, and once in the tree you can climb to the tiptop for a fantastic view of the continuously steaming Mt. Etna. And to put a cherry on top, the weather has been pretty great.
In our spare time Maggie and I have been going down to the river, just a few minutes walk from our house, and collecting really neat old tiles and stones that we plan to bring back with us. It is amazing what Italians throw away. I am sure we look like a couple of looney Americanas scavaging around but they are too beautiful to pass up!
Another fun fact we have learned is the ever famous film, The Godfather, was filmed throughout Piedimonte and Fiumefreddo, and at a beautiful villa that we pass on our way to town. Apparently the director tried to film elsewhere in Sicilia, the most famous city for Italian mafia, but was approached by the actual mafia for some dough for permission to film. Hence the reason they ended up filming here.
Tonight we are attending a carnivale party. Costume mandatory. And yes, they are homemade by yours truly. We are pretty proud. You have to wait for pictures to see what we dressed up as.
Another noteworthy piece of information: I ate anchovies in my dinner last night. Aren't you proud 'ma?
It looks like we are going to be heading back to Sicignano for four or five days to help Gianpalo prune grapes before we head north to Livorno. We are both excited to be back in familar territory. That is all from now. News from Maggie to follow about the carnivale and happenings!
Love from Sicilia,
C & M
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Dear Sicilia
Yes, we are alive and well, although still cold. I know, I know what did we expect coming to Italy in the winter. However, Sicilia is noticably warmer and the sun is out! Oh how nice it feels to get some sweet, sweet vitamin D! The weather is actually very similar to a nice sunny spring day in Oregon so I suppose we shouldnt be complaining too much. :) Sicilia is even more beautiful and full of culture than we had imagined. At the new farm is in the perfect location with the sea a ten minute drive to our east and the beautiful Mt. Etna directly to our south, both of which can be seen from our room. Perfecto! The new farm is 1 hc and consists of many olive trees, any kind of fruit tree you can imagine, grapes and many, many veggies. So far we have chopped down a good chunk of bamboo and blackberry bushes, weeded many stone walls that hold up multiple terraces along the property, and planted some onions.
Tomorrow we have plans to take a local train that runs all the way around Mt. Etna to a medival village for some sight seeing. Should be a good day in store for us. Just as in Sicignano about zero people speak English here so even the smallest journey can turn into quite the adventure. The best is when someone starts speaking to us and we tell them 'Noi parli poco poco poco Italiano' (we speak very little, little, little Italian) and they continue to speak to us as if we are fluent speakers. With that said our Italian seems to be improving baby steps, day by day, and we have decided that when we get back to the states we want to take an Italain course.
Our cooking skills have also been expanding since we have been here. Two nights ago Angelo and Cristina, our new hosts, taught us how to make home made pasta! It was delicious to say the least. When we get back we are going to cook a proper Italian dinner for family and friends so be prepared to eat until you feel uncomfortable! No joke. If we put food on your plate and tell you to mange, you better eat it all just to give you all a little taste of what we have been put through for three months. Good thing we both like to eat and good thing we are staying active because we would be putting on the pounds! No comments please if we come home and look a bit chubbier in the face. Haha. We dare you to come to Italy and return the same weight.
More to come soon, hopefully pictures as well. Love to all and Happy Valentines day (which is even cheesier in Italy than the states if you can imagine...)
C and M
Tomorrow we have plans to take a local train that runs all the way around Mt. Etna to a medival village for some sight seeing. Should be a good day in store for us. Just as in Sicignano about zero people speak English here so even the smallest journey can turn into quite the adventure. The best is when someone starts speaking to us and we tell them 'Noi parli poco poco poco Italiano' (we speak very little, little, little Italian) and they continue to speak to us as if we are fluent speakers. With that said our Italian seems to be improving baby steps, day by day, and we have decided that when we get back to the states we want to take an Italain course.
Our cooking skills have also been expanding since we have been here. Two nights ago Angelo and Cristina, our new hosts, taught us how to make home made pasta! It was delicious to say the least. When we get back we are going to cook a proper Italian dinner for family and friends so be prepared to eat until you feel uncomfortable! No joke. If we put food on your plate and tell you to mange, you better eat it all just to give you all a little taste of what we have been put through for three months. Good thing we both like to eat and good thing we are staying active because we would be putting on the pounds! No comments please if we come home and look a bit chubbier in the face. Haha. We dare you to come to Italy and return the same weight.
More to come soon, hopefully pictures as well. Love to all and Happy Valentines day (which is even cheesier in Italy than the states if you can imagine...)
C and M
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
...
Yes, you may have guesed it, more snow today. Maggie and I are praying that the snow lets up enough to catch the bus to Salerno tomorrow. If it continues to snow as hard as it has been the bus wont be able to make it up the mountain so keep your fingers crossed everyone! If all goes well we will be bunked up in a hostel tomorrow night ready to catch the morning train to Villa San Giovani. From there we will catch the ferry to Sicilia and then another train to Catania. We will stay the night in Catania and catch the train the next morning to Fiumefreddo where our next host, Cristina, will pick us up! Yes, lots of trains and room for error but so far we have had good luck on our travel days and are hoping that tradition continues. Knock on wood.
It is crazy to believe that we have been here for almost one month. Here are some things we have learned thus far about Italy and Italians.
1. Just like in the movies, Italians love to talk with their hands. I swear they could carry on an entire conversation without saying a word. We are basically learning how to speak two separate languages if you count hand gestures. I love it.
2. This may sound a bit too personal but it needs to be mentioned because it drives me nuts. Toilets here normaly do not have seats. Weird, I know. It has taken a bit getting used to. However, some do have seats, BUT they are not fixed to the actual toilet, they just rest on top of the seat. I cant count how many times one of us has almost fallen off. So for those of you with plans to visit Italy in the future consider this your fair warning.
3. Regardless of what Italians will tell you, they are crazy drivers. Enough said.
4. Italians are probably the most hospitable people I have ever encountered. They are always wanting us to eat, drink, invite us into their homes, introduce us to their families and friends and show us a good time. We have learned that whenever we are offered anything, saying no thank means we will get it anyway. I think our record for esspresso in one day might be five simple because people dont accept no grazie for an answer. And I thought I was addicted to coffee before I left...
5. All stores open around eight in the morning, close at about one in the afternoon for lunch with the family, reopen around five thirty and close again around eight thirty for the night. It has taken us a bit to get used to this but we finally have the schedule down.
That is all for tonight! We are heading to none other than Luigi's for a final night of pizza. Keep your fingers crossed for our travels tomorrow and the day after (I cant seem to keep track of the days anymore...). Pictures to come soon. Much love from Sicignano,
Car and Maggie
It is crazy to believe that we have been here for almost one month. Here are some things we have learned thus far about Italy and Italians.
1. Just like in the movies, Italians love to talk with their hands. I swear they could carry on an entire conversation without saying a word. We are basically learning how to speak two separate languages if you count hand gestures. I love it.
2. This may sound a bit too personal but it needs to be mentioned because it drives me nuts. Toilets here normaly do not have seats. Weird, I know. It has taken a bit getting used to. However, some do have seats, BUT they are not fixed to the actual toilet, they just rest on top of the seat. I cant count how many times one of us has almost fallen off. So for those of you with plans to visit Italy in the future consider this your fair warning.
3. Regardless of what Italians will tell you, they are crazy drivers. Enough said.
4. Italians are probably the most hospitable people I have ever encountered. They are always wanting us to eat, drink, invite us into their homes, introduce us to their families and friends and show us a good time. We have learned that whenever we are offered anything, saying no thank means we will get it anyway. I think our record for esspresso in one day might be five simple because people dont accept no grazie for an answer. And I thought I was addicted to coffee before I left...
5. All stores open around eight in the morning, close at about one in the afternoon for lunch with the family, reopen around five thirty and close again around eight thirty for the night. It has taken us a bit to get used to this but we finally have the schedule down.
That is all for tonight! We are heading to none other than Luigi's for a final night of pizza. Keep your fingers crossed for our travels tomorrow and the day after (I cant seem to keep track of the days anymore...). Pictures to come soon. Much love from Sicignano,
Car and Maggie
Monday, February 6, 2012
Heading south to Sicilia
Sadly, but true we are leaving our snowy oasis of Sicignano on the 9th of February. We are very excited to see Sicily and actually work, for cross our fingers, there is currently no snow there! We will be north of Catania by 40 km for the next two weeks. From the way Italians talk, it seems it will be a very beautiful place! From there our plan is to be in Cecina (Toscana region) not far from Livorno and Pisa. Anyway, we will write again when we arrive in Catania!
Ciao tutti,
M & C
Ciao tutti,
M & C
Buonviaggio Tineka!
Tineka, we miss you dearly and are so very glad you made it out of Sicignano safely and timely!
Neve, nove, nave...
The snow continues to pour down and we are seizing the moment in everyday. Even though I actually despise the snow (also known as neve in Italian) and usually am not a happy person in it, I am enjoying the beauty and fun it can bring. Snowball fights are happening about two or three times a day, which usually encourage Italians of all ages to participate. Unable to hold back our laughter, we have witnessed many spills on the icy stradas. Last night we drove around in our friend's mini Fiat pulling donuts and ambushing passerbyer with snowballs, which eventually turned into a giant snow fight on the side of the main road. Its no question we are the children of Mama Theresa unable to hold back our competitive spirit, only sometimes feeling obliged to say, "Mi dispiace" (only you mum could know what it feels like to say sorry in such a instigative way) for pegging someone in the face.
Today, we went "skiiing" which actually means sledding, and it was a blast, but oh so cold. Our best was 6 people piled on one innertube! Italians like to have fun and we are eager to follow suit!
Today, we went "skiiing" which actually means sledding, and it was a blast, but oh so cold. Our best was 6 people piled on one innertube! Italians like to have fun and we are eager to follow suit!
Oh, Lady Gaga.
Apparently, I had to come across the pond to appreciate your vocal talents! I now adore you, especially Marry the Night! And it just so happens you are Italian, how fitting. It has nothing to do with the fact that I hear your song about 5 times a day, I promise. Amore, Maggie
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Cin Cin from Sicignano con Amore!
Hello All!
First of all, we would like to share the theme song of this week. Enjoy. (Follow the link bellow, please.)
http://youtu.be/P2xu8sGFZ4k
Now that that's over you should be in the mood to hear the tales of our week. We shall begin with the weather, because the weather has shaped our week (probably our lives). We can sum the weather up in two words: freddo and neve. Cold and snow. Need we remind you, we live on the steepest street in all of Italy. Due to the cold front that is crossing Europe we have not worked a proper day since Saturday. Can you say CABIN FEVER. We have become very good at entertaining ourselves, if we weren't already. Haha.
Monday night Luigi and his family had us over to their pizzeria for dinner, which was closed for the evening. Pasta was the main dish accompanied by lots of bread, pickled veggies, fried mozzarella goodness and bottomless birra. At the end of the night some friends of Luigi's barged in for pasta and ended up joining us. They spoke zero English, and zero Italian (only Sicignano dialect) so we spent most of the remaining night laughing about...who knows, do you know?! It was a good night.
Tuesday cabin fever really started to set in. With this in mind we decided to create our own scavenger hunt throughout the town. Items on our list included: a blowdryer, a pair of scissors, a cucumber, a picture with a goat, reeses peanut butter cup (fail), doritos, make a snowman, nail filer, coffee with a nutella croissant, find a book in English, and a picture with our friend Maria who is usually seen walking the streets in her bright pink spandex pants.
Mid hunt we ran into our friend Pepe who was intrigued by our game and offered to drive us to a nearby town to see a goat. Not only did we see a goat we got to see the ricotta cheese making process, do a little taste testing, pet some baby buffalo and cows and do a little more tasting. Once back in Sicignano, we headed to the biblioteca, which consisted of about 1000 books in Italian and only one in English (Dracula to be exact).
Wednesday, still yet to get back on the farm, we decided to settle in due to the massive snow/hail/thunder/lighting storm by making a sheet fort next to the fire where we played cards for several hours until our pizza date. Thanks to Assunta and Luigi we are now master Italian pizza makers! We had a great time with lots of laughs. The three Italian stooges from two nights before also returned for more hilarious confusion.
Today the snow continues...as some of you may be familar with our family likes to play the card game 31 which involves four life lines, so to say, per person. With this in mind, this morning we set out with a four euro budget to buy four life lines each (secretly) for the first annual 31 or Bust Italian Tourney. After having purchased our four items we returned to the house for the big show down with our life tokens concealed. It was close game with our Aussie friend, Tineka, coming out on top. Maggie and I like to call it beginers luck.
Prizes included: cuttest and smallest jar of nutella you have ever seen, a small elephant keychain, a pig made out of a nylon stuffed with sawdust, a birthday horn, one pineapple, two Kinder surprises, strawberry chapstick, hairclips for a two year old, a bottle of beer, a fly swatter and a bar of soap.
It should also be noted that we had a big snowball fight this afternoon including many strangers from the street. Yes, we made some more friends.
We have settled on our next farm. We in fact are heading to Sicily! Food and gas strikes or not. More details on the farm to come, but we do know for sure that we will be starting on the tenth of February. Tomorrow we hope for sunshine as we are eager to get back to work. Plus, we miss the four, adorable farm puppies.
Much love,
C & M
First of all, we would like to share the theme song of this week. Enjoy. (Follow the link bellow, please.)
http://youtu.be/P2xu8sGFZ4k
Now that that's over you should be in the mood to hear the tales of our week. We shall begin with the weather, because the weather has shaped our week (probably our lives). We can sum the weather up in two words: freddo and neve. Cold and snow. Need we remind you, we live on the steepest street in all of Italy. Due to the cold front that is crossing Europe we have not worked a proper day since Saturday. Can you say CABIN FEVER. We have become very good at entertaining ourselves, if we weren't already. Haha.
Monday night Luigi and his family had us over to their pizzeria for dinner, which was closed for the evening. Pasta was the main dish accompanied by lots of bread, pickled veggies, fried mozzarella goodness and bottomless birra. At the end of the night some friends of Luigi's barged in for pasta and ended up joining us. They spoke zero English, and zero Italian (only Sicignano dialect) so we spent most of the remaining night laughing about...who knows, do you know?! It was a good night.
Tuesday cabin fever really started to set in. With this in mind we decided to create our own scavenger hunt throughout the town. Items on our list included: a blowdryer, a pair of scissors, a cucumber, a picture with a goat, reeses peanut butter cup (fail), doritos, make a snowman, nail filer, coffee with a nutella croissant, find a book in English, and a picture with our friend Maria who is usually seen walking the streets in her bright pink spandex pants.
Mid hunt we ran into our friend Pepe who was intrigued by our game and offered to drive us to a nearby town to see a goat. Not only did we see a goat we got to see the ricotta cheese making process, do a little taste testing, pet some baby buffalo and cows and do a little more tasting. Once back in Sicignano, we headed to the biblioteca, which consisted of about 1000 books in Italian and only one in English (Dracula to be exact).
Wednesday, still yet to get back on the farm, we decided to settle in due to the massive snow/hail/thunder/lighting storm by making a sheet fort next to the fire where we played cards for several hours until our pizza date. Thanks to Assunta and Luigi we are now master Italian pizza makers! We had a great time with lots of laughs. The three Italian stooges from two nights before also returned for more hilarious confusion.
Today the snow continues...as some of you may be familar with our family likes to play the card game 31 which involves four life lines, so to say, per person. With this in mind, this morning we set out with a four euro budget to buy four life lines each (secretly) for the first annual 31 or Bust Italian Tourney. After having purchased our four items we returned to the house for the big show down with our life tokens concealed. It was close game with our Aussie friend, Tineka, coming out on top. Maggie and I like to call it beginers luck.
Prizes included: cuttest and smallest jar of nutella you have ever seen, a small elephant keychain, a pig made out of a nylon stuffed with sawdust, a birthday horn, one pineapple, two Kinder surprises, strawberry chapstick, hairclips for a two year old, a bottle of beer, a fly swatter and a bar of soap.
It should also be noted that we had a big snowball fight this afternoon including many strangers from the street. Yes, we made some more friends.
We have settled on our next farm. We in fact are heading to Sicily! Food and gas strikes or not. More details on the farm to come, but we do know for sure that we will be starting on the tenth of February. Tomorrow we hope for sunshine as we are eager to get back to work. Plus, we miss the four, adorable farm puppies.
Much love,
C & M
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