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
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