Mare e Montagna (Sea & Mountain)

I can't describe how generous Lilliana and Rejy are, to spend an entire day and evening with us. Lilliana normally works (she is a doctor; an epidemiologist) on weekday mornings, and Rejy gives tours on Etna, as he did this morning (then repeated with us this afternoon). 

We left Biancavilla in two cars, picking up Martha and family from their hotel on the way. I was in Lilliana's car; she turned onto a street mostly blocked by two small trucks (on a Biancavilla street, this means you could pull a thread or perhaps a piece of yarn between them), and Lilliana had no time to wait for them. She drove on the side, while the truck driver glared at her. In Italian, of course, while rolling down her window: "Don't worry; I may be a woman, but I know how to drive".

We got to the sea, and the first stop was a small place that, in dialect, is named "It's So Dirty". It's small and run by an old woman, who has been making granita every day (or, every day that she decides to be open), from scratch and by hand, for over 50 years. Yet nobody knows her name! 

Lilliana, Simone, Tomaso with brioche and granita. I copy Tomaso's food orders; he has excellent taste.

Coen, Joe's grandson, Martha, his daughter, Ricardo (Martha's S.O.), and Joe

The granita woman and me!

Across the street is the sea. Down we went to our boat, the style of which I did ask the name, then promptly forgot. Marco, our sailor and tour guide, is an expert diver and gives lessons. He was in QC at Pfizer, but they had a massive layoff and were asking for volunteers. He took the exit package and started this business. He will soon have a website, which I will either post here with an update, or dedicate a page to it. Because it is the perfect way to explore this coast of Sicily, which is so full of Greek lore! We had a relaxed and easy voyage, with some jumping-off points for swimming. Marco let Coen drive the boat! I discovered that I forgot our towels and the wine I had chilling in the fridge. "The towels, no problem;" said Lilliana, "But Karen -- the WINE?!" We spent the morning seafaring at an easy-going pace; at one point Coen found a stella marina; a red starfish, while swimming. Lilliana is fun in general, and it's extra sweet seeing her with her kids. After our time at sea, we took a very brisk shower on the dock, and changed clothes not at all privately, behind a scarf. No big deal here.

Lilliana, God bless her, tried her best to find a place to eat that would satisfy everyone's tastes. She had many questions and suggestions. Tomaso has become a vegetarian/pescatarian, Simone really only likes meat, Martha and Ricardo are still developing their Sicilian palates, and Joe and I eat anything but schiffi (crap food). One thing to understand, if you are heading to Italy (or France, or Spain, for that matter), is that food -- good food -- is really important and a huge part of the day. So much so, the work day is split so that three hours can be dedicated to the family meal in the middle of the day. (This is why many shops are closed at that time, unless you are in a tourist town). And it's not a rushed thing; it is time together to eat, talk, enjoy. We were able to satisfy most tastes at a place called Flora. Tomaso's baked ricotta and roasted potatoes looked great. Joe, Lilliana, and I got the fresh pasta with today's catch: tuna. It was prepared with cherry tomatoes, and the tuna was cubed, fresh, and spec-tac-u-lar!!!! I knew more food was coming tonight, so I hoped for a nice long trek on the next leg of our journey; the volcano.

Rejy is informative along with being fun, and after I’ve made a number of Etna tours, I rank him #1 of all guides. He started by taking us to lava fields, some caves, and a hut where trekkers can take shelter or cook and eat their lunch. Etna is an active volcano. To best explain the lava quick-cooling crust/hot-inside concept, he explained that juggling was invented on Etna, when a guy picked up some lava rocks and they were cool on the outside, but then he felt the intense heat emanating from the hot lava inside of them! 

Rejy has a great sense of humor. As we drove further and further up Etna, Lilliana texted him. Are we close? His response was a picture of Lilliana’s car from his rear view mirror. 

Yes, we are very close.

Lilliana takes a break

Lichen on lava

Trekker's hut

Etna terrain and the sea

Here Joe is standing on Sicilian soil, with Calabrian hills in the background. 

This photo is his complete heritage!

Etna beckoned us to the crater

Joe and Rejy in a lava cave. Behind them is a pit, about 3 stories deep!

Trekker's  hut includes tablecloth

People leave their mark with burnt firewood ‘chalk’

Do you see ours?

Joe pulling the secchia from the pozzo

View from the cave

Red oxide with window

About to embark on the boat (photo out of sequence)

One crater to the right, one to the left. Here we are on the rim of the higher crater.

To infinity and beyond!

San Silvestro crater below

Hard to get perspective, but this huge crater is surrounded by a higher rim than San Silvestro

We wrapped up our tour with a stop at a 'bar', where we were handed complimentary crema di pistacchio liqueur. Lilliana and I had a coffee, the older kids bought some candy, and we drove an incredibly circuitous but scenic route to the vineyard. Since Rejy's car joined the troupe, Lilliana and I got to spend a nice long time chatting, just the two of us, in the car together. I can't express how much reverence I have for her!

I was thrilled to see Ettore at the vineyard. I missed him today. We played a bit and walked around the property together. He was interested in intersecting the tennis court while Rachi engaged Coen and Martha in a round, but we managed to divert attention to Rudolf the dog and to Tea.

Alessandro was master chef at the grill, cooking two kinds of burgers, some wurstel, and some chicken cutlets. My Sicilian family was super sweet, designing an American-style menu, including American style hamburger buns (although I personally think nothing beats the ciabatta squares fresh from the bakery). They also had iceberg lettuce and cheese, so "California burgers" could be made. I know it wasn't their top menu choice, but it was a considerate one, and we all had fun with it, especially the kids. For dessert, we had fresh peaches from the vineyard, and what was left of Simone's birthday cake (it was a huge cake). He just turned six.

I said my goodbyes to Joe's family who are leaving super early in the morning, while Giovanna and I helped Mariella clean up. Joe was returning to get me, since the hotel is very near the vineyard house. 

I was very happy to see my pillow.

Today was memorable and wonderful. Although activities like this could not be sustained on a daily basis throughout a vacation (it took a small village!), it was a great to end their trip; such a bang of a highlight.

As Vincenzo said to me, he felt bad that we couldn't do something similar for Nikos. He was reading my mind. But, the climate was different when Nikos arrived here. Matteo was just born, the whole family was preoccupied, and time was a constraint. I don't think Nikos would complain about his time in Sicily, but I love Vincenzo for being able to read me.

Anyway, I hope the kids had a good time.