Dreams from Biancavilla

The heat broke a little, and today is a pleasant 88-90°F. After Vincenzo went out for our caffe and cornetti, we spent the morning at the beach. He informed us we’ll have lunch with his friends Carmelo and Marisa (who we’ve met, and enjoy) at their seaside home in Roccolumera, which is between Taormina and Messina. Pingatore in the water And ashore Gelato truck We changed clothes at the Lido, and drove to meet them. What a beautiful seaside condo they have! All fresh and in Italian-beachy colors, with terraces and patios catching the sea air and vistas. I told Marisa this is exactly what I’d choose for my summer home if I lived here. And, if I could buy it. When Vincenzo said it was Marisa’s idea, and Carmelo went along with it, begrudgingly, to make his wife happy, I said, “If the wife is happy, everyone’s happy,” a bit of a play on an American phrase. Vincenzo brought me inside and made me repeat it to Carmelo. Marisa prepared a bountiful but light lunch, starting with p rosecco, the

“What? I’m wasn’t looking at anything.” Apple Maps indeed led us to Gole Alcantara. However, it is the name of a restaurant on the sea. Google Maps had put us a half hour inland, so we had an initial intense conversation about where the water would come from, determining if my Google or his Apple were correct. Google, you won—but not until we went on a loop-di-loop drive to try you. Finally arriving at Gole Alcantara, we were hot and crabby. There was confusion as to which admission ticket to buy; there is a public entrance operated separately, but I couldn’t find it. Joe bought elevator tickets, which we weren’t planning to use, but it worked out. After getting stopped on our walk with the botanical gardens (because we only had elevator pass wristbands), we took the lift down to the sea, and all was well. Once we started our Trekking Fluviale , we were normal happy people again. The river trekking involves walking through currents of icy cold water, which flows down from the melted sn

Since I started yesterday’s post with what might be considered (by my mom, at least) a vulgar excerpt, I’m providing balance with today’s intro. My mom, although she would never admit to being any religion other than straight-up conventional Catholic, is probably a Marionist. The Marionists are a worldwide order of Catholic priests, nuns, and lay people, who look to Mary as a model of spirituality and faith. My mom has always held Mary at the forefront. Their idea of living a spiritual life encompasses sharing their faith, helping the poor, and nourishing the mind, body, and soul. Catechism lesson over. Today we learned that Ettore and Mariella also have Covid; no one else so far. This explains what I may have sensed was a little off with Mariella last night. To get away from the house, Alessandro took me, Joe, and the girls to Calanche di Biancavilla . If you saw the film The Bible , a good portion was shot here. They had to obscure Etna, of course, but the scenery is reportedly a cop