Entries in Italy (3)
The Sicilian connection
Our first meeting with Elvira & Ignazio in BostonOver the summer, when we were still back in the States, we met this adorable couple on a whale-watching boat in Boston Harbor. The wife was seasick, as was 95% of the boat, and they asked to sit down next to us. Happy for the company, we began to chat. We learned that they are Sicilian, and were honeymooning in the Northeast. We had a fantastic time together, laughing on the boat about our mutual nausea and chatting about Italy. They told us that they owned at B&B on the southern coast of Sicily. We immediately suggested a visit to their home during our 5-months abroad. We don't think that they took us seriously, but they emphatically agreed that that would be wonderful! We took a photo together at the end of the boat ride, and parted ways, only to meet up again 5 minutes a nearby Starbucks! We exchanged email addresses and said 'Ciao' again. They were delightful to hang with and we swore we would see them again. Fate meant us to be friends.
When we planned out our European adventures, we had hoped to fit in a visit to see these new friends in Sicily and stay in their adorable B&B, but we had no definitive plans to do so. During our stay in Austria, we thought it would be crazy to be so close and NOT go to see them. So, we worked the phone lines, changed a flight or two and soon had booked our way to the land below the boot. After leaving Vienna, we flew through Rome to the Catania airport, then rented a car and drove to their home town of Agrigento, about 90 minutes away on the island of Sicily. However, those 90 minutes expanded to about 150 minutes as we became lost 2 or 3 times along the way. Sicily is still a very rural area, and the directional signs were not up to the urban par to which we are so accustomed. Plus, no street lights...errrrrrrr... It was tough to find our way.
Eventually, after asking about 12 Sicilian pedestrians where to go (and not understanding them, since we speak such poor Italian), we finally found the main street in Agrigento off of which stands Camere a Sud, their B&B. Whitney had Elvira's cell phone and rang it, exclaiming "We're here! On Via Atanea, and our car is parked in front of the (insert bad Italian accent here) Lucadell Guiglio office." Elvira, in her recently-acquired English hollers, "Exit! Exit! Uh, up! Up!” Whit exited the car, and looked up the street, expecting to see Elvira on the sidewalk. She looked the other way, and no sight of her. Then we hear Ignazio’s voice holler, “Hey guys, up here!” We looked up and saw them on their balcony, Elvira holding her cell phone and laughing, 3 stories directly above the parked car. Hilarious how we were lost for so long, and then fate came in and delivered us directly to them.
We meet again, in Agrigento, Sicily The four of us went out to a great dinner near their apartment, and shared breakfast the following morning. After breakfast, we took a mid-morning walk to see this Sicilian land that was pitch black the night before. What a glorious reception – the sun was shining, and we didn’t need gloves & hats! Having spent the last 3 weeks in and around the Alps, we were ready for a few rays of warm sunshine. Sunday afternoon became truly memorable as we were invited to join Ignazio and Elvira at their family lunch with each of their parents at Ignazio’s childhood home. It was a lovely meal and, despite a serious language incompatibility, we all enjoyed each other very much. Our friends’ parents were so generous to welcome us into their home and to feed us such hearty Sicilian fare. Oh, yes, and the food was amazing! After such a feast, we returned to the B&B with Elvira and Ignazio for a much-needed siesta. We extended our own siesta by ordering pizza and having a makeshift picnic in the B&B. Molto bene...
Whit & John
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Traditional Sicilian dance & music
Elvira was kind enough to invite us to watch a rehearsal with Antiche Tradizioni Popolari, her Traditional Sicilian Folk dancing group, before they were to depart for a performance in Germany later in the week. Elivra claims to have not performed the tarantella dance for 15 years, but she was a total professional! Led both by their choreographer and also by the President of the group, Dr. Carmelo Cantone, the performers showed why they were worthy of showing their talents off on the International stage.
The group was practicing in a school gymnasium, and even without microphones or costumes, we were still overwhelmed by the talent exhibited by the dancers and singers. Traditional Sicilian folk songs are very celebratory of the land's lifestyle - focusing on harvesting, the sea and hard work - and of course, the love shared between its inhabitants. Elivra's fellow singers & dancers were accompanied by a foursome of amazing young musicians. They were playing guitar, accordion, a tamburieddu (a huge tambourine played like a drum with the fingers), a small [but very powerful] flute called an ocarina, and a zampogna (an Italian folk bagpipe with 2 drones and 2 conical chanters, all in one stock). The sound, even with the admittedly poor acoustics, was just phenomenal.
We were welcomed with open arms to sit in on their last rehearsal before the departure to Germany. They allowed us to photograph them performing, and they even had Whitney participate in one of their numbers where she was required to kiss the flutist many times in order for him to keep his rhythm and melody. As ever, the Italians are a passionate and loving bunch!!!!
** Elvira is the petite one in the dark red outfit **
Our Roman Holiday
Our "Christmas card" photo at The ColiseumAh, Rome! After we departed quiet and quaint Sicily, we entered into the nucleus of Italy, the capital city of Rome, chock full of history so far-reaching that we couldn't see it all in the 3 days we were there.
Let's start off by sharing that we were in a weird hotel about 30 minutes from Rome. Technically, it was in Rome's city limits, but the place had to supply a shuttle bus to take guests into the city, so it's not close at all. John booked it on Priceline.com, which served us very well for a hotel in Munich with its "Name Your Price" negotiating capabilities. So, when it came time to find a place to sleep in Rome, John named his desired price for a 4-star hotel in Rome, and the first hotel to accept the offer booked us. There isn't a choice to accept the offer or not, which is the glitch. The hotel was a Melia property, a large chain in Italy, and probably deserved a 4-star rating back in 1988 when it was built. The rooms and common spaces were dirty and tattered, and being so far away form anything that a tourist wants to see in Rome, we were a little annoyed. But, the shuttle was free and surprisingly prompt & efficient. John wrote a scathing review of the place to Priceline, which he claims was a very cathartic activity. So, now that we've gotten that rant out of our system, we can move onto better things....
The Vatican's Gallery of MapsWe started our sightseeing of Rome by taking the tour of the Vatican. What a view to behold: some of the world's most beloved art and priceless pieces held within a city made of religion. Vatican City is a city unto itself within Rome, completely governed by itself, so when you're in Vatican City, you're under the jurisdiction of the Pope and his peeps. Radical. The Vatican Tour winds its way through a maze of hallways and ballrooms and tunnels towards the Sistine Chapel - the grande finale. The entire tour was a sensory overload for our eyes... We saw, in a very calculated order:
Shhhh... We snapped the Sistine
Needless to say, it was overwhelming. Practically so breathtaking that we didn't enjoy it. In my opinion, everyone else in the museum seemed to be on this Amazing Race-like hustle to the finish line: the Sistine Chapel. But, in the process, they were blasting by some truly priceless other works. We stopped and took many photos of the Gallery of Maps, which was amazing, the School of Athens ceiling murals by Raphael. Once we arrived into the Sistine, which admittedly was magnificent, we were a little Vatican-ed Out. It's obviously one of the most sought-after sightseeing locations in Rome and - even on a Thursday morning in mid-December - we were pushed and bumped by hundreds of anxious tourists. It made the whole place feel a little less holy, with all these competitive amateur photographers and whining children strapped into strollers. We needed to get some air!
John at the PantheonSo, we left Vatican City, and walked across the river and towards the Piazza Nuova, where the famous Fountain of Four Rivers was unfortunately under renovation (we soon learned that many items on our must-see list were under renovation because, as I just mentioned, it's December and touring season is relatively low). From there we found the Pantheon, an ancient Greek Temple with a groovy open-air roof, and the Trevi Fountain, where the legend is that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. We had lunch at a quiet [Italian, duh] restaurant, and then headed toward the Coliseum. Wow, the Coliseum. It's one of those things that you've seen on TV and movies for so many years that it almost seems make-believe until you stand in front of it. Amazing. The audio tour was excellent, giving concise explanations of the structure and it's historical uses. Our Rome photo album is pretty thorough, if you care to peruse.
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