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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a big hug and have a good trip
Ignazio and Elvira