THE TIME HAS COME...

"The time has come", the blogger said,

to talk of many things,

of popes and queens and festivals

and carnivals and kings."

Let's start with the festival: Sanremo 2022 ended on Saturday, after a great week's entertainment, with an overall win for the duo Mahmood and Blanco and their song Brividi. They will go on to represent Italy with this song at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin in May so you'll be hearing a lot more of it.

I liked it very much, but I also likes Elisa's song, O forse sei tu, which was beautifully sung and it was nice to see the singer back at the Festival after 20 years. (I've always followed Sanremo, even from Britain.) Elisa came second and also won the the prize for best musical composition. She must have been very pleased as later she skateboarded back to her hotel, still in her beautiful, long, floaty white dress. Brava, Elisa! The Gianni who is so loved in Italy that he is sometimes known as the "Gianni nazionale", the great Gianni Morandi, came third with Apri tutte le porte - Open all the Doors, a song which, with its description of waking up feeling indolent and then being determined to open the doors of life and let the sun in, appealed to everyone's mood. Morandi, with Jovanotti, won the Cover Night (in my opinion always the best night, as I like to wallow in nostalgia) and really the singer has made a fantastic comeback after suffering serious burns to his hands and legs last year in a garden accident. I wish I had his energy!

My favourite song, and therefore the one I voted for, was Irama's Ovunque Sarai  - Wherever You Are and he gave it everything on the final night, saying,

" This evening I'm going to sing to remind all who have lost a loved one that love and beauty always remain in the present."

Irama was placed fourth but I'm sure he will win the Festival one day.

It was also good to see female co-presenters who had been chosen not only for their looks but for what they had to say, which was consistently interesting and I mentioned Lorena Cesarini in my post last Thursday. Had there been an elegance prize, it was generally agreed, it would have gone to to Drusilla Foer, the alter ego of the actor Gianluca Gori. It was the first time Sanremo had been co-presented by a celebrity en travesti and well done to the organisers for moving with the times. Last week, I said that if I make it to the age of 82 I want to be like Iva Zanicchi but after the following exchange on Saturday I've decided I don't:

Iva:  "How tall you are!"

Drusilla: "Taller than you!"

Iva: "You've got other things I don't have!"

Drusilla: "Yes, I'm cultured."

So Drusilla took the repartee prize too and went on to say that she thought we should stop focussing on our diversity and concentrate on our uniqueness. She is strongly tipped to be the main presenter of Sanremo 2023.

From the Festival to another celebration, that of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen: I'm not entirely a monarchist, as regular readers will know, but I'm not entirely an anti-monarchist either, absurd though the institution can be. Anyway, my friend Carol King and I decided it would have been churlish not to at least drink a toast to her. I think we have all decided to celebrate whatever moments we can in this third year of the pandemic so a "Lizzie lunch" was planned: I prepared some antipasti - my green tomatoes in balsamic vinegar, Asiago cheese with cotognata (quince paste), dried sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. 

We ordered some chicken and chips from a popular rosticceria (as that's a bit British) and a tray of little cakes including these pretty mini-cheesecakes and chocolate cups from my local pasticceria. 

As it's carnival time (although many carnivals have been postponed to the spring because of the pandemic) I also got in some traditional chiacchiere biscuits. This is the first time I've seen some drizzled with pistacchio cream instead of chocolate and very good they were too.

As I said, it would have been
churlish not to...

People have remarked that the Queen's Accession Day 2022 Message is "perfect pitch" and indeed it hit the right note and concentrated on the positive. Her Majesty had the courage to look to the future and also to grant the wish that she knew would make her son and heir apparent happy - that is, to recognise his wife as future Queen (and not Princess Consort as originally suggested in deference to public opinion almost seventeen years ago). We have all moved on, I think, though many people I have spoken to here are indignant on behalf of the late Diana. My view from abroad is that the British have not forgotten her and even if they had, there are series like The Crown to remind them, but that they have forgiven Charles and come to respect him more. Even future kings can make mistakes in their personal lives and my own view is that he has paid for them.

What, I wonder, would Pope Francis think about that? I don't think he would pass judgement on a non-Catholic marriage but perhaps he would quietly wish Charles, who had great respect for his predecessor-but-one and who postponed his second wedding to attend the latter's funeral, well. It would seem so judging by the humility of this man on Sunday's Che tempo che fa programme. The Pope surprised us all by admitting he had wanted to be a butcher as a child, because, shopping with his mother or grandmother, he had seen that the butcher had a bag into which he put money. Quite a change of vocation! The Pope was most angry about what he described as a crime - the treatment of immigrants - saying that they were being held in what amounted to concentration camps in Libya and he saw war as the cause of most of the world's ills:

"A year without arms and there would be enough food and education for the whole world."

Asked about the suffering of children, Pope Francis said that, despite his faith, he could give no explanation and I admired his honesty.

On a lighter note, he admitted that one of his reasons for not choosing to live in the Papal apartment was that the popes who had lived there before him were saints, while he is not one and he needs people around him, for friendship sustains him. He also said that a sense of humour is like a medicine.

Presenter Fabio Fazio has been criticised today for being a little too humble in this edition of Che tempo che fa but I think he is a great interviewer and he did not avoid difficult questions. And who would not have been overawed when interviewing the Pope?

All these events were pleasant distractions from what is happenng in my own country and I found each of them uplifting. If only I could stop scrolling the news more often! 

 

FEASTING WITH AN OLD FRIEND

My friend Carol King, who has recently returned to Sicily, and I decided to celebrate Ferragosto a day late this year, so I kind of cooked her a little meal:

The antipasti included olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh datterini tomatoes, mini sausages, bresaola and Parma ham topped with Grana cheese shavings, marinated mushrooms and - I must tell you about this - watermelon with salted cucumber. My original intention was to chuck the cucumber - peeled, deseeded, chopped, salted, left then rinsed, drained and chilled - into the salad but at the last minute I thought it would be a nice addition to the dish of watermelon. Turns out I was right!  The seemingly small apples around the antipasti dishes are actually azzaroli or Neapolitan medlars, which are related to hawthorn. There are mini-pears as well and they are a fine partner for the cheese.

The main course was grilled chicken salad with grilled nectarines. (Yes, I have a thing for grilled nectarines!)   I marinated the chicken in culinary rosewater before grilling and seasoned it with sumac afterwards. I used the dressing I invented for this recipe. The other ingredients were grilled peppers and rocket leaves.

For dessert, I made strawberry tiramisù and Carol brought along the delicious sweet treats on the right.

Everything on this menu can be made in advance and all you have to do is make the antipasti look pretty and assemble the salad.

PRETTY FLAMINGO

A big thank you to my friend Carol King for permission to use these photos of an extraordinary sight she witnessed on the Marina di Modica beach the other day. People were just sunbathing or swimming as usual when suddenly this exotic creature appeared and did not appear to be afraid of anyone.

As you can see, it was not fazed by the rope dividing different areas of the beach either and gamely clambered over it. By this time, I'm told, several people had called animal protection organisations so hopefully the wanderer was later checked over and pointed in the right direction  We think it had probably got lost or blown off course on the way to or from the nature reserve at Vendicari.

Vendicari

I cannot resist:

Manfred Mann - Pretty Flamingo

ANOTHER VISITOR

It has been lovely to welcome my friend the writer and editor Carol King back to Sicily and Sunday had to start with brioche and gelato!

Later there were antipasti, including some fine taralli biscuits from Calabria:

I also made my pizza estiva with grilled nectarines

and a semifreddo di marrons glacés. [This last is a Cucchiaio D'Argento recipe, not one of mine]:

Hope you come back soon too, Carol!

A SURPRISE FROM WALES

It had been a long time since the postwoman brought me something pleasant so imagine my delight today when a completely unexpected package arrived from Britain. It contained goodies from my friend Carol King, who last week visited Wales for the first time:

The coloured card shows three very woolly sheep and says, "Rush hour in Abergavenny".  Below it are three fridge magnets - Cardiff Castle, the cutest dragon and a "Patricia" magnet with a picture of a daffodil.  The other cards have the text of the Lord's Prayer in Welsh and in Italian. Perhaps now my students will believe me when I tell them that the Welsh language is completely different from English! The slate beermat says, "Happiness is having Welsh friends."  Happiness is also having friends like Carol!

I loved the television series Call the Midwife so I was very happy to receive this book as well. I can't wait to read it!

Thank you, Carol.

A PRESENT FROM PARMA

My friend Carol King has recently been to Parma and brought me this lovely soap perfumed with Parma violets:

It brought back the fragrance of Devon violets, which I wrote about some time ago, to me.

Carol also brought me a copy of her recently published book, which I am proud to own:

Have a nice evening, everybody - I'm off to have a luxurious bath!

A DAY IN THE MADONIE

On Sunday my friend Carol and I went on a trip to the Madonie Mountains in the hope of seeing some pretty little towns and breathing some fresh mountain air. We did both, although things did not go quite to plan!

Our first stop was Petralia Sottana or "Lower Petralia" [though I thought it was quite high enough at 1,039 metres above sea level!]  It is a very pleasant town and looked especially jolly on Sunday as there were ribbons everywhere in readiness for the Cordella dance, a sort of hymn to nature which is performed on the Sunday after Ferragosto. Petralia Sottana is part of the Madonie Geopark and points of geological interest are marked by fossil-like medallions on the streets.  It is possible to follow this "urban geological trail" right through the town. We visited the mostly 17th century Church of San Francesco and the Chiesa Madre dei Santi Pietro e Paolo. The "Mother Church" was built in its present form in the 17th century but its foundations were probably laid eight centuries before.

Next, we visited Petralia Soprana or "Upper Petralia" which, at 1,147 metres above sea level, is the highest town in the Madonie. I didn't think it was as pretty as Petralia Sottana but the views from it were stunning. I couldn't cope with the climb up to the churches so Carol took the photos of these for me and, as I waited below, I noticed that a small supermarket was open [which is more than you can say for Modican supermarkets on a normal Sunday]. Alas, this supermarket had no ice creams that did not come in family-sized tubs and, as no bar was open, there was no gelato consolation to be had in Petralia Soprana! [For this reason I will always prefer Petralia Sottana - not that I'm one to bear a grudge....]

After lunch we went on to nearby Polizzi Generosa for the Hazelnut Festival and, we were promised, bancarelle [stalls]. We arrived at three to find only about four bancarelle selling jewellery, shellcraft, hazelnuts and hazelnut ice cream - only the hazelnut ice cream was "arriving later", we were told. What else could we do but sit on some steps in the shade and chat until five o'clock [when the parade was due to begin]? We did just that but the presence of two blonde women, neither of whom were spring chickens, sitting on the steps seemed to generate a lot of excitement in the town's elderly males who all seemed to be out for an early passeggiata. We got the impression that not a lot goes on in Polizzi Generosa on Sundays!

We knew, of course, that "five o'clock" meant six at the earliest but at last the parade began and our hearts softened. There's nothing like the sight of Sicilian horses in their finery, drawing their brightly decorated carts, to cheer you up!

I hope you enjoy the slide show:

A Day in the Madonie - slideshow

AT OTHER TIMES....

At other times the antipasti are as good as the main course. Here are two platters I've enjoyed sharing recently:

But the star of the second meal - my birthday one - was undoubtedly the strawberry mousse, with candle thoughtfully provided by my friend Carol King!

THE ALLIED LANDINGS MUSEUM

One of the many facts that I hadn't known about the Second World War is that Catania, because of its strategic position and the importance of its port, was the target of more Allied air raids than any other city in Sicily. No fewer than 87 air raids on Catania were recorded by Italian Supreme Command, as compared with 69 on Palermo and 58 on Messina. Ragusa, for the record, was targeted 27 times.  In reality there were probably more raids than this, as it is possible that some were deliberately not noted in the interests of morale.

I learnt this and absorbed much more knowledge that was new to me as I walked, with my friend Carol King, through the Museo dello Sbarco or Allied Landings in Sicily Museum in Catania on Saturday.  We had both wanted to visit the museum for some time but had never got around to it and we were pleasantly surprised by how well it is organised, its exhibits and excellent annotation.

As you enter the museum a guide tells you what to expect and about events leading up to the 1943 landings. There is backup on film as there is throughout the museum. The first exhibition area that you enter is a simulation of a Sicilian square of the time and you can see into meticulously recreated houses, offices and shops.  Then you are invited into a simulated air-raid shelter, where you can experience a "bombardment", complete with vibrations.  It was dark and quite scary!  As you emerge from this room, you realise you are again in the square, only now two-thirds of it have been destroyed in the raid.

The museum occupies three floors and some 3,000 square metres of space, so there is a lot to see. There are exhibits of newspapers and the propaganda of the period, a mock-up of a street and rooms with octagonal tables featuring electronic chronicles of the progress of the various armies from day to day.

There is a simulated bunker which you can enter, a reconstructed field hospital tent, and further on there are armaments and exhibitions of the military uniforms of all sides. There are also waxworks of  some of the main protagonists of WW2, including Churchill, Roosevelt, Mussolini, Hitler and King Vittorio Emanuele 111.  Towards the end, there is a reconstruction of the tent where the Cassibile Armistice was signed.

Both Carol and I were struck by the newsreel footage of the civilian population and, in particular, how thin so many of the people looked. The museum's excellent guidebook points out that the "liberators" were hailed not so much for any democratic ideals which they might have brought with them but because they symbolised the end of the killing and an end to that older enemy of Sicilians, hunger. Episodes such as the Mafia's alleged role in the landings and the Massacre at Acate [Biscari] are not overlooked.

The very last exhibit is an electronic memorial plaque dedicated to all the soldiers who lost their lives during the landings and ensuing Sicily campaign. One thousand of their names, selected at random, are read out in their own languages.  We both had a lump in our throats as we left.

A total of 14,864 soldiers from Italy, Germany, the USA and the Commonwealth lost their lives during the Allied Landings in Sicily.

MODICA GETS A GONG

I'm proud to say that the provinces of Ragusa and Catania have establishments that have won Best in Sicily 2013 awards from cronachedigusto.it .  

Let's start with Ragusa:  Modica's very own Caffè dell'Arte has won the "best bar" award and this is well deserved. They make delicious chocolate, ice cream, granita and pastries and you'll be pleased to know that the loo is OK, too! [In fact, when I first came to Sicily in 1992 it was about the only bar in Modica Bassa with a decent one and I used to go there just for that particular need but, of course, I'd stay on to have a pastry....]  The town of Chiaramonte Gulfi, also in Ragusa Province, wins the award for best "food and wine town".

The best wine producer award goes to Giuseppe Russo of Girolamo Russo in Passopisciaro-Castiglione di Sicilia in Catania Province while Maurizio Spinello of Santa Rita [Caltanissetta Province] has been named best baker. The best pastry shop award goes to Dolcezze delle Madonie in Calcarelli, Castellana Sicula [Palermo Province] and the best restaurant, according to the judges, is that of the Hotel Signum on Salina [Messina Province].  The best pizzeria  award has been won by La Brace di Isnello [Palermo Province] and I sure want to go there!

The awards ceremony will take place on 22nd January at Castello Utveggio in Palermo.

Let's hear it for the Caffè dell'Arte!

Thanks to my friend Carol King for pointing out this news to me.

["Gong" is British slang for an honour or military decoration.]

A SPOT OF LIFE EXTENSION

Carni e pisci, a vita ti crisci - Meat and fish prolong your life.

- Sicilian proverb

If the above proverb has any truth in it, my friend Carol and I did a little life-prolonging when we had a meal at Bar Cicara on Saturday night:

First, this generous plate of antipasti came with our drinks:

When we ordered our meal we were asked if we wanted another platter of antipasti but we passed on that.  It was just as well that we did as they don't believe in small portions when it comes to the main course, either.  We both had steak:

And talking of long life, Corriere della Sera today reported that the oldest living person in the world is now 115-year-old Dina Manfredini of Iowa, USA. Born in Modena [Emilia-Romagna] in 1897, Mrs Manfredini  is also one of the last four living people to have been born during the reign of King Umberto I.  Although she left Italy at the age of 23, she still occasionally speaks Italian to her local priest.

But if you want to live a mere 100 years, the place to come to is, as I've written before, Ispica!

OTTOBRATA

The Ottobrata festival at Zafferana Etnea takes place on every Sunday during October and is a showcase for food products from the Etna area, local crafts, art and street performers. My friend Carol King and I set out for Zafferana last Sunday and I'm jolly glad we did!

The town perches below smoky old Etna

and we were just in time to see a rainbow in the fountain [well-spotted by Carol]:

There is a model of the crater in the square:

There were stalls as far as the eye could see

 but you still got an idea of what a peaceful place this must be for most of the year:

OK, so Carol [seated left, in headscarf] and I played at being tourists for this shot.  I think I should wear a hat like this every day!

There were tastes of everything on offer and there were so many varieties of honey that I couldn't decide where to begin:

There was no shortage of cheese either!

Then it was on to one of my favourite towns, Militello in Val di Catania, where the Festa della Mostarda e del Fico d'India [prickly pear]  was in full swing.  Luck was with us again as the parade of traditional Sicilian carts began a few minutes after we arrived:

The horses looked so proud of their finery and happy, like us, to be out in the sunshine:

I wonder if I could get some plumes like this to add to my flat cap?

Now I'll let you enjoy more of the colourful parade: 

I was too tired to cook when I got home but some of this "black" bread from Castelvetrano [Trapani] tasted delicious spread with some olive and aubergine pâté that I'd bought. The bread is made with timilia or tumminia wheat, which is becoming rarer.

And this balsamic honey - yes, I did finally choose one - made an interesting salad dressing:

Congratulations to the good folk of Zafferana Etnea and Militello in Val di Catania on their fine festivals.

A SAGRA FOR ALL

My friend Carol King and I nearly backed out of a coach trip to Agrigento on Sunday when an 05.30 departure was announced but we decided that we really did want to attend the 67th Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore [Almond Blossom Festival] so up we got and off we went.

When the coaches arrived at our boarding point we were both somewhat disconcerted to see people loading enormous bags and even suitcases into the luggage compartment and wondered what could be in them as this wasn't a trip with an overnight stay.  Then we saw some familiar shapes covered in special waxed paper being carefully placed on top of the bags and we understood:  our travelling companions had been loading their packed lunches!  Every Sunday they go to the pasticceria to buy trays of pastries and why should this Sunday have been any different just because they were going on a trip?

To be honest, I had been hoping for a good nap on the four-hour journey and had thought my fellow-passengers would be feeling the same.  However, they were all remarkably chirpy.  By 8 am an animated discussion about how to make the best pane di casa [homemade bread] was in full swing with the men confidently contributing what they assured us were the most reliable cooking tips.

Luck was with us weather-wise and the sun was shining on Agrigento's honey-coloured temples as we approached the Valle dei Templi.  When I saw Concordia in all its breathtaking glory I felt as I always do in Akrigas - as though I have finally come home.

Once we had disembarked Carol firmly steered me past the market traders with their tempting trinkets and on we walked to the town centre where the processions would shortly be taking place.  Everything had been well organised and the parade began only half an hour late, which is excellent in these parts.

First came the bersaglieri, playing a fanfare.  One cannot, of course, take photos of the bersaglieri for public display but I thought you would like to admire the magnificent hat worn by this fine gentleman from one of their benevolent associations:

Then came these jolly folk:

Band after band appeared:

There were knights aplenty

and who needs to go to London for the Jubilee?

Our friends from across the pond were not forgotten

and folk groups from all over the world joined the procession.

The flag-throwers performed amazing feats:  up and up went the flags, time after time, and time after time they were expertly caught:

Suddenly it was time for lunch by a shimmering sea:

Afterwards, on the coach, everyone was offered a glass of Limoncello by the tour organisers.

And so to the highlight of the day - the performances by international folk groups and prize-giving ceremony in the Valle dei Templi with the Temple of Concordia as the backdrop.  Now my days of clambering up Sicilian hillsides like a mountain goat are over so I couldn't get high enough or close enough to get good shots of the performers but I hope at least to give you a flavour of the multicultural nature of the event:

As I watched both performers and spectators from my perch atop a stone, I realised that here was Italy at its greatest: there has to be hope for a country where so many young people can gather peacefully and joyfully to watch such an event taking place in front of a building which has stood for 2,500 years.  It didn't matter that they weren't always listening; what mattered was that they had come. There were also elderly folk like me, people nel mezzo del cammin della vita, babies and dogs.  Everyone was welcome at Agrigento yesterday.

The Agrigento Almond Blossom Festival began in 1934 in the town of Naro, where its aim was to celebrate spring by giving farm workers a day off and some fun.  Later the Festival was moved to Agrigento and over the years, the word spread, not only in the rest of Italy but around the world.  The white almond blossom represents peace and friendship and it is in this spirit that people from many countries meet and find "concord".

An added attraction this year has been a collection of sculptures by Igor Mitoraj.  These bronze "giants of mythology" have been placed around the temples and are on display until 20th February.

We left the lovely Valle at sunset, having enjoyed a truly international festival in the most beautiful of settings.

Everyone has their own vision of eternity.  This is mine:

Agrigento - Tempio di Concordia

Agrigento - Tempio di Ercole