SICILY SCENE'S REVIEW OF 2014

Here we go again!

Let's start with my event of the year, which was undoubtedly this:

For those of you who are interested, you can now easily access all my "adoption" posts from "My adoption posts" in the pages bar underneath the blog header photo.

My recipe of the year, from those I've invented myself, was this one:

These polpette came a close second:

My gadget of the year - well, more of an implement, really - is this €0,99 easy-ice-cream-scoop:

Of the books I've read this year, my favourite in Italian was this biography of the journalist Oriana Fallaci and my favourite in English has to be Edge of Eternity, which completes the Century Trilogy by my fellow-Cardiffian Ken Follett. More historical novels please, Ken!

My Scrooge of the year award goes to the Comune di Modica for scrapping the "single inhabitant" reduction when they introduced the hated new rubbish tax, the TARI, a few days before Christmas. Come on, Modica! There's no way I generate the same amount of rubbish as a family of five and I think I'm going to start a twitter campaign about this injustice.

Whilst we're being negative about poor old Modica, my most-read post of 2014 was, surprisingly,  this one, which attracted the attention of the local press. Sorry, Modica - I do love you, really.

On a more cheerful, seasonal note, the most original Christmas decoration award goes to Bar Cicara for their cork tree:

The Italian logic prize goes to the shopkeeper who, having discounted certain items by 50% and sold two to customer number one, then told customer number two - me - that the former had been "extravagant" as soon as she'd left the premises. I give up, Italy!

My favourite Italian TV programme of the year continues to be Masterchef Italia, which has just started its fourth series, closely followed by BakeOff Italia.  For those of you who missed it, here is the contestant who endeared herself to the entire nation by throwing her éclairs around the kitchen when they went wrong. Hasn't every cook been there?

I must show you my fun thing of the year:  it is this makeup box, a Christmas present from two of my youngest students and using it to update my all-important look is a very enjoyable way to pass the time!

My heroes of the year are the Italian Navy, Coast Guard and all who continue to risk their own lives and willingly give up their comfort at this time of year to save and help migrants and others, at sea and on land. Let us hope that there will be no more migrant tragedies in 2015, or tragedies like the two we have seen so far this week.

That brings me to my hopes for 2015:  as always, I hope for world peace, for peace in my own life, for more time with my precious Simi [now 16] and, this new year, for more time with my newfound sister.

Happy New Year to all of you and thank you for reading Sicily Scene!

Buon anno a tutti voi e grazie di aver letto la Sicily Scene!

"ALL THE WORLD'S A SMALL TOWN"

Tax evasion is rife at all levels in Italy and the current government believes it is the cause of many of the country's problems.  In recent weeks the Financial Police have carried out several much publicised raids on businesses in various parts of Italy but it will take a sea change in habits to put a stop to day to day, small -scale evasion.

Hats off, then, to enterprising Palermo restaurant owner Filippo Lucchese, who is offering a 20% discount  to any customer in possession of a fiscal receipt issued on the same day or the day before for a service or purchase costing at least €40.00.  Mr Lucchese explains that his idea is simple - to raise awareness and involve all citizens and consumers in his town in the fight against tax evasion.

Talking of receipts, Mr Fargione of Modica  - who likes to write wry comments in dialect on his - has some advice for his customers and this wise counsel can be roughly translated as "Watch out for your short and curlies ", the implication being that everything is now being taxed to the hilt.

However, there is also solace for Mr Monti, whose image has been sellotaped to the side of one of Mr Fargione's serviette holders, thus according the Prime Minister true fame at last!

Tuttu 'u munnu è paisi - All the world's a small town.

- Sicilian proverb

THE NATIONAL SPORT

If you thought it was il calcio [football] think again! The national sport in Italy is avoiding taxes, as sneaky ones appear out of nowhere all the time. Italians justify this "game" of avoidance by explaining that it's all the State's fault for "robbing" them in the first place and the tax system is discussed, moaned about and decried over coffee in bars throughout the land. It's not uncommon for a shopkeeper or service provider to give you a receipt for less than you have paid and when you settle the bill in a bar or restaurant, you must always make sure you are given a proper receipt [ricevuta fiscale] because by law you must keep this until you are 300 metres away from the establishment. Whilst you walk this distance, you could be stopped by police asking to see it. This is less a check on whether you have paid than a check on whether the bar owner has charged you tax, but if he / she has not, you could both be fined!

The country that invented banking has turned it into a complicated and expensive process: I am charged for every single bank transaction and there is a state tax to pay on my account too, besides the annual charge which the bank levies for the privilege of having an account. I understand that the average charge is somewhere in the region of €640 per annum, so I am not going to be a happy bunny when I receive this notification! [I haven't had my Italian bank account for quite a year.] But it seems my days of thinking with nostalgia of free banking in Britain may be numbered as I was astounded to read this yesterday.