"SICILIA BEDDA" - part I

here am i…better here we are … is 5 47 AM I am in the ferryboat to pass from the continent to the island of sun….

I wanted to write even if until now is on paper..and later to make it virtual…because feelings come and go….

The motor of the ferryboat sounds like a kitty cat that ruffles under our feet… the radio is playing a song but is so low because somebody is sleeping :D :D poor K.she wanted to see all.. but she didn’t had what to see because there is only the highway here and only in Napoli you can see the volcano! but only from far…then the road takes us to the up and down of the Calabria...and after it brings you to the shore of the sea…and from faraway you can see the Sicily that is still sleeps and wait the sun to shine up again…

I already feel another air I think is because of the sea but also from the people here even if it is late the man that sends the ferrytickets is smiling and tell you “welcome home”..how I love this land…

After we enter the belly of the ferry you think nothing bad can happen to you..and after a short trip of 30 minutes the belly of this whale is opening and there you see the MARINA of MESSINA…I don’t want the authorites to build the bridge!!! It would tear apart the fascinating trip of the ferry… plus people here feel this like a purification before getting home…

I have the feeling of an immigrant that left his home in the early 1900 to see “l’America” without knowing if he will see again his mother,his land or his brothers...i guess this si the reason why people in south of Italy are more open to the others…and also because they are a mix of cultures : french,arabs,spanish,greeks,and who knows other who passed over here…

And the radio now plays Anna Oxa “Storie”(eng. Histories) and now the sun is begin to say hi…and K. is yawling and says we are there?yes dear..she turns her head and sees the feery…”WOW! We were on that?”she makes me smile really…I ask her if she is hungry to pass to get breakfast of she can resist a little longer because I have a special place to take her for breakfast…she says” then I can hold on”.

So we get on the highway and as she notes this is really a high way!is over 200m over the sea built and on your left u have this the blue sea and the right the mountains…and so we get some 30 minutes and I see the Exit for the Roccalumera and after driving a little in the small village and see the bar of the breakfast!San Marco- the best Granita e fresh baked brioches.Signora of the bar so nice brought the granite that is the fruite mashed with ice or it can be with coffee made or chocolate whatever your hearts wishes and those wonderful Brioches..this is the breakfast of the Sicilians. As usually they talk with you always we told her we are here for the weekend and if it were for me I would do this km every day…and that for K.she made her first Italian sentence… “questo e molto buono”

So we continue our road to Catania, and around 8 we got there..Signora Maria was already out like in the good Sicilian tradition was cleaning outside the front door to clean…

Kisses and hugs and laughts like they always do!and the first important question that they would do you if u get there DID YOU ATE?!

Time flies and we are round lunch signora maria told us she will make us “ ‘Na cosa speciale! La pasta con le sarde!”

I was so curios and stood to help her…meanwhile K. and the other friends of mine that are all from the same family fixed the table…and me and la Signora talked a little telling her how I like the city and the island and she asked me “why don’t you come to live here if you like it that much?”I laughed when I hear her but in the same time it made me think…

After lunch I took K. to explore the city...the best way to see a city is or to walk or to go by bike…but we decided that afternoon to walk…so we saw the Duomo di Catania after the symbol of Catania the Fountain of the Elephant and the little shops around...

As the sun was too hot for a normal spring afternoon we decidet to pass into a gelateria and do not forget that ice cream was invented in Sicilia so there like always I ate the best ice cream!

This is the first part of our trip…

~to be continued~