Holy Canoli and other blessings on Easter Weekend

So after over a year in Italy, I finally managed to convince an Italian to go away for the weekend with me to explore their own country. And where better to go, but the country of the gods - Sicily. We planned the trip less than ten days in advance and somehow fit in volcano hiking, arancino eating, waterfall dipping, temple meandering, canoli devouring, and a lot of asking crazy Sicilians for directions. One of my highlights for the trip, was that Paola was also a foreigner in Sicily. She's from the North of Italy (Torino) and never was the divide between North and South more clear than on this trip. First, she thought she was going to Africa and packed all summer gear. Second, everyone we talked to (and there were many considering how many times we got lost) could not understand her and she could not understand them. Plus everywhere we went they treated both of us equally as oddities. Another highlight is all of 'Paola's Tips' on life, which truly deserve a book, but that is for a later post or publication. I only wish I had a flipbook of all the characters we encountered and the stares and treatment as aliens we were entreated to. Here are some quick highlights of how I spent my second Easter in Italy - one year with the Pope, the next with holy canolis, guess which was better?

Mt Etna, dominating Sicily

Isola Bella, which you can

walk to at low tide

Paola was scared we couldn't

drink the water from the tap -

I mean she basically thought we

were going to Africa. But I assured

her that Sicily's water was still safe,

but even I was pleasantly surprised to

find one of my favorite things about Rome -

fontanelle (nasoni) whenever you're thirsty

Bar Turrisi in Castelmola was

recommended to us by our apartment

owners. They told us there was a surprise

and that it was 'unique in the world'. As we

approached the entire town was empty and it

felt a bit eerie, and then we entered and the

laugh was on us.......And as our host said,

"You have to see it for yourself", so rise to the

occasion

Fortifying for the Etna hike with

Arancine, a speciality of Sicly - a fried

risotto ball stuffed with your choice of

meat ragu, spinach, prosciutto, eggplant, ....

We had at least one every day

We didn't plan well for our hike to

Etna, and neither of us had appropriate

'winter' gear for the top of Etna, so I

suggested frolicking to keep warm, and then...

this was created. (in the background

part of our transport up Etna)

Our first form of transport up Etna,

a Finuvia (gondola)

Some of Etna's 300 craters

Navigating the top of

Etna, the highest volcano

in Europe

Even the boiling steam from the

crater couldn't keep us warm

Having fun despite the cold, wind, and

lava

Hills = happiness

Seriously, I've unleashed

a monster

Thinking - life is pretty awesome

Playing in the waterfalls and many

cascading lakes of Cava Grande in

Avola, Sicily

You might not be able to tell at this

scale of photo, but driving around Sicily

you just keeping bumping into the

glory of Etna dominating the horizon

I managed to eat a holy canoli

everyday of Easter weekend -

which was truly a blessing

Ancient Ortigia, once considered

the most important city in the Greek

empire

The sunrise from my

terrace at the Lemontree,

overlooking Taormina and the

Mediterranean

Cracking open my first Italian giant

chocolate Easter egg with a special

surprise inside

Paola told me that her 'favorite' American

friend used to make her banana pancakes.

So obviously there was a challenge thrown down.

Paola told me she wanted me to make "my recipe".

Err, umm, what's in Bisquick? Quick google search

later, and a confession to Paola, and I think

I might still somehow be working my way in as

the favorite American. It may have been the chocolate

chunks of Easter egg I added, or the wind of Sicily

whispering in her ear

She's fully hooked on

frolicking

And why not, it NEVER

gets old, unlike these

temples

Grazie mille Paola per una

bellisima Pasqua in Sicilia